EP1660394A1 - Mecanisme de transfert rotatif - Google Patents

Mecanisme de transfert rotatif

Info

Publication number
EP1660394A1
EP1660394A1 EP04743685A EP04743685A EP1660394A1 EP 1660394 A1 EP1660394 A1 EP 1660394A1 EP 04743685 A EP04743685 A EP 04743685A EP 04743685 A EP04743685 A EP 04743685A EP 1660394 A1 EP1660394 A1 EP 1660394A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
drive
suction device
feeder arm
receiving station
carrier
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP04743685A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Warren George Smith
Keith Robert Coveney
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Bradman Lake Ltd
Original Assignee
Bradman Lake Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Bradman Lake Ltd filed Critical Bradman Lake Ltd
Publication of EP1660394A1 publication Critical patent/EP1660394A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/42—Separating articles from piles by two or more separators mounted for movement with, or relative to, rotary or oscillating bodies
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H5/00—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines
    • B65H5/08—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines by grippers, e.g. suction grippers
    • B65H5/12—Revolving grippers, e.g. mounted on arms, frames or cylinders
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B2100/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers made by folding single-piece sheets, blanks or webs
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B2120/00—Construction of rigid or semi-rigid containers
    • B31B2120/30—Construction of rigid or semi-rigid containers collapsible; temporarily collapsed during manufacturing
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
    • B31B50/00—Making rigid or semi-rigid containers, e.g. boxes or cartons
    • B31B50/74—Auxiliary operations
    • B31B50/76—Opening and distending flattened articles
    • B31B50/80—Pneumatically
    • B31B50/804—Pneumatically using two or more suction devices on a rotating element
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2403/00—Power transmission; Driving means
    • B65H2403/50—Driving mechanisms
    • B65H2403/54—Driving mechanisms other
    • B65H2403/543—Driving mechanisms other producing cycloids

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a rotary transfer mechanism for transferring an object from an object holder to a receiving station. It is particularly, but not exclusively, applicable to a mechanism for flat objects and objects having a flat surface, especially cartons. Rotary transfer mechanisms are often known in the art as "rotary feeders”.
  • rotary feeders have one or more feeder arms bearing suction cups configured to apply suction to pick up an object from an object holder at one point in their flight path and to release said suction to deposit the object at a receiving station at another point on their flight path.
  • the suction cups are carried through their flight path by the feeder arms that are attached to a rotating carrier.
  • the feeder arms, and therefore the suction cups they carry, are rotatable relative to the carrier. Therefore the flight path of the suction cups is the sum of the rotational motion from the carrier and the rotation of the feeder arm relative to the carrier.
  • a stationary sun gear is concentric with the drive shaft of the carrier and planetary gears fixed to the carrier idle on the stationary sun gear.
  • the planetary gears each engage with a respective outer gear also mounted on the carrier and each outer gear is fixed to and coaxial with a respective feeder arm.
  • the planetary gears rotate by engagement with the stationary sun gear causing the outer gears and thus the feeder arms and attached suction cups to rotate.
  • the suction cups thus follow a predetermined path that is the sum of the rotary motion of the support arm about its own axis and the orbiting of the support arm about the drive shaft.
  • This predetermined path is inflexible and fixed by the relationship of the various gears.
  • the shape of the path for one of the suction cups on the above-described type of rotary feeder is shown in Fig 11.
  • the path has three nodes (turning points) ; the object supply has to be placed at one of these nodes, so that objects can be picked up, and the receiving station at another of these nodes so that the objects can be placed there.
  • EP 0331325 discloses a rotary feeder for cartons. Each carton is stored in flat form in a dispensing magazine and opened out or “erected” into its expanded form (in which it is able to receive contents) during placement of the carton on a receiving station on a conveyor.
  • each feeder arm is fixed to a coaxial pinion having a cam follower. Rotation of the pinion and hence the support arm relative to the carrier is determined alternately either by engagement of the pinion with an arcuate rack mounted on a stationary support or engagement of the cam follower with a cam track also mounted on a stationary support.
  • the cam track can cause the suction cups (attached to the support arm) to follow a path with node points at different locations to those possible with a sun- planetary gear system.
  • the cam track also makes it possible for the path of the suction cups to travel in the same direction as the conveyer for a limited period while the carton is being deposited.
  • the path of the suction cups is, as with the above-described sun- planetary gear mechanism, fixed by the parts used and can only be changed by physical adjustment of the parts (e.g. by replacement of the cam track) .
  • the rotary transfer mechanism is provided with a second drive for driving rotation of at least one feeder arm, said second drive being independent of a first drive means for driving rotation of the carrier which carries the feeder arm.
  • the second drive means is independent of the first drive
  • the flight path of suction device attached to the feeder arm is not predetermined by the first drive because it depends on the second drive as well. Therefore a wide range of different suction device path profiles can be generated depending on the relative phasing of the first and second drive. Phasing' means the relative speeds, direction of driven rotation etc of the drives.
  • the necessary parameters to give a flight path suitable for a particular object may be stored in a program in the memory of a controller, so that the appropriate program can be selected by a user making the apparatus easy to use with different objects.
  • a first aspect of the present invention may provide a rotary transfer mechanism for transferring objects from an object holder to a receiving station, comprising: a first drive shaft rotably mounted on a support, a carrier rotatable with said first drive shaft, a first drive coupled to said first drive shaft for rotating the carrier relative to said support; at least one feeder arm attached to and extending outwardly from said carrier so that the feeder arm is arranged to orbit said first drive shaft when the carrier is rotated; said feeder arm being rotatable relative to the carrier and having at least one suction device for releasably engaging an object to be transferred; and a second drive for driving rotation of said at least one feeder arm, said second drive being coupled to said at least one feeder arm and independent of said first drive .
  • the object holder and receiving station are not part of the rotary transfer mechanism, but are the locations at which the rotary transfer mechanism picks up the objects and subsequently deposits them.
  • the object holder may simply be a surface bearing the objects to be transferred, but usually will be a magazine or hopper type device for dispensing the objects.
  • the receiving station may be a stationary surface or compartment for receiving the objects, or could be a moving surface such as a conveyer.
  • the conveyer may have a plurality of divisions along its length each constituting a receiving station (i.e. it may be ⁇ flighted' ) .
  • the drive may be a motor or a means for transferring or imparting rotational motion from a motor.
  • the drive could be a chain or pulley for transferring rotational motion from a motor to a drive shaft.
  • the suction device preferably comprises a suction cup.
  • a vacuum system for placing the suction device alternately in communication with a vacuum and the atmosphere.
  • a controller of the rotary transfer mechanism is configured to control the mechanism such that the suction device is placed in communication with the vacuum from at least the point of the flight path where the suction device is adjacent the object holder (so that it can contact an object to be picked up) to the point of the flight path where said suction device is adjacent the receiving station on which the object is to be deposited.
  • said controller is configured to control the mechanism such that the suction device is placed in communication with the atmosphere at the point in the flight path of the suction device where it moves away from said receiving station (after depositing and where appropriate also erecting said object) .
  • This control may be achieved by rotary valves, computer controlled valves, sensor controlled valves or other suitable means as will be apparent to a person skilled in the art.
  • At least one of the drives is a servo-motor or is coupled to a servo-motor.
  • each drive is a servo-motor or is coupled to a respective servo-motor.
  • a separate (independent) motor is needed for each respective drive so that the drives are independent from each other.
  • one or more servo-motors allows the phasing to be adjusted in real time according to the desired profile at a particular point in the cycle.
  • the throughput of a rotary transfer mechanism can be measured by the number of objects transferred from the object holder to a receiving station in given period of time. This is dependent on the speed of the carrier, but also on the number of feeder arms.
  • At least one feeder arm and a first and second drive there may be a plurality of feeder arms.
  • each feeder arm should be coupled to only one of the second or further drives (and optionally also to the first drive, e.g. via the carrier if a planetary gear system is used as discussed below) .
  • the second drive is coupled to more than one feeder arm. This allows more than one feeder arm to be controlled by one drive thus keeping down the cost of the mechanism (especially where servo-motors are used) .
  • any of the further drives may be coupled to more than one feeder arm in a similar manner so as to introduce redundancy and reduce costs. This is discussed in more detail a bit later.
  • the at least one feeder arm is coupled to the second drive by a sun gear and planetary gear system. If there are several feeder arms then preferably each feeder arm is coupled to either the second or one of the further drives (if there are further drives) by a system of sun and planetary gears. This allows for relatively precise control of the motion of each feeder arm.
  • the planetary gears may be rotably mounted on the carrier and coupled to a sun gear driven by the second drive, in which case the at least one feeder arm is coupled to both the first and second drives via the carrier and the sun gear respectively.
  • the coupling of the planetary gear(s) to the sun gear may be by any appropriate means, such as engagement, meshing engagement, chain and track or other means as is well known in the art.
  • Each drive may drive a respective drive shaft. If a sun and planetary gear system is used then each drive shaft may have a sun gear for coupling with one or more planetary gears coupled to the feeder arms (except the first drive shaft which need not have any sun gear as it is for driving rotational motion of the carrier relative to the support) .
  • the drive shafts may be provided as a system of shafts one inside the other and idling on each other, e.g. via ball bearings or the like, so that the drive shafts are coaxial but able to rotate independently of each other.
  • the shafts are concentric with one another. This allows the rotary feeder to be made relatively compact despite the presence of several drives.
  • sun gears are used, the sun gears and carrier are each attached to a different shaft and can be axially spaced apart from each other.
  • the feeder arms are attached to the carrier by crank members pivotably mounted to the carrier.
  • the feeder arms are pivotably mounted to the crank members. This allows for an extra degree of rotational freedom and therefore more flexibility in the flight path of the suction device (s) .
  • the feeder arm is then able to rotate about both its own axis and the axis of the crank's pivotal attachment to the carrier as well as along with the general motion of the carrier. In other words the feeder arm has two degrees of rotational freedom relative to the carrier.
  • each feeder arm is coupled with a respective cam follower engageable with the cam track for controlling rotation of the feeder arm relative to the carrier when in use the carrier rotates.
  • This facilitates further control of the feeder arms via the cam track.
  • the rotation by the cam track is different at each point in the cycle as determined by the cam track at that point in the cycle (the position in the cycle being measured by the number of degrees the carrier has rotated out of 360°) .
  • cam followers are coupled to the feeder arms via respective crank members pivotably attached to the carrier.
  • cam follower/cam track arrangement controls rotation of the crank arm relative to the carrier, while the coupling of the second (and any further drives) to the respective follower arm(s), e.g. by a planetary and sun gear arrangement, controls rotation of the follower arm about its own axis.
  • each feeder arm and suction device attached thereto
  • has a critical range from the approach to the object holder to just after depositing of the object - and in the case of a carton, erecting of the carton - on the receiving station and a non-critical range (the other parts of the flight path) .
  • two feeder arms are coupled to the second drive, it is preferable that they are spaced apart by an amount equal to or greater than this critical range (e.g. at least as much as the angle subtended by the object holder and the receiving station on the first drive) . Most preferably they are attached to opposite sides of the carrier. In this way the second drive can be controlled to give the desired path profile for the suction device of either feeder arm in its critical range and it is not necessary to worry about the ramifications that this control will have on the suction device on the other feeder arm that feed arm's suction device will be in the non-critical range.
  • this critical range e.g. at least as much as the angle subtended by the object holder and the receiving station on the first drive
  • a controller having at least one program for controlling said feeder arm or arms to perform predetermined paths around the first drive shaft when in use the carrier is rotated by the first servomotor.
  • the controller may effect this control by controlling the first drive, the second drive and any further drives to give the desired suction device path profiles .
  • the controller may have several preset programs and means for allowing an operator to select the appropriate program for the job at hand (e.g. according to the type, size and shape of the objects to be transferred, the location of receiving station and object holder etc.
  • the controller may have means for adjusting the programs, editing the programs etc so that a user can vary the programs according to his particular needs.
  • the rotary transfer mechanism is configured to provide a suction device path profile having one or more of the desirable characteristics outlined below. This may be achieved for example by setting the mechanism to operate in a particular way, coordination of the respective drives, and/or using an appropriate program in the controller.
  • the suction device approaches the object holder in a linear motion (e.g. substantially perpendicular to the, usually flat, object to be picked up) . This helps to create a better seal and reduces wear of the suction device, compared to a situation where the suction device roll into the objects (e.g. cartons) when picking them up from the object holder.
  • a linear motion e.g. substantially perpendicular to the, usually flat, object to be picked up
  • the suction device moves away from object holder in a linear motion (e.g. substantially perpendicular to objects held in the holder) after picking up an object from the object holder.
  • a linear motion e.g. substantially perpendicular to objects held in the holder
  • the suction device rolling immediately after picking up an object from the object holder because such rolling can cause the object to rotate into any remaining objects in the object holder and consequently to bend and buckle or damage the remaining objects.
  • moving away in a linear path should reduce the possibility that the carton will spring open and resonate just after being extracted from the object holder.
  • a rotary feeder is required to transfer an object to a receiving station on a (moving) conveyor.
  • the suction device it is preferable for the suction device to move along with the conveyer in the same direction as the conveyer for a portion of its flight path during which it deposits the object on the conveyer. This is better for example than the suction device travelling towards and away from the receiving station very quickly (as e.g. in Fig 11) .
  • the object When the object is a carton it is usually erected against a side wall of the receiving station (e.g. a lug extending across a conveyer) . Adjustment of the flight path enables the rotary feeder to cope with different sizes of carton. For a given path profile the actual angle of attack at which the carton contacts the sidewall will vary depending on the size of the carton. However, there is an optimum angle of attack. Therefore it is preferable that the speed of rotation of the feeder arm is varied according to the size of the carton so that the desired angle of attack is achieved. This may be achieved by varying the relative speed of the drives (e.g. varying the speed of the first or second drive) .
  • the speed of its rotation can be varied around the cycle so that it can be speeded up or slowed down over a particular range so that the suction device (or the carton held by it) has a desired angle relative to the receiving station side wall at a particular point in the cycle.
  • the angle of attack can be set to a desired angle which may be varied by control of rotation of the feeder arm relative to the carrier.
  • the optimum angle of attack is currently thought to be 15 to 20 degrees between the carton in its flat un-erected state and the sidewall of the receiving station.
  • the feeder arm rotates relative to the carrier in such a way as to direct the suction device away from the receiving station.
  • This helps to keep a suction device performing a return path (i.e. in the uncritical' range) from interfering with an object carried by an adjacent suction device in the critical range (e.g. incoming to the receiving station). If the feeder arm continued rotating in the same direction as it was prior to depositing the object then it would most likely point towards the incoming suction device and might interfere with them.
  • the feeder arm can be controlled to rotate in a first direction just prior to depositing an object at the receiving station and to rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction just after depositing said object.
  • the present system may make it possible to provide a path profile having all of the above characteristics due to the independent drives and other features of the mechanism described above. It is particularly advantageous to combine the preferred features.
  • the mechanism comprises both a cam-follower cam track system and sun and planetary gear system
  • this may be used to advantage by controlling one of the drives to counteract undesired rotation of one of the feeder arms produced by the cam-follower and cam track system at a given point in the cycle by counter rotation of the planetary gear coupled to said feeder arm.
  • FIG. 1 may depict a method of transferring objects (e.g. cartons) from an object holder to a receiving station by using a rotary transfer mechanism comprising a rotatable carrier, one or more feeder arms rotably attached to said carrier and having a suction device for releasably engaging the object to be transferred and controlling the carrier and said feeder arm or arms and suction devices to follow a flight path, preferably having one or more of the above described desirable flight path characteristics.
  • a rotary transfer mechanism comprising a rotatable carrier, one or more feeder arms rotably attached to said carrier and having a suction device for releasably engaging the object to be transferred and controlling the carrier and said feeder arm or arms and suction devices to follow a flight path, preferably having one or more of the above described desirable flight path characteristics.
  • the flight path may have any combination of the above described desirable flight path characteristics,
  • Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rotary transfer mechanism
  • Fig. 2 is a partial perspective view of a rotary transfer mechanism with a cut away section showing the internal workings of the mechanism
  • Fig. 3 is a side view of the rotary transfer mechanism
  • Fig. 4 is a plan view of a feeder arm of the rotary transfer mechanism
  • Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a crank arm, gear wheel and cam follower assembly for use in the rotary transfer mechanism
  • Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rotary transfer mechanism
  • Fig. 2 is a partial perspective view of a rotary transfer mechanism with a cut away section showing the internal workings of the mechanism
  • Fig. 3 is a side view of the rotary transfer mechanism
  • Fig. 4 is a plan view of a feeder arm of the rotary transfer mechanism
  • Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a crank arm, gear wheel and cam follower assembly for use in the rotary transfer mechanism
  • Fig. 1 is a perspective view of
  • FIG. 6 is a plan view of one face of the assembly of Fig. 5;
  • Fig. 7 is a side plan view of the assembly of Fig. 5;
  • Fig. 8 is a plan view of a cam track;
  • Fig. 9 shows a possible flight path of the suction device of the one of the rotary feeder arms in relation to the object holder and the receiving station;
  • Fig. 10 shows the cam track super imposed on the flight path of Fig. 9;
  • Fig. 11 shows the flight path of a suction device attached to the feeder arm of a conventional rotary transfer mechanism using a fixed arrangement of planetary gears and a stationary sun gear;
  • Fig. 12 shows a further possible flight path of a suction device in a rotary feeder according to the present invention;
  • Fig. 9 shows a possible flight path of the suction device of the one of the rotary feeder arms in relation to the object holder and the receiving station;
  • Fig. 10 shows the cam track super imposed on the flight path of Fig
  • FIG. 13 shows a further example of a possible flight path of the suction device of the rotary feeder according to the present invention
  • Fig. 14 is a schematic plan showing a rotary transfer mechanism and controller
  • Fig. 15 is a graph showing speed of rotation of the first drive during part of the cycle.
  • a rotary feeder or rotary transfer mechanism 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figs. 1 to 3.
  • the rotary transfer mechanism comprises a support 5 to which a disk shaped carrier 10 is rotably mounted by means of a first drive shaft 15 which is fixably secured to the carrier 10.
  • the first drive shaft 15 is coupled to a first drive 17 (see Fig. 3) for rotating the carrier 10 relative to the support 5.
  • the support 5 has a plurality of apertures 5a to facilitate attachment to a packaging machine.
  • a plurality of feeder arms 30 are attached to the carrier 10 and extend outwardly from the carrier in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the fist drive shaft 15.
  • the feeder arms 30 are arranged around the carrier so that the feeder arms orbit the first drive shaft when the carrier 10 is rotated by the first drive 17.
  • the feeder arm construction is shown in more detail in Fig. 4.
  • Each feeder arm comprises a feeder arm shaft 31 and has a suction device, in the form of a pair of suction cups 32 attached to the feeder arm shaft 31.
  • the suction cups 32 are fixedly mounted to the shaft 31 and extend laterally from it, so that when the feeder arm shaft 31 rotates the vacuum cups 32 describe circles around it.
  • Each vacuum cup 32 is connected to a vacuum by way of vacuum pipes 35 which connect to a vacuum pump.
  • each feeder arm is attached to the carrier 10 in such a way that it is rotatable relative to the carrier.
  • the rotary transfer mechanism 1 has a mechanism for controlling rotation of the respective feeder arms 30 relative to the carrier 10 and this is described in more detail later.
  • the flight path of a suction device 32 on a rotary feeder arm 30 is determined by the sum of the rotation of the carrier 10 relative to the support 5 and the rotation of the feeder arm 30 relative to the carrier 10.
  • Fig. 9 shows the flight path of a suction device 32 attached to a feeder arm 30 of the rotary transfer mechanism 1.
  • the flight path has a first node A at an object holder 200 and a second node B at a receiving station 300 the object holder is a hopper containing cartons in flat-pressed form and has an opening for dispensing the cartons.
  • the receiving station 300 is a section of a conveyor for transporting the cartons.
  • the conveyor is divided into sections 310 by lugs 315 extending across the conveyor. Each section 310 forms a separate receiving station.
  • the conveyor travels in the direction 311 to 312 in Fig. 9 and for clarity only a small section of the conveyor is shown in Fig. 9.
  • the object holder 200 and receiving station 300 are 120° apart from each other with respect to the axis of the first drive shaft 15 of the rotary transfer mechanism 1. However, in other embodiments it would be possible have the object holder 200 and receiving station 300 separated by different amounts.
  • the critical portion of the flight path where the suction device 32 positioning is especially important to achieve picking up, transfer, depositing (and if a carton erection) of the object is from point C to point B on the flight path of Fig 9.
  • a controller of the rotary transfer mechanism puts the suctions device 32 in communication with a vacuum produced by a suction pump (not shown in Figs. 1-3, 570 in Fig 14) when it is adjacent the object holder at node A and keeps the suction device 32 in communication with said vacuum as the suction device 32 moves towards node B.
  • the suction device 32 thus picks up a carton from the object holder 200 and transports it to the receiving station 300.
  • the combined movement of the suction device 32 and the engagement of the flat carton with a lug 315 (usually the rear lug) of the receiving station on the moving conveyor causes the carton to erect.
  • the carton opens out into a square or rectangular cross section so that it can receive contents to be cartoned.
  • the controller puts the suction device 32 back in communication with the atmosphere so that the carton is released and allowed to travel with the receiving station along the conveyor.
  • the suction device which is then no longer carrying the carton returns around the flight path to node A.
  • the on/off control of the vacuum in relation to the suction device is achieved by rotary valves.
  • the valves may be electronically controlled by a solenoid.
  • the suction device is put into communication with the atmosphere by a separate release valve which can be controlled in a similar fashion.
  • the rotary valves 19 are mounted to the end of the rotary feeder arms the vacuum feed pipe (34) do not twist as the mechanism rotates.
  • the rotary transfer mechanism is mounted to a packaging machine by its support 5 which can be fixed at a suitable location on the packaging machine. For each incoming product the rotary transfer mechanism removes a flat carton from the object holder 200, erects it and places it on a receiving station on the conveyor.
  • the rotary transfer mechanism 1 has three drive shafts 15, 40 and 50 arranged coaxial with and idling on each other and having respective pulleys 16, 46 and 56 towards one end.
  • the drive shafts 15, 40 and 50 are able to rotate independently of each other and are radially spaced apart by bearings or similar means.
  • the idling shaft system is mounted on and supported by the support 5.
  • the drive shafts 16, 46 and 56 are rotatable relative to the support.
  • the first drive shaft 15 is the central drive shaft and is fixed to the carrier 10 at one end so that when it rotates relative to the support the carrier 10 rotates also. It has a pulley (16) at one end which is coupled to a first drive 17.
  • the second drive shaft 40 idles on the outside of the first drive shaft 15 and has a pulley 46 which is coupled to a drive 47.
  • the third drive shaft 50 idles on the outside of the second drive shaft 40 and has a pulley 56 which is coupled to a third drive 57.
  • each of the drives 17, 47 and 57 are independent of each other and thus each of the first to third drive shafts 15, 40 and 50 can be made to rotate relative to the support 5 independently of each other (e.g. at different speeds and/or in different directions).
  • each of the drives is a drive cord coupled to a respective servo-motor.
  • the servo-motors are independent of each other.
  • the drive shafts could be connected directly to the servomotors (in which case the servo-motors are effectively the rives' ) or coupled to the servo-motors by other means such as a chain and track system. It would also be possible to use a normal (non-servo) motor to drive one or more of the drives, although this would reduce the flexibility of the system.
  • a sun gear 42 (in this embodiment a large toothed gear wheel) is fixed to the second drive shaft 40 at the end near the carrier 10.
  • This sun gear 42 engages with a planetary gear 44 (see Fig 1) which idles on the sun gear 42 and which is rotably mounted on the carrier 10.
  • the planetary gear 44 engages with an outer gear 46 which is fixedly mounted on one of the feeder arm 30b and idles on the planetary gear 44.
  • the outer gear 46 is coaxial with the feeder arm 30b and so the feeder arm is caused to rotate about its own axis.
  • the outer gear 46 and the feeder arm 30b could be radially offset from each other (i.e. they need not have coincident axes) .
  • the feeder arms 30b is coupled to the second drive shaft 40 by a sun and planetary gear system such that rotation of the second drive shaft 40 relative to the first drive shaft 15 causes the feeder arm to rotate relative to the carrier 10.
  • the third drive shaft 50 has a similar system with sun gear 52 (see Figs. 2 and 3) fixedly mounted on the end near carrier 10, engaging with planetary gear 54 which is rotably mounted on the carrier and engages with outer gear 56. Outer gear 56 idles on the planetary gear 54 and is fixedly mounted to feeder arm 30a.
  • sun and planetary gear systems of the second and third drive shafts are axially offset from each other so that they do not interfere with each other.
  • Feeder arm 30c is coupled to the third drive shaft 50 by a planetary gear and an outer gear coupled to the sun gear 52 as described above for the feeder arm 30a.
  • Feeder arm 30d is coupled to the second drive shaft 40 by a planetary gear and outer gear coupled to the sun gear 42.
  • feeder arms 30a and 30c are both coupled to the third drive shaft 50 (and therefore the third drive 57) . They are positioned on opposite sides of the carrier.
  • This positioning has the advantage that the third drive can be controlled to give the desired flight path for the suction device 32 of the feeder arm 30a in the critical range from position C to position B of the flight path without undue concern about the consequent motion of the suction device 32 on the other feeder arm 30c coupled to it as this suction device will be outside the critical portion of its flight path and vice versa when feeder arm 30c is at the critical portion of its flight path.
  • Feeder arms 30b and 30d are both coupled to the second drive shaft 40 (and therefore the second drive 47) . They are positioned on opposite sides of the carrier, which has the advantage mentioned above. Rotation of the feeder arms 30 due to the sun and planetary gear systems described above gives the feeder arms 30 a first degree of rotational freedom relative to the carrier 10. Each feeder arm 30 is pivotably mounted to the carrier 10 by a crank member 60 which gives a second degree of rotational freedom.
  • crank member 60 is part of a respective crank assembly which can be best seen in Figs 5 to 7.
  • the feeder arm 30 is rotably mounted to the crank member 60 at feeder arm receiver 61. This mounting of the feeder arm is rotatable so that the feeder arm can rotate about its own axis when driven by the sun and planetary gear system.
  • the crank member 60 is pivotably mounted to the carrier 10 at a location 62 spaced apart from the feeder arm receiver.
  • the pivotable mounting can be by a pivot pin 63 mounted to the carrier 10 and extending into an aperture at location 62 of the crank member 60.
  • the overall effect is that the feeder arm 30 is able to rotate about its own axis and also about the axis of the pivotal attachment of the crank member 60 to the carrier 10.
  • the pivot pin 63 extends through the carrier 10. On the feeder arm side of the carrier 10 it is pivotably attached to the crank member 60 as described above. On the other side of the carrier 10 it has an outer gear of the planetary gear system mounted on it (denoted in Figs 5-7 by reference numeral 56 but it is to be understood that the other feeder arms are attached in a similar manner to their respective crank members and outer gears) .
  • the pivot pin 63 passes through the outer gear as well and bracket 70 is pivotably attached to it.
  • the bracket 70 is part of a cam follower system and has a cam follower 72 fixed to it.
  • the cam follower 72 extends into and engages with a cam track 80 which is mounted to or provided on the support 5.
  • a plan view of the cam track 80 is shown in Fig 8.
  • the cam follower 72 is forced to follow the cam track 80 as the carrier 10 rotates and this causes the crank member 70 to pivot about its pivotal attachment 62,63 with the carrier 10 due to forces transmitted via the assembly of the cam follower 72, bracket 70 and pivot pin 63.
  • rotation or pivoting of the feeder arm 32 about the axis of the crank member's pivotal attachment to the carrier 10 i.e. in this embodiment about the axis of pivot pin 63
  • the crank member and cam follower assembly shown in Figs 5 to 7 controls the second degree of rotational freedom of the feeder arm relative to the carrier 10 on the basis of the cam track 80.
  • the control is exerted as a function of the position of the feeder arm in the cycle (a full cycle being a single revolution of the carrier) .
  • the first degree of rotational freedom of a feeder arm is controlled by the sun and planetary gear system.
  • any two feeder arms coupled to the same sun gear (and thus to the same drive) -e.g. arms 30a and 30c - this rotation will be the same for both arms at any given point in time.
  • the second degree of rotational freedom it can be different however, as this is controlled by the cam track 80 and so depends on the position of the feeder arm in the cycle (and the feeder arms are spaced apart and therefore at different positions in the cycle) . In this way undesired rotation relative to the carrier 10 due to the sun and planetary gear system can be counteracted by the cam track (or vice versa) by appropriate design of the cam track and/or control of the appropriate drive.
  • Fig. 10 is a front elevation showing the cam track profile superimposed on a suction cup flight path profile.
  • the reference numerals are the same as in previous figures .
  • Fig. 11 is a schematic plan view of the flight path of a suction device of a conventional sun and planetary gear rotary feeder in which there is only one motor and a stationary sun gear.
  • the flight path has three nodes E, F and G and these are quite sharp as there is a violent change in direction at each node.
  • the rotary transfer mechanism according to the Fig. 1 embodiment can achieve this flight path, but it is more advantageous to control the various drives to give a profile like that shown in Figs 9 and 10 or 12 or 13.
  • a remarkable feature of the present embodiment is that appropriate control of the various drives which are independent of each other enables different flight paths to be produced. Further variation of the flight paths is possible by changing the cam track profile if necessary, but substantial variation is possible by control of the individual drives alone.
  • the suction device approaches the object holder in a linear motion (e.g. substantially perpendicular to the, usually flat, object to be picked up) from points H to A in the cycle. This helps to create a better seal and reduces wear of the suction device, compared to a situation where the suction device rolls into the objects (e.g. cartons) when picking them up from the object holder.
  • the suction device moves away from object holder in a linear motion (e.g. substantially perpendicular to objects held in the holder) from points A to I after picking up an object from the object holder.
  • a rotary feeder is required to transfer an object to a receiving station on a (moving) conveyer.
  • the receiving station moves and therefore it is preferable for the suction device to move along with the conveyer in the same direction as the conveyer for a portion of its flight path during which it deposits the object on the conveyer.
  • the suction device moves along with the receiving station on the conveyer (in the same direction as the conveyer) from points J to K which corresponds to node B in Fig 9.
  • the object is deposited on the receiving station and if it is a carton it is erected by contact with a wall of the receiving station.
  • the suction device travels along with the conveyer for longer before moving away. Moving along with the conveyer is better than the suction device travelling quickly towards and then quickly away from the receiving station in Fig 11 as the smoother path means that the suction device is less prone to wear through use. Where the suction device is a suction cup alternately placed in communication with a vacuum and the atmosphere, travelling along with the conveyer means that the on/off control of the vacuum does not have to be as precise as in the Fig 11 path.
  • the object When the object is a carton it is usually erected against a side wall of the receiving station (e.g. a lug extending across a conveyer) .
  • a side wall of the receiving station e.g. a lug extending across a conveyer
  • There is an optimum angle at which the carton should contact the sidewall thought to be 15 to 20 degrees between the carton in its flat un- erected state and the sidewall of the receiving station) .
  • the speed of rotation of the feeder arm is varied according to the size of the carton so that the desired angle of attack is achieved.
  • the speed of its rotation is possible for the speed of its rotation to be varied around the cycle so that it can be speeded up or slowed down over a particular range so that the suction device has a desired angle relative to the receiving station side wall at a particular point in the cycle.
  • Use of independent drives coupled to respective servo-motors makes this variation in speed around the cycle possible.
  • Fig 15 is a graph showing how the first drive 17 can be controlled (via the first servo-motor) for a portion of the path from the suction device approaching the receiving station to depositing and erecting of the carton at the receiving station to give the desired angle of attack for erecting the carton.
  • the x-axis represents time and the y-axis represents the distance moved, each as a percentage of the total time or distance to be moved within this portion (from approach to erection of the carton, corresponding to B to J in Figs. 12 and 13) of the flight path cycle.
  • Line 400 represents the situation where a normal
  • non-servo motor non-servo motor
  • the servo-motor is kept at constant speed.
  • the first drive moves at a constant speed through this part of the cycle.
  • this will not give the best possible angle of attack for erecting the carton.
  • the best angle of attack is thought to be 15 to 20 degrees between the carton in its flat un-erected state and the sidewall of the receiving station as mentioned above.
  • varying the speed of the first drive according to line 410 will give the desired angle of attack.
  • the first drive starts off slower and speeds up nearer the end of this portion of the cycle. If the carton is smaller in height then the control of the drive will have to be varied accordingly to get the best angle of attack.
  • controlling the first drive according to line 420 will give the best angle of attack.
  • the feeder arm rotates relative to the carrier in such a way as to direct the suction device away from the receiving station.
  • This helps to keep suction device performing a return path (in the uncritical' range) from interfering with an object carried by an adjacent suction device in the critical range (e.g. incoming to the receiving station) . If the feeder arm continued rotating in the same direction as it was prior to depositing the object then it would most likely point towards the incoming suction device and might interfere with an object carried by the incoming suction device.
  • the cam track 80 in Fig 10 is represented by positions of the cam track follower as shown by the small circles. Each cam track follower position corresponds to a suction device 32 position.
  • the suction device 32 carries an object (e.g. a carton) between the object holder 200 and the receiving station 300.
  • object 90 is not shown in Fig 10 and is only shown for one of the suction cup 32 positions in Fig 9, although it would be present between nodes A and B.
  • Fig 14 is a schematic diagram showing a rotary
  • transfer mechanism having a carrier, drives, feeder arms and the other features of the embodiment described above and a controller which may be part of the rotary transfer mechanism or may be provided separately.
  • controller 500 which has a processor that is connected to or comprises a memory 540 which may contain one or more programs for controlling the servo-motors and a user interface 550 which a user can use to select a program, modify the programs or to input parameters (e.g. carton size) used by the programs to determine the control of the servo-motors.
  • controller may also comprise a vacuum system control part 560 for controlling the vacuum pump 570 and/or valves for putting the suction devices in communication with the atmosphere or a vacuum produced by the vacuum pump 570.
  • the controller 500 controls the rotary transfer mechanism 1 by controlling the speed and direction of rotation of the servo-motors 510 to 530.
  • the user interface 550 preferably has a display for communicating flight path or program information to the user.
  • sun and planetary gear system could be used (e.g. a system in which the feeder arm is coupled directly to a planetary gear rather than via an outer gear, or a system in which the planetary and sun gears are coupled by a chain and track arrangement rather than by meshing gear teeth) .
  • sun and planetary gear system could be used (e.g. a system in which the feeder arm is coupled directly to a planetary gear rather than via an outer gear, or a system in which the planetary and sun gears are coupled by a chain and track arrangement rather than by meshing gear teeth) .
  • sun and sun gear system could be used (e.g. a system in which the feeder arm is coupled directly to a planetary gear rather than via an outer gear, or a system in which the planetary and sun gears are coupled by a chain and track arrangement rather than by meshing gear teeth) .
  • Other variations will be apparent to a person skilled in the art .

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)
  • Specific Conveyance Elements (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un mécanisme de transfert rotatif destiné au transfert d'un objet, tel qu'un carton, d'un porte-objet à un poste de réception. Ce mécanisme de transfert rotatif comporte un arbre moteur (15) monté rotatif sur un support (5) et un transporteur (10) mené rotatif par l'arbre moteur. Un premier entraînement (17) est couplé à l'arbre moteur (15) de façon à faire tourner le transporteur (10) par rapport au support (5). Le transporteur est équipé d'au moins un bras introducteur (30) muni d'un dispositif d'aspiration (32) venant prendre de façon transitoire un objet à transférer. Le mécanisme de transfert mécanique comporte également un deuxième entraînement (47) qui est couplé au bras introducteur considéré (32), mais reste indépendant du premier entraînement (17). De préférence, les entraînements (17, 47) sont couplés aux servomoteurs indépendants correspondants. Etant donné que les entraînements sont indépendants l'un de l'autre, la trajectoire du bras d'introduction et du dispositif d'aspiration n'est pas déterminée uniquement par le premier entraînement, mais elle peut varier selon la vitesse relative et la phase des deux entraînements indépendants. Cela permet une commande plus étendue de la trajectoire ainsi qu'une plage plus grande des profils de trajectoire.
EP04743685A 2003-08-20 2004-08-11 Mecanisme de transfert rotatif Withdrawn EP1660394A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB0319598.9A GB0319598D0 (en) 2003-08-20 2003-08-20 Rotary transfer mechanism
PCT/GB2004/003447 WO2005019074A1 (fr) 2003-08-20 2004-08-11 Mecanisme de transfert rotatif

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1660394A1 true EP1660394A1 (fr) 2006-05-31

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EP04743685A Withdrawn EP1660394A1 (fr) 2003-08-20 2004-08-11 Mecanisme de transfert rotatif

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EP (1) EP1660394A1 (fr)
GB (1) GB0319598D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO2005019074A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ITBO20050169A1 (it) 2005-03-18 2006-09-19 I M A Ind Macchine Automatiche Spa Dispositivo per l'alimentazione di fustellati ad una macchina confezionatrice
DE102005017962A1 (de) * 2005-04-19 2006-10-26 Iwk Verpackungstechnik Gmbh Übergabevorrichtung in einer Verpackungsmaschine
CN102795492B (zh) * 2012-08-27 2014-10-29 浙江上易机械有限公司 旋转式吸纸机构
CN105829207B (zh) 2013-12-20 2019-10-25 利乐拉瓦尔集团及财务有限公司 用于从介质盒进给箱盒坯件到搬运器的装置和方法
EP2933096B1 (fr) * 2014-04-17 2018-05-23 Harro Höfliger Verpackungsmaschinen GmbH Dispositif de transfert d'une boîte pliante sur un dispositif de transport
EP3533737A1 (fr) 2018-02-28 2019-09-04 Toyo Jidoki Co., Ltd. Mécanisme de transfert et appareil de fourniture de sac
JP6995703B2 (ja) * 2018-02-28 2022-01-17 Ｐａｃｒａｆｔ株式会社 移送機構及び給袋装置
KR102032706B1 (ko) * 2019-04-04 2019-11-08 주식회사 뉴팩코리아 회전식 객체 공급기

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2915308A (en) * 1957-12-26 1959-12-01 Julius C Matzen Automatic feeding machines
GB8804637D0 (en) * 1988-02-27 1988-03-30 Kliklok International Ltd Rotary transfer mechanism
DE19845384B4 (de) * 1998-10-02 2008-08-21 Robert Bosch Gmbh Vorrichtung zum Überführen flachliegender Gegenstände, insbesondere Faltschachteln

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GB0319598D0 (en) 2003-09-24
WO2005019074A1 (fr) 2005-03-03

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