GB1595159A

GB1595159A - Container transfer system for bottling machines

Info

Publication number: GB1595159A
Application number: GB2091678A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: VANDERGEETEN USINES NOUVELLES
Current assignee: VANDERGEETEN USINES NOUVELLES
Priority date: 1977-07-25
Filing date: 1978-05-19
Publication date: 1981-08-12

Description

(54) CONTAINER TRANSFER SYSTEM FOR BOTTLING MACHINES (71) We, NOUVELLES USINES VANDERGEETEN SOCIETE ANONYME, a Belgian Company, of 253-257, rue de Birmingham, Bruxelles, Belgium, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a Patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to improvements in container filling plants, and more particularly the transfer systems known as star wheels, which are used to load or unload machines forming part of a filling plant.

Star wheels of this kind are used more particularly to remove containers from a conveyor belt and transfer them to a machine for filling the containers. Another star wheel is used to remove the containers from the filling machines and to feed them via one or more additional star wheels to a sealing machine (in the case of bottles) or to a labelling machine, and so on.

Existing star wheels generally comprise a wheel of plastics material, the periphery of which is notched so as to present a series of recesses of a specific shape. The production of such star wheels gives rise to several problems because the star wheel necessitates forming or machining of the recesses according to each type of bottle to be conveyed.

It has also been found that star wheels made of plastics material give rise to considerable vibration of the bottle, which causes noise in the environment, particularly in the case of glass bottles, and such vibration also has an adverse effect on the quality of the product after bottling.

An object of the invention is to obviate these disadvantages and allow star wheels of very simple and effective construction to be produced while eliminating noise and vibration during their operation.

Accordingly, the invention provides a container transfer system for bottling machines, which system includes a star wheel comprising a plate on the periphery of which are mounted bottle clamps of an elastic material.

In an embodiment of the invention each clamp is substantially U-shaped with a base block in which are drilled holes for receiving pins fixing the clamp to the plate, the arms or limbs of the clamp being curved inwardly to a smaller diameter than the diameter of a container to be engaged.

Preferably, the base block of the clamp is provided with a stop for centring the container.

In a system comprising two co-operating star wheels, one of the two star wheels may be provided with two rows of clamps disposed one above the other and the other star wheel with only a single row of clamps. In this case, preferably the clamps of the single-row star wheel are so disposed as to be introducible between the two superposed clamps of the star wheel having two rows of clamps.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of part of a bottling machine of a bottle filling plant; Figure 2 is a detail view of an individual elastic clamp of a star wheel of the Figure 1 machine; and Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line III III in Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, the general reference numeral 10 denotes an unloading section of a turntable of a bottling machine.

The turntable comprises a grooved plate 101, in which each groove has a bottle-holder plate 11 on which is mounted a stop 14 of the kind described in our copending Patent Application No. 20929/78 (Serial No. 1 594 900) of even date, entitled "A Bottling Machine".

At its periphery the plate 101 is provided with a guide 12 by means of which the bottles 13 are held against the stops 14 while the grooves are in the bottom position.

A star wheel 15 used for unloading or extracting the bottles 13 co-operates with the turntable 101. This star wheel 15 comprises a plate 16, on the periphery of which bottleholder clamps 18, each of the form shown in Figure 2, are mounted by means of pins 17.

These clamps 18 are made from an elastic material, e.g. an elastomer, and they are substantially U-shaped with a base block 19 in which holes are drilled for the passage of the pins 17 used for fixing the clamps to the plate 16.

The arms or limbs 20 of each clamp 18 are curved inwards to a diameter less than the diameter of the bottle to be engaged while the base 19 has, on its inner edge, a centring stop 21 against which the bottle 13 bears when it is embraced by the arms of the clamp. The arms 20 of the elastic clamp 18 are at that time spaced apart to occupy the position 201 shown in chain dotted lines in Figure 2.

As shown in Figure 1, another star wheel 22 which may, for example, be pait of a sealing machine, or another star wheel also having a plate 23 and clamps 18, can co-operate with the unloading wheel 15.

One of the two co-operating star wheels (e.g. star wheel 15, Figure 3) may be provided with two rows of clamps 18 disposed one above and the other below the plate 16. The other star wheel (e.g. 22) is provided with just one row of clamps which preferably are disposed so as to be introducible between two superimposed clamps of the first star wheel 15.

A rail 24 may be provided on a fixed support 25 to support the bottles. The frictional force experienced by the base of the bottle 13 are thus minimized.

It will be readily seen that the bottle transfer systems thus devised are of much simpler and cheaper construction than known systems.

Also, since the bottles are firmly held during their transfer, all noise and vibration are substantially eliminated. Such vibration has a very adverse effect on most products which have just been bottled.

Another advantage, is that the wear on the lateral guides is greatly reduced, since they are now used only as a safety feature.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A container transfer system for bottling machines, which system includes a star wheel comprising a plate on the periphery of which are mounted bottle clamps of an elastic material.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein each clamp is substantially U-shaped with a base block in which are drilled holes for receiving pins fixing the clamp to the plate, the arms or limbs of the clamp being curved inwardly to a smaller diameter than the diameter of a container to be engaged.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the base block of the clamp is provided with a stop for centring the container.

4. A system according to claim 1, comprising two cooperating star wheels, wherein one of the two star wheels is provided with two rows of clamps disposed one above the other and the other star wheel is provided with only a single row of clamps.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the clamps of the single-row star wheel are so disposed as to be introducible between the two superimposed clamps of the star wheel having two rows of clamps.

6. A system according to any preceding claim, comprising: a narrow rail borne by a fixed support by means of which the containers are held by their base when they are taken over by the star wheels.

7. A container transfer system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. pins 17 used for fixing the clamps to the plate 16. The arms or limbs 20 of each clamp 18 are curved inwards to a diameter less than the diameter of the bottle to be engaged while the base 19 has, on its inner edge, a centring stop 21 against which the bottle 13 bears when it is embraced by the arms of the clamp. The arms 20 of the elastic clamp 18 are at that time spaced apart to occupy the position 201 shown in chain dotted lines in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 1, another star wheel 22 which may, for example, be pait of a sealing machine, or another star wheel also having a plate 23 and clamps 18, can co-operate with the unloading wheel 15. One of the two co-operating star wheels (e.g. star wheel 15, Figure 3) may be provided with two rows of clamps 18 disposed one above and the other below the plate 16. The other star wheel (e.g. 22) is provided with just one row of clamps which preferably are disposed so as to be introducible between two superimposed clamps of the first star wheel 15. A rail 24 may be provided on a fixed support 25 to support the bottles. The frictional force experienced by the base of the bottle 13 are thus minimized. It will be readily seen that the bottle transfer systems thus devised are of much simpler and cheaper construction than known systems. Also, since the bottles are firmly held during their transfer, all noise and vibration are substantially eliminated. Such vibration has a very adverse effect on most products which have just been bottled. Another advantage, is that the wear on the lateral guides is greatly reduced, since they are now used only as a safety feature. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A container transfer system for bottling machines, which system includes a star wheel comprising a plate on the periphery of which are mounted bottle clamps of an elastic material.