KR100340265B1 - Packaging Container Carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

In a filling machine for producing, for example, single use disposable packages for beverages, packaging containers (1) are displaced between work stations by means of cassettes (15) which are connected to an endless conveyor (11). Each cassette (15) includes volume flaps (17) which are movable between an inactive and an active position, the flaps in the active position reducing the free area in a portion of the cassette so that a packaging container located in the cassette is stabilised and given the desired volume capacity. <IMAGE>

Description

Packing Container Carrier

The present invention relates to a packaging container conveying apparatus for conveying a packaging container between a workbench and a workbench of a filling machine, the packaging container including a plurality of cassettes, one end of which is connected to an endless conveyor. will be.

Packaging containers containing various foods, especially liquid foods such as milk or juice, are often made from packaging laminates that contain layers of paper and plastic and are folded and sealed in a desired shape. In addition, the packaging container is often provided with a member made of plastic, such as an end wall portion or an opening portion. Common to most of these prior arts is that the pavement laminate is first folded to make a sleeve or tubing, and then the end walls are provided by folding and sealing each material or introducing preformed end walls by injection molding or the like. It is. A machine for forming a sealed packaging container filled with contents from a preformed packaging blank on a tubular or sleeve is known from EP 413.927. In this typical machine, the packaging is in a ready state for filling, and a filling portion for filling different packagings, for example, filling the required contents into each packaging container, and a sealing portion sealing the end of each packaging container opened during the filling operation. And a conveyor having a plurality of cassettes for conveying between the final folds to fold the ends of the sealed packaging container for final molding.

In known filling machines (e.g., the filling machines described above), each packaging container is a tubular or sleeve shaped casing made of plastic / paper laminate having an end wall formed by injection molding the plastic at each end. It includes.

After forming the casing on the tubing and the end wall portion, the packaging is placed in one of the plurality of cassettes of the conveyor, where the injection molded end wall portion, which constitutes the upper end of the packaging, is an unsealed bottom end. It is positioned downward to fill the contents in the packaging through. After filling the required contents, the bottom end is sealed and final molded, and then the packaging is removed from the conveyor to position the upper end with the opening facing upwards.

The cassette used in a conventional charger of this type is merely for inserting and detaching a packaging container having a substantially parallel wall, and the remaining shape of the cassette corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the packaging container, that is, round or square. It is supposed to be. When each of the containers is placed in the cassette, since these containers are already provided with one end wall, the free dimension of the cassette is determined by the dimensions of the relatively rigid end wall, so that the casing portion of the packing container located away from the end wall has its flexibility ( flexibility almost loses stability. This is particularly noticeable in some types of packaging containers where the injection molded end wall portion has an area slightly larger than the cross-sectional area in the casing portion, which in turn leads to poor fixation in the cassette and the cassette to the sealing and final folding portions. When reached, there is a high possibility that the sealing operation will be incomplete or the final folding operation will fail because it will not be in the exact position.

In order to minimize the amount of air in the sealed packaging container, it is often necessary to employ a known technique for appropriately reducing the volume of the packaging container during the sealing operation at the start. As a result, the liquid level rises in the package and both sides of the package are slightly crushed inward. Later, when the container is opened to allow air to enter the container again, both sides protrude outward and return to their original positions, making it easier to inject the first injection of the contents. This technique is common and simple to apply to filling and sealing low-capacity containers, but it has proved difficult to satisfactorily realize such volume shrinkage for packages moving relatively quickly between different platforms during the sealing cycle. It became. Known techniques include a number of springs configured in each cassette and extending into the cassette to limit its free area. However, since each spring is affected during handling and also by the liquid pressure of the contents filled in the packaging container, the precision of each spring is reduced during the sealing operation and the required stability and volume are reduced. Contraction cannot be ensured. Moreover, when inserting the packaging container into and out of the cassette, these springs must act actively towards the open position, in which case relatively complex and expensive operations, including compressed air-operated operating means and associated electrical control systems, are involved. It has been found that an operation device is required. This design and configuration makes the machine much more expensive, results in relatively many defects and increases work costs.

Thus, between worktables comprising a cassette having a device capable of stabilizing a packaging container disposed on the cassette on the one hand and reducing the volume of the packaging container in the sealing operation of the packaging container on the other hand by reducing the free area. The realization of the packaging device conveying apparatus is widely desired.

One object of the present invention is a simple and cost free, conventional drawback as described above, comprising a cassette having an actuating device which acts on the packaging located in the cassette during the transport and processing of the packaging to stabilize the packaging. To realize an effective packaging device conveyor system

Another object of the present invention is to realize a reliable packaging container conveyor device comprising a cassette having an operating device for stabilizing an asymmetric container located in the cassette during transportation via a filling machine and temporarily reducing the volume of the packaging container. have

A further object of the present invention is to realize a conveyor apparatus for a packaging container, including a cassette having an axially mounted device that moves between two positions through a simple arrangement fixedly installed in a filling machine.

A further object of the present invention is to realize a conveyor apparatus for a packaging including a cassette, comprising locking means for moving by a fixed actuator and affecting the cassette with an operable volume device. It is in a ship.

1 is a perspective view of a self-known packaging container of the type to which the device according to the present invention is applied.

Figure 2a is a packaging container of Figure 1 with an unsealed lower end.

Figure 2b and Figure 2c is a view showing the sealing and the final molding process of the lower end of the packaging container in stages.

3 shows a part of a filling machine with a device according to the invention;

FIG. 4A shows each cassette with volume restricting flaps in the closed position. FIG.

4b shows the cassette according to FIG. 4a with the volume limiting flap in the open position;

The above object is characterized in that it comprises a volume restricting flap which moves between the non-operating position and the operating position by means of an actuating device fixedly installed in the filling machine, which reduces the free area of a part of the cassette at the operating position. By the device of the invention of the type disclosed above.

Moreover, preferable embodiment of this invention has the characteristics as described in the claim.

According to the present invention, by providing a cassette having a volume limiting flap that is actively moving between an inoperative position and an operating position and that can be locked at such a position, it is possible to reliably and repeatedly limit the free area in each cassette. Therefore, it is to act on the packaging container located in the cassette. The locking operation by moving the flap at the non-operation position and the operation position is performed by an operation ring installed around each cassette operated by an operation device fixedly fixed in the frame of the charger. Lower cost compared to the device.

One preferred embodiment of the device of the present invention is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings which show only the details essential for understanding the present invention.

1 is a perspective view of a conventional packaging container of the type intended to be handled in a filling and sealing operation of the device according to the invention.

The packaging 1 has a casing 2 made of a laminate, for example made of plastic, paper and, optionally, aluminum foil. At its bottom end (FIG. 2A), a number of bottom panels 4 are formed on the casing 2 due to the fold lines, the geometry of which is folded together to heat seal to prevent leakage of liquid from the packaging. It is intended to form a liquid-tight bottom. In addition, at the bottom end of the casing 2, as will be described in more detail below, there are a number of sealing panels 5 for sealing the bottom together.

The packaging container 1 of FIG. 1 has an end wall portion 6 which is injection molded at the upper end of the casing 2 and joined in a liquid-tight manner at the upper end thereof. The end wall portion 6 can of course be manufactured by any other suitable method having, for example, a preformed end wall above the casing 2.

Moreover, the end wall portion 6 has an opening 7 with a protruding pull ring 8, which can be opened to conveniently pour out the contents of the packaging container.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2C, the bottom 3 of the packaging container is substantially square, while the end wall portion 6 located at the upper end of the packaging container has a solid rounded corner. In addition, since the upper end of the packaging container has a slightly larger cross-sectional area than the bottom end of the packaging container, this asymmetry causes some difficulties in handling and transportation of the packaging container. One task is to do it.

In the packaging container shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 shows a position in which the packaging container is turned upside down at the position where the packaging container is placed when the contents of the packaging container are filled and sealed, and the bottom is not yet sealed. . After completion of the filling operation, the sealing fins extend across the bottom 3 of the packaging container by folding the bottom panels 4 together in a manner known in the art so that the sealing panels 5 interlock with each other and heat-sealed. (9) (FIG. 2B) is formed. Since the packaging laminate for manufacturing the packaging container 1 includes an outer layer made of a thermoplastic material, heat sealing may be performed by heating and compression, but other methods may be used. Due to the geometry, the bottom panels 4 are folded together to form mutually opposite triangular flat edge flaps 10 protruding from the bottom 3 and sealing the bottom 3 to seal the sealing pin 9. These edge flaps after flattening are folded toward the center of the bottom 3 and adhesively sealed to the adjacent bottom panel to form a substantially planar rectangular packaging container bottom 3 (see FIG. 2C). After the final folding or final molding operation, the packing container is filled and sealed in a liquid tight state, and the preparation for transportation and sale to the consumer is completed.

FIG. 3 shows a device according to the invention, for example, which forms part of a known charger for producing a packaging container 1 of the type described above. A filling machine of this type is described, for example, in European Patent EP 413.927, which is incorporated herein by reference to further information on the remaining parts of the filling machine. The apparatus according to the present invention is used when handling a packaging container, and the form shown in Fig. 2a is made by the remaining components of the filling machine, and the packaging according to the present invention carries the packaging container to a charger and ends. After the parts are sealed, they are last molded to prepare for shipment and delivery.

Thus, the device according to the invention is a step forward movement in a reciprocating part by means of main drive (not shown) between two bending rollers 12 at regular intervals. Infinite conveyor 11 is included. These rollers are rotatably mounted in the frame 13 of the charger, and of course the remaining parts are connected directly or indirectly to this frame. The conveyor chain of the conveyor 11 has a plurality of anchors 14 connected to each other, each of which supports a cassette 15 for accommodating the packaging 1. These anchors 14 and cassettes 15 can be displaced along the rail, and the main drive means (not shown in the figure) allows the conveyor to correspond to the distance between two adjacent cassettes 15 at regular intervals. It is supposed to travel by distance. The height of the cassette 15 substantially corresponds to the height of the casing 2, i.e., after being placed in the cassette, the bottom panel 4 and the sealing panel 5 of the packaging container 1 extend outwardly of the cassette so that the bottom ( It satisfies the necessary conditions for folding and sealing in 3).

At one end of each cassette, two volume limiting flaps are moved between the operating position, i.e., the closed position (Fig. 4a) and the non-operating position, i.e. the open position (Fig. 4b), by the operation ring 18 surrounding the cassette 15. Has 17. These volume limiting flaps 17 are pivotally supported in the slots of the cassette 15, some of which extend from the operating position through these slots (not shown in the figure), thus free space of the cassette 15. free space or cross-sectional area is limited. In order to configure these two positions of the volume limiting flap 17, recesses 19 and 20 are provided which work in cooperation with the operating ring 18. In more detail, the operating ring, for example in its upper position, cooperates with the upper recess 19 of the volume limiting flap 17 to define the operating position of the operating ring as well as to define the inside of the cassette 15. Possible action from preventing the volume limiting flap 17 from displacing towards the non-operating position. Correspondingly, when the operating ring 18 is displaced downward, the volume limiting flap 17 is operated toward the open position and engages the recess 20 located at the lower end of the volume limiting flap 17 at its end of movement. . Thus, the operation ring 18 also acts as a locking device, which will be described in more detail below.

As is apparent from FIG. 3, the conveyor 11 has an upper portion arranged to stepwise displace to the right side of the drawing. On the left side of the conveyor 11, there is a supply portion 21 of the packaging container 1. This supply part is schematically shown, but may consist of a guide rail or belt for supplying the packaging container 1 into which the upper end wall part 6 is first inserted into the cassette 15. At the upper end of the conveyor 11, there is a filling section 22 (as seen in the clockwise direction of movement of the conveyor), which feeds the required contents to each of the packaging containers located in the cassette 15. It has a charger nozzle 23. Subsequently, along the upper portion of the conveyor 11 is an actuator 24, which cooperates with the operation ring 18 of the cassette 15 from the lower position (FIG. 4B) to the upper position (FIG. 4A). The guide 25 for displacing the operation ring 18 by the slit is installed inclined with respect to the conveyor. That is, as can be seen from FIG. 3, the operation ring 18 is gradually raised to contact the guide 25 when the cassette 15 passes through the operation device 24.

Following the actuator 24, there is a closure 26, which is connected to the frame 13 similarly to the above, which on the one hand folds the bottom panel 4 of the packaging container together. The device 27 and, on the other hand, has a sealing device 28 for sealing the sealing fin 9 of the packaging container. The folding device 27 and the sealing device 28 may be of a type known per se, for example of the type set forth in the European patent specification previously mentioned.

The device according to the invention is a folding rail 29 which extends a slight distance out of the upper end of the cassette around the right bending roller 12 of the conveyor 11, following the closure 26. Is installed. This folding rail is in engagement with the edge flap 10, along with a portion of the folding rail 29 which is provided with its own known heating device 30 and compression device 31, which are described in detail below. As described above, the end portion of the packaging container 1 can be sealed. The heating device 30 preferably has a hot air type, and includes a nozzle for heating the hot air toward the bottom panel of the packaging container or the required portion of the edge flap 10 for heating. The compression device 31 is a reciprocating type, which has a flap which acts to bring the edge flap 10 to the closed position (Fig. 2C). Immediately following the compression device 31 is further provided a fixed actuator 32 having a guide 33 corresponding to the guide 25 but inclined to the opposite side, so that the operation ring of the cassette 15 ( 18) the ring is displaced from the outer end of the cassette towards the anchor member 14, i.e. the volume limiting flap 17 is pivoted from the operating position to the non-operating position. Immediately following the actuating device 32, a discharge part 34, which is designed similarly to the supply part 21, is finally provided, which discharges the packed container 1, for example, a conveyor 11. And a guide or a belt for dismounting and discharging from the cassette (15).

When the device according to the invention is operated, the packaging blank shown in Fig. 2a is fed. As described above, the device according to the invention is included as part of a charger known per se, and each part of the charger, which is not shown in the figures, is formed from a flat blank of paper / plastic laminate in a known manner. It is manufactured by lifting the packaging container 1, which is folded into a woven shape and formed by injection molding, on which the upper end wall portion 6 of the packaging container is formed. Subsequently, first, the upper end wall part 6 injected into the packaging container 1 is supplied through the supply part 21 to the cassette 15 instantaneously engaged with the supply part 21. Since the two volume limiting flaps 17 of the cassette are in this case in the open position so that no part extends into the cassette 15, the free area of the cassette is uniform through the entire height of the cassette 15. It has a size, as described above, because the end wall portion 6 has a slightly larger area (section area) than the rest of the packaging (especially compared to the bottom end of the packaging 1). It is a prerequisite to allow the end wall portion 6 of the to pass through the volume limiting flap 17. When the packaging with the end wall portion 6 touches the bottom of the cassette, the conveyor 11 is advanced one step to fill the next empty cassette 15 with the subsequent packaging 1.

When the cassette 15 containing the packing container is moved from the supply part 21 to the charging part 22 through a number of forward moving steps, the required amount is transferred to the packing container through the nozzle 23 by operating in a known manner. Will be charged. When the filling is completed, the packaging container again moves stepwise to the right side of FIG. 3, at which time the cassette 15 passes through the operating device 24. In this case, the guide 25 is brought into contact with the operation ring 18 with an appropriate sliding surface, and the operation ring gradually moves from its lower position to its upper position in accordance with the subsequent displacement of the cassette 15. In other words, the operation ring 18 is moved by the action of the volume limiting flap 17 gradually from the open position to the closed position, ie from the position of FIG. 4B to the position of FIG. 4A. In this case, the volume limiting flap 17 pivots inward to partially enter the flap slot in the operating position and contact the casing of the packaging container 1 located in the cassette, where the casing is Partially compressed, the liquid level in the packaging container rises slightly, and at the same time, the bottom end of the casing 2 becomes stable and maintains a somewhat reduced shape. As the operating ring 13 and the upper recess 19 of the volume limiting flap join, the volume limiting flap 17 is in the operating position because the volume limiting flap 17 is locked in the operating position.

Moreover, when the cassette 15 is positioned in the sealing portion 26 as the conveyor 11 moves, the respective parts (bottom panel 4 and sealing panel 5) of the packaging container 1 protruding out of the cassette are provided. )) Is acted upon by the folding device 27 and folded together towards the position shown in FIG. 2B, and then the sealing device 28 is operated so that the sealing panel 5 at the sealing pin 9 using the thermoplastic sealing property. Are bonded to each other and sealed to each other in a liquid-tight state. This operation is preferably performed by the ultrasonic sealing method. After sealing, the container is ejected and supplied again from the closure 26 in the position shown in FIG. 2B, ie, the container having a substantially flat and laterally projecting edge flap 10 is released. will be. If the container continues to move, the corner flap 10 is held by the folding rails 29 so that the corner flap is gradually folded upward to extend in the longitudinal direction with respect to the container. The heating device 30 is used to supply hot air into the corner flap to soften the thermoplastic layer located therein, and to further fold the folding rails 29, and then to the compression device 31 by a known method. The edge flap is sealed by compressing and pushing the edge flap against the bottom of the packaging container and sealingly bonding to the other bottom panel 4 of the packaging container.

When the final folding process or the final molding process is completed, the packaging container 1 is moved toward the discharge part 34. At this time, the guide 33 located between the compression device 31 and the discharge part 34 is a guide ( In a manner corresponding to that of 25, the operating ring 18 is brought into contact with the operating ring 18 in the axial direction, but in the opposite direction along the cassette 15, ie from the operating position of FIG. 4A to the ratio of FIG. 4B. By moving to the operating position, the volume limiting flap 17 is in the open position. In this case, the volume limiting flap 17 moves from the flap slot in the cassette 15 so that the area of the cassette becomes a uniform size throughout the height of the cassette, so that the discharge portion 34 is provided with the finished container from the cassette. It is separated and used as a package (multipack) to complete the preparation for transportation or delivery. In this case, the empty cassette 15 moves to the supply part 21 again along the lower circulation part of the conveyor 11, and repeats a work cycle.

As described above, the fact that the volume limiting flap 17 extends into the free area of the cassette to limit this free area not only makes the container stable during sealing and final molding, but also in essential packaging in connection with the bottom sealing operation. By increasing the liquid level means that the amount of air contained in the packaging can be reduced. In other words, this means that after filling the container with less content than is theoretically possible, and closing and sealing the container, the flexible wall of the container enters slightly inward. When the consumer opens the packaging container, the air enters and the liquid level goes down, and the wall surface of the packaging container swells out again, so that the consumer can easily pour the contents. Reducing the amount of air in the packaging means that the quality of the product is improved because the air contained in the packaging can have a negative effect on certain product types. Therefore, the device according to the present invention has several advantages over similar devices in the related art, and because the design and configuration are considerably simple, the functional reliability of the device is not only high, but also the device can be manufactured at a significantly lower cost than previously possible. Can be.

The present invention is not limited to the above contents and drawings, and many modifications are included therein without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Claims (11)

An apparatus comprising a plurality of cassettes 15 connected to an endless conveyor 11, and for transporting the packaging container 1 between each working part 21, 22, 26, 34 in a filling machine, A volume limiting flap, which is connected to each cassette 15 and which can be moved towards the operating position using an operating device fixed to the filling machine, reduces the free cross-sectional area of a portion of the cassette 15 at the operating position ( In the apparatus for carrying a packaging container (1) having a 17), An operating ring 18 surrounding the cassette and provided to move the volume limiting flap 17 between an operating position and a non-operating position and to fix the volume limiting flap 17 at an operating position and a non-operating position. Apparatus for carrying a packaging container (1) comprising a. The volume limiting flap (17) according to claim 1, wherein the volume limiting flap (17) is axially installed in the recess of the cassette (15), and a portion of the volume limiting flap (17) extends into the recess in the operating position to free the cassette. Device for limiting space. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each cassette (15) has one or more volume limiting flaps (17). The operating ring (18) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuator (24, 32) extends and is disposed along a portion of the conveyor (11) to move the operating ring (18) from the lower non-operating position to the upper operating position when the conveyor moves. Device comprising a first guide (25) to move. 3. The conveyor 11 according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conveyor 11 supplies a supply unit 21 for supplying the packaging container 1 into the cassette 15, a filling part 22 filling the packaging container, and an end of the packaging container. Apparatus characterized in that the packaging container (1) is moved between a closed portion (26) for closing and sealing a portion and a discharge portion (34) for discharging the filled and sealed packaging container from the cassette. 6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the actuator (24) of the volume limiting flap (17) is located between the supply part (21) and the end closure part (26). 3. A conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a second actuator (32) for moving the volume limiting flap (17) from the operating position to the non-operating position is the conveyor between the tip closure part (26) and the outlet part (34). Apparatus characterized by being installed along (11). 4. The actuating device (24, 32) according to claim 3, wherein the actuating devices (24, 32) are extended and arranged along a portion of the conveyor (11) to move the actuating ring (18) from the lower non-operating position to the upper operating position during conveyor movement. And a first guide (25). 4. The conveyor 11 according to claim 3, wherein the conveyor 11 closes and seals the supply part 21 for supplying the packing container 1 into the cassette 15, the filling part 22 filling the packing container, and the end of the packing container. To move the packaging container (1) between the sealing portion (26) and the discharge portion (34) for discharging the filled and sealed packaging container from the cassette. 10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the actuator (24) of the volume limiting flap (17) is located between the supply part (21) and the end closure part (26). 4. A second actuating device (32) according to claim 3, wherein the second actuating device (32) for moving the volume flap (17) from the operating position to the non-operating position is along the conveyor (11) between the end closure (26) and the outlet part (34). The device characterized in that the installation.