WO1990003933A1

WO1990003933A1 - Method and apparatus for feeding containers

Info

Publication number: WO1990003933A1
Application number: PCT/US1989/004337
Authority: WO
Inventors: J. T. Kapper
Original assignee: American National Can Company
Priority date: 1988-10-06
Filing date: 1989-10-04
Publication date: 1990-04-19
Also published as: AU4499689A

Abstract

A method and apparatus for feeding containers along a path to a container-processing apparatus includes a pair of plenums that have inner apertured walls on opposite sides of said path with flanges extending from each wall to define chambers or guide channels that receive opposite ends of the container. Pressurized fluid is introduced into the plenums and flows through the apertures to produce moving bodies of pressurized fluid in said chambers to substantially suspend the containers in the chambers.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CONTAINERS

DESCRIPTION

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for moving containers along a path, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for high-volume positive feeding of containers to a container- processing apparatus. Background Prior Art

There are many occasions within a can manufacturing plant in which containers need to be fed in a single line for supplying a container-processing apparatus, such as decorators, base coaters, and other ancillary equipment in the plant. Usually, such feeding is done through a gravity-dependent system of chutes or guides. Containers are fed to such chutes or guides by elevators or conveyors. Generally, such elevators or conveyors have some type of belt arrangement wherein belts are provided on each side of the containers to grip the containers and propel them in a vertical direction. Gravity feed is, of course, desirable since it is the least costly means of transferring unfinished articles within a manufacturing operation. Since the containers are made from aluminum and have very thin side walls, gravity-feed has its limitations.

The use of pressurized fluid, such as air, has recently become fairly attractive in the transporting of containers in a can- manufacturing plant. For example, mass movement of a plurality of containers along a bed may be improved by utilizing pressurized air for raising the containers above the surface of the table to minimize friction. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,730,956 and RE 32,684.

The use of pressurized air for raising containers to a higher level within a can-manufacturing plant is also known and is disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,105,720 and 4,451,182. These patents disclose the concept of using the pressurized air to provide driving force on the containers to induce a rolling movement of the containers along guide rails and maintaining a space between adjacent containers. None of these patents disclose applying line feeding of a can-processing apparatus to impart substantial buoyancy to the cans, thereby eliminating the rolling movement and to provide a driving force in the direction of line-feeding.

One area of concern in adapting air¬ flow-assisted gravity feeding to present manufacturing operations is the handling of the containers during the manufacturing process. Many times it may be necessary to change the attitude or orientation of a container from, for example, a vertical orientation to a generally horizontal orientation for proper feeding into a container-processing apparatus, such as a printer. It is well known that some can- processing functions are performed while the containers are in a vertical orientation and other functions are performed on the container while it is in a horizontal orientation, for various reasons. Heretofore, this orientation was performed by producing a twist in the guides or chutes and relying upon gravity for moving the containers along the path. Thus, in adapting air-flow-assisted gravity feeding, it is not only necessary for positively feeding the containers in a fast and efficient manner to a container-processing apparatus, but it is also necessary to present the container at the proper orientation.

With the recent development of higher speed can-processing apparatus, it becomes necessary to develop conveying apparatus for providing the containers at greater speeds while minimizing production interruptions.

It is well known that production volume of a can-manufacturing line is directly dependent upon the output of the various container-processing apparatus. In many areas of the can-manufacturing line, the container can be processed through an apparatus at a rate of more than 2,000 per minute. However, in other areas, the processing speed is reduced substantially below that level. For example, in the feeding or processing of containers through a printer for printing the labels on the containers, the manner of gravity feeding of the containers to the printer for proper indexing into pockets that are part of the printer has severely restricted the production speeds of the printer. Present-day gravity-feed systems, through experience, have limited the production speeds to no more than 1,300 cans per minute. Beyond these production speeds, frequent jams occur, either in the printer or in the feed conveyor to the printer, thereby causing the unit to shut down which results in decreased output. However, contrary to the prior art, line-feeding speed is not significantly increased unless the cans are made substantially buoyant with the guides on chutes, thereby reducing the rolling movement of the cans.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention, the feed mechanism for feeding containers to a container-processing apparatus, such as a printer, incorporates a combination of gravity feed, as well as air-flow-assisted positive- displacement feed, of the containers to the processing apparatus to thereby increase the speed of production and decrease the likelihood of jamming in the feed apparatus or in the processing apparatus.

More specifically, the apparatus consists of a pair of plenums that are located on opposite sides of the path for the containers and each plenum has an inner wall which has openings along the center thereof that are configured to direct fluid towards the processing apparatus. The apparatus also includes a pair of flanges extending from opposite edges of each of the inner walls that cooperate therewith to define U-shaped channels or chambers that are designed to receive opposite ends of the containers, if necessary, and act as guides for the containers. Preferably, the free ends of the flanges have non-metallic caps telescoped thereon and are of limited width to provide a narrow line of possible contact for the container. The use of a non-metallic material, such as plastic, reduces the friction between the channel and the container.

The inner walls of the plenums or ducts are spaced from each other by a generally constant dimension that is slightly greater than the length or height of the container being conveyed. Also, the width of the chamber is slightly greater than the diameter of the container and the spacing between the chambers is greater than the diameter of the container. These dimensions may be adjustable to accommodate containers of different sizes.

According to the method aspect of the present invention, pressurized fluid, such as air, is introduced into the plenums or ducts and flows through the openings in the inner wall, which results in producing a body of pressurized fluid in the chambers to substantially suspend the containers between the two bodies of pressurized fluid. Since the openings in the opposed walls of the plenums are positioned such that the fluid passing therethrough provides a driving force propelling the containers towards and into the container-processing apparatus.

According to one further aspect of the invention, the plenums and flanges are configured or have a twist therein so that the containers are reoriented while moving along the path.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of the conveying mechanism for feeding containers to a container- processing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, as viewed along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, with the container deleted;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, as viewed along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a slightly modified form of the conveyor mechanism. Detailed Description

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to embodiments illustrated.

FIG. 1 of the drawings shows a conveying system for conveying containers to a container-processing apparatus, generally designated by reference numeral 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the container- processing apparatus is a printer which places the decorative label on the outer surface of the container at a higher rate of speed and has an inlet 12. The printer can be commercially-available Model CD2-1400, manufactured by Rutherford, Inc. , Rutherford, New Jersey.

The conveying system is generally designated by reference numeral 20 and includes a first in-feed section 22 that is connected to the inlet of the printer, a second arcuate section 24, a straight vertical section 26, a further arcuate section 28, and a twist section 30, which will be described in greater detail hereinafter. Containers are fed in single file along a path in a vertical orientation to the conveyor section 30. Each of the sections 22- 28 are substantially identical in configuration, which is shown in FIG. 2. Each conveyor section includes first and second plenums 32 which have inner flat walls 34 that are facing towards each other and define the opposite sides of the path for the containers, as will be explained later. The plenum inner walls 34 have a plurality of air-directing openings 36 (FIG. 3) located therein and the openings are generally aligned with the center axis of the container, as will be explained later. The center openings are preferably stamped to a general half-moon configuration, for a purpose to be described later.

A pair of flanges 40 extend from opposite edges of each of the inner walls or plates 34 and define a small chamber 42 in cooperation with wall 34. Preferably, the free ends of the flanges 40 have plastic caps 44 inserted thereon, for a purpose to be described later.

The respective plenums 32 are held in a fixed space relation to each other, as shown in FIG. 2, by bracket means 50. The bracket means consists of an angle iron 52 secured to each of the outer walls 53 of the plenum, as by welding. The opposite ends of the angle irons 52 are interconnected by threaded members 54 which receive nuts 56 at opposite ends thereof. The nuts can be adjusted to vary the spacing between the plenums to accommodate different container heights.

Pressurized fluid, such as air, is delivered from a source (not shown) through a flexible hose 60, which is connected to an inlet pipe 62, and inlet pipe 62 preferably has an adjustable damper 64 associated therewith.

The printer that has been used for illustrative purposes requires that the containers be fed in a horizontal orientation, that is, the axis of the container, must be positioned horizontally when the container is fed into the inlet. However, in most instances, for good reasons of practice, containers are fed or moved within the can- manufacturing plant with the axis of the container extending vertical and the open top and closed bottom. This provides greater stability for the containers during the rapid transfer of the containers from one point to another.

Furthermore, in most instances, whenever possible, the containers are fed en masse on a belt or other suitable support means, such as when they are exiting from an oven, so that the containers must then be reoriented to a single line or file before being fed into the container-processing apparatus. Exemplary of one type of a "single-filer* that performs such function is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,500,229, assigned to Goldco Engineering Inc., Golden, Colorado. When such type of conveyor system is utilized, it is necessary to reorient the container from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation.

According to one aspect of the invention, this reorientation of the container is automatically performed as part of the feed system for the container processing apparatus. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the section 30 has one end connected to container supply source 70 and the plenums 32 have a 90* twist so that containers are delivered "single-file* in a vertical orientation to section 30 and automatically are rotated about 90° to a horizontal orientation within section 30.

Considering now the operation of the novel conveyor system, pressurized air is delivered through the inlet 62 and pressurizes the plenums to a desired pressure. This pressurized air flows through the openings or louvers 36 which are configured to produce a vector force generally axially of the path for the container to provide a driving force for the container along the path.

At the same time, since the majority of each chamber is enclosed by the containers. a slight pressure build up occurs between the containers and the louvered wall 34. This pressure build-up will have a tendency to suspend the containers in the two chambers or channels and provides buoyancy for the container. This eliminates the necessity of rolling the container along a guide rail, thereby reducing friction. In fact, there is virtually no turning of the container. Since the flow of air through the openings 36 is directed towards the container-processing apparatus 10, the pressurized air on opposite ends of the container will flow towards the apparatus and thereby provide a driving force to the containers in addition to the gravity force that is applied because of the inclination of the sections 26, 24 and 22.

A slightly modified form of the conveyor system is shown in FIG. 4, wherein the containers are delivered to the inlet from a "single filer" in a horizontal orientation. Such single-file horizontal orientation can be obtained utilizing an apparatus of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,182,586, assigned to Precision Metal Fabricators, Inc., Arvada, Colorado.

In this embodiment, a first section 80 of the conveyor apparatus is connected to the outlet of the "single-filer" 82 and defines an arc of approximately 90". A second section 84 is positioned vertically, while a third section 86 again defines an inclined end portion that is in alignment with the inlet to the conveyor-processing apparatus. The remaining details of construction of the conveying apparatus are identical to that described above.

While the parameters and dimensions should not be considered limiting to the present invention, some parameters will now be described.

/It is desirable for the spacing of the flat walls 34 to be slightly greater than the axial dimension of the container so that the container can readily be suspended on the pressurized air. Also, the spacing between the flanges 40, and more particularly, the inner surface of the caps 44, is preferably slightly greater than the diameter of the container within fairly close tolerances to assure that the container cannot tilt sufficiently to jam and interrupt the flow of the containers.

The chambers 2 have a depth that is substantially less than one-half the height of the containers so that the possible contact points are close to opposite ends of the container, where the container has greater strength. Furthermore, the spacing between adjacent chambers, more specifically the free ends of opposed flanges, is greater than the diameter of the container. Thus, if a container is not properly oriented, the misaligned container will fall through the space. The large space also provides access to the chambers for cleaning.

Utilizing what is commonly referred to as a 12 oz.-211 container, the clearance between the flat walls 34 is about 3/16 inch, while the clearance between the caps or covers 44 is also about 3/16 inch. Also, the length of the flanges 40 is about 7/8 inch to produce a space between opposed covers 44 which is about 3-5/16 inches. These dimensions may be varied for containers of different sizes.

As indicated above, the openings 36 are half-moon shaped and are centered with the axis of the container. The edges 36a are spaced from each other by a dimension of about 9/16 inch and have a width of about 3/8 inch. The depth S of the openings is about 1/4 inch. The configuration and size of the openings may be varied, as desired, so long as the proper amount of air flow is created. It is also important that the deformed metal is not distorted or wrinkled so that there is a smooth arcuate surface for guiding the air.

As can be appreciated from the above description, the present invention provides a rather simplified air-assist, gravity-feed mechanism for positively feeding containers to a container-processing apparatus. Actual tests have shown that the production speed of a container-processing apparatus, such as a printer, can be increased as much as 25% utilizing the details of the present invention.

While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying Claims.

Claims

L IM?

1. A method of feeding open- topped containers along a path to a processing apparatus wherein containers are indexed at a plurality of stations comprising the steps of forming a pair of plenums on opposite sides of said path with adjacent walls of said plenums having fluid- directing openings therein and guide flanges extending from opposite edges of said walls with free ends of opposed flanges being spaced from each other and defining open chambers on opposite sides of said path and introducing pressurized fluid into said plenums to flow through said openings and pressurize said chambers so that said containers are substantially suspended by said pressurized fluid while being positively moved by said pressurized fluid to said container-processing apparatus.

2. The method as defined in Claim 1, wherein said containers are fed to said processing apparatus with their axes extending horizontally.

3. The method as defined in Claim 2, wherein said containers are moving along said path with their axes extending vertically, including the further step of turning said containers from a vertical position to a horizontal position while being suspended by said pressurized fluid.

4. A method of feeding containers to a container-processing apparatus wherein said containers are moving along a path serially with the axes extending vertically, comprising the steps of suspending said containers between two bodies of pressurized fluid and guiding said containers only at opposite ends thereof while positively moving said containers along said path by said pressurized fluid, and simultaneously turning said containers to position said containers with the axes extending horizontally so that said containers are positively fed into said container-processing apparatus in a horizontal position.

5. A method of assisting the gravity feed of circular containers along a path to a container-processing apparatus to increase the speed of production of said apparatus and minimize jams, comprising the steps of forming a pair of guides on opposite sides of said path with each of said guides including a plenum having an inner wall adjacent said path and a pair of flanges on opposite edges thereof to define a chamber on each side of said path, producing fluid-directing openings in each of said walls which are configured to direct fluid toward said apparatus, and introducing pressurized fluid in each of said plenums which flows through said openings to form a pressurized body of fluid in said chambers moving towards said apparatus to substantially suspend said containers on said fluid in said chambers, thereby minimizing frictional forces between said guides and said containers.

6. The method as defined in Claim 5, in which said walls are spaced by a dimension which is slightly greater than the axial dimension of said containers and said flanges on each wall are spaced by a dimension that is slightly greater than the diameter of said containers.

7. The method as defined in Claim 5, including the further step of adjusting the spacing between said plenum to accommodate different size containers.

8. The method as defined in Claim 5, further including the step of forming a twist in said path to turn said containers from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation while being substantially suspended by said bodies of pressurized fluid.

9. The method as defined in Claim 5, in which said flanges have a length that is substantially less than one-half the length of said containers to define fluid exit slots between opposed flanges.

10. Conveying apparatus for assisting the gravity-feed of hollow articles along a path to an article- processing apparatus having pockets for receiving said articles and wherein said articles are sequentially processed therein, comprising first and second substantially- identical plenums on opposite sides of said path, each of said plenums having an inner flat wall facing said path and flanges extending_'from opposite edges of said wall to define a U-shaped channel, said channels being spaced from each other to define fluid exit slots between respective channels, each of said flat walls having fluid-directing openings directed towards said processing apparatus, and a pressurized fluid source for supplying pressurized fluid to said plenums which flows through said openings to pressurize said channels and substantially suspend said articles with said fluid while being positively moved towards said processing apparatus to thereby increase production speeds for said processing apparatus when compared to gravity-feed of said articles.

11. Conveying apparatus as defined in Claim 10, in which said plenums and chambers are configured to produce a twist in said path so that said articles are reoriented at least 90* while moving along said path.

12. Conveying apparatus as defined in Claim 10, in which said chambers have a depth which is substantially less than one-half of the length of said articles.

13. Conveying apparatus as defined in Claim 12, in which said walls are spaced from each other by a dimension which is slightly greater than the length of said articles and said chambers have a width that is slightly greater than the transverse dimension of said articles.

14. Conveying apparatus as defined in Claim 13, in which said hollow articles are circular containers and the spacing between said chambers is greater than the diameter of said containers.

15. Conveying apparatus as defined in Claim 10, further including adjustable basket means interconnecting said plenums.

16. Conveying apparatus as defined in Claim 10, in which said flanges have non-metallic caps on free ends thereof which define contact points for said containers.

17. Conveying apparatus for serially feeding containers along a path to a container-processing apparatus comprising first and second plenums located on opposite sides of said path, each of said plenums having an inner wall facing said path and having openings therein for directing fluid towards said processing apparatus, each inner wall having a pair of flanges extending therefrom and cooperating therewith to define an open chamber with said open chambers being located on opposite sides of said path, said plenums being configured to turn said containers from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation, pressurized fluid means connected to said plenums for pressurizing said plenums to produce air flow through said openings and pressurize said chambers so that said containers are substantially suspended by said fluid while being moved along said path by said fluid and turned from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation.