EP3415018B1 - Carton carrier for cartons with rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry and installation for the transport of such carton carriers - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a carton carrier for cartons with stick-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry with the features of the preamble of claim 1 and a system for transporting such carton carriers with the features of the preamble of claim 11.

The carton carriers or circulating cassettes are used to hold and transport cartons with rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry arranged therein, such as filter rods, and for this purpose have a receptacle that is open on one side, the shape of which is adapted to the outer shape of the cartons. In a system for feeding the rod-shaped products into a higher-level device, several carton carriers with receptacles of identical shape, eg 10 carton carriers, are used in a circulation principle. The carton carriers in the system are loaded with a carton filled with products at a first station, then moved to a second station where the products are removed from the carton and finally moved to a third station where the empty carton is removed from the Carton carrier is removed before a new full carton is introduced into the receptacle of the carton carrier. The boxes can be used several times. In a second system, the cartons are filled with products in reverse order. It is not absolutely necessary that the cartons are made of paper or cellulose material, it is also conceivable that plastic or metal boxes are used as cartons. The term cardboard is therefore not limited to one material to be considered, although the use of cartons made of cellulose or cardboard is preferred for weight and cost reasons. If automated handling of the cartons is provided, however, it may also be preferable to produce the cartons from plastic or metal with a shape specially designed for handling.

The receptacle in the carton carrier is open on at least one side, so that the cartons can be inserted into and removed from the receptacle both manually and mechanically. The products are stacked in the cartons with their longitudinal axes parallel to each other, the longitudinal axes of the products also being oriented parallel to the face of the opening side of the cartons so that they are discharged from the carton by a movement transverse to their longitudinal axes. The products are also arranged with their longitudinal axes perpendicular to the front and rear of the carton, so that the end faces of the products together form a plane that is arranged parallel to the front and rear of the carton. When the products are stacked in a single layer, the depth of the carton corresponds approximately to the length of the products plus twice the wall thickness of the walls of the carton, while the height and width of the carton are determined by the intended capacity of the carton. The cartons are thus generally cuboid, and the receptacles are also cuboid with a slight oversize in relation to the outer dimensions of the cartons, so that the cartons can easily be inserted manually or mechanically into the receptacles of the cardboard carrier. After being inserted into the receptacles, the cartons lie with their undersides on the respective bottoms of the receptacles of the cardboard carrier.

The boxes are opened on one side after or before being inserted into the holders of the box carriers, so that the products in them can be fed from the box to the second station of the system for further processing. To empty the cartons, the carton carriers are pivoted together with the cartons received therein into a discharge position in which the open side of the cartons is directed downwards, the open side being closed by a movable sword and by removing the sword until the discharge position is reached is only opened when the products are to emerge from the carton. The system also has a receiving container into which the products are removed for further processing, which is arranged in the delivery position of the carton carrier below the open side of the carton closed by the sword. In order to discharge the products, the blade is pulled off the open side of the box when the box carrier is in the delivery position, so that the open side is released and the products emerge from the boxes into the receiving container under the action of gravity.

It is important for the process-reliable removal of the products from the boxes or the emptying of the boxes that the box carriers are aligned very precisely with the edges of their open front sides in relation to a defined delivery position and in particular with the smallest possible gap to the sword or are aligned with a mating surface of the second station. It is also important that the boxes in the receptacles are arranged with their front sides or the open sides as close as possible to the edges of the front side of the box carrier, but in no case protrude beyond them, so that the products are process-reliable enter the receiving container and secondly the products or the edges of the boxes are not damaged by the deduction movement of the sword. Thus, due to the shape and dimensions of their receptacles, the cardboard carriers are intended exclusively for accommodating cartons with special dimensions.

If products with different dimensions, such as different lengths, are packed in the boxes or boxes with a different capacity are to be used, the boxes will have different dimensions, which means that other box carriers with receptacles with different dimensions will be used to accommodate these boxes Need to become.

From the WO 2014/209842 A1 a carton carrier is already known in which a height-adjustable base is additionally provided in the receptacle, so that cartons of different heights can also be accommodated in the receptacle of the carton carrier and still with the open side in the defined release position towards the edge side of the receptacle of the carton carrier are arranged. The disadvantage of this solution is that the carton carriers first have to be individually adjusted to the dimensions of the new cartons by aligning the bottom, so a certain conversion process is required, which is a considerable expenditure of time when changing over all the carton carriers in a circulation. The operators of the system have specified a maximum time requirement of 30 minutes as the upper limit for converting all the carton carriers in the system, which can pose a problem, especially if the position of the floor is adjusted precisely within narrow tolerance limits.

GB 2 148 853 A (MOLINS PLC) 5 June 1985 (1985-06-05) discloses a cardboard carrier for cartons with rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a cardboard carrier which should be suitable for transporting and emptying cardboard boxes with different dimensions using simple means. Furthermore, it is the object of the invention to provide a system for transporting box carriers, which should be improved with regard to the use of box carriers with boxes with different dimensions.

According to the invention, a cardboard carrier with the features of claim 1 and a system with the features of claim 11 are proposed to solve the problem. Further preferred further developments can be found in the dependent claims, the figures and the associated description.

According to the basic idea of the invention, it is proposed that the carton can be fixed in relation to at least one edge of the carton carrier that delimits the opening.

The advantage of the solution according to the invention can be seen in the fact that the carton is always arranged or aligned in a defined orientation to the edge of the opening of the carton carrier, regardless of its shape and size. With conventional carton carriers, it is always assumed that the carton arranged in the receptacle rests on the base (bottom) of the receptacle, so that the position of the base to the edge of the opening of the receptacle of the carton carrier also determines the position of the receptacle due to the fixed geometry of the carton edge side of the carton to the edge of the opening of the carton carrier. If the distance between the base and the edge is greater than the height of the box, there is a gap between the top of the box and the edge, or vice versa Cardstock beyond the edge of the cardboard carrier. Correspondingly, as described in the prior art, the carton carrier must always be adapted manually to the respective carton. In the present invention it has been recognized that by fixing the carton in relation to the edge, however, the orientation of the carton to the edge is defined directly and independently of the position of the base surface in relation to the edge and the shape or condition of the carton. In this way, for example, smaller boxes with smaller heights or boxes with an outer shape that has changed through constant use can be held in the receptacle, since the box is fixed directly opposite the edge and it no longer has to rest on the base surface. The depth of the receptacle can preferably be slightly larger than the maximum height of the largest box to be received in the receptacle, so that the box is deliberately avoided lying on the base and the position of the box relative to the edge of the opening is simply fixed of the carton is defined opposite the edge.

According to a preferred development, it is proposed that a fixing device is provided for fixing the box in relation to at least one edge of the box carrier that delimits the opening. The fixing device is a fixing device that can be actuated manually or also automatically activated during the insertion movement of the boxes. In any case, the boxes are actively fixed by the fixing device in a desired position relative to the edge. The target position in which the carton is fixed by the fixing device is specified by the fixing device and the position of the fixing device relative to the edge. The fixing device does not have to fix the box directly at the edge, it is sufficient if the box is above the fixing device is fixed with a specific section in the receptacle, so that the edge of the box is automatically positioned in a defined orientation and arrangement relative to the edge due to the fixed geometry of the box and the fixed spatial assignment of the fixing device to the edge.

According to a preferred development, it is further proposed that the fixing device is formed by a clamping device in which a wall of the box can be clamped. The carton is thus held solely by a clamping force exerted on the wall, otherwise no further form-fit attachment attachment is required on the carton to transfer the holding forces required for fixing the carton.

The clamping device can preferably have a lever mechanism with a clamping arm, and the clamping arm can be arranged in such a way that the wall can be clamped to an outer surface of the cardboard carrier. As a result, the carton can be clamped very easily between the clamping arm and the outer surface of the carton carrier with a tab projecting beyond the edge. The flap can also be used to reseal an opening in the box after the box has been filled with products, or the previously provided side surface of the box, which is released to release the opening, can be used as a flap in the sense of Invention can be used to fix the cardboard. The flap grips the edge at the top, thereby further preventing the carton from slipping into the receptacle, the flap in turn being secured to the outside of the wall by the clamping force exerted by the clamping means and prevented from sliding off the edge. The holding forces required to hold the carton are thus, in addition to the clamping forces exerted on the outer surface, are also introduced into the cardboard carrier via the upper side of the edge, the cardboard is practically supported via the tab on the upper side of the edge of the cardboard carrier.

It is also proposed that the cardboard carrier has carrying handles, which make it easier to grasp and transport the cardboard carrier, which basically simplifies the handling of the cardboard carrier.

The lever mechanism can preferably have at least one actuating arm which, starting from at least one of the carrying handles, is arranged within easy reach. With the proposed further development, the lever mechanism can also be actuated while the carton carrier is being carried, or in other words, the lever mechanism can be actuated at the same time as the carton carrier is gripped. The clamping of the box can thus be realized without additional expenditure of time. Furthermore, while the carton carrier is being carried, the clamping device can be actively secured in the carton-fixing position by the person carrying the carton carrier holding the actuating arm while carrying the carton carrier.

At least one first spring device is provided in a base area of the receptacle, which is designed in such a way that the boxes are resiliently supported on an underside aligned parallel to the edge. The first spring device allows the boxes to be pressed into the receptacle to different depths and then fixed in the desired position relative to the edge of the box carrier by the fixing device while maintaining the spring support. In doing so, it is important that the carton is supported on the underside aligned parallel to the edge, so that it is resiliently supported as evenly as possible in relation to the edge of the carton carrier.

The first spring device can have a first leaf spring, which is aligned and shaped in such a way that it comes to rest with a flat contact surface on the underside of the box. The leaf spring thus lies flat on the underside of the box and loads it as evenly as possible. Furthermore, the carton can be held very precisely in a position that is optimal for the final fixing via the fixing device by means of a correspondingly precise alignment of the contact surface.

It is also proposed that at least one second spring device be provided in the receptacle, against which the cartons come to rest laterally, whereby deviations in the width of the cartons can also be compensated for or cartons with slightly different widths can be held in the receptacle while retaining the lateral contact surfaces .

In this case, the second spring device can preferably have a second leaf spring, which is held at at least two clamping points spaced apart from one another and protrudes in an arc into the receptacle between the clamping points. By choosing the leaf spring as the spring in the spring device and its curved shape, the cartons can be pushed into the receptacle in a particularly favorable manner, in that the leaf spring is continuously compressed due to the curved shape when the carton is inserted, and the carton slides off the front side of the leaf spring. Furthermore, this creates a particularly well fixed spring.

Furthermore, the first and/or the second spring device can preferably be adjustable in height and/or in the lateral orientation, so that the spring-elastic contact surfaces can be adapted to cartons with different dimensions.

Furthermore, to achieve the object, a system for transporting a box carrier is proposed with the features of one of claims 1 to 11, it also being proposed that a device for aligning the boxes arranged in the receptacle is provided with respect to the edge of the box carrier delimiting the opening is.

The advantage of the further developed system can be seen in the fact that the boxes are actively aligned in relation to the edge before emptying, so that the emptying of the boxes can be carried out much more reliably. The alignment can be done both manually and using a drive device. If a fixing device is provided, the alignment can take place both before the fixing device is actuated, i.e. before the box is fixed in place, and after the fixing device is actuated, i.e. after the box has been fixed in place, it being assumed that the boxes will also be in the fixed State can be additionally aligned by slight deformations or displacements of the wall. The device for aligning the boxes is that the box can be actively pushed in, i.e. it can be aligned with respect to the edge, for which purpose play or the first spring device can be deliberately provided between the box and the box carrier.

The boxes can be aligned particularly easily in that the device comprises a counter surface, the counter surface being positioned in such a way that the box received in the receptacle comes to rest against it during the relative movement and is forced into a predetermined orientation and arrangement in the receptacle. The cartons are automatically aligned by resting against the counter surface and the relative movement generated, with the movement for resting the carton on the counter surface and the subsequent alignment movement preferably being a single movement process. The final position and the alignment of the boxes at the end of the relative movement are determined by the position of the counter-surface to the box at the end of the relative movement. The relative movement can be realized both by moving the mating surface to the stationary carton carrier and by moving the carton carrier to the stationary mating surface, whereby both the carton carrier and the mating surface can of course also be moved, so that the relative movement can be achieved by a combination of two movements is composed. In particular, the movement of the carton carrier into the emptying position of the carton via the receiving container can also be used as a relative movement. The carton does not always have to be moved into the desired position, if it is already in this position, such a movement is of course not necessary. The most common case is that the box is not fully inserted into the receptacle and is overhanging the edge. In this case, the carton is pushed deeper into the seat by the contact with the counter surface, until it is arranged in the desired position in relation to the edge of the opening of the seat in the carton carrier. Furthermore, the relative movement can also be triggered manually by the cardboard carrier with the carton held in it is pushed manually against the opposite surface.

Alternatively, the device can also preferably include a drive device for generating the relative movement between the carton carrier and the opposing surface, by means of which the relative movement can be enforced in a controlled manner.

The invention is explained below on the basis of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures.

Fig. 1

einen Kartonträger 1 in Sicht auf die Vorderseite; und

Fig. 2

den Kartonträger in Sicht auf die Rückseite; und

Fig. 3

einen vergrößerten Ausschnitt des Kartonträgers mit einer ersten Federeinrichtung; und

Fig. 4

einen Kartonträger mit einem darin gehaltenen Karton; und

Fig. 5

einen Ausschnitt aus einer Anlage mit einem darin gehaltenen Kartonträger und einer feststehenden Gegenfläche.

while showing

1

a carton carrier 1 seen from the front; and

2

the cardboard carrier seen from the back; and

3

an enlarged section of the cardboard carrier with a first spring device; and

4

a carton carrier with a carton held therein; and

figure 5

a section of a system with a cardboard carrier held in it and a fixed counter surface.

In the figure 1 an inventive carton carrier 1 can be seen, which has a rear wall 20, a front wall 23, two side surfaces 21 and 22 and a base surface 12 in its basic structure, which in the figure 3 can be seen. The rear wall 20, the front wall 23, the side surfaces 21 and 22 and the base surface 12 together form a receptacle 2 with an opening 3 which, in shape, conforms to the outer shape of the receptacle to be contained therein, only in the figures 4 and 5 cartons 9 to be recognized with products stored therein is adapted or adaptable. The front wall 23 is considerably shorter in height than the rear wall 20, so that the receptacle 2 is limited on four sides only in a short lower section, while above the front wall 23 it is only limited on three sides. As a result, the boxes received therein are only fixed in all four directions in a lower section, while the front of the boxes 9 is free in the upper section above.

The basic geometry of the recording 2 can be changed by several adjustment devices 19, 25 and 26, which are formed by a regular grid of holes and associated screws or locating pins. Furthermore, recesses 24 are provided in the side surfaces 21, 22, the rear wall 20, front wall 23 and in the base surface 12, through which the weight of the carton carrier 1 and the frictional forces acting on the cartons 9 can be reduced. The necessary dimensional stability of the cardboard carrier 1 can be achieved through the arrangement and shape of the recesses, through the introduction of beads or other depressions and finally through the choice of the material of the cardboard carrier 1. Furthermore, a carrying handle 8 is provided in each of the side surfaces 21 and 22, through which the handling and carrying of the cardboard carrier 1 can be improved in general.

Furthermore, a first spring device 11 is provided in the receptacle 2 above the base 12 and two lateral second spring devices 15 are provided on the rear wall 20, the position of which can be changed by means of the adjustment devices 25 and 15. The first spring device 11 comprises a first leaf spring 16, which formed by a layer of resilient metal or resilient plastic folded back on itself in two folds 14 and forming a flat contact surface 13 for the carton 9 held in the receptacle 2 on the upper side. The second spring devices 15 each comprise a second leaf spring 17 which protrudes in an arc into the receptacle 2 and is clamped at its ends via two clamping points 18 on the adjustment devices 26 in each case. The second leaf springs 17 are each formed from a spring-elastic strip and aligned in such a way that they form two lateral contact surfaces for the cartons 9 which are aligned perpendicular to the rear wall 20 .

According to the invention, a fixing device 4 in the form of a clamping device 6 with a pivotable clamping arm 7 and an actuating arm 10 projecting into the carrying handles 8 is provided on the rear wall 20 . The fixing device 4 is in the figure 1 in the open and in the figure 2 recognizable in the closed position and its function is explained in more detail below.

The receptacle 2 is adjusted to the outer shape of the boxes 9 in the mold before the boxes 9 are inserted. Particular attention is paid to the fact that the distance between the edge 5 and the contact surface 13 of the first spring device 11 in the vertical direction is smaller and/or within a defined tolerance range in relation to the height of the boxes 9 to be accommodated in the receptacle 2, so that the upper edge of the boxes 9 does not protrude beyond the edge 5 of the box carrier 1 or the rear wall 20 and/or is arranged within a defined tolerance range in relation to this. After the geometry of the receptacle 2 has been adjusted, cartons 9 with a specific geometry can be accommodated therein, with the first and second spring devices 11 and 15 in the receptacle 2 also being able to be used to compensate for dimensional inaccuracies of the cartons 9 within predetermined limits due to their spring properties . The cartons 9 are opened on their upper side before being inserted into the receptacle 2 by pivoting a tab 24 provided thereon to one side. The cartons 9 are then introduced into the receptacle 2 with such an orientation that the side of the cartons 9 on which the flap 24 is held is adjacent to the upper edge 5 of the rear wall 20 of the carton carrier 1 . The flap 24 is then folded over the edge 5 of the cardboard carrier 1 onto the back of the rear wall 20 . The fixing device 4 is located in the in the figure 1 shown open position. The tab 24 of the box 9 is inserted between the outer wall of the rear wall 20 and the clamping arm 7 of the fixing device 4. The operator then grasps the actuating arm 10 when engaging in the carrying handles 8 and clamps the tab 24 by pivoting the actuating arm 10 and the resulting pivoting of the clamping arm 7 between it and the outer wall of the rear wall 20 in the in the figure 2 shown position. Since the fixing device 4 is arranged in a fixed spatial relationship to the edge 5 of the rear wall 20, the carton 9 is also in a fixed spatial relationship and alignment to the edge 5 of the carton carrier 1 due to the fixation via the fixing device 4 Carton 9 is aligned with the edge 5 of the carton carrier 1, which is also understandable because the proposed solution does not necessarily require the cartons to rest on the contact surface 13 of the first spring device 11, and the cartons 9 via the fixing device 4 in the recording 2 are held. Rather, this means that cartons 9 of a smaller height can also be inserted into the receptacle 2 and fixed in it. This is the result of the knowledge and solution according to the invention that the cartons are now held via the fixing device 4 and aligned directly opposite the edge 5 instead of just being supported on the base surface 12 as before.

In the figure 4 the carton carrier 1 can be seen with a carton 9 arranged therein, which is held in the receptacle 2 of the carton carrier 1 via the clamped tab 24 . In the figure 5 a section of a system according to the invention can be seen, in which the carton carrier 1 with the carton 9 held therein is inserted. Despite being fixed by the fixing device 4, the carton 9 is still in a position in which there is still a small gap between the flap 24 and the edge 5, so the carton 9 is not yet in the final desired position. This is only achieved by moving the carton carrier 1 together with the carton 9 received therein in the direction of the arrow against a counter surface 27 of the system, which can be effected either manually or by means of a drive device. The counter surface 27 is a fixed surface and is located in a fixed spatial relationship to a movable sword 28. Due to the relative movement of the carton carrier 1 to the counter surface 27, the carton 9 with the flap 24 comes to rest on the counter surface 27 and is thereby during the further movement pushed deeper into the recording 2 until reaching the target position. So that the movement of the carton 9 is not disturbed, the fixing device 4 can be released beforehand. The fixing device 4 then does not necessarily have to be activated again, since the box 9 is also clamped by the tab 24 between the mating surface 27 and the edge 5 is fixed in the receptacle 2, the clamping in relation to the edge 5 in particular also providing a direct fixation of the carton 9 in relation to the edge 5, with the advantages described above. The relative movement of the carton carrier 1 to the counter surface 27 or the movement of the carton 9 into the receptacle 2 that is forced thereby is also made possible by the fact that the carton 9 rests with its base on the first spring device 11, and the first spring device 11 during the Movement is compressed, so can give way. The first spring device 11 deliberately creates an elastic base surface 12 of the receptacle 2, through which the carton 9 can enter the receptacle 2 and is nevertheless supported, ie cannot bulge.

After the carton 9 has been pushed into the predetermined target position in the receptacle 2, the sword 28 can swing over the open side of the carton 9 in a process-reliable manner and close it without the risk of products being jammed or that an excessively large Gap between the sword 28 and the edge of the box 9 is present.

Claims (13)

1. Carton carrier (1) for cartons (9) containing rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry, comprising

   a receptacle (2) which has a shape adapted to the outer shape of the cartons (9) and an opening (3) on at least one side,

   characterized in that

   - the carton (9) can be fixed in relation to at least one edge (5) of the carton carrier (1) that delimits the opening (3),

   - at least one first spring device (11) being provided in a base surface (12) of the receptacle (2), which first spring device can resiliently support the cartons (9) on an underside oriented parallel to the edge (5).
2. Carton carrier (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that

   - a fixing device (4) is provided for fixing the carton (9) in relation to at least one edge (5) of the carton carrier (1) that delimits the opening (3).
3. Carton carrier (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that

   - the fixing device (4) is formed by a clamping device (6) in which a wall of the carton can be firmly clamped.
4. Carton carrier (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that

   - the clamping device (6) has a lever mechanism comprising a clamping arm (7), and

   - the clamping arm (7) is arranged such that the wall can be firmly clamped on an outer surface of the carton carrier (1).
5. Carton carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that

   - the carton carrier (1) has carrying handles (8).
6. Carton carrier (1) according to claim 4 and according to claim 5, characterized in that

   - the clamping device (6) has at least one actuating arm (10) which is arranged within reach of at least one of the carrying handles (8).
7. Carton carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that

   - the first spring device (11) has a first leaf spring (16) which is oriented and shaped in such a way that a planar contact surface (13) thereof comes to rest against the underside of the carton.
8. Carton carrier (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that

   - at least one second spring device (15) is provided in the receptacle (2), against which second spring device the cartons come to rest laterally.
9. Carton carrier (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that

   - the second spring device (15) has a second leaf spring (17) which is held on at least two mutually spaced clamping points (18) and protrudes in an arc shape into the receptacle (2) between the clamping points (18).
10. Carton carrier (1) according to any of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that

    - the first and/or the second spring device (15, 16) can be adjusted in height with respect to the base surface (12) and/or in distance from a lateral surface (21, 22) of the carton carrier (1).
11. Installation for transporting a carton carrier (1) for cartons (9) containing rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry, the carton carrier (1) comprising a receptacle (2) which has a shape adapted to the outer shape of the cartons (9) and an opening (3) on at least one side,
    characterized in that

    - the carton carrier (1) is according to any of claims 1 to 10, and

    - a device is provided for orienting the cartons (9) arranged in the receptacle (2) relative to the edge (5) of the carton carrier (1) that delimits the opening (3).
12. Installation according to claim 11, characterized in that

    - the device comprises a counter-surface (27),

    - the counter-surface (27) being positioned such that the carton received in the receptacle (2) comes to rest against the counter-surface (27) as the result of a relative movement being performed by the carton carrier (1) and is pushed into the receptacle (2) in a predetermined orientation and arrangement.
13. Installation according to either claim 11 or claim 12, characterized in that

    - the device comprises a drive device for generating the relative movement between the carton carrier (1) and the counter-surface (27).

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