EP2253546A2 - Method and device for manufacturing a packaging unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a frame (1) for encasing of goods stack (3) and comprising a holder for storage of foil storage roller (8). A foil conveying device (6) is provided for drawing a pre-determined length of foil for encasing of the goods stack. A camera is provided for recognizing and storing of a mark of the encased goods stack, where the device comprises a radio frequency identification tag. A measuring device is provided for measuring of the goods stack and co-acts with the camera such that measurement data determined by the measuring device is assigned to marking data for a certain goods stack. An independent claim is also included for a method for manufacturing the package unit.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a packaging unit comprising a plurality of packaging items stacked into a stack of goods, comprising a device for wrapping the product stack comprising a holder for a film supply and means for removing a predetermined length of film from the supply of film for wrapping the product stack ,

Such a device is for example from the EP 1 013 549 known. In this prior art, the film is supplied in the form of a film tube from the film supply. This hose cap is reeftened before coating and then stretched transversely to be applied under elongation in repealing the refraction when wrapping the stack, preferably under elastic longitudinal expansion of the side surfaces of the stack.

In addition to this known as Haubenstrechte approach, there is also the possibility to wrap the stack with a foil. Just as well, a hose hood or a hose open on both sides can be pulled over the stack and thermally shrunk. In this case, elastic deformation components which have been produced by stretching the film and rapid cooling of the film have been frozen in the manufacturing process, so that the film contracts when heated and lies tightly around the stack of goods.

The aim of said method with wrapping the stack of goods through a film is to create a uniform packaging unit. In addition to the film, this packaging unit can only comprise the stack of goods formed from the packaging objects. Alternatively, the stack may also be stacked on a pallet that becomes part of the packaging unit.

The packaging units thus formed can be combined to form a loading unit, which is picked up, for example, on the back of a truck or in a shipping container and brought to the customer on the way. Often this way requires repeated handling of the loading unit. Sometimes the loading unit is split; Packaging units are stored temporarily. On the way to the customer neither this nor the consignor have control over the packaging unit, so that the Possibility exists to change these. As part of this change, not only can the packaging items of the packaging be removed and removed. Rather, the case design is conceivable in which, for example, a particular packaging item is removed from the packaging unit and replaced by a packaging item with the same appearance, the content of which can endanger the persons involved in the further transport of the packaging unit and / or their customers.

The EP 1 106 513 A1 discloses marking and control means for a packaging system. In this prior art, various packaging units are combined into one unit to form a stack. The stack is wrapped in a foil. This wrapper is finally provided with a label or other mark that reveals the contents of the packaging unit. The state of the art concretely discloses the printing of product-related information on the envelope of the good pile using the example of food packaging as packaging objects. The mark on the wrapper can then be read out in order to be able to extract product-related information about the individual foods without destroying the good stack. The marking contains data that is read from a merchandise information system. The product-related data can be written down, for example, on a label which is stuck onto the wrapping.

The present invention is based on the problem of specifying an apparatus and a method for producing a packaging unit comprising a plurality of packaging items stacked in a stack of goods, which contribute to the goal of making goods chains safer within the goods traffic.

To solve this problem, the present invention proposes a device having the features of claim 1. This differs from the previously known device by a device for recognizing and storing a mark of the wrapped stack of goods.

The recognizable with the device according to the invention marking can be one which is attached to the film before wrapping the stack of goods. It may in particular be one which has been applied by the manufacturer of the film. Preferably, the marking of the films does not follow a specific pattern, so that different lengths of the film each have a different mark. Such a mark can be detected with the device according to the invention. In this case, the device may be associated with the supplied film material, or be attached to the device in a manner that the mark provided on the film is detected after wrapping the stack of goods. As a marker visible identifiers come into question. Also conceivable are invisible identifiers such as those used for authentication of luxury or branded goods to distinguish plagiarisms, such as proteins or labeled nanoparticles or microparticles.

The device according to the invention also has a device for storing the marking. Preferably, a mark is recognized for each individual stack and this stored with other, the stack individualizing information. For example, an identification number can be generated in the memory for the stack, which is printed out by a printer of the device and either printed on a label which is connected to the respective stack or directly on the film. In this case, the recognition of the mark is preferably not imaging, but due to the fact that the memory knows the mark to be provided on the stack and this corresponding mark is assigned by a processor of the said stack individualizing identifier.

The device for detecting preferably comprises reading-in means which are suitable for reading out identifiers provided on individual packaging objects, for example in the form of RFID tags. These read-in means can be assigned, for example, to a station to which the individual packaging objects are initially spent individually. The reading-in device is located upstream of the stacking device, so that the packaging objects pass through the reading-in device individually. In the stacking station, the individual packaging items are stacked to form a stack. Additionally or alternatively, the read-in means may also be arranged downstream of the stacking station. In this case, the reading-in device should be designed such that all packaging objects can be read in with their respective identifier. The reading-in means preferably has a frame-shaped construction, through which the stack of goods passes on the way to or from a wrapping station for wrapping the stack of goods. In this case, the respective identifiers on the packaging objects are preferably located on opposite verticals of the packaging unit, which are oriented substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the goods stack. The read-in means are preferably fixed in place and extend over the entire height of the packaging unit.

In particular, the present invention seeks to specify a device which makes manipulations of the packaged goods stack immediately recognizable. Thus, the data generated during the recognition of the stack for forming the stack of goods as a whole and / or the individual packaging items of the packaging unit are preferably stored in a belonging to the packaging unit record that comes separately from the packaging unit to the purchaser of the goods, as in relation to the subordinate procedural teaching of the present patent application is described below. For this purpose, the device according to the invention may comprise a device for writing the data to a data carrier. Alternatively or additionally, the data records are preferably written automatically in a file which corresponds to the scope of delivery to the customer and which is preferably automated and supplied to the customer online based on address data, for example controlled by a signal which is produced when the packaging unit is manufactured for the corresponding customer Buyer is generated on the device.

Provided that the marking is provided as part of the supplied film, there is a high degree of security against a change in the packaging unit, for example by replacing a packaging object of the packaging unit. The manipulation of such a packaging unit requires that the film wrapping the stack is removed, which is not possible without affecting the film. If the marking originally provided on the film continues to be recognizable, this guarantees the integrity of the packaging unit which is surrounded by the film.

A subsequently applied foil, which does not correspond to the original foil, does not have the mark stored opposite to the good stack. Accordingly, the customer of the goods can be checked by comparing the deposited to the stack and the mark actually provided on the stack, if the stack has been manipulated on the transport.

A simpler marking can be achieved with the development according to claim 2. In this, the device itself has a device for marking the film material. Said device may be provided on the device such that the film material is marked on the way from the film supply to cover the stack of goods. in this connection The film material can be provided in the unstretched state with the mark. Just as well, the mark can be applied after wrapping the stack with the film material on this.

The means for marking the sheet material may comprise a conventional printer which applies the mark to the sheet by means of ink. Alternatively, the marking can also be applied via a laser head, which burns the marking into the film material or thermally provides it on the surface of the film material. In addition to providing a mark by burn-in, the same can also be achieved by embossing, i. Deformation of the film and / or punching are introduced.

With regard to a repeated handling of the packaging unit and the circumstance that a check of the packaging unit for authenticity on the transport route or at the customer should then take place when the packaging unit is received in the loading unit, it is proposed according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, to prepare the means for marking the wrapped stack so that the mark can be automatically applied to at least two side surfaces of the stack. Preferably, this device is designed so that the mark on all side surfaces, possibly also on top of the packaging unit can be applied, so that the mark can be read in any position of the stack of goods.

For further specification and thus identification of the stack of goods, the device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention may comprise a device for measuring the stack of goods, which cooperates with the means for storing the mark that the dimension data determined by the surveying device the marking data for a particular Be assigned to good stack. Additionally or alternatively, the device may comprise a weighing device, which also cooperates with the device for storing the marking, so that the weight data determined by the weighing device are assigned to the marking data for a specific stack of goods. The identification of the stack of goods is thus not just about the mark. Rather, the stack can also be identified by the dimension and / or the concrete weight of the stack, or by comparison of the original deposited to the mark weight or the dimension with the later determined on the transport or at the end of the weight or the dimension be compared to determine a manipulation of the good pile. The the weight The marking of the wrapped stack may be composed of partial amounts which result in themselves by weighing or arithmetic. Such a procedure is particularly indicated when the mark is applied to the film before coating over the stack. In this case, a weighing of the stack of goods takes place before the application of the marking. The amount of film required for wrapping can be weighed after cutting to length or, in particular, calculated on the basis of the recorded dimensions of the material stack to be enveloped due to the required length of film material supplied. From both parts by weight, the total weight of the wrapped product stack is then determined, which is deposited in the marking on the tubing before coating.

In known manner, the device preferably has a Folienförder-, separating and welding device for forming a top-closed and separated from the film supply hose hood. With this device can be promoted and separated from a hose supply basically endlessly supplied hose a predetermined length of the film of the film supply. The welding device is used to form the top-closed hose hood. The device further comprises a spreader with which the previously formed hose cap, i. in any case, the tube material forming the tube hood can be opened in order to supply the free end of the tubular film to a coating device, which is also part of the preferred development. This overdrawing device has refracting fingers that can be introduced into and pulled apart from the tubular film, which are movable relative to the longitudinal side of the stack. Furthermore, the reefers assigned Reffrollen are provided which can hang up the tubing bellows-like manner on the refining fingers in a conventional manner. When coating the hose cover over the stack, the reefing rollers can be controlled to apply film material in the longitudinal direction under particular tension to the stack and / or supply at predetermined areas of the stack of material sheet material by driving the reefing. To apply the longitudinal tension, the reef rolls may be driven or braked in the direction of refraction, so that the foil to be removed by the reefers has to overcome a resistance caused by the braking force of the reefing, which is a measure of the longitudinal expansion.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device has a controller for the film conveying, separating and welding device, which determines the dimension data determined by the measuring device and / or from the weighing device processed weight data processed to determine the time required for the wrapping of the stack of material length of the film material and to provide the length section by controlling the Folienförder-, separating and welding device. Thus, the means preferably provided on the device for characterizing the stack, which are stored to the individual stack, can also be used to cover the stack as economically as possible with maximum utilization of the film material with this.

For further characterization of the stack of goods according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an imaging device is provided with an electronic image of the stack can be created. The imaging device is also coupled to the device for storing the marking and cooperates therewith in such a way that the image data determined by the imaging device are assigned to the marking data for a specific stack of goods. Thereafter, it is possible to create a correlation between the appearance of a particular stack of goods and the mark. In other words, it can be determined at the destination due to the appearance of the stack and comparison of the image obtained when wrapping the stack of goods at the destination, whether the incoming there packaging unit corresponds to the original packaging unit.

With regard to a comprehensive optical characterization of the packaging unit, the imaging device preferably has a movement device with which an imaging unit of the imaging device for receiving different views of the stack is movable relative thereto.

To solve the procedural problem of the present invention, this is a process for producing a packaging unit comprising a stack and a stack enclosing the stack, in which the stack is wrapped with a film and stored to the packaging unit this identifying data. The data can be stored during application to the packaging unit to the corresponding packaging unit. Alternatively, the data identifying the packaging unit can also be obtained by reading out data on the packaging unit and / or documenting the packaging unit. Documenting is understood here in particular as measuring, weighing or optical characterization. The data thus obtained to the packaging unit are preferably in one Generated way that the data obtained for each individual packaging unit can clearly identify this packaging unit.

The data thus obtained are usually forwarded to the customer independently of the transport path of the packaging units, so that the latter can verify their authenticity on arrival of the goods and on the basis of the data identifying the individual packaging units. It is thus possible for the purchaser of the goods to check whether the incoming goods receipt at packaging units corresponds to what the consignor has put on the transport route for shipment to the customer.

With the present invention, it is possible to assign packaging units comprising a plurality of packaging items and a foil wrapping the packaging items an identification via which it is possible to identify a specific packaging unit as part of a loading unit or individually. This identification of a single packaging unit can be used at the recipient site to verify the authenticity of the packaging unit. The data identifying the packaging unit are preferably attached to the packaging unit in the form of a marking such that a manipulation of packaging items of the product stack inevitably leads to the mark being lost or impaired. A manipulation of the packaging unit can therefore be detected directly via a changed or missing marking at the place of arrival. These identifying data are stored for the individual packaging units and are usually made available to the purchaser in a different way than the transport route of the packaging units. Thereafter, there is no possibility to modify the packaging units and at the same time to falsify the data identifying the packaging units in order to create a coherent overall image at the point of arrival for fraudulent purposes.

Figur 1:

eine Seitenansicht einer Vorrichtung zum Bilden und Überziehen einer Schlauchhaube über einen Gutstapel mit einer Markierungseinrichtung;

Figur 2:

eine Draufsicht auf die in Figur 1 gezeigte Markierungseinrichtung,

Figur 3:

eine Seitenansicht einer Einrichtung zum Erkennen einer Markierung und

Figur 4:

eine schematische Darstellung der wesentlichen Teile eines Systems unter Einbeziehung des Ausführungsbeispiels nach den Figuren 1 bis 3.

Further details and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments in conjunction with the drawings. In this show:

FIG. 1:

a side view of an apparatus for forming and coating a hose hood over a stack with a marking device;

FIG. 2:

a top view of the in FIG. 1 marking device shown,

FIG. 3:

a side view of a device for detecting a mark and

FIG. 4:

a schematic representation of the essential parts of a system involving the embodiment of the FIGS. 1 to 3 ,

The FIG. 1 schematically shows a side view of a known device for wrapping a stack of goods with a frame 1 and a carriageway 2, on which a stack of goods 3 is arranged on a pallet. Above the stack 3 facilities 4 are visible for spreading and coating a hose cover 5 on the stack 3. These are movable in the vertical direction along the frame 1. Above the hose hood 5 there is a film conveying device 6 and a separating device 7 for cutting off a predetermined length of a film material 9 held on a supply roll 8.

Between the supply roll 8 and the film conveying device 6 is a marked with reference numeral 10 marking device with a frame 11 to which a lifting frame 12 is arranged to be movable in the vertical direction. The lifting frame 12 carries a laser marker 13 which is movable on the lifting frame 12 provided guide means, for example in the form of guide rails or cylinders in the horizontal, along a first extending in the horizontal plane axis 14 and along a Within the frame 11, the foil material 9 fed as a gusseted tube is held within the frame 11 via four lower clamps 16 and four upper clamps 17 in such a way that the foil material 9 is formed as a substantially rectangular tube (cf. according to FIG. 2 ). The lifting frame 12 is rotatable about a vertically extending axis of rotation 18, so that the laser marker 13 can be arranged at any point within the frame 11 between the frame and the brackets 16 and 17 spanned side surfaces of the film material 9. The lifting frame 12 and the said guide devices or lifting cylinders control and control devices are watched to spend the laser marker 13 at the desired location relative to the spanned sheet material 9. There, the respective individual marking is applied to the film material 9 via the laser marker 13.

The thus prepared sheet material 9 is then conveyed via the conveyor 6 for wrapping the stack 3. The marked film material 9 is separated above the stack 3 of the supply roll 8, welded on the upper side and finally pulled in a conventional manner on the stack (vg., Eg. EP 1 013 549 ).

The in FIGS. 1 and 2 The device shown is preferably a device according to FIG. 3 downstream. This has a frame 21 on which a walking beam 22 is movable in the vertical. Relatively movable to the lifting beam 22, a camera 23 is mounted on this. This mobility of the lifting beam 22 within the frame 21 and the camera 23 relative to the walking beam 22, these can be moved within the plane spanned by the frame 21 level to any position. It is also possible to move the camera 23 in the vertical and at right angles to the lifting beam.

This makes it possible to change the distance of the camera 23 to a provided adjacent to the frame 21 wrapped stack to read out a provided on the stack of goods or documenting a total photographic. The conveyor line for the stack, the device according to the Figures 1 and 2 is arranged at the height of the frame 21 preferably has a turntable 24, over which the held there held stack can be rotated about a vertical axis in order to turn all the side surfaces of the stack to the frame 21 and then the camera 23.

By the Hubbalken 22 and the turntable 24 associated drives, the camera 23 can then go to any position on the side walls of the stack and recognize a possibly provided there mark. The information obtained by the camera 23 to mark the stack 3 are stored associated with the stack. With this data, a monitoring of the transport path of the stack 3 and a check at the receiver is possible to see whether the delivered stack 3 corresponds to the original state.

The FIG. 4 schematically shows an embodiment of a system for carrying out the method according to the invention. In I, piece goods bags provided with initially unwritten transponders are fed to a stacking station II. At the stacking station, these piece goods bags are stacked to form a stack 3. The individually supplied at I bags are passed to a reading means 30. Product-specific data are stored in the transponder via this read-in means 30. The data is stored in a central processor CPU controlling the process. This central computer CPU is preferably also connected to the stacking station II and the control of the system, so that the central computer CPU receives information about the production process to a stack 3. After the stacking station II of the stacked stack 3 is spent on the lane 2 to a stall station III. There, a hose hood 5 is pulled over the stack 3.

About the roadway 2, the so-wrapped stack is fed to a marking position IV. There, the hood 5 is provided with an individualized, preferably graphic marker 40. The thus marked packaging unit is fed to a recognition station V. At this the marked stack 3 is detected optically via an optical detection device 50, which also communicates with the central computer CPU.

Information about the individual packaging objects is stored in the central computer CPU. In addition, based on information from the stacking station, the central computer receives information about the packaging objects grouped into a packaging unit. Thus, the central computer forms a data record with data for each individual packaging object, assigned to the corresponding product stacks. The CPU can also receive process parameters of the coating station III or the marking station IV. If appropriate, the process parameters of the coating station III or the marking station IV can also make the optical recognition of the marked good stack superfluous, provided that a concrete image of the contour of the good stack or of the marking produced thereby is obtained on the basis of the movement data coating device or the marking device. With the data thus obtained, a data record is generated in the CPU to the packaging unit, which contains information about the data of individual packaging items, namely all packaging items of the packaging unit. In addition, the data includes information about the appearance of the stack, such as information about the contour thereof and / or the applied mark. These data records for individual packaging units are either forwarded to the customer of the packaging unit online or else written to a data carrier in the CPU, which is forwarded to the customer.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

frame

2

roadway

3

stack

4

Facilities for spreading and coating

5

tubular hood

6

Sheet conveyor

7

separator

8th

supply roll

9

film material

10

marker

11

frame

12

lifting frame

13

Laser Marker

14

first horizontal axis

15

second horizontal axis

16

lower brackets

17

upper brackets

18

vertical axis of rotation

21

frame

22

walking beam

23

camera

24

turntable

30

Einlesemittel

40

mark

50

recognizer

I

feeding

II

stacking station

III

Covering station

IV

mark position

V

recognition station

CPU

mainframe

Claims (16)

Apparatus for producing a packaging unit comprising a plurality of packaging items stacked in a stack of goods, comprising means for wrapping the stack of goods comprising a holder for a film supply and means for removing a predetermined length of film for wrapping the stack of goods, characterized by
a device for recognizing and storing a marking of the wrapped goods stack. Apparatus for producing a packaging unit according to claim 1, characterized by a device for marking the film material before coating over the stack. Apparatus for producing a packaging unit according to claim 2, characterized by means for marking the provided on the wrapped stack of goods sheet material. An apparatus for producing a packaging unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means for marking of the wrapped stack of goods is prepared such that the mark automatically on at least two side faces of the stack can be applied to the film. Apparatus for producing a packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a device for measuring the stack of goods, which interacts with the device for storing the marking such that the dimension data determined by the measuring device are assigned to the marking data for a specific stack of goods. Device for producing a packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a device for weighing the stack of goods, which cooperates with the device for storing the marking such that the weight data determined by the weighing device are assigned to the marking data for a specific stack of goods. Apparatus for producing a packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a Folienförder-, separating and welding device for forming a top side closed and separated from the film supply hose hood and a spreading device for opening the tubular film and a coating device in the tubular film einbringbare and apart too moving Refffinger, which are movable relative to the longitudinal side of the stack and which are associated with drivable Reffrollen for bellows-like deposition of the foil supplied as a film on the Refffinger. Apparatus for producing a packaging unit according to claim 7, characterized by a controller for the Folienförder-, separating and welding device, the determined by the surveying dimension data and / or determined by the weighing device weight data processed to determine the required length of film material for wrapping the stack. Apparatus for producing a packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by an imaging device for creating an electronic image of the stack of goods, which cooperates with the means for storing the mark that the image data determined by the imaging device associated with the marking data for a particular stack become. Apparatus for producing a packaging unit according to claim 9, characterized in that the imaging device comprises a movement device, with which an imaging unit of the imaging device for receiving different views of the stack of goods is movable relative thereto. A method for producing a packaging unit comprising a plurality of packaging items stacked into a stack of goods, in which the stack of goods is wrapped with a film and the identifying information is stored for the packaging unit. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that the data are generated by reading a provided on the stack of goods. A method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the marking is provided with the supplied film. A method according to claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the marking or a further mark is applied after wrapping the stack of goods. Method according to one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that several stack are combined to form a loading unit, and that the data are combined to each packaging unit of the loading unit in a record to the loading unit. Method according to one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that for each individual packaging unit these unique identifying data are stored.

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