FR2532276A1 - Device for affixing labels on products or objects - Google Patents

Abstract

The subject of the present invention is a device for affixing labels 27 on products or objects comprising a casing 1 on which is mounted in free rotation a spool 5 around which is wound a tape 6 on which the labels 27 are distributed in a regular pitch, this tape 6 being unwound by means of a motor 13 in order to present each label 27 in line with device adapted for affixing it to a product or to an object, characterised in that it furthermore comprises means of controlling the automatic starting and stopping of the motor 13 for sequentially unwinding the tape 6 and presenting the labels 27 one by one in line with the said device, which is constituted by an actuating cylinder 25 whose moving shaft 25a carries at its free end a damping block 26 below which the label 27 is presented; means of holding the label 27 flat against the said damping block 26 during the functioning of the motor 13; and means of controlling the actuating cylinder 27 when the motor 13 stops and means for holding the label flat against the said block in order to apply and stick the labels onto the product or the object. Its application is found in the labelling of widely varying objects and products such as fruits.

Description

 Device for affixing labels to products or objects.

 The present invention relates to a device for affixing labels on products or on objects.

 The technical sector of the invention is that of devices for labeling products such as for example fruit or various objects at high rates.

 Apparatuses are known for affixing labels to products or to objects comprising a mechanical feeler consisting of a kind of arm which deposits and fixes by application to the products or to the objects labels from a label strip wrapped around a coil. On such devices, direct contact of the probe on the product or on the object causes bruising when it is a question, for example, of labeling fruit or deterioration of objects of some fragility.

 The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks.

 The objective to be attained is a machine for affixing labels at high rates to labels on products or on objects without the latter having to suffer from any deterioration.

This objective is achieved by the device according to the invention for affixing labels to products or to items comprising a housing on which is mounted with free rotation a coil around which a ribbon is wound on which the labels are distributed in a pitch regular, which ribbon is unrolled by means of a motor to present each label to the right of a member adapted to affix it to a product or to an object, characterized in that it comprises, in addition
- Means for controlling the starting and automatic stopping of the motor for sequentially unwinding the ribbon and presenting the labels one by one to the right of said member, which is constituted by a jack whose movable rod carries at its free end a block shock absorber below which the label appears
- Means for maintaining the label pressed against said damping block during the operation of the engine;
- And means to control the engine stop cylinder to apply. and stick the labels on the product or on the object.

 In one embodiment of a device according to the invention with automatic operation, the means for controlling the starting and stopping of the engine consist of at least one sensor for the presence of products or objects whose signal is sent through a timer in a decimal counter connected to said motor.

 The means for holding the label pressed against the damping block consist of an adjustable air diffuser to allow adjustment in the direction of the air jet on the base of said block, which diffuser is connected to a source of compressed air through a solenoid valve and a flow regulator, the opening and closing of the solenoid valve are controlled simultaneously with the starting and stopping of the wetness by said presence sensor, the signal of which is sent through said timer in said decimal counter , which is connected to said solenoid valve.

 In another embodiment of a device according to the invention with semi-automatic operation, the means for controlling the starting and stopping of the motor consist of a manual contactor which establishes an electrical circuit through a timer in a decimal counter connected to the motor. According to this embodiment, the means for holding the label pressed against said damping block consist of an adjustable air diffuser to allow adjustment in the direction of the air jet on the base of said block , which diffuser is connected to a source of compressed air through a solenoid valve, the opening and closing of which are controlled simultaneously with the starting and stopping of the engine by said manual contactor which establishes an electrical circuit through a timer in a decimal counter, which is connected to said solenoid valve.

 Preferably, the sensor for the presence of products or objects is an infrared cell.

 In one or other of the above embodiments, the jack is connected to a source of compressed air through a solenoid valve and the means for actuating said jack to stick the label consist of at least one sensor for the presence of labels located on the path of the label-carrying tape, the signal of which is sent to a door, which is connected to a timer, itself connected to the solenoid valve of the jack, which door is connected to said decimal counter for simultaneously controlling stopping the engine closing the air diffuser solenoid valve and opening and closing the cylinder solenoid valve. The label presence sensor is preferably an infrared cell.

 According to the invention, the damping block is very thick to avoid damaging the products or the objects and is produced from a foam having a density of the order of 20 to 25 kg per cubic meter.

 In one embodiment, the label presence sensor is carried by a mount that can be moved parallel to the label-carrying tape by means of a knurled knob to adjust the position of the presence sensor between two labels and correspondingly the correct position. labels under the shock absorber block.

 The jack is fixed to said housing and its movable rod moves in the plane of the reel in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane in which the labels are placed before they are placed one by one on the damping block.

 The drive of the label-carrying tape is carried out by friction by means of a drive roller wedged on the output shaft of the engine and by a second roller which presses the tape against said drive roller and said second roller is mounted on an axis. with eccentric to adjust the force of support of the ribbon on the motor roller. Preferably, said rollers have teeth at their periphery to avoid any sliding between the rollers and the ribbon during the sequential operation of the engine.

 The applications of such a device are located in particular in fruit packaging stations or for labeling a wide variety of objects.

 In its automatic version, it is enough to present the machine above the products or objects to proceed to their labeling. This is carried out at high speed and safely for products and for objects, thanks to the shock absorbing block which allows the labels to be affixed without causing any deterioration.

 In its semi-automatic version, the machine allows labeling of products and objects in all cases that may arise.

 Due to the simplicity of the means used, such a machine is very reliable.

Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will become apparent on reading the following description of a non-limiting embodiment of a labeling machine, with reference to the appended drawing in which
- Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of a device according to the invention in its portable version, the electronic part of which is mounted in a housing (not shown).

 - Figure 2 is an electronic diagram of the device of Figure i.

 - Figure 3 is a diagram of the air circuit of said device.

 Reference is first made to FIG. 1 of the drawing which illustrates the portable part of the labeling machine according to the invention. This consists of a casing I made of plastic or of molded light metal, which casing is of generally elongated trapezoidal shape and comprises at its rear part a gripping member 2 for example a handle which extends in the extension of the upper wall of the housing. The handle 2 comprises, on the side of the housing 1, a trigger-shaped contactor 3 to put the device into operation and is pierced with a longitudinal conduit 2a to allow the passage of the connecting cables of the various organs and components that the housing and which will be discussed later in this description.

The housing 1 comprises, applied to one of its side walls, a support 4 extending beyond the upper part 1a of the housing, which support is of a generally triangular shape and carries at its upper end an axis 4a s' extending in cantilever on the side of the housing and on which is mounted with free rotation a coil 5 around which is wound a ribbon on which the labels are distributed in a regular pitch. -
These are self-adhesive and the ribbon is made of paper and the face on which the labels are made is silicone, so that, in known manner, the labels are sufficiently glued to be held on the ribbon 6 when it is rolled up. around the coil 5, but can easily be separated from the ribbon. The ribbon 6, coming from the coil 5, passes into the housing through a transverse lumen 1b reserved on the upper wall 1a of the housing 1. Inside the housing i the ribbon is held in a forward inclined position by passing around two deflection rollers 7, 8, one 7, located at the level of the light lb and which the ribbon circumvents from above, another, '8 , located on the side of the lower part of the case and which the ribbon goes around from below.

 These rollers 7, 8 are mounted for free rotation around axes extending transversely to the housing and fixed by their ends to the walls of the latter. Immediately below the roller 8 is arranged a metallic piece or hard plastic wedge-shaped material 9, the part 9a, which forms an acute angle, is located at the front wall lc of the housing 1, which wall is inclined towards the front and top to bottom. This piece 9 is of a width greater than the width of the label-carrying ribbon and its upper face 9b is substantially perpendicular to said front wall lc of the housing. The roller 8 is brought closer to said face 9b, so that the ribbon is substantially parallel to and adjacent to it. The ribbon 6 bypasses said part by bearing on part 9a of part 9 forming an acute angle, bypasses the below a third roller 10 and is inserted between two drive rollers 11, 12. The roller -11 is wedged on the output shaft of an electric motor 13 fixed in the housing 11 and at its rear part, in front of the handle 2. The roller 12 is tangent to the roller 11 and is mounted on an eccentric axis 14 to allow it to be brought closer or further away from the drive roller 11 to insert with more or less force the ribbon 6. The axis 14 emerges on one of the sides of the case and has a knurled operating button.

These rollers can be of the kind which have a peripheral lining made of flexible elastomer. Preferably, the rollers 11, 12 are made of a light alloy or of hard plastic material and have teeth at their periphery having, for example a 1 mm module to prevent any slipping of the ribbon during the sequential operation of the motor for a fast and jerky advance of ribbon 6 at the step of the labels. Between the rollers 7 and 8, the ribbon 6 moves through a frame 15 extending perpendicular to the ribbon 6 and mounted so that it can be moved parallel to it. This frame, for example made of plastic material, is presented under the shape of a parallelepipedal block of a width substantially less than the internal width of the housing 1 and comprises, on one of its sides a slot 15a in which the ribbon 6 has passed. It also comprises, in the middle. ...............

from its upper part, a thread 15b into which is screwed a threaded rod 16, free in rotation, but immobilized in translation in the housing and mounted in a hole 17 reserved in a wall 18, placed in the housing and in a hole 19 made in the light lb, the threaded rod 16 is substantially parallel to the part of the ribbon 6 extending between the rollers 7 and 8 and comprises, at its free end and in front of the light lb, a knurled operating button 16a. By driving said rod 16 in rotation in one direction or the other, it causes the displacement of the mount 15 relative to the tape 6, which is guided by side rails cooperating with lights lb, le, reserved in the side walls of the housing 1.On this mount 15 is fixed one or more infrared cells each consisting of a transmitter 20 and a receiver 21 opposite the transmitter on the side of the face on which the labels are stuck. The cell is of the reflection type and the transmitter and the receiver are thus located face to face through the ribbon. To allow in all cases the detection of the labels and taking into account the various forms which they can adopt, several cells, for example three or five, are mounted side by side and transversely to the ribbon. Only one cell is used for label detection.

 The housing 1 has> at its lower part and below the wedge-shaped part 9, another mounting 22 extending over the width of the housing and located at the front thereof. The underside 22a of this mount is perpendicular to the inclined wall lc of the housing and the mount has at this point a cavity 22b in which emerge one or more infrared cells composed for example of two transmitters and a receiver 24. As those previously described, cell 23, 24 is of the reflection type and the transmitters and the receiver are located one next to the other.

 This cell 23, 24 has the function of detecting the presence of the objects or products to be labeled. At the front part of the bolt case 1 and in the axis thereof> is mounted a single-acting pneumatic cylinder 25 fixed to the inclined wall îc of the housing and thus extending parallel to said wall 1c. The movable rod 25a of this jack is guided in rotation and carries at its free end a damping block 26 attached for example by gluing on a plastic plate 27b fixed to the rod 25a. The damping block 26 is made of foam with a density of the order of 20 to 25 cubic kilometers and is very thick to avoid damaging the objects or bruising the products, for example fruit, to be labeled. 16 is preferably of a cylindrical shape and its lower face 26a can adopt various shapes in accordance with the objects or the products on which the labels are to be placed.

 The arrangement of the jack is such that the lower part 26a of the damping block is located at and slightly above the acute part 9a of the part 9 so that when the ribbon 6 advances, under the effect of the motor 13 , the labels 27 are detached from the ribbon 6, one by one, in a known manner and are presented below and in front of the damping block 26. At the front part of the frame 22 and, - transversely and parallel to this, is mounted a air diffuser 28, which is in the form of a cylindrical tubular piece comprising one or more nozzles 28a aligned on one of its generators to project one or more air jets on the side of the block 26 and keep them pressed against its face lower 26a the labels 27 from the housing 1.

 The diffuser 28 is pivotally mounted on the mount 22 and extends beyond one of the sides to connect to an air tube 30a.

 The compressed air tubes for the operation of the jack 25 and the blower 28 and the control and connection cables for the cells 20, 21, 23, 24 and for supplying the motor 13 are passed through a sheath terminating in the conduit 2 of the handle 2.

 Referring now to Figure 2 of the drawing which gives the diagram of the electronic circuits of the device according to the invention.

 The device is started by closing the trigger switch 3 which puts the circuit in power at 5 volts.

 The presence detector of the products or objects to be labeled is constituted by the infrared cell comprising the emitter 23 and the receiver 24. The emitter 23 emits a signal which is reflected on the product or on the object and is returned to the receiver 24. The signal received by the receiver 24 is sent in an integrated circuit 29 connected as an amplifier and connected to a light operating indicator consisting of a light-emitting diode 30. The signal from the amplifier 29 is sent in an integrated circuit 31 operating as a timer by a line 32 on which is mounted a switch 33 to isolate the product or object detection device and put the device in semi-automatic operation. The timer 31 is connected by a line 34 to an integrated circuit operating in decimal counter 35, which decimal counter is connected by a circuit 36 compensated by transistors 37, 38, to the motor 13 for driving the ribbon 6, which motor operates at 24 volts.

The decimal counter 35 is also connected by a line 39 to a solenoid valve 40, supplied with 24 volts and compensated by a transistor 41 which controls the supply of the air diffuser 28.

 The decimal counter 35 is connected by a line 42 to a door 43, which includes a luminescent control diode 44.

This door is connected to the label presence detector constituted by at least one infrared cell comprising a transmitter 20 and a receiver 21, which cell is supplied at 5-volts.

 The door 43 is also connected to another integrated circuit operating as a timer 46 comprising a control diode 47 and connected through a transistor 48 to another solenoid valve 49 to control the air supply to the pneumatic cylinder 25.

 All the electronic part and the solenoid valves 40 and 49 for supplying air to the jack 25 and the blower 28 are arranged in an independent box.

 In automatic operation, the switch 33 is closed to put the cell 23, 24 and its amplification 29 in the circuit.

The operation is as follows
The device is switched on by actuating trigger 3.

 The mobile part of the device is presented enla.tenant by the handle 2 above the objects or products to be labeled, which can for example be arranged in packages and moved by a conveyor. The movable part is moved in the transverse direction of the said conveyor and it is brought closer to the objects or products.

The infrared cell 23, 24 detects the product or the object. The signal received by the receiver 24 is amplified by the integrated circuit, 29 is timed by the timer 31 and enters the decimal counter 35 on its reset terminal. .

 The counter 35 gives a signal through the transistors 37, 38 to the motor 13 and simultaneously through the transistor 41 to the solenoid valve 40 of the blower. The engine -13 starts and unwinds the label-carrying tape 6, a label 27 of which is detached from the tape 6 and is present below the damper block 26. Simultaneously, the solenoid valve 40 opens and delivers l air to the diffuser 28 which places the label on the base of the block 26. The timer 31 controls, through the decimal counter 35, the stopping of the motor 13 and the simultaneous closing of the solenoid valve 40.

 During the unwinding of the ribbon 6 under the effect of the motor 13, the labels are moved in front of the infrared cell 20, 21. When the label which moved in front of the cell 20, 21 leaves the field thereof, the ray emitted by the transmitter 20 no longer being reflected by the label on the receiver 21, passes through the paper tape 6 between two labels. This position corresponds to the correct position of the label 27 under the block 26, a position which can be adjusted by moving the frame 15 relative to the ribbon 6 by operating the knurled button 16a of the rod 16.

 Simultaneously with the stopping of the engine 13 and the blower 28, the signal transmitted to the decimal counter 35 through the door 43, timed by the timer 46, controls the opening of the solenoid valve 49 of the jack 25 and feeds that -this. The movable rod 25a of the jack, which carries the damping block 26, on the base of which the label is pressed, moves to the side of the product or of the object and exerts a pressure on it to stick the label, which pressure is absorbed by block 26 but is sufficient to achieve correct bonding.

 Under the effect of the timer 46, the decimal counter 35 controls the closing of the solenoid valve 49. The jack 25 no longer being supplied with air, returns to its initial retracted position, the product or the object leaves the field of the cell 23, 24, the decimal counter 35 controls the resetting of the device, an operating cycle is completed. The operation continues in successive cycles, each time the cell 23, 24 detects a product or an object.

To put the device in semi-automatic operation, the cell 23, 24 and its amplification 29 are isolated by opening the switch 33. An operating cycle comprising
, Starting and stopping the engine 13 and simultaneously opening and closing the solenoid valve 40 of the blower 28, stopping the engine and closing this solenoid valve, supplying the actuator 25 to bond the labels by opening the solenoid valve 49 and closing it, by means of the cell 20, 21, all these functions are performed through the integrated circuits 31, 35, 43, 46 and controlled by the operator in operating the trigger 3 when the mobile part of the device is presented above an object or a product.

 Figure 3 gives the diagram of the air circuit which is mounted in the box 50 in which is also installed the electronic equipment.

 The air supply comes, for example, from an air compressor or from a compressed air bottle (not shown) by the hose 51, which is connected to the box 50 by a quick connector 52.

 The supply pressure is 6 bars, the air is led by a collecting tube 53 and a bypass 54 to the electro-valve 40 of the blower 28 and leaves it by a conduit 54 to pass to through an adjustable flow regulator 55 to adjust the air jet emitted by the diffuser 28 at a pressure of the order of 0.5 bar to 2 bar.

 The air is directed to the mobile part of the device by a flexible tube 56 connected to the box 50 by a quick connector 57.

 The collector 53 is extended by a conduit 58 for supplying the solenoid valve 49 which controls the jack 25 for sticking the labels. The air coming from the solenoid valve 49 is conveyed by a tube 59 to a quick connector 60 itself connected to the mobile part of the device by a flexible tube 61. The flexible tubes 56 and 61 are arranged in a sheath with cables connecting the electronic equipment.

 Of course, without departing from the scope of the invention, the parts which have just been described by way of examples may be replaced by equivalent parts fulfilling the same function.

Claims (13)

 1. Device for affixing labels (27) on products or on objects, comprising a housing (1) on which is mounted with free rotation a coil (5) around which a ribbon (6) is wound, on which the labels (27) are distributed in a regular pitch, which ribbon (6) is unwound by means of a motor (13) to present each label (22) in line with a member adapted to affix it to a product or on an object, characterized in that it further comprises  - Means for controlling the starting and automatic stopping of the motor (13) for sequentially unwinding the ribbon (6) and presenting the labels (27) one by one in line with said member, which is constituted by a jack (25 ), whose movable rod (25a) carries at its free end a damping block (26) below which the label (27) is presented;  - Means for holding the label (27) pressed against said damping block (26) during the operation of the engine (13);  - And means for controlling the jack (25) as soon as the engine stops (13) and means for holding the label (27) pressed against said block (26), for applying and sticking the labels on the product or on the object.  2. Device according to claim 1 with automatic operation, characterized in that the means for controlling the starting and stopping of the engine (13) consist of at least one presence sensor (23, 24) of the products or objects whose signal is sent through a timer (31) in a decimal counter (35) connected to said motor (13).  3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in - that the means for holding the label (27) pressed against the damping block (26) consist of an adjustable air diffuser (28) to allow adjustment in the direction of the jet of air on the base of said block, which diffuser is connected to a source of compressed air through a solenoid valve (40) and a flow regulator (55), the opening and closing of the solenoid valve (40) are controlled simultaneously with the starting and stopping of the engine (13) by said presence sensor (23, 24), the signal of which is sent through said timer (31) to said decimal counter (25), which is connected to said solenoid valve (40).  4. Device according to claim 1 semi-automatic functionpement, characterized in that the means for controlling the starting and stopping of the engine (13) consist of a manual cntactor (3) which establishes a circuit electric through a timer (31) -in a decimal counter (35) connected to the motor (13).  5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the means for holding the label pressed against the damping block (26) consist of an adjustable air diffuser (28) to allow adjustment in the direction of the air jet on the base of said block (26), which diffuser (28) is connected to a source of compressed air through a solenoid valve (40), the opening and closing of which are controlled simultaneously with the starting and stopping of the engine (13) by said manual contactor (3) which establishes an electrical circuit through a timer (31) in a decimal counter (35), which is connected to said solenoid valve (40).  6. Device according to any one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the sensor for the presence of products or objects is an infrared cell comprising a transmitter (23) and a receiver (24).  7. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the jack (25) is connected to a source of compressed air through a solenoid valve (49) and in that the means for actuating said jack for sticking the label (27) consist of at least one sensor for the presence of the labels (20, 21), located on the path of the label-carrying tape (6), the signal of which is sent to a door (43), which is connected to a timer (46), itself connected to the solenoid valve (49) of the jack (25), which door (43) is connected to said decimal counter (35) to simultaneously control the stopping of the engine (13) , the closing of the solenoid valve (40) of the air diffuser (28) and the opening and closing of the valve (49) of the jack (25).  8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that said label presence sensor is an infrared cell composed of a transmitter (20) and a receiver (21).  9. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the damping block (Z6) is very thick to avoid damaging the products or the objects and is produced from a foam having a density of around 20 to 25 Kg per cubic meter.  10. Device according to any one of claims 7 and 8, characterized in that the label presence sensor (20, 21) is carried by a mount (15) movable parallel to the label-carrying tape (6), by means a knurled button (16a) for adjusting the position of the presence sensor (20, 21) between two labels and correspondingly the correct position of the labels (27) under the damper block (28).  11. Device according to any one of claims and 7 to 9, characterized in that the jack (25) is fixed to said housing (1) and its movable rod (25a) moves in the plane of the coil (5) in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane in which the labels are placed (27) before they are pressed one by one on the damping block (26).  12. Device according to any one of claims-to 11, the drive of the label-carrying tape (6) is produced by friction by means of a drive roller (11) wedged on the output shaft of the engine ( 13) and by a second roller (12) which presses the strip (6) against said drive roller (11), characterized in that said second roller (12) is mounted on an eccentric pin (14) to adjust the force d 'support of the ribbon (6) on the motor roller (11).  13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that said rollers (11, 12) have teeth at their periphery to prevent any sliding between the rollers and the ribbon during the sequential operation of the motor (13).