EP1958907B1

EP1958907B1 - Apparatus for dispensing adhesive elements from a carrier tape

Info

Publication number: EP1958907B1
Application number: EP07075877A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gerard Dietz
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-02-13
Filing date: 2007-10-08
Publication date: 2010-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 2027-10-08
Also published as: EP1958907A1; NL1033386C1; ATE467599T1; DE602007006412D1

Abstract

Device called dispenser, for applying or detaching on a detaching roller (14) automatically stepwise of applied adhesive units (2) on equidistant positions X with a thickness D placed on, for example, a rolled-up band or strip-shaped carrier (1), which is lead rotating around a rotating roller (3) against a first tangent point (21) of the spring-loaded rotatable lever (4) and in which against a second tangent point (22) of said rotatable lever (4) detection means are applied to determine said thickness D and in this stops the detachment roller (14) with carrier (1) with adhesive units (2) for applying an adhesive unit (2) on a subject to then, for example, adhere it to another object.

Description

The invention relates to a device for automatically detaching adhesive units applied on equidistant positions X on a detaching point or roll thereof, said adhesive units having a thickness D being situated on a mostly rolled-up band or strip-shaped carrier, called dispenser.
Various patents describe a band or strip-shaped, mostly rolled-up carrier holding adhesive units. The band or strip-shaped carrier is mostly made of silicone paper.
European patent EP 1627837 A1 of Glue Dots International LLC, USA describes an indexing method and dispenser for detecting adhesive units or adhesive segments on said carrier, when these are presented on a doctor roller in a device also known as a dispenser. To this end, index markings should be provided on the band or strip-shaped carrier or tape. An optical sensor, which is relatively expensive, should be provided for reading. At the same time, the special band or strip-shaped carriers can only be employed in the accompanying dispenser of the manufacturer concerned. Thus, mutual exchange with other manufacturers is not possible. Above-mentioned indexing machine and dispensers present a number of disadvantages to users.
Further, international patent WO 2005/085110 A1 discloses a device for dispensing adhesive units or elements. This dispenser by Fantas-Tak Limited, England also processes a special band or strip-shaped carrier having the adhesive units (dots of adhesive) thereon. In order to have the adhesive unit appearing on the proper location of a detaching roll (figure 13), recesses are provided in said band or strip-shaped carrier, which coincide with small cams provided in the detaching roll in order to get the band or strip-shaped carrier in the proper position. Once again, there is the problem that this manufacture of band or strip-shaped carriers cannot be exchanged and used on other dispenser manufacturers. It has the same disadvantages.
It is the aim of the present invention to provide a dispenser which is modified in such a way, that any type or manufacture of band or strip-shaped carrier can be used, allowing the customer to make the most practical an economical choice for band or strip-shaped carriers having adhesive units.
Therefore, a device or dispenser is modified in such a way, that said band or strip-shaped carrier with adhesive units and with thickness D is lead around a rotating roller and detaching roller and subsequently by driving means, in which said rotating roller with a portion of its circumference rotates the band or strip-shaped carrier with adhesive units at one side against a first tangent point of the spring-loaded rotatable lever, in which against a second tangent point of said spring-loaded rotatable lever detection means are provided for determining the thickness D of the adhesive units.
The advantage is that the intermediate thickness D of the adhesive units is enlarged and can thus be easily determined with relatively inexpensive detecting means, and with the help of further electronics the band or strip-shaped carrier with adhesive unit will be stopped at the desired location and at the most suitable angle on the detaching roller. Then, the adhesive unit can be detached from the carrier by an object and after that, the band or strip-shaped carrier rotates further.
Further, the device according to the invention is further developed in such a way, characterized in that said spring-loaded rotatable lever is mounted pivoting at one end and is pressed against said rotating roller at the other end by means of a spring.
The advantage is a system operating flawlessly.
Further, the device according to the invention is further developed in such a way, characterized in that said detecting means comprise an electric recorder, said electric recorder being a micro switch, an inductive or capacitive recorder or a photo cell.
The advantages are that one can choose the most economically sound electrical or electronic recorder.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention is further developed in such a way, characterized in that said driving means comprise a driven roller and a spring-loaded pressure roller contacting it, with said carrier extending between them.
The advantage is that the band or strip-shaped carrier will be pulled through the device or dispenser without difficulty.
Furthermore, the device according to the invention is further developed in such a way, characterized in that said rotating roller is provided with an anti-adhesive coating.
The advantage is that the adhesive units will not stick to the rotating roller, which would cause defects in the process.
The preferred construction of the invention will be described by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawing.
In which:

Fig. 1: shows in a perspective view a generally existing band or strip-shaped carrier having adhesive units, which is usually supplied on a roller;
Fig. 2: shows a side view of the course of the band or strip-shaped carrier having adhesive units with the rotating roller and the spring-loaded rotatable lever according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 3: ditto as figure 2, but here a counter roller running along slightly stiff is provided;
Fig. 4: ditto as figures 2 and 3, but here, the movement of the spring-loaded rotatable lever has been changed to enable more accurate adjustment;
Fig. 5: shows a side view of a complete passage with driving of the band or strip-shaped carrier having adhesive units according to the preferred embodiment of the invention; and
Fig. 6: shows a side view of a variation concerning further adjustability of the detaching roller, by which other centre-to-centre distances of the adhesive units are easily adjustable on the dispenser according to the invention for optimum working conditions.

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a band or strip-shaped carrier 1 having adhesive units 2 on the roll 20. The carrier 1 is mostly manufactured from silicone paper. This usual and well-known embodiment has the property, that unwinding, the row of adhesive units 2 will always remain on the same side of the carrier. The adhesive units can be detached manually or with a special device of dispenser, in order to generally apply them on an object or to stick an object at some position. With the known dispensers, the band or strip-shaped carriers 1 should be indexed with the adhesive units 2 in order to stop timely on a detaching roller, and then start again, so that the process of operation can continue in the best possible way.
After purchase of a dispenser the consumers using adhesive units will be dependent on the supplier concerned for buying band or strip-shaped carriers 1.
With the dispenser according to the invention, indexing of band or strip-shaped carriers 1 with adhesive units 2 is unnecessary. This allows for employing rolls of band or strip-shaped carriers 1 having adhesive units of different manufacturers with the dispenser according to the invention, which is very advantageous for the customer. In the description of the most important mechanism of the dispenser according to the invention with figures 2 through 6, the stopping position of an adhesive unit 2 on a so-called detaching roller 14 will be determined by accurately measuring the thickness D of an adhesive unit 2 on the band or strip-shaped carrier 1. So when an adhesive unit 2 has arrived on the first tangent point 21 and the electric recorder 5 at the second tangent point 22 measures a strongly enlarged thickness D by means of the spring-loaded rotatable lever 4, the band or strip-shaped carrier 1 will stop and the detaching roller 14 holds an adhesive unit 2 ready to be taken off. After this has taken place, the band or strip-shaped carrier 1 will proceed automatically across a length X, and above-mentioned process will be repeated.
Figure 2 illustrates in a side view the simplest embodiment of the mechanism according to the invention for measuring the thickness D of the adhesive units 2. The band or strip-shaped carrier 1 having the adhesive units 2 thereon is led tightly around the freely rotatable rotating roller 3.
In order to prevent sticking, the circumference of the rotating roller 3 is provided with a commercially available anti-adhesive coating 8, for example, a plasma coating. Against the backside or bottom side of the band or strip-shaped carrier 1 an around the shaft 6 spring-loaded rotatable lever 4 with spring 7 is pressed against the rotating roller 3. The backside of the band or strip-shaped carrier 1 glides over the said rotatable lever 4 during the speed-up cycle and pushes the rotatable lever 4 with the adhesive unit 2 with thickness D away from the rotating roller 3. The specially developed rotatable lever 4 makes it possible to enlarge the thus created movement up to a clear measurable difference that subsequently can be detected with an electric recorder 5. The electric recorder 5 can, for example, be a micro switch, an inductive or capacitive recorder or a photocell. With this signal the drive of the band or strip-shaped carrier 1 can stop the band or strip-shaped carrier 1 at the right moment. Thus the adhesive units 2 with a thickness D from 0,1 mm and up, with a fixed passage X, which can be of different values, can be processed in the dispenser according to the invention.
Also various manufactures of band or strip-shaped carriers 1 with adhesive units 2 with other passage values X can be used in the dispenser according to the invention. So also band or strip-shaped carriers 1 with adhesive units 2 provided with optical or mechanical detection means.
The adhesive units 2 can consist of homogeneous cold-adhesive thermoplastic round-, square- or oval-shaped glue drops. The figures show round-shaped glue drops.
Further, with the said concerned dispenser other shapes of adhesive units 2 on band or strip-shaped carrier 1 can be detected, for example single or double sided adhesive punch products constructed of foam, or other single or double sided adhesive units 2.
A variant of the invention is indicated in figure 3. On the spring-loaded rotatable lever 4 a freely rotatable counter roll 10 is mounted. The working is similar to the embodiment of figure 2.
In practice, the dispenser can be further optimalized by making one or more thickness detection components individually adjustable. Making an even more accurate detection possible.
In figure 4 the point of rotation 11 of the spring-loaded rotatable lever 4 is constructed displacable. The rotatable lever 4 can have a fixed hingeable location 13 beside the electric recorder 5. The rotatable lever 4 has a displacable rotating point 13 (for example eccentric), but the location is fixed for constructive reasons. The switch point can then be adjusted by means of a variable screw 12 in the rotatable lever 4. Displacing the rotating point 11 can be done, for example, by turning the rotating point 11 by means of an eccentric movement (fine-tuning).
Figure 5 shows a possible set-up of the driving means 15, 16. The spring-loaded pressure roller 16 pushes the carrier 1 against the driving roller 15. The band or strip-shaped carrier 1 with adhesive units 2 is lead from the rotating roller 3 to the detaching roller 14 and subsequently through the driving means 15, 16. The driving roller 15 is also provided with an anti-adhesive layer of silicon rubber.
Figure 5 shows a solution, in which the detaching roller 14 is mounted horizontally adjustable in a groove 17. By sliding the position of the detaching roller 14, every product with a differing passage value X the adhesive unit 2 can still be offered at the desired position. Figure 6 shows the situation, in which the detaching roller 14 is moved to the right with the result that the adhesive unit 2 is positioned diagonally in front of the detaching roller 14, which can be useful for some end users.

Claims

Device for automatically detaching adhesive units (2) applied on equidistant positions X on a detaching point or roll thereof, said adhesive units having a thickness D being situated on a mostly rolled-up tape-shaped carrier (1), called dispenser, characterized in that, said band or strip-shaped carrier (1) with adhesive units (2) and with thickness D is lead around a rotating roller (3) and detaching roller (14) and subsequently by driving means (15, 16), in which said rotating roller (3) with a portion of its circumference rotates the tape-shaped carrier (1) with adhesive units (2) at one side against a first tangent point (21) of the spring-loaded rotatable lever (4), in which against a second tangent point (22) of said spring-loaded rotatable lever (4) detection means (5) are provided for determining the thickness D of the adhesive units (2).
Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, said spring-loaded rotatable lever (4) is mounted pivoting at one end (6) and is pressed against said rotating roller (3) at the other end (23) by means of a spring (7).
Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, said detecting means (5) comprise an electric recorder.
Device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, said electric recorder being a micro switch, an inductive or capacitive recorder or a photo cell.
Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, said first tangent point (21) of the spring-loaded rotatable lever (4) is provided with a counter roller (10).
Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, said detaching roller (14) is fixable with its shaft in a transverse groove (17).
Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, said driving means (15, 16) comprise a driven roller (15) and spring-loaded pressure roller (16) contacting it, with said carrier (1) extending between them.
Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, said rotating roller (3) is provided with an anti-adhesive coating (8).
Device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, said anti-adhesive coating (8) is, for example, a plasma coating.
Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, said spring loading rotatable lever (4) is provided with a displacable rotating point (13) that is constructed fixed for constructive reasons.