EP3741722A1 - Closure assembly for closing a container with a container closure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a closer arrangement (1) for closing a filled container with a container closure comprising a closure carousel (10) with at least two closure elements arranged on its periphery and in each case corresponding transport bags (14) and an inlet guide (2) for receiving the containers to be closed from an upstream transfer device and for transferring the containers to the transport bags (14), the inlet guide (2) having an inlet area (22) which tapers in the conveying direction (F).

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to a closer arrangement for closing a filled container with a container closure, for example for applying a roll-up closure to a container to be closed in a beverage filling plant.

State of the art

In beverage filling systems it is known to close the containers filled with a filling product by means of a container closure. For this purpose, the filled container is usually transported from a filling device to a closing device, then transferred to the closing device and provided with the container closure therein.

Both the filling device and the closing device can be so-called rotary machines. In a rotary filler filler, the individual filling elements are arranged on the periphery of a filler carousel, each filling element on the filler carousel forming a single filling point at which a container can be filled with the filling product per cycle. The transport between the filler carousel and the rotary closer takes place via a transfer star, for example. In the case of a rotary closer, a closer carousel is provided, on the circumference of which closing elements are arranged which can each close a filled container with a container closure.

Correspondingly, a filled container runs from the filler carousel to the closer carousel through a curved, for example also meander-shaped, conveying path which can have, for example, circular arc-shaped sections. Depending on the conveying path to be overcome, one, two or more transfer stars can be provided here in order to overcome the transport path between the filler carousel and the closer carousel.

There are different ways of closing filled containers in beverage filling systems Closure types are known which can be configured differently depending on the geometric shape of the respective filled container and in particular its mouth area, as well as depending on the filling product.

For example, crown corks are known which can be molded onto the mouth of a filled container. Screw caps can be screwed onto an existing thread in the mouth area of a filled container. Corks can be placed in the mouth of a filled container. Roll-up closures, for example in the form of a sleeve, are applied to an existing thread in the mouth area of a container and then formed onto the thread by rolling them up using a rolling device.

In order to achieve a correctly positioned transfer of the closures to the filled container and the filled container to the closer carousel and in particular into the respective receiving pockets of the closer carousel corresponding to the respective closing element, the filled containers are usually designed in a complex manner before they are introduced into the closer carousel Guide sets stabilized and aligned.

Here it is known, for example, to provide at least three guide levels on the transfer star, which takes over the transfer of the filled containers to the closer carousel, for example two in the area of the container belly and one in the area of the container neck. In this way, stable and secure alignment and guidance of the filled container to be closed can already be achieved in the transfer star.

Furthermore, an inlet guide is usually designed in such a way that, by means of several guide sets arranged on different levels, an orientation of the containers to be closed is achieved in a predetermined manner, in order in this way to easily transfer the container closure to be applied to the container mouth and the corresponding closing of the Ensure the container with this container closure.

Since a large number of container guides are provided, it is accordingly necessary when changing the container format, for example a different height, a different diameter of the belly area of the container, a different contour of the belly area, a different neck diameter and a different ratio between the neck diameter and Either to readjust or to adjust the construction diameter according to the respective guide sets replace completely. Accordingly, a separate combination of different guide sets must be kept ready for each container type. Furthermore, the required changeover time results in a standstill of the beverage filling system.

Presentation of the invention

Accordingly, on the basis of the known prior art, it is an object of the present invention to specify a closer arrangement for closing a filled container with a container closure which has a further improved structure.

This object is achieved by a closer arrangement having the features of claim 1. Advantageous further developments emerge from the dependent claims, the present description and the attached figures.

Accordingly, a closer arrangement is proposed for closing a filled container with a container closure, comprising a closure carousel with at least two closure members arranged on its periphery and in each case corresponding transport bags and an inlet guide for taking over the containers to be closed from an upstream transfer device and for transferring the containers to the Transport bags. According to the invention, the inlet guide has an inlet area which tapers in the conveying direction.

Because the inlet guide has an inlet area which tapers in the conveying direction, incoming containers can in any case be safely guided in their neck area and then guided in an orientation preferred for applying the container closure. In other words, the inlet area, which tapers in the conveying direction, serves to center the bottle neck and align it in such a way that a container closure can be applied without any problems. The inlet area, which tapers in the conveying direction, can be designed quasi funnel-shaped so that the incoming container necks are aligned in the correct orientation.

The inlet guide preferably has a guide channel, the tapering inlet area being part of the guide channel.

By means of the guide channel, simple and efficient guidance of the containers along a predetermined guide path can be achieved, so that the containers are correctly aligned, for example for transferring container closures, and safe transfer of the Container closures can be achieved.

The tapering inlet area preferably makes up only part of the guide channel, in particular only 5% to 20% of the length of the guide channel.

The larger part of the guide channel can thus be used for the aligned transport of the containers, so that the container closure can reliably be applied in this area.

The guide channel is particularly preferably formed between an inner guide disk and an outer guide disk.

By means of this design of the guide channel, a change in the geometry of the guide channel adapted to the respective container shape can be achieved by exchanging the inner and / or outer guide round.

The inner edges of the guide blanks pointing towards the guide channel are preferably contoured and in particular have a bevel.

The formation of the contouring enables particularly smooth transport of the containers in the inlet guide and in particular in the guide channel.

In order to achieve a particularly secure takeover of the containers from the transfer star arranged in front, the guide channel at its entrance is preferably twice as wide as after the tapering in the conveying direction. In other words, there is a significant reduction in the width of the guide channel from the inlet area, so that, on the one hand, the containers fed in by means of the transfer star are reliably captured and, on the other hand, the containers then captured are quickly guided onto the desired transport path to achieve safe takeover of a container closure.

A closure feed is preferably provided for feeding container closures to the inlet guide and the tapering of the inlet area is completed, viewed in the conveying direction F, before a closure is transferred to a container to be closed.

This ensures that at the time of transferring the container closure to the container, the container is already aligned in such a way that a reliable transfer can take place.

The closure feed is preferably designed to supply closure sleeves for roll-up closures.

The inlet guide is preferably designed in such a way that it covers 50 ° to 90 ° of the conveying area of the upstream transfer star.

A particularly secure takeover of the container and a particularly gentle transfer of the container into the closer carousel can thus be achieved.

In order to achieve a simple conversion of the closer arrangement, the inlet guide can be designed to be quickly exchangeable, preferably via a plug connection.

Brief description of the figures

Figur 1

eine schematische perspektivische Ansicht einer Verschließeranordnung zum Verschließen eines befüllten Behälters;

Figur 2

eine schematische Ansicht von unten auf die Verschließeranordnung aus Figur 1; und

Figur 3

eine schematische Draufsicht auf die Verschließeranordnung aus den Figuren 1 und 2.

Preferred further embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail by the following description of the figures. Show:

Figure 1

a schematic perspective view of a closer arrangement for closing a filled container;

Figure 2

a schematic view from below of the closer assembly Figure 1 ; and

Figure 3

a schematic plan view of the closer arrangement from FIG Figures 1 and 2 .

Detailed description of preferred exemplary embodiments

Preferred exemplary embodiments are described below with reference to the figures. Identical, similar or identically acting elements are provided with identical reference numerals in the different figures, and a repeated description of these elements is partially dispensed with in order to avoid redundancies.

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a closer arrangement 1 for closing a filled container (not shown here) with a container closure.

In the embodiment shown in the figures, the closure arrangement 1 is provided schematically for applying a roll-up closure. First, a closure sleeve is placed on the mouth of the container to be closed, for example by towing the closure sleeve from a closure feed. Then the closure sleeve is by means of a Roll-up head molded onto the outer contour present at the mouth of the container to be closed. The outer contour can be a thread, for example.

The closure arrangement described herein can also be used for crown caps, among other things.

The closer arrangement 1 comprises a closer carousel 10, which has a transport star 12, which has transport pockets 14 on its periphery, into each of which a container to be closed can be inserted and is then transported with the rotation of the transport star 2 in the closer carousel 10. In the Figure 1 Closing members, not shown, but assigned to the respective transport bags 14, are provided in order to bring a container closure onto the filled container.

The transport star 12 rotates relative to stationary components 11 of the closer arrangement, which are connected, for example, to a base frame and which can carry further machine components not shown here at the top.

In order to guide the containers from an upstream transfer star, not shown here, to the transport star 12 of the closer assembly 1, an inlet guide 2 is provided which takes over the containers, for example in their neck area, from the upstream transfer star and then the transport bags 14 feeds.

The inlet guide 2 has an inlet region 22 which tapers in the conveying direction, as is particularly evident in FIG Figures 2 and 3 can be seen.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the infeed guide 2 is formed by a guide disc 24 lying radially closer to the transport star 12 of the closer carousel 10 and an outer guide disc 26 correspondingly further outward from the transport star 12 of the closer carousel 10. Between the inner circular guide 24 and the outer circular guide 26, a guide channel 28 is formed accordingly, in which, for example, the container necks of the containers to be closed are guided.

The guide channel 28, which is formed between the inner circular guide 24 and the outer circular guide 26, has - apart from the inlet area 22 - a width which corresponds to the maximum expected diameter of the respective section of the filled container which is to be closed, whereby In addition, a narrow surcharge is granted in order to prevent containers from jamming in the guide channel 28.

In the view of the closer assembly 1 from below, which in the Figure 2 is shown, the mentioned structure of the closer carousel 10 with the transport star 12, which has a plurality of transport pockets 14 on its periphery, is shown again. The inlet guide 2 can also be seen, which has the inner circular guide 24 and the outer circular guide 26, which form the guide channel 28 between them.

On the two guide discs 24, 26, on the inner edge 240, 260 facing the guide channel 28, a contouring is provided in each case, which can be designed, for example, in the form of a bevel. This contouring can correspond to the shape of the filled container to be closed, which is guided in this area. This contouring can, for example, be designed to correspond to the shoulder area of a bottle.

In this view from below, the tapering inlet area 22 can be seen particularly well. The inlet area 22 tapers in the conveying direction F in such a way that at the entrance 20, at which the containers enter the guide channel 28, the guide channel 28 has a greater width than in all other sections of the guide channel 28 along the conveying direction F.

The inlet area 22, which tapers in the conveying direction F, accordingly forms a type of inlet funnel or catching area, which makes it possible to securely pick up or catch the incoming containers or the incoming container necks by means of the inlet area and then quickly bring them into the transport path specified by the guide channel 28 .

A closure feed (shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5) is connected to the position symbolized by the elongated holes 30, by means of which a container closure is applied to the container necks that are correctly aligned and positioned in the guide channel 28 after passing through the inlet area 22 can.

In the elongated holes 30 or at least at the position predetermined by these, such a closure feed can be connected, by means of which closures can be towed through the incoming container necks or container mouths, so that a container provided with a container closure or a container closure sleeve in this way is placed in a transport pocket 14 of the transport star 12 of the closer carousel enters.

In other words, when a container has entered the closer arrangement 1 in the conveying direction F in the guide channel 28, a closure sleeve for a roll-up closure is transferred by means of a closure feed arranged in the elongated holes 30. The closure sleeve is then closed on the container, which is received in a transport pocket 14 of the transport star 12 of the closure carousel 10, by means of a closure member with a container closure that is moved synchronously with the transport pockets, in particular the closure sleeve is rolled onto an outer contour of the container neck. The closing elements are not shown in this view.

The closure feed can, for example, comprise a closure feed rail, not shown here, in which closures are held ready in a predetermined orientation, so that a container passing under the closure feed takes such a closure with it or tows it away.

In the inlet region 22 it can be seen that it has a shape that tapers in the conveying direction F. An incoming container is accordingly centered and guided by the inlet area 22, which tapers in the conveying direction F, in such a way that, as soon as it passes the closure transfer, it can simply be provided with a closure, for example in the form of a closure sleeve, which then as soon as the container with the Closing sleeve is then transferred to the closing carousel 10, applied by means of the closing element, not shown, for example rolled up.

The closure arrangement 1 formed in this way accordingly enables the containers or the container necks to be safely taken over from the inlet 20 by means of the inlet area 22, which tapers in the conveying direction F, and then to be centered within the guide channel 28 so that the container closures are towed away at the closure feed takes place so easily and reliably that the subsequent closure process can safely take place on the closure carousel 12, in which, for example, a closure sleeve attached to the respective container can be rolled onto a prefabricated thread by means of a rolling tool.

Accordingly, it can be avoided that when towing the respective container closures and in particular when towing closure sleeves for roll-up closures, the towing either does not work at all, or the closure sleeves are placed incompletely or at an angle, so that a faulty closure can occur during the subsequent roll-up or roll-up closure or even a correct closure is not achieved at all.

The inlet guide 2 can furthermore be designed so that the containers and in particular the container necks are completely guided by means of the guide channel 28 until the containers are taken over into the respective transport pockets 14 of the transport star 12 of the closer carousel. Correspondingly, the containers are guided after being taken over by the transfer star until they are transferred to the respective sealing head or the transport bag 14 assigned to the respective sealing head.

The tapering inlet region 22 extends in the conveying direction F preferably only in a section of the guide channel 28 in which the transfer or towing of the respective container closures does not yet take place. In other words, the tapering of the inlet area 22 is preferably completed before the closures or closure sleeves are taken over, so that at the point in time at which the container neck or the container mouth passes the respective closure feed, the container mouth is already completely aligned, so that a reliable transfer of the container closure, for example the closure sleeve, takes place on the container to be closed.

The closing carousel can furthermore have a lower transport star, not shown here, which additionally guides the containers to be closed in their abdominal area. The containers stand, for example, on a transport plate. Correspondingly, the containers to be closed are guided both in their neck area by means of the transport star 12 and in their belly area by means of the lower transport star, with the containers standing on a transport plate.

By means of an inlet area 22 designed in this way and tapering in the conveying direction F, it can also be achieved that an upstream transfer star, which in conventional capper arrangements with complex guide sets, usually in three levels, i.e. two guide arrangements in the belly area and one guide arrangement in the neck area of the respective container to be transferred , was equipped, can be carried out more easily.

In particular, an upper guide plane for the container neck can be dispensed with, since the inlet area 22 of the inlet guide 2, which tapers in the conveying direction F, can be used to achieve a corresponding alignment of the containers to be closed entering the closer arrangement, which is sufficient for the closures can be reliably taken over and towed.

The inlet guide 2 is preferably designed in such a way that it guides the container conveyed by the transfer star approximately in a conveying range of 50 ° to 90 ° of the rotation of the transfer star. The inlet area 22, which tapers in the conveying direction F, has only a relatively small portion over this conveying area, for example from 2 ° to 20 °.

In other words, the inlet guide can advantageously extend over an area of approximately 5% to 20% of the guide channel 28.

The tapering of the tapering inlet area 22 can be designed, for example, so that the width of the guide channel 28 at the inlet 20 of the guide channel 28 is approximately twice as wide as after the end of the tapering in the conveying direction F.

In a preferred embodiment, the inlet guide 2 can be changed quickly. In particular, the inner circular guide 24 and / or the outer circular guide 26 can be exchanged quickly, for example to achieve an adaptation to a different type of container, which requires, for example, a differently dimensioned guide channel 28 and / or differently contoured inner edges 240, 260 in order to ensure gentle handling to reach the container.

The parts of the inlet guide are preferably attached to the closer arrangement 1 via plug connections, so that the replacement can preferably take place without tools

As far as applicable, all of the individual features shown in the exemplary embodiments can be combined with one another and / or exchanged without departing from the scope of the invention.

List of reference symbols

1

Closer arrangement

10

Closer carousel

11

fixed components

12

Transport star

14th

Transport bag

2

Inlet guide

20th

entrance

22nd

Inlet area

24

inner guide disc

26th

outer guide disc

240

Inside edge

260

Inside edge

28

Guide channel

30th

Long hole

F.

Conveying direction

Claims (10)

Closer arrangement (1) for closing a filled container with a container closure, comprising a closure carousel (10) with at least two closure elements arranged on its circumference and in each case corresponding transport bags (14) and an inlet guide (2) for taking over the container to be closed from an upstream one Transfer device and for transferring the containers to the transport bags (14),
characterized in that
the inlet guide (2) has an inlet area (22) which tapers in the conveying direction (F). Closer arrangement (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the inlet guide (2) has a guide channel (28), the tapering inlet region (22) being part of the guide channel (28). Closer arrangement (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the tapering inlet area (22) only makes up part of the guide channel (28), in particular only 5% to 20% of the length of the guide channel (28). Closer arrangement (1) according to Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the guide channel (28) is formed between an inner circular guide (24) and an outer circular guide (26). Closer arrangement (1) according to Claim 4, characterized in that the inner edges (240, 260) of the guide discs (24, 26) pointing towards the guide channel (28) are contoured and in particular have a bevel. Closer arrangement (1) according to one of Claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the guide channel (28) at its inlet (20) is twice as wide as after the narrowing in the conveying direction (F) has been completed. Closer arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a closure feed for supplying container closures is provided to the inlet guide (2) and the tapering of the inlet area (22) viewed in the conveying direction F is completed before the transfer of a closure to a container to be closed takes place. Closer arrangement (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the closure feed is designed to supply closure sleeves for roll-up closures. Closer arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inlet guide (2) is designed so that it covers 50 ° to 90 ° of the conveying area of the upstream transfer star. Closer arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inlet guide (2) is designed to be quickly exchangeable, preferably via a plug connection.

Images