HK1036782B - Apparatus for handling bags - Google Patents

Description

Device for handling bags

Technical Field

The invention relates to a device for handling bags.

Background

Such an apparatus is known, for example, from US patent specification US 4108300. The known device is used for handling non-standing pockets in the form of cushions, which comprise two flat, mutually superposed film webs and which are welded to one another along all their edges. The bags are first welded on three sides and then transported in said state in a suspended manner through a filling and closing station, where the bags are filled and then the fourth side is sealed. The gripper for the suspended transport is then released and the pocket drops by gravity exactly onto the second conveyor, where it is further transported in a lying position. However, this transition from a suspended or upright transport position to a horizontal or lying transport position can preferably be accomplished using pockets of the type described above, which, because of their cushion-like shape, will automatically assume the appropriate lying position on the conveyor.

The standing pocket consists of a film piece which is directly welded to each other on three sides only, i.e. two side edges and the edge closing the opening, while a self-standing bottom is inserted or formed between the two remaining edges. These upright pockets have heretofore only been delivered in an upright or upright position. Furthermore, for the transition from the upright to a lying position, it is not possible simply to throw the pockets away, since they have a bottom which stands on itself, so that they will either be displaced in the most different direction or will just be transported further in an upright position.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device that allows a pocket to be gently and controllably transferred from an upright position to a lying position.

To this end, the invention provides a device for handling pockets, comprising a first conveyor and a second conveyor and a transfer device arranged between the first conveyor and the second conveyor for transferring a row of pockets located on a resting surface from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, while varying the positioning of the pockets, characterized in that: for handling upright bags, said bags being conveyed in an upright position on a first conveyor, said first conveyor comprising a transfer portion wherein the bags are oriented in a substantially horizontal orientation in space, and said transfer device comprising a resting surface for forming a row of lying bags; a gripper for drawing the pockets from the first conveyor onto the resting surface in a substantially straight motion; and a transfer device for transferring the row of pockets onto a second conveyor, wherein the pockets are conveyed in a lying position.

The device according to the invention makes it possible in particular to move the standing pocket reliably and correctly to a well-defined lying transport position. However, other pocket shapes may also be handled by the device of the present invention, particularly when a flexible handling is required (e.g. due to sensitive contents) where the pocket must not be removed.

Brief description of the drawings

An embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a transfer device according to the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

fig. 3 is a schematic top view of the transfer device according to fig. 1.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing an apparatus 1 for handling pockets 2, said pockets 2 being represented as standing pockets comprising two film pieces welded to each other at opposite side edges, a self-standing bottom 2a inserted or formed integrally with one of the remaining side edges, and a sealing edge 2b closing the rearmost side edge, i.e. the loading opening. The pockets 2 are conveyed by a first conveyor 3. The first conveyor 3 is preferably a conveyor which, after the pockets 2 have been filled with hot beverage and closed by the sealing edge 2b, transports the pockets 2 through a cooling device (not shown), for example a water tank. The conveyor 3 is provided with containing means 4 (only some shown) for keeping the pockets 2 in an upright, bottom-supported conveying position. At the point of deflection of the conveyor belt 3a vertical section 3a is provided, which (3a) is moved from the top towards the bottom by the conveyor 3 passing in the direction of arrow a, so that the pockets 2 in the vertical section 3a assume a substantially spatially horizontal position, which corresponds substantially to the orientation in which the pockets 2 are conveyed in a lying position.

To the vertical transfer section 3a, a transfer device 5 is provided, which comprises a gripper 6 with a gripper 8 which can be rotated about a horizontal axis 7 in the direction of the double-headed arrow B. The gripper 8 is designed and arranged so that it can grip the sealed edge 2b of the pocket 2 and pull it out of the respective accommodating device 4 with a substantially straight movement (greater distance between the gripper 8a and the axis 7) in a horizontal direction and place it onto a transfer conveyor 9.

In the embodiment described, the first conveyor 3 is capable of conveying a plurality of pockets 2 side by side in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction a. The gripper 6 therefore comprises a corresponding number of grippers 8, so that the pockets 2 are placed on the transfer conveyor 9 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of fig. 1. The transfer conveyor 9 then conveys the pockets out of the section of the gripper 6 in the direction of the arrow C and into a transfer device 10.

In the case that the first conveyor 3 is only adapted to convey pockets which are arranged individually one after the other in the conveying direction, the transfer conveyor should expediently be moved in a direction perpendicular to the plane of fig. 1, whereby a row of pockets is formed.

The transfer device 10 is shown in more detail in fig. 2 and 3. The transfer device 10 comprises an elongated horizontal carriage 12, which is suspended from a frame 11 and moves in the direction of arrow D, said movement being carried out by a motor 14, in the manner shown in fig. 3, via two cranks 13 of equal length, about two vertical axes 13a arranged at a distance. During the movement in the direction of the arrow D, the carriage 12 moves substantially parallel between the transfer conveyor 9 and a second conveyor for conveying the pockets 2 in a lying position and slightly in the conveying direction E of the second conveyor. The second conveyor 15 is a standard endless conveyor belt having a horizontal conveying surface 15a for conveying in a lying position.

A mounting frame 16 is fixed to carrier frame 12 via piston-cylinder arrangements 17 for height adjustment, but it can also be fixed such that mounting frame 16 can follow carrier frame 12 exactly along arrow E. A plurality of holding devices 18, which in the embodiment shown are designed as suction devices, the vacuum source of which is not shown in greater detail, are fastened to the mounting frame 16. One suction device 18 is provided for each pocket in a row.

The device according to the invention operates in the following manner:

in fig. 1, the pockets 2 arrive side by side on the first conveyor 3 and are aligned with one another in the conveying direction a, and are positioned in a substantially horizontal direction in the transfer portion 3 a. A plurality of adjacent grippers 8 of the gripper 6 grip the pockets, pull them out of the receiving device 4 and place them in a row on a transfer conveyor 9. The latter transports the row of pockets from the area of the gripper 6 to the area of the transfer device 10, where they reach and are located below the suction device 18. The suction device 18 is lowered onto the pockets by means of the piston-cylinder device 17, a vacuum is applied, the pockets are raised, if necessary, and the carrier 12 is driven in rotation about the axis 13a so that it successively assumes the position shown in fig. 3, in which the row of pockets still remains in the same orientation, i.e. parallel to the conveying direction E of the second conveyor 15, and is arranged facing the first conveyor 3 with its own standing bottom. When carrier 12 is located above second conveyor 15, mounting frame 16 with suction device 18 is lowered, while mounting frame 16 and carrier 12 are moved a short distance parallel to conveying direction E of second conveyor 15. The action of the vacuum is terminated and the pockets transferred to the second conveyor 15, whereupon the pockets are moved, for example, to a drinking straw application device and/or a packaging device for further processing. The carrier 12 with the mounting 16 is returned to the transfer conveyor, picking up the next row of pockets on said conveyor and also transferring the row of pockets to the second conveyor 15. The length of the (pocket) rows and the conveying speed are matched to one another so that the rows transferred successively on the second conveyor 15 can follow one another without any space between them, if possible.

In a modification of the described and illustrated embodiment, the gripper may comprise a plurality of grippers rotating in a single direction. A holder of different design or with a different device is also possible. Furthermore, the holding device for the bag may also be designed as a clamp or the like instead of a vacuum suction cup. The transfer device equipped with a movable carriage can also be combined with other devices for transporting the pockets in a lying position or can be arranged elsewhere along the pocket transport path.

Claims (12)

1. An apparatus for handling pockets, the apparatus comprising a first conveyor and a second conveyor and a transfer device (5), the transfer device (5) being arranged between the first conveyor (3) and the second conveyor (15) for transferring a row of pockets located on a resting surface from the first conveyor to the second conveyor while changing the positioning of the pockets, characterized in that: for handling upright bags (2) which are conveyed in an upright position on a first conveyor, the first conveyor (3) comprising a transfer section (3a) in which the bags (2) are oriented in a substantially horizontal direction in space, and the transfer device (5) comprising a resting surface (9) for forming a row of lying bags (2); a gripper (6) for drawing the pockets (2) from the first conveyor (3) onto the resting surface (9) in a substantially straight movement; and a transfer device (10) for transferring the row of pockets (2) onto a second conveyor (15), wherein the pockets are conveyed in a lying position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the first conveyor (3) comprises a conveyor belt with receiving means (4) for conveying the pockets (2) in an upright position, said conveyor belt being positioned in a vertical direction in the transfer section (3 a).

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the first conveyor (3) is a conveyor for a cooling device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the gripper (6) comprises a gripper (8) which is rotatable about an axis (7).

5. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein: the first conveyor (3) is designed to convey a plurality of pockets (2), the pockets (2) being arranged side by side transversely to the conveying direction (A), said plurality of pockets (2) corresponding to the number of pockets (2) in the row, and the gripper (6) being designed to simultaneously pull out and place all the pockets (2) in the row

6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the transfer device (10) comprises an elongated movable carrier (12, 16) and a plurality of holding devices (18) for the pockets (2), the number of said holding devices (18) corresponding to the number of pockets (2) in a row.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein: the holding device is a suction device (18).

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein: the carriages (12, 16) are movable by means of cranks (13) about two axes (13a, 13b) in a closed path having a constant longitudinal orientation between the resting surface (9) and the second conveyor (15).

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein: the direction of movement (D) of the carriages (12, 16) above the second conveyor (15) corresponds substantially to the direction (E) of the second conveyor (15).

10. The apparatus of any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein: the holding device (18) is height-adjustable.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the resting surface is formed by a transfer conveyor (9).

12. A transfer device adapted for use with the apparatus of claim 1, wherein: has an elongated carrier (12, 16) with holding means (18) for receiving, holding and transferring a plurality of pockets (2) simultaneously and which is movable by means of cranks (13) about two axes (13a, 13b) in a closed path having a constant longitudinal orientation.