GB2087363A

GB2087363A - Individually transporting registered empty bags to an opening station

Info

Publication number: GB2087363A
Application number: GB8134275A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Haver and Boecker OHG
Current assignee: Haver and Boecker OHG
Priority date: 1980-11-15
Filing date: 1981-11-13
Publication date: 1982-05-26
Also published as: ATA429181A; IT8112674A0; DE3043178C2; GB2087363B; DE3043178A1; JPS57114423A; AT387757B; IT1145986B; FR2494215A1; FR2494215B1

Abstract

A bag, with one open end, is taken from a pile of bags in a magazine on a conveyer by means of suction bars (7). Drive means (13) move the suction bars (7) transversely to a position above a table (14) and the bag is released to lie on the table (14). Alignment fingers (20) project upwardly through slots (19) in the sides of the table and are moved inwardly by air cylinders (23) to align the bag in a precise position on the table. The table (14) is moved longitudinally by a drive unit (17), the bag on the table is gripped by grippers and, by swinging the grippers about a horizontal axis, transported to a station at which the mouth of the bag is opened before it is engaged with a filling nozzle. The front corner regions of the table are cut away so as not to interfere with the operation of the gripping means. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for individually transporting empty bags which are open at a top end from a pile of bags in a magazine to an opening station The invention relates to apparatus for transporting empty bags which are open at a top end from a pile of bags in a magazine to an opening station, from which opening station each bag can be conveyed to a filling connector of a filling machine.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for individually transporting empty bags which are open at a top end from a pile of bags in a magazine to an opening station, comprising suction bars engageable with the top bag in the magazine, raisable to lift the top bag and movable to a position above a table for receiving the bag, the table being longitudinally movable in a direction towards an opening station to a forward end position and being provided at both its longitudinal sides with aligning elements which are movable transversely of the table and which cooperate with the longitudinal edges of the deposited bag as the table moves to said forward end position, and gripping means which are pivotal about a horizontal axis to grip the bag at its sides in the region of the longitudinal edges of the bag and a position spaced longitudinally along the bag from the top end thereof, and to transport the bag into the opening station.

Thus each bag is removed singly from the magazine and fed in a precisely aligned condition to the opening station, even when the operation of removing the bags singly from the magazine is carried automatically at relatively high speed.

So that the table does not interfere with the operation of the gripping means, the table has its front corner regions cut away.

The bag, after having been released by the suction bars and deposited on the table, is precisely aligned by the aligning elements so that the gripping means can pick it up from the table, the aligning elements ensuring that each bag is located in the same position on the table. This ensures that, even when the apparatus is operating at high speed, no problems will occur due to bags being at an inclined angle. This therefore provides the condition for the mouth of the bag to be satisfactorily opened in the opening station, and for the bag to be satisfactorily fitted to the filling connector of the filling machine.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an elevation of apparatus according to the invention and a row of magazines on a conveyor belt; Figure 2 shows a side view of the apparatus of Fig. 1, as viewed from the side thereof remote from the side at which the row of magazines is provided; and Figure 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow Ill in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, bag transporting apparatus is provided with an endless conveyor belt 1, an upper run 2 of which is provided with a row of magazines 3, in which bags 4 which are open at the top are disposed in a pile. Fig. 1 shows the narrow transverse side of the bags 4.

The magazines move successively into a position below a removing means 5 which is disposed adjacent a forward end 6 of the conveyor belt 1.

Provided for removing the respective top bag of the magazine are two suction bars 7 which are provided with a plurality of suction cups 8 and which are adjustable in respect of height by way of a compressed air-actuated piston-cylinder unit 9. In the illustrated embodiment, each suction bar 7 is guided on two vertical guide bars 10 so as to avoid tilting of the suction bars.

The removing means 5 is also provided with hold-down means 11 having nozzles and which is adjustable in respect of height by way of a piston-cylinder unit 1 2 which is actuated by compressed air. After a bag is lifted off by means of the suction bars 7, compressed air is blown by way of the holddown means 11 onto the underside of the lifted bag, in order to separate from the upper bag, a second, lower bag which tends to cling to the underside thereof. A cling effect of this kind between two bags can occur if the magazines are filled with plastics bags.As the cling action generally takes place in the middle region of the bags, and the edges of the lower bag, after the upper bag is lifted, hang down into the position shown in Fig. 2, the lower bag can be released from the underside of the upper bag by the underside of the upper bag being subjected to the force of compressed air by means of the hold-down means 11, so that the lower bag then falls back into the magazine. The hold-down means 11 is controlled by the piston-cylinder unit 1 2 in such a way that it is maintained at a constant vertical distance relative to the respective top bag of the magazine.

Figs. 2 and 3 show that the hold-down means 11 extends over the major part of the length of the sides of the bag 4.

The suction bars 7, with the top bag taken from the magazine entrained therewith, are moved over a table 14 by drive means 13, that is to say the bag 4 is moved laterally sidewardly. The bag is then deposited onto the table, and released by the suction bars 7.

The table is provided with rollers 1 5 and can be moved towards an opening station 18, transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor belt 1, along a travel path 16, by means of a drive unit 17, for example a compressed air cylinder, which is disposed below the table. The forward end position of the table 14 is shown in dashdotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3. The table plate 14 is provided with openings 1 9 which extend inwardly from the side edges of the table plate to such a distance that a spacing a between two oppositely disposed openings 1 9 is less than the width of the bag 4. The bag which is deposited on the table 1 4 thus lies with its longitudinal edges overlying the openings 19.

The openings 1 9 are provided for alignment fingers 20 which extend upwardly from an arm member 21 which is below the table plate in the region of the side edges, the fingers 20 extending through the openings 1 9 and projecting out above the deposited bag.

The arm members 21 with the alignment fingers 20 secured thereto are movable transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis 22 of the table by means of compressed air cylinders 23. In the course of this transverse movement of the aligning fingers with respect to the longitudinal axis of the table, the bag is precisely aligned, while the table 14 is moved into the forward end position.In its forward corner regions, the table 14 is cut away to form openings 24 so that the table does not interfere with the range of movement of gripper means 25 which are mounted pivotally about a horizontal axis 26 and which grip the bag from the sides in the region of its longitudinal edges, at a position spaced longitudinally along the bag from the edge of the mouth opening of the bag, and convey the bag into the opening station 1 8 in which the bag is opened by suction bars 27, taken over by spreader fingers 28, and then transported to a filling connector 29.

Each arm member 21 is mounted slidably on guide bars 30 which are fixed below the table plate.

After the gripper means 25 have taken the bag from the table 14, the table 14 returns from its forward end position into its starting position. In the meantime, the removal means 5 has taken a further bag from the magazine and transported it to the table 14 in the above-described manner.

Claims

1. Apparatus for individually transporting empty bags which are open at a top end from a pile of bags in a magazine to an opening station, comprising suction bars engageable with the top bag in the magazine, raisable to lift the top bag and movable to a position above a table for receiving the bag, the table being longitudinally movable in a direction towards an opening station to a forward end position and being provided at both its longitudinal sides with aligning elements which are movable transversely of the table and which co-operate with the longitudinal edges of the deposited bag as the table moves to said forward end position, and gripping means which are pivotal about a horizontal axis to grip the bag at its sides in the region of the longitudinal edges of the bag and at a position spaced longitudinally along the bag from the top end thereof, and to transport the bag into the opening station.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the aligning elements provided at each longitudinal side of the table comprise an arm member disposed below the table and mounted movably transversely with respect to the table and actuable by means of a compressed air cylinder and aligning fingers on the arm member, the aligning fingers projecting upwardly through slots in the table at the side edges thereof.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which each arm member is mounted slidably on guide bars provided beneath the table.

4. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the table has its front corner regions cut away.

5. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which each suction bar is movable by means of a compressed air cylinder to the height at which the upper bag in the magazine is located.

6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, including hold-down means having nozzles by means of which the underside of each bag, as it is lifted out of the magazine by the suction bars, can be acted upon by compressed air to retain the next bag therebelow in the magazine.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, in which the hold-down means is fixed to a piston rod of a compressed air-acutated piston-cylinder unit by means of which the holddown means can be located at a fixed distance above the uppermost bag in the magazine.

8. Apparatus for individually transporting empty bags open at a top end from a pile of bags in a magazine to an opening station substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.