GB2140767A

GB2140767A - Bag clipping apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2140767A
Application number: GB08413331A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Johannes Hartmann
Original assignee: Hartmann Co KG Georg GmbH
Current assignee: Hartmann Co KG Georg GmbH
Priority date: 1983-06-04
Filing date: 1984-05-24
Publication date: 1984-12-05
Also published as: IT8421231A0; DE3331504A1; IT1176245B; NL8401725A; IT8421231A1; GB8413331D0

Abstract

For sealing bags (3) containing a packaged product (2), especially a loaf of bread, there is used a belt conveying arrangement (4) consisting of a single endless or two endless conveyor belts which form a belt inlet (5) and a belt discharge (6) one after the other in the direction of passage ("A") of the filled bags, and a clipping arrangement (7) mounted between the belt inlet and discharge (5, 6) so that it can swivel backwards and forwards about an axis (22) in the direction of passage. The belt inlet and discharge run continuously and synchronously, and the clipping arrangement (7) is synchronised in its swivelling movement to the belt speed. For the clipping operation, the belt discharge (6) is lowered in synchronisation with the swivelling motion of the clipping arrangement (7), so that the bag (3) is clipped at half the height of the packaged product. During the sealing operation, as a result of the synchronous movement between the clipping arrangement (7) and the belt discharge (6), a relative state of rest obtains, which ensures satisfactory clipping of the bag (3). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bag-sealing device The invention relates to a device for sealing, by means of clips, bags containing a packaged product, especially bread, with a belt conveying device moving the filled bags, and a clipping arrangement.

For a familiar bag-sealing device of this kind, in which the clipping device operates at right angles to the direction of movement of the bags, there are provided two separate belts which are connected in series before and after the clipping arrangement.

This familar device operates piecemeal and both belts must be stopped during each clipping operation and, after the clip lies round the neck of the bag, both belts start again. As a result of stopping, the bags with their contents can slip on the belt, so that disadvantageously no precise clipping is ensured.

For the piecemeal stopping and re-starting of the belts and the clipping arrangement, moreover, a relatively large amount of energy and several braking arrangements are necessary; furthermore this piecemeal mode of operation produces severe noise formation. In addition, additional mechanical stops are necessary for fixing the position of the bags for clipping, so that the complete sealing device is comparatively expensive.

It is the object of the invention to provide a sealing device, of the type quoted above, improved to such an extent that a continuous operating pattern for the clipping of bags, with precise clipping and low noise running, is achieved in a simple manner with little engineering outlay.

This object is achieved, according to the invention, by means of the characterising features of patent claim 1, the features quoted in the sub-claims also being advantageous.

The bag-sealing device is advantageously fitted either with just a single endlessly revolving conveyorbelt or with two endlessly revolving conveyor-belts, into which or between which the clipping arrangement, operating at right angles to the bag passage direction, is inserted, as a result of which there are produced two belt regions, namely an inlet and a discharge region, which have a synchronous movement pattern.

The bag with its contents is clipped during the continuous passage, without stopping, in that the clipping arrangement travels with the bag up to and during the clipping, i.e. the clippihg arrangement is swivelled in the direction of the passage of the bag, the swivelling rate and the belt speed being equal.

As a result of this coordinated swivelling of the clipping arrangement, the bag with its contents lies in a relative position of rest vis-avis the clipping device, so that a satisfactory clipping is guaranteed as a result. Slipping off of the bags is precluded since the bag is moved uniformly, and additional stops and such like are also not necessary.

During the clipping operation, the bag lies on the belt discharge region and this belt discharge region has simultaneously been lowered by half the height of the packaged product, so that the clip will consequently be placed precisely on the centre of the packaged product at the neck of the bag.

The difference in length as a result of this lowering movement of the belt discharge region, when a single conveyor belt is employed, is balanced out within the conveyorbelt by means of a spring-loaded tensioning and compensating pulley and as a result no impairment of the uniform belt running occurs.

For the transfer of the bag from the belt inlet to the discharge, both belt regions lie in the same vertical plane, so that a trouble-free passage is thereby guaranteed.

The conveyor-belt (both the belts) can advantageously be adjusted synchronously to the operating rate of a packing machine connected in series, as a result of which a parallel running between both the operating units is achieved and the bags with their contents pass through continuously and are precisely presented to the clipping position. During the return of the clipping device (swivelling back), the clipping device meets the following bag and by this means a greater operating range is achieved, so that different length bags can be used.

The sealing device is constructed simply, with a saving in cost, and has a reliable mode of operation, and a large throughput capacity.

An embodiment according to the invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sealing device for bags; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of the same sealing device before sealing is carried out; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side view of the sealing device during the sealing operation; Fig. 4 is a front view of the sealing device; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic side view of the sealing device in a modified embodiment before the sealing operation.

A device for sealing bags 3 containing a packaged product 2, especially bread, by means of clips, has a frame 1 in which, in Figs. 1 to 4, there is a single motordriven endlessly rotating conveyor-belt 4, which forms an inlet region 5 and a discharge region 6 for the bag 3 with packaged product 2.

Between the inlet and discharge regions 5, 6, there is a clipping arrangement 7 which is constructed to be able to swivel into and against the direction of passage "A". The belt discharge region 6 is height-adjustable, and is also lowerable for the sealing operation of the bags 2 by means of clips, in relation to the swivelling movement of the clipping arrangement.

The conveyor-belt 4 runs round a total of twelve guide pulleys or rollers which are rotatably journalled in the frame 1 and lie with their axis of rotation in a horizontal plane and parallel to one another. The belt inlet region 5 rises obliquely to the clipping arrangement 7, and the discharge region 6 drops obliquely from the clipping arrangement, so- that both belt regions 5,6, in the starting position face each other like a roof (cf. Figs. 1 and 2).

For the inlet region 5 and the discharge region 6 there are provided in each case two end guide pulleys 8, 9 and 10, 11 respectively, which determine the length of these regions, and which also produce the oblique attitude of the belt regions 5,6 by means of varying height positions. At a distance from and below the guide pulleys 9,10 on the clipping arrangement side there is in each case a further guide pulley 12, 1 3 provided, and at a distance below these two guide pulleys 1 2,1 3 there lie two more guide pulleys 14,1 5 which hold the inner conveyor-belt region at a distance-from the swivelling region of the clipping arrangement 7.

Under the two guide pulleys 14,1 5 there lie two more guide pulleys 16,17 which guide the outer conveyorbelt region coming from the belt regions 5,6; adjacent the discharge side guide pulley 11 there is provided a further guide pulley 18, and adjacent to the inlet side guide pulley 8 there is provided a tensioning and compensating pulley 1 9 which balances out the change in belt length resulting when the discharge region 6 is lowered.

At the axis of rotation of this tensioning and compensating pulley 1 9 there act spring agents 20, prefferably tensile springs, which are attached under a support plate 21 supporting the belt inlet region.

In the frame 1 a vertical carrier plate 23 is journalled so that it can swivel backwards and forwards about a horizontal swivelling shaft 22 arranged under the conveyor-belt and consequently under its guide pulleys 16,17, on one side of which the clipping arrangement 7 and on the other side of which the guide pulleys 9,10,12 to 1 7 are journalled, so that these parts are swivelled with the carrier plate 23.

Bearing levers 24 are attached to the carrier plate 23 on the inlet side, and between them the two guide pulleys 9,1 2 are rotatably jour naIled. Bearing levers 25 are attached to the carrier plate 23 on the discharge side, at which swivelling arms 27 are journalled in a horizontal shaft 26 so that they can swivel up and down, which arms hold the guide pulley 10 rotatably and consequently also able to swivel vertically.

The guide pulleys 14,15,1 6; 1 7 are held at the carrier plate 23 by means of bearing piece 40 (cf. Fig. 4) and can swivel with the former.

The guide pulleys 8,11 and 1 8 are journalled stationarily in the frame 1.

The carrier plate 23 is held with its lower end able to swivel about the fixed shaft 22 and accommodates the clipping arrangement 7 at its upper end, which is made up in a familiar manner of a pressure beam 7a and the clip belt guide with clipping tongs 7b. The carrier plate 23 is held in a swivelling direction under spring tension (Fig. 1).

Atthe frame 1 there is arranged a drive 28, preferably an electric motor, for the indepen dent driving of the sealing device, or a drive coupling, such as an electromagnetic clutch for connecting the drive with a bag-packing machine connected in series before the sealing device, and which is connected through an endless drive 29, preferably a chain drive, with a drive wheel 30 located on the bearing and swivelling shaft 22 of the carrier plate 23.

The drive wheel 30 is connected through a further endless drive 31, preferably a chain drive, with the guide pulley 11 on the dis charge side and by this means the endlessly rotating conveyor-belt 4 is driven. For the swivelling movement of the carrier plate 23, a cam disc 32 which can swivel with the drive wheel 30 is journalled on the bearing and swivelling shaft 22. On said disc a control arm 34 which can swivel about the shaft 33 in the frame 1 acts together with one end force-locked, its other end being indirectly and articulatedly attached to the carrier plate 23, so that, as a result, the backwards ad forwards swivelling of the carrier plate 23 takes place in relation to the belt-revolving speed.

The drive wheel 30 drives through an end less drive 35, preferably a chain drive, a cam disc 37 for the lowerable control of the belt discharge region 6. Both cam discs 36, 37 are mounted on a spindle 38 arranged above the shaft 22, which spindle is rotated by the endless dive 35.

On the swivelling arm 27 holding the guide pulley 10 vertically able to swivel, a control arm 39 is linked with one-end, its other end being supported power-locked at the cam disc 37, as a result of which the vertical swivelling of the guide pulley 10 is effected. Both control arms-34, 39 are in each case in contact with a roller 41 at their cam disc under spring tension.

The mode of operation of the above de scribed sealing device is as follows: The conveyor-belt 4 is set into a rotating motion by the drive 28, the belt speed being adjusted to the operating rate of the packing machine connected in series, so that a synchronous rurining of both units takes place.

The bags 3 to be sealed are conveyed in the direction of the arrow "A" to the clipping arrangement 7 at specific spacings lying one after the other own the inlet region 5. During this the pressure beam 7a is swivelled up, so that the arriving bag 3 can pass through under this pressure beam 7a and transfer from the inlet region 5 to the discharge zone 6. Both belt regions 5,6 are close up against the narrow structure of the clipping arrangement 7 and there is only a fairly small gap between the neighbouring guide pulleys 9,10, which ensures a trouble-free and, as a result of the clip belt guide 7b, secure transfer of the bag 3; during this phase of the operation both belt regions 5,6 point obliquely upwards and towards one aother, and the clip belt guide with the clipping tongs 7b are level with the return regions 9,10.

When the bag with the packaged product 2 has run under the swivelled up pressure beam 7a and the packaged product 2 is mostly lying on the discharge region 6, ihe pressur.e beam 7a swings down at right angles to the direction of the passage "A" of the packaged product and clamps the neck of the bag 3a to be clipped between itself and the clip belt guide 7b, and clipping can take place. At the same time the discharge region 6 has been lowered, in that the guide pulley 10 has been swivelled down by means of the control arm 39 with its swivel arm 27. In doing so, the second guide pulley 11 of the discharge region 6 remains in its high position, so that the belt region 6 swivels about this guide pulley 11 downwards, from the sloped into a horizontal plane.The magnitude of this lowering corresponds to half the height of the packaged product 2, so that the neck of the bag 3a is clipped centrally to the height of the packaged product.

During the clipping, the carrier plate 23 with the clipping arrangement 7 is swivelled in the direction of passage "A"; this swivelling is effected by means of the control arm 34 and the cam disc 32. As a result of the swivelling of the carrier plate 23 with clipping arrangement 7 in the direction of passage "A", whereby the swivelling speed equals the belt speed, there is then practically a state of rest between the two parts 7,6 during the similar running movement of clipping arrangement 7 and belt discharge 6, so that the packaged product is in a position of rest relative to the clipping device 7 during the clipping.

During the swivelling down movement of the discharge region 6, a shortening of the length of the discharge region 6 occurs and this change in length is compensated for by the spring-loaded tensioning pulley 1 9.

After the clipping operation, the pressure beam 7a swings upwards and releases the sealed bag neck 3a. The bag 3 with packaged product 2 is conveyed away on the discharge region 6, whereby at the same time the discharge region 6 again swings upwards and the carrier plate 23 with clipping device 7 swivels back again to its starting position, i.e.

against the direction of passage "A". In doing so the clipping arrangement 7 comes to meet the bag 3 which is following up, as a result of which a greater working area is achieved since bags 3 of different length can be used on the same path section. Depending on the length of the swivelling travel of the clipping arrangement 7, the length of the bag can be determined. A long swivelling travel means long bags 3 and a short swivelling travel means shorter bags 3.

The frame 1 carries a table surface at the top 42, across which the belt regions 5,6 stretch and which has a section cut out for the swivelling movement of the carrier plate 23 with clipping arrangement 7 (cf. Fig. 1).

The conveyor belt is provided with an adhesive layer on the side which accommodates the bags 3, as a result of which the bags 3 lie securely on the conveyor belt and are carried along.

The modified design of the sealing device according to Fig. 5 corresponds in its basic structure and its mode of operation to the device according to Figs. 1 to 4, so that the same reference numbers are also used for similar parts.

According to Fig. 5 both belt regions 5,6 are made up of two endlessly rotating conveyor belts 4a, 4b, which are arranged in sequence in the direction of passage "A", are shaped like a roof and between which the carrier plate 23 with clipping arrangement 7 is mounted.

The conveyor belt 4a on the inlet side is stationarily journalled with both its guide pulleys 8,9 in the frame 1 of the device. The conveyor belt 4b on the discharge side runs round a guide pulley 11 stationarily journalledin the frame 1 and round a second guide pulley 10 which is fitted rotatably to the swivelling arm 27 and can swivel upwards with the latter, so that this conveyor belt 4b similarly produces the discharge region 6 which can be lowered.

Both belts 4a, 4b are each driven synchronously through an endless drive 31, led to guide pulleys 8,11 and coming from the drive wheel 30.

In Fig. 3 the two conveyor belts 4a, 4b are shown additionally by broken lines, as a result of which the belt 4a which maintains its position for the sealing operation, at the belt 4b which can swivel downwards about its rear guide pulley 11, can be clearly recognised.

As a result of using two cndlessly rotating conveyor belts 4a, 4b, the guide pulleys 1 2 to 1 8 are dispensed with and the tensioning pulley 1 9 can be waived, so that a simplified design with an equally good mode of operation is achieved.

Claims

1. A device for sealing, by means of clips,- bags containing a packaged product, espe cially bread, with a belt conveying arrangement moving the filled bags, ad a clipping arrangement, characterised in that the belt conveying arrangement forms an inlet and a discharge region in sequence in the direction of passage of the packaged product, and the clipping arrangement is mounted between inlet and discharge region to swivel in the direction of passage, and the belt discharge region can be lowered in relation to the swivelling of the clipping arrangement for the sealing operation.

2; A sealing device, according to claim 1, wherein both of the belt regions are made up of a single endlessly rotating motor-driven conveyor belt.

3. A sealing device, according to claim 1, wherein both of the belt regions are made up of two endlessly rotating motor-driven conveyor belts arranged in sequence at a distance in the passage direction.

4. A sealing device, according to ay one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the two belt regions are arraged like a roof, and climb obliquely upwards to the clipping arrangement located in between and lying at one height plane with the clipping arrangement in the return region of the belt.

5. A sealing device, according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the belt inlet region and the belt discharge region are in each case led round two end side guide pulleys, and the guide pulley adjacent to the clipping arrangement is journalled so that it can move vertically and can be lowered, preferably by half the height of the packaged product.

6. A sealing device, according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, and 5, wherein the conveyor belt is led round a large number, such as twelve, guide pulleys arranged parallel with their axes of rotation lying horizontally, and in doing so an inner belt region is formed underneath the clipping arrangement, producing a swivelling region for a carrier plate bearing the clipping arrangement, which region is guided round the guide pulleys and is surrounded by-the belt region running round the outside and led round the guide pulleys at a distance.

7. A sealing device, according to claim 6, wherein the inlet side guide pulley is located at a distance from a tensioning and compensating pulley for compensating for the length of the conveyor belt during the lowering movement of the belt discharge region, which compensating pulley is held against the conveyor belt by a spring device, preferably tension springs, which is attached on the one side to the axis of rotation of the guide pulleys and on the other side to a base plate supporting the belt inlet region, or to the frame of the device.

8. A sealing device, according to any one of claims 1, 2,4,5 to 7 wherein the carrier plate is journalled so that it can swivel into and against the passage direction about a bearing and swivelling shaft journalled in the frame of the device, and the guide pulleys are held at this carrier plate by means of bearing arms and bearing pieces, the guide pulleys being stationarily journalled to the frame of the device.

9. A sealing device, according to any one of claims 1, 3, 4 and 5, wherein the inlet side conveyor belt with its two guide pulleys is journalled stationarily on the frame of the device, and the discharge side conveyor belt is held with a vertically swivelling guide pulley at a carrier plate which is able to swivel into and against the direction of passage, carrying the clipping arrangement and journalled about a horizontal shaft journalled in the frame of the device, and is journalled stationarily in the frame with the second guide pulley.

10. A sealing device, according to either of claims 8 and 9, wherein the swivelling movement of the carrier plate with clipping arrangement is synchronous with the belt speed.

11. A sealing device, according to claim 10, wherein the carrier plate is made to swivel by means of a control mechanism which has a cam disc mounted on the swivelling and bearing shaft and a swivelling control arm jour nalled so that it can swivel on the frame, acting force-locked, together with the cam disc and connected articulatedly with the carrier plate.

12. A sealing device, according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein there is journalled on the frame a drive, such as an electric motor or a drive coupling for connecting to a packing machine connected in series, which drive is connected by means of an endless drive with a drive wheel mounted on the swivelling and bearing shaft, from which wheel the discharge side guide pulley for the rotation of the conveyor belt can be driven through a further endless drive and which is connected movement-wise with the cam disc.

1 3. A sealing device, according to either of claims 8 and 9, wherein the lowerable guide pulley is rotatably journalled on a swivelling arm, which is journalled and able to swivel vertically in a horizontal swivelling shaft on a bearing arm attached to the carrier plate, and is connected power-locked to a cam disc through a control arm.

14. A sealing device, according to claim 13, wherein the cam disc for lowering the guide pulley is journalled on a common rotating shaft with a further cam disc controlling the clipping arrangement, and this rotating shaft is driven by the drive wheel by means of an endless drive.

18. A sealing device substantially as described herein with reference to the accom panying 'drawings.