EP2733111B1 - Device for feeding of container closures to a closing machine - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding container closures to a capper in a beverage bottling plant, preferably for feeding plastic screw caps to a screw capper, for closing plastic bottle closure bottles with a screw cap.

State of the art

It is known to supply container closures, in particular plastic screw caps, via feeders to a capper. In this case, the container closures are usually sorted in the correct position in a sorting plant, for example a cascade sorter, an inclined sorter, a vibration sorter or a centrifugal force sorter, wherein these sorting plants are usually arranged close to the ground. The container closures sorted in this way are then raised via a height conveyor to the height necessary for the respective capper. Usually, air conveyors or inclined belt conveyors are used as height conveyors. From the level reached in this way, usually in the region of 10 m above the ground, the closures are then further fed to the capper via an inclined closing channel, which also serves as a sealing buffer. Before the capper then takes place an inspection of the container closures with respect to possible damage and with respect to their positionally correct orientation, with erroneous container closures are then discharged. After the inspection device, the container closures are then fed to the actual capper, which closes the beverage containers to be closed via the corresponding capping heads.

The accessibility to potential defects, such as accessibility to the air transporters or the long, obliquely placed bands is difficult. Furthermore, only limited heights can be achieved, especially when using air conveyors.

From the DE 10 2008 047 286 A1 a device for producing containers is known in which a closure device is provided, which closures are fed via a feed device with a feed device according to the preamble of claim 1 and a transport path or transport rail.

The US 2005/0077216 A1 describes a device for aligning and sorting objects.

The EP 2 444 363 A1 describes an apparatus and method for transporting container closures.

The US 2002/0033007 A1 describes an arrangement for packaging products in containers which are closed with a closure, and a dynamic storage device for closures, which are usable in this regard.

The US 5,197,584 A describes a method and apparatus for aligning substantially flat objects.

The US 2,696,285 A describes a device for the proper arrangement of bottle caps or the like.

Presentation of the invention

Starting from the known prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for feeding container closures to a capper, which allows better accessibility to potential defects.

This object is achieved with a device for feeding container closures to a capper with the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments emerge from the subclaims.

Accordingly, the device for feeding container closures to a capper in a beverage bottling plant comprises a sorting plant, a height conveyor and an inspection device. According to the invention, the inspection device is arranged in front of the height conveyor.

The fact that the inspection device is arranged in front of the elevator, so before the container closures are transported to the height required by the capper, the inspection device is arranged in an area which is usually easily accessible to the operator. The inspection device is arranged correspondingly close to the ground.

By such an arrangement of the inspection device, the sorting plant, which provides a special source of interference, the feed to the inspection device and the inspection device itself are arranged close to the ground, so that the mainly occurring defects for operators are easily accessible. In particular, the defects can be eliminated, and appropriate interference can be remedied before the Container closures are conveyed via the elevator into a more difficult accessible area.

In addition, it can be achieved by an inspection in a plant area, which is arranged at the beginning of the transport flow of the container closures, that misaligned, incorrectly dimensioned or otherwise incorrectly procured container closures do not reach the subsequent plant areas. The disturbances caused by such defective container closures can thus be correspondingly avoided. In other words, the fact that the inspection device is arranged in front of the elevator, here already ensured that container closures, which are damaged or which do not meet the prescribed dimensions and which could cause problems in the elevator or thereafter, even before entering the Elevator are sorted out.

Preferably, the height conveyor is designed as a chain conveyor, so that it is possible to dispense with the use of a maintenance and failure-prone air conveyor or belt conveyor. Accordingly, a particularly compact structural dimension can also be produced by a chain conveyor, for example by a helical chain conveyor, with at the same time significantly reduced energy consumption, at least compared to an air conveyor. The use of a chain conveyor is accordingly classified as much less prone to failure than the use of an air conveyor. Since the container closures are pre-sorted and correctly aligned prior to entry into the chain conveyor, and furthermore all defective container closures have been sorted out via the inspection device, trouble-free operation of the chain conveyor is furthermore ensured.

Preferably, a separating device is provided between the sorting unit and the inspection device, which separates the individual container closures before entering the inspection device, so that a trouble-free inspection of each individual, individual container closure can be carried out.

The inspection device can be arranged in a further preferred embodiment, but also before the sorting, so that defective container closures are sorted out before entering the sorting, in which a correct alignment of the closures is made.

However, the inspection device is particularly preferably provided directly in front of the height conveyor, preferably a chain conveyor, to ensure that the container closures which reach the elevator and are correspondingly conveyed out of the immediate sphere of influence of the operators are correctly aligned and correctly dimensioned and thus not defective Container closures are transported.

In a further development, a closure buffer connects to the chain conveyor, in which an intermediate storage of the container closures can take place when there is a difference between the supply of container closures and the consumption of container closures. As a result, short-term system malfunctions in the supply of the container closures or in the capper itself can be bridged, so that then a continuous system operation is possible.

The closure buffer can either be provided directly adjacent to the chain conveyor, or between the chain conveyor and the closure buffer, a further cross-transport device may be present. As a further cross-transporting device here again offers a chain cross conveyor, which is particularly trouble-free.

In a further preferred embodiment, the closure buffer is arranged between the inspection device and the height conveyor. Accordingly, it can also be ensured in this way that the container closures cached in the closure buffer are oriented both in the correct position and are dimensioned correctly and there are no defective closures in the closure buffer.

The closures, which are either conveyed to the closure buffer via the chain conveyor, or provided by the closure buffer via a further transverse transport device, for example a chain conveyor, are finally fed to the actual capper via a known closure trough from above with the necessary back pressure. In a particularly preferred variant, a treatment device for treating the container closures, for example a rinsing device or a disinfecting device, can be provided in front of the capper in order to provide the capper with a hygienically perfect container closure.

In a further preferred variant, the sealing treatment can also be carried out at any other point, for example in front of the height conveyor, in front of the closure buffer or in front of a transverse transport device, in which case the components provided after the respective closure treatment device are preferably guided within an insulator or a sterile housing in order not to jeopardize a once performed sterilization or initial cleaning of the container closure in the subsequent transport again.

Brief description of the figures

Figur 1

eine schematische Darstellung einer ersten Ausführungsform der Vorrichtung zum Zuführen von Behälterverschlüssen zu einem Verschließer;

Figur 2

eine schematische Darstellung einer zweiten Ausführungsform einer Vorrichtung zum Zuführen von Behälterverschlüssen zu einem Verschließer, und

Figur 3

eine schematische Darstellung einer dritten Vorrichtung zum Zuführen von Behälterverschlüssen zu einem Verschließer.

Preferred further embodiments and aspects of the present invention are explained in more detail by the following description of the figures. Showing:

FIG. 1

a schematic representation of a first embodiment of the apparatus for supplying container closures to a capper;

FIG. 2

a schematic representation of a second embodiment of an apparatus for supplying container closures to a capper, and

FIG. 3

a schematic representation of a third device for supplying container closures to a capper.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

In the following, preferred embodiments will be described with reference to the figures. In this case, identical, similar or equivalent elements in the different figures are denoted by identical reference numerals and a repeated description of these elements will be omitted in the following description in part in order to avoid redundancies.

In FIG. 1 1 is a schematic illustration of a device 1 for feeding container closures to a capper 10. The device 1 correspondingly leads the container closures (not shown here) to a capper 10, which applies the supplied closures via suitable capping heads to, for example, beverage-filled containers. Particularly preferably, the capper 10 is a screw capper, which serves to unscrew plastic screw caps, for example, on the mouth thread of PET bottles or other plastic bottles, which have a screw thread. Such screw cappers are known in principle from the prior art.

In front of the capper 10, a closure treatment device 12 is provided, which serves to clean, sterilize and / or fill and / or to enclose the supplied container closures with a protective gas atmosphere. This closure treatment device 12 for treating the container closures is particularly important if drinks are filled in a sterile environment and accordingly at least the container closure inside, which after closing in direct contact with the product bottled, must be sterile or germ-free and hygienic.

The container closures are first fed via a feed device, not shown, to a sorting unit 2, in which a positionally correct alignment of the container closures takes place. The sorting plant 2 can be, for example, a cascade sorting plant, an inclined sorting plant, a vibrating sorting plant or a centrifugal sorting plant. The said sorting plants use the asymmetric mass distribution of container closures, for example plastic container closures, in order to achieve a corresponding orientation.

The container closures pre-sorted by the sorting unit 2 are fed via a closing channel 20 to a separating device 3, which then places the correspondingly separated container closures on a transverse conveyor belt 30. The separating device is designed, for example, in the form of a catch having a wheel, which correspondingly ensures a separation of the supplied container closures.

The transverse transport device 30 is particularly preferably designed as a chain conveyor, wherein such a horizontally oriented chain conveyor has a low noise source potential.

The correspondingly correctly aligned and separated container closures are then fed to an inspection device 4, which controls the container closures, inter alia, for defects. Such defects may be, for example, imperfect roundness of a container closure, breakouts, or casting noses. Furthermore, defects can also be caused by Contain collisions and / or abrasion caused deformations of the container closure and / or torn off guarantee strips. Furthermore, it can also lead to a general dimensional deviation of the container closures, or to other material defects, which, for example, result in a reduced weight. As the inspection device 4 incorrectly recognized container closures are discharged. The container closures which are not recognized as defective by the inspection device 4 are then fed to a height conveyor 5, by means of which the container closures are then raised to the height necessary for the subsequent feed operation to the capper 10. The height conveyor 5 is particularly preferably designed as a chain conveyor, which has a particularly low compared to the commonly used air conveyors disturbance potential.

Accordingly, the inspection device 4 is arranged directly in front of the elevator 5, so as to ensure that the container closures supplied to the elevator 5 have been classified by the inspection device as faultless. In particular, the container closures supplied have the intended orientation, dimension and surface finish. Accordingly, it does not interfere in the elevator 5, which would result from the insertion of faulty container closures.

The arrangement of the sorting unit 2, the separating device 3 and the inspection device 4 in front of the elevator 5 further implies that these components are arranged in a plant area, which is substantially lower than the upper end 50 of the elevator. Usually, the sorting unit 2, the separating device 3 and the inspection device 4 are arranged close to the ground or in the bottom region of the device 1, so that a simple access for the operating personnel is possible. The plant areas, which are classified as susceptible to failure, namely in particular the sorting unit 2, the separating device 3 and the inspection device 4 with their discharge device, can therefore be arranged in the floor area, so that a direct access from the operating personnel is possible and corresponding faults can be quickly resolved ,

The container closures lifted by the elevator 5 to the upper end 50 of the elevator 5 are then fed to a closure buffer 6 which serves to close the container closures upon the occurrence of a difference in container closure feed from the sorter 2 and container closure removal by the capper 10 buffer. The arrangement of the closure buffer 6 above the height conveyor 5, but in particular after the inspection device 4, ensures that even in the closure buffer 6 only correctly oriented, properly sized and properly designed container closures are included. The container closures are then supplied from the closure buffer 6 via a closure channel 60 in accordance with the above-described closure treatment device 12. The closure channel 60 is usually arranged inclined, so that a gravitational supply takes place. Since the container closures, which are passed through the closure channel 60, but previously recognized by the inspection device 4 as correctly oriented, properly sized and formed formed in the correct material condition, the disturbance potential in the closure channel 60 is also significantly reduced compared to the conventional arrangements.

FIG. 2 shows in a further embodiment, a device 1 ', in which the sorting unit 2 with the downstream closure channel 20 provides the presorted closures of a separating device 3, wherein the separating device 3 hangs the thus isolated closures on a transverse transport device 30. The correctly oriented and isolated closures are then fed to the inspection device 4, which passes the closures considered correct to a chain conveyor 5 directly. The chain conveyor 5 transports the shutters back to the upper end 50 of the chain conveyor, and then transfers them to a transverse transport device 52, which is preferably designed in the form of a chain conveyor or a belt conveyor.

Since the inspection device 4 has previously ensured a positionally correct, correctly dimensioned expression of the container closures, the transverse transport device 52, which subsequently opens into the closure buffer 6, does not interfere. Downstream is again a closure channel 60, which allows the supply of the container closures to a closure treatment device 12 and then finally to the capper 10.

Again, the arrangement of the inspection device 4 in front of the elevator 5 is crucial for the fact that both the sorting unit 2, the separating device 3 and the inspection device 4 are arranged with their discharge device in an area, which is easily accessible to the operating personnel. Accordingly, the most common defects are easily accessible, so that in the event of a system failure, a quick intervention is possible.

In FIG. 3 is another embodiment of the device 1 "shown, in which case again the container closures are sorted from a sorting unit 2 from the correct position, are fed via a closure channel 20 of a separating device 3, the isolated container closures are then fed via a transverse transport device 30 of the inspection device 4, and accordingly the container closures considered to be correctly oriented and correctly designed are conveyed via the height conveyor 5, which in turn is particularly preferably designed as a chain conveyor, to which closure buffers 6 arranged at the upper end 50 of the elevator are fed from the closure buffer 6 via a transverse transport device 62 which, for example, again serves as a chain conveyor Chain conveyor or as a belt conveyor is formed, which in accordance with the correct position and correctly dimensioned container closures of the closure channel 60 is supplied, which then finally the Behälterverschl sse the closure treatment apparatus 12 and then feeds the capper 10th

Due to the correspondingly compact installation of sorting plant, closure channel 20, separating device 3, transverse transport device 30 and inspection device 4 in front of the elevator 5, a compact installation is accordingly achieved, which is also space-saving.

In addition to the promotion of the plastic screw caps, for example, mentioned here, closures of any other type can be promoted with the appropriate device, such as natural corks, bottle caps or other types of screw caps. The promotion of preforms and bottles is also an option.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1, 1 ', 1 "

Device for feeding container closures to a capper

10

capper

12

Closure treatment device

2

sorter

20

locking groove

3

separating device

30

Cross-feeder

4

inspection device

5

elevator

50

Upper end of the elevator

52

Cross-feeder

6

closure buffer

60

locking groove

62

Cross-feeder

Claims (12)

1. Device (1) for feeding container closures to a closing apparatus (10) in a beverage bottling system, comprising a sorting station (2), a elevator (5), by means of which the container closures are raised to the height necessary for the closing machine (10), and an inspection device (4) for sorting out defective container closures, characterized in that the inspection device (4) is arranged before the elevator (5) and thus near the floor.
2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the inspection device (4) is arranged between the sorting station (2) and the elevator (5).
3. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inspection device (4) is arranged directly before the elevator (5).
4. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inspection device (4) is arranged before the sorting station (2).
5. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a separating device (3) for separating the container closures is arranged before the inspection device (4).
6. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the elevator (5) is a chain conveyor, preferably a spiral chain conveyor.
7. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a transverse transport device (30), for transporting the container closures to the inspection device (4) or to the elevator (5), is provided before the inspection device (4) or after the inspection device (4).
8. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a closure buffer (6) is provided after the inspection device (4).
9. Device (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the closure buffer (6) is arranged after the elevator (5) or in that the closure buffer (6) is arranged between the inspection device (4) and the elevator (5).
10. Device (1) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that a transverse transport device (52, 62), for feeding the container closures to the buffer (6) or discharging them from the buffer (6), is arranged before the closure buffer (6) or after the closure buffer (6).
11. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a closure groove (60), for feeding the container closures to a closing apparatus (10), is provided after the elevator (5).
12. Device (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that a closure treatment device (12), for pre-treating the container closures, is arranged before the closing machine (10).

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