KR20010024182A - Carton loading mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a carton loading device and a method of loading, in which different cartons are successively loaded into the goods delivered from the conveying flow of the packaging device to the loading device, wherein the device 50 continuously loads the continuous carton 10 from the supply. Conveying means for lowering the carton over at least one article, the conveying means comprising a plurality of carton engaging means mounted to each one of the pair of unmanned persons, the upright state as the carton is moved downstream; It is held between the carton engaging means synchronized to hold the raw carton, characterized in that the adjusting means is installed to adjust one of the pair of endless chains with respect to the other endless chains to accommodate different carton forms.

Description

Carton loading device and method {CARTON LOADING MECHANISM}

The present invention relates to the packaging of goods such as cans and bottles in a multi-package carton, and more particularly, to supplying a carton to a hopper to sequentially and successively initialize a loading operation.

One method commonly used in known packaging devices is to move the folded carton from the carton or blank feed. The folded carton is then upright and placed and packaged into cans, bottles or other articles in the upright carton. Optionally, a carton feed in the form of a flat blank may be provided. After withdrawing the carton from the supply, the carton is first partially formed and placed on the article. The carton is then formed into a complete package.

Many types of devices are known for carrying out these basic methods. One form of these devices forms a separate group of articles consisting of one or more articles and moves along the conveyor through the apparatus. In addition, the cartons are moved along the device so that each carton is located above one of the article groups. The article group and carton are continuously transported to a conveyor, the carton being lowered onto the article group to load the article into the carton. Known examples of such devices are disclosed in WO / 32324.

This type of device has a number of defects. In many bottle dosing facilities, cans and bottles are packed into cartons holding various sizes, for example 6, 8 or 12 items. Various packaging devices have been developed which can be adjusted to accommodate different sizes of cartons, but these devices must have a downtime during the "rest time" in which the adjustment takes place. Minimization of down time is desirable.

In addition, in the device disclosed in WO / 96/32324, the carton can be lowered along an inclined path downwards over a group of moving articles. The angle of inclination should be kept at a very small angle since the carton of angled orientation is not fixed exactly on top of the articles in the group. The inclination angle is kept small, but the overall length of the device is very large. This is undesirable because it increases the equipment space required for the bottle injection plant.

It is an object of the present invention to solve the commercial deficiencies of known packaging devices by providing a carton loading device which can be loaded in one form or more than one size and which can be switched quickly according to the size or shape of the carton.

The present invention can be used with the packaging apparatus described in the corresponding patent application (applicant reference number D-7725). The present invention can be used in various types of packaging apparatus. Alternatively, the carton loading device of the present invention may be sold as individual modules secured to a new facility or to a facility on the reeffit.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a conveying means for continuously guiding a continuous carton from a supply, to hold the carton in an upright state when the carton is moved downstream so as to lower the carton onto at least one article to load the carton. A support means operative with said conveying means, said conveying means comprising a plurality of carton engaging means mounted on each one of a pair of unmanned persons, each carton being held between synchronized carton engaging means A device for continuously loading different types of cartons into an article from a conveying flow of a packaging device, wherein one of the pair of groups is adapted to the other group to accommodate different carton types. It is characterized in that the adjusting means is installed.

According to another feature of the first aspect of the invention, the control means may be arranged to control the adjustment means. Preferably, the control means may be arranged to control the speed of the carton engagement means to combine the carton speed and the article speed. Optionally, the control means can control the inclination angle of the carton engagement means.

According to another feature of the first aspect of the invention, the control means comprises means for receiving information about the article speed in the supply path. Preferably, the control means comprises a sensor arranged to measure the article speed in the feed path.

According to another feature of the first aspect of the invention, the carton engagement means comprises a plurality of spaced apart lugs, the lugs spaced at regular intervals of the intermediate end position and its transverse edges spaced apart. The intermediate end is adapted to engage the opposite ends of the carton. Optionally, the lug is shaped to engage and / or hold the carton in a horizontal plane.

According to another feature of the first aspect of the invention, the support lug comprises a support surface which lies in a side-by-side relationship with respect to the panel during the engagement, and a protrusion adapted to engage the recess or hole of the panel. It also includes a second protrusion protruding from the protrusion.

According to another feature, each lug is mounted on a cam track, each cam track holding the support surface parallel to the panel during the engagement.

According to a further feature of the first aspect of the invention there is provided an adjusting means for controlling the flow of the article at the conveying end, the adjusting means comprising means for controlling the pressure of the article into the apparatus and each carton. And means for determining the exact number of articles for. Advantageously, said means for controlling the pressure of said article comprises a transfer star wheel.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of continuously standing upright stacks of different types of cartons, the method comprising: continuously guiding each carton to a conveying end of a packaging device; Transporting the carton through the device; Maintaining the carton in an upright state when the carton is moved downstream; Supporting the upright carton by the support means to maintain the upright carton; And loading the carton on at least one article by lowering the carton as the carton moves downstream.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1A is a perspective view of a carton suitable for use in a packaging device;

1B is a perspective view of an upright carton of the type shown in FIG. 1A;

2 is a perspective view showing an upstream end of a packaging device incorporating a stacking device of one embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a perspective view showing a loading apparatus of the present invention;

4 and 5 are perspective views showing the lug assembly; And

6 is a cross-sectional view of the lug assembly.

The device according to the invention is capable of loading various carton forms such as, for example, fully sealed and basketed cartons. The carton form herein includes different sizes of certain particular forms. For example, the device can handle fully sealed cartons for eight or twelve articles. The cartons are loaded by the same method and thus only account for the loading of fully sealed cartons.

Referring to the drawings, in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the carton 10 shown in FIG. 1A is a basket-shaped carton and is formed from a single blank of cardboard or similar sheet material in a flat folded form. The carton blank comprises opposing side wall panels 12 and 14 and opposing end wall panels 16 and 18 hingeably connected to the side panels. The carton also includes a handle structure 20 that connects the end wall panels 16, 18 to each other and a transverse panel 22 that connects each sidewall 12, 14 to each other. An article (not shown) is inserted into the carton from above or from below, and the bottom panels are then secured together to provide a fully sealed carton.

The carton may vary depending on the shape and / or number of articles to be packaged, so that the device according to the invention can be adjusted in various respects to handle different kinds of cartons. In FIG. 1A, "H" is the total height of the upright carton equal to the distance between the top edge of the side wall and the bottom panel, and "L" is the total length of the carton when the bottom panel is closed.

Any type of carton includes holes 28 separated from the bottom panels 24 and 26 that are to be used by the loading device. In this embodiment, three triangular holes 28 are provided to support the bottom panels 24 and 26 while constructing the floor and are also used by the loading device.

With reference to FIG. 2, a packaging device 30 for processing a carton of the above mentioned type is shown. The upstream end of the device includes a double hopper 52 for processing multiple cartons 10 in the folded state. A back feeder 34 and a rotary vacuum feeder 36 of the type mentioned in the corresponding patent application (applicant reference number D-7723) are located adjacent to the double hopper 32. The rotary vacuum feeder 36 continuously transfers the carton from the hopper 32 to the paper feed chain 38. The back feeder 34 separates the opposing walls to contact the carton during the orbital path to partially upright the carton. The paper supply chain 38 is installed to transfer the carton downstream to the loading station 40 with the carton standing state completely. When the upright carton is moved forward by the paper supply chain 38, the plate (not shown) holds the carton in the horizontal plane. In the loading station, the bottom panels 24, 26 of the carton are folded outwards by guides (not shown) located on both sides of the carton before being transported to the carton lowering module 50.

The carton lowering module 50 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. This module comprises a set of one or more side lug chains 52, 54 mounted on a conveyor, for example on tables 56, 58 that are inclined downwardly towards the loading point 60, respectively. In this embodiment, the pair of side lug chain sets 52 and 54 have a similar structure, and only the close side set 52 is described in detail. The ungrouped set 52 includes an ungrouped 62 driven by a motor such as a servomotor. Appropriate means connected to the set of side lug chains are installed to periodically engage the cartons fed from the paper supply chain. In this embodiment, the carton engagement means engages the bottom panels 24, 26 of the carton and moves them upright upon moving downstream to the bottom panels 24, 26, the side panels 12, 14 and the end panels ( And a plurality of guide pin lugs 64 mounted on a bruise that is operable to hold 16,18.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4-6, each lug 64 preferably comprises a support surface 66, which is wedge shaped, arranged at an acute angle with respect to the abstract vertical plane Y-Y. A plurality of pins, for example four pins 68, are mounted at regular intervals along the support surface 66. Each pin 68 is received on a corresponding hole 28 of the carton panel 24 that is positioned and supported on the support surface 66 to engage the carton. In this embodiment, only three of the four pins are required for the basketed carton. Of course, for large cartons, such as fully sealed cartons, all pins are used. Preferably, the trailing end of the lug 64 includes a protrusion 70 with a support surface 72 that is substantially vertical to receive the trailing end 74 of the panel 24 to be supported. In use, the carton 10 may have a tendency to tilt forward, so the protrusions 70 keep the carton in the correct position to minimize any unwanted movement.

Each lug 64 is mounted to a support frame 76 as shown in FIG. 4; The support frame 76 is mounted to the unattached 62 at an appropriate or central point by suitable attachment means 78, for example roller bearings, and is rotatable. In this embodiment, the cam followers 80, 82 extend from each end of the support frame 76.

As shown in FIG. 3, the table 56 includes a recess 83 for shoeless 62 and one or more cam tracks 84, 86 for receiving lug cam followers 80, 82. do. In this embodiment, the recess 83 and the cam tracks 84, 86 are egg shaped but can be made in any configuration without departing from the spirit of the invention. As each lug 64 moves along the path of the cam tracks 84 and 86, the guide pin 68 and the support surface 66 are held in a plane parallel to the paper feed chain 38. This arrangement allows the lug 64 to be moved to the side indicated by the letter " X " at the top of the table 56 of FIG. 3 to support a smooth engagement of the pin 68 with the panel hole 28. FIG. Thus, the carton 10 is held in the horizontal plane by the lug 64 and lowered by the unitary body 52.

An article, such as bottle B, is fed to the apparatus by a transfer conveyor 90 and the line pressure of the bottle is controlled by a transfer star wheel 92 as is known. The articles can be separated into the correct number of groups per carton by appropriate means and introduced into the carton at the same rate as the carton flow.

In the loading station 40 shown in FIG. 2, the carton 10 is introduced into an article group as described above, the article group forwardly harmonized by the carton lowering module 50 and the article conveyor 94 respectively. Is moved. The carton 10 is lowered onto the article by the inclination to the bottom of the unset set 52, 54.

The loading module can be used to load cartons according to different article configurations, for example in two or three rows. Thus, either or both chain sets 52 and tables 56, 58 can be moved towards or away from each other by pneumatic cylinders (not shown).

Lugs 64 and pins 68 minimize vertical and lateral movement of carton 10 when they engage the article together. Optionally, the vertical movement of the carton is further minimized by a pressure belt (not shown), which is positioned above the set 52, 54 and applied to apply downward pressure to the handle structure 22 or the top panel. In some embodiments, the pressure belt can be replaced with a fixed guide in which the endless chain and lug set are mounted vertically.

Once the carton is loaded into the article, the lug 64 releases the engagement from the hole 28. The path of the cam tracks 80, 82 at the lower end of each table 54, 56 causes the lug 64 to move away from the carton 10 in the lateral direction indicated by the letter "Z" and the pin 68 It is maintained in a plane parallel to the article conveyor 94.

The loaded carton is conveyed by means of the delivery conveyor 94 and / or pressure belt to another set of endless chains with side lugs (not shown) used to transport the carton to the delivery end of the device. During this step, the bottom panels 24, 26 are folded around the bottom of the carton and connected to each other by a locking mechanism known in the art. A second pressure belt is provided on the handle structure to prevent unwanted upward movement of the article. The finished carton is transferred to the delivery end of the device.

The stacking device of the present invention is shown with reference to a specific embodiment, but various modifications are possible within the technical field to which the present invention belongs. The stacking device is capable of carton processing including the size and shape of the carton, eg 4, 6, 8 and 12 groups of groups of bottles, without wasting time adjusting the apparatus. In particular, the carton lowering module may be raised and lowered by hydraulic power supply columns 96 and 98 supporting the tables 54 and 56, respectively.

Appropriate control means may be included to position the support tables 82, 84 in the desired position for the particular carton type or size by controlling the pneumatic cylinders and / or hydraulic power supply columns 96, 98. In addition, the control means may control a motor for driving each endless chain. In addition, the speed of the chain may be adjusted by the control means to synchronize the amount of cartons of the paper supply chain 38 and the goods conveyor 90 and the delivery conveyor 94 according to the carton shape and / or size.

The control means may be control means for a packaging device in which a dedicated processor or loading device is used. Optionally, the control means may be a programmable servo control system.

Not only is the operating speed of the device improved, but also the efficiency and durability when the carton is moved from the folded state to the fully upright state can be greatly improved.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described for loading bottles into cartons, but are not limited to bottles. The invention can be used in an apparatus for packaging cans, “brick” shaped cardboards and other containers into cartons.

In addition, the preferred embodiment shows a portion of an apparatus for loading a container into a vertically stacked basket carton, and the invention is not limited to this form. The present invention can be used in wraparound or end-loading cartons by those skilled in the art.

Claims (15)

And conveying means for loading the carton on at least one article by continuously guiding the continuous carton from a supply and descending the carton, the conveying means being a plurality of mounted on each one of the pair of unmanned persons. A carton engaging means, wherein the carton is continuously loaded between the different types of cartons from the conveying flow of the packaging device, the carton being held between the carton engaging means synchronized to keep upright as each carton is moved downstream In the device for Carton loading device, characterized in that the adjusting means is installed so that one of the pair of unmanned groups to adjust to the other unmanned group to accommodate different carton forms. The method of claim 1, Carton loading device, characterized in that the control means is arranged to control the adjusting means. The method of claim 2, And the control means is arranged to control the speed of the carton engagement means to combine the carton speed and the article speed. The method of claim 3, wherein The control means is a carton loading device, characterized in that for controlling the inclination angle of the carton engaging means. The method according to claim 3 or 4, And said control means comprises means for receiving information about the article speed in the supply path. The method of claim 5, The control means is a carton loading device, characterized in that it comprises a sensor arranged to measure the article speed in the supply path. The method of claim 2 or 3, The carton engagement means comprises a plurality of regular spaced lugs, the lugs being adapted to engage the opposite ends of the carton at intermediate spaces spaced at regular intervals and intermediate spaces spaced at regular intervals thereof. Carton loading device characterized in that. The method of claim 7, wherein And said lug is shaped to engage and / or hold said carton in a horizontal plane. The method according to claim 7 or 8, And said support lug comprises a support surface which lies in a side-by-side relationship with respect to said panel during said engagement, and a projection adapted to engage a recess or hole in said panel. The method of claim 9, Carton loading device characterized in that it comprises a second projection horizontally lifted from the projection. The method according to claim 9 or 10, Each lug is mounted to a cam track, wherein each cam track maintains the support surface parallel to the panel during the engagement. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, Adjusting means are provided for controlling the flow of the article at the conveying end, the adjusting means further comprising means for controlling the pressure of the article into the apparatus and means for determining the exact number of articles for each carton. Carton loading device, characterized in that. The method of claim 9, And said means for controlling the pressure of said article comprises a transfer star wheel. 14. A packaging apparatus, characterized in that the article is continuously packed in a carton using the loading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13. In the method of stacking different types of carton upright, Continuously delivering each carton upright to the conveying end of the loading station of the packaging apparatus; Maintaining the carton in an upright state when the carton is moved downstream; Supporting the upright carton by a support means to maintain the upright carton; And Loading the carton on at least one article by lowering the carton as the carton moves downstream.