WO2006015657A1

WO2006015657A1 - Method for the transfer of a product group comprising several products inside a packaging machine and transfer unit for carrying out said method

Info

Publication number: WO2006015657A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/006656
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard Christ
Original assignee: Iwk Verpackungstechnik Gmbh
Priority date: 2004-08-07
Filing date: 2005-06-21
Publication date: 2006-02-16
Also published as: EP1773672A1; DE102004038510A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the transfer of a product group inside a packaging machine comprising several products (p), by means of a transfer device (15), whereby the products are introduced serially in a row to the transfer device by means of a supply conveyor and removed from the supply conveyor (12) thereby. A gap (L) in the row of supplied products is recognised and closed, whereby firstly the products (pv) of the product group preceding the gap in the supply direction (a) are removed from the supply device by means of the transfer device and then the products (pn) following the gap are moved forwards by means of the supply device to close the gap. The products of the product group preceding the gap are then replaced on the supply device whereupon the product group is removed from the supply device as a unit by means of the transfer device (15).

Description

Method for converting a product group consisting of several products within a packaging machine and a transfer unit for carrying out the method

The invention relates to a method for converting a product group consisting of several products within a packaging machine by means of a transfer device. wherein the products of the product group by means of a Förder¬ device successively supplied in a row of Umsetzvorrich¬ device and are removed from this from the conveyor, wherein a gap in the series of zuge¬ led products is detected and closed.

Moreover, the invention relates to a conversion unit for converting a product group consisting of a plurality of products within a packaging machine, in particular for carrying out the method, with a conveying device to which the products can be successively fed in a row, wherein the transfer device has a plurality of gripper elements with which a respective product located in the conveyor device can be detected and removed from the conveyor device.

A packaging machine or systems consists of a plurality of workstations, which are passed through in succession by a product to be packaged. This frequently poses the problem of implementing the products within the packaging machine in order to set them up for example from a supply on a first conveying device or to convert them from the first conveying device to a further second conveying device. The term "pro- In the following, not only the product to be packaged is to be designated as such, but the term "product" may also refer to a product already present in a packaging can be assumed, in which several tablets etc. einge¬ closed, however, the invention is not limited to blister strips.

After the blister strips have been punched out of an endless blister strip, they are arranged in a row and pass through the other workstations of the packaging machine. In one or more workstations, a quality control is carried out, i. it is checked, for example, whether the blister strip is tight and whether it is completely filled with the tablets, etc. If a blister strip is recognized as deficient, this is communicated to the machine control and the defective blister strip is removed from the row of blister strips at a suitable point within the packaging machine. This creates a gap in the row of blister strips. This gap is relatively unproblematic with regard to the further handling of the blister strips, if the blister strips are subsequently only individually implemented. However, in order to increase the performance of the packaging machine, it is also known to convert the blister strips in groups, with one group consisting, for example, of three, four, five or more blister strips.

If a faulty blister strip has been removed from the row of blister strips and thus there is a gap, this results in an incomplete group. When the transfer device is used to stack the blister strips and simultaneously multiple blister stacks 06656

The gap leads to an incomplete blister stack, which must be avoided. For this reason, it is known to fill a gap in the row of blister strips before grouping or stacking. This filling is usually carried out by machine. In a fast-running packaging machine, however, the problem can occur that the operating speed of the packaging machine or its number of cycles must be reduced if several blister strips have to be filled or refilled in succession, since otherwise the refilling of the blister strips does not have the necessary reliability he follows. In addition, the constructive effort required for this is very high and in this case too, the working speed of the packaging machine is severely limited.

The invention has for its object to provide a method of the type mentioned, with a gap in the series of products or blister strips can be closed easily and reliably. In addition, a conversion unit is to be created with which the method can be carried out quickly and in a simple manner.

With regard to the method, this object is achieved with the characterizing features of claim 1. It is envisaged that, to close the gap, at first only the products of the product group leading the gap in the conveying direction are removed from the conveyor by means of the transfer device, and subsequently the products following the gap are advanced by means of the conveyor to close the gap.

According to the invention is based on the basic idea, not to fill the gap in the series of blister strips by adding a blister strip, but by Postponing or further transporting the gap nach¬ following products or blister strips to close relative to the gap leading products or blister strip. For this purpose, the products leading the gap or blister strips are decoupled from the conveyor device by being removed from the conveyor device. When the conveying device then continues to run, the products following the gap are displaced relative to the products leading the gap by means of the conveying device, whereby the gap is closed.

Subsequently, the products of the product group leading the gap, which are removed by means of the transfer device from the conveyor device, are first inserted into the conveyor device again after the gap has been closed. Together with the further moving subsequent products thus a complete product group is formed in the conveying device, which is then removed as a unit by means of Umsetzvorrich¬ device from the conveyor and implemented.

If a further gap should occur within a product group, it is first closed in a similar manner before the complete product group is reacted.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the products of the product group which precede the gap are also in engagement with the transfer device during and after the renewed insertion into the delivery device, i. held by this or are taken.

With regard to the conversion unit to the above-mentioned ^¬ will pick up with the characterizing features of claim 3 solves overall. It is envisaged - that the gripping elements lent their gripping function independently and individually controllable.

The transfer device has a plurality of grippers, each of which grips a product located in the conveying device, removes it from it and can move it. The gripping elements can be controlled so that they either assume their gripping position in which they hold a product or their release position in which the product is released. Due to the independent and selective controllability of the gripping elements, it is possible for the converting device to pick up and remove from the conveying device only the products leading the gap, while the products following the gap remain in the conveying device. After the gap has been closed in the above-mentioned manner, all the gripper elements are then brought into their gripping position so that a complete product group is gripped and removed from the conveyor device.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the gripping elements are designed as suckers which can be activated independently of each other, i. can be acted upon by negative pressure, or are deak¬ tivierbar.

A particularly simple structural design is ensured if the gripping elements do not have to be moved relative to one another. This can be achieved, for example, in that the gripping elements are held on a common supporting structure and can only be moved as a unit. Even if the gripping elements deactivated or in their release position are then brought into abutment with the products located in the conveying device, they can not absorb them, so that the products remain in the conveying device. As already stated above, at least one quality test takes place within the packaging machine or systems, the result of which is transmitted to a control device. The control device thus has data on the defective products which are to be taken out of the series of products or have been taken out, and thus also on the position of the gaps within the series of products. This information about a gap in the range of the supplied products is processed in the control device in such a way that the gripping elements can be selectively controlled by means of the control device as a function of this information about the position of the gap.

Further details and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment with reference to the drawings. Show it:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a transfer unit before the beginning of a transfer process,

FIG. 2 shows the conversion unit according to FIG. 1 with an incomplete product group to be converted,

FIG. 3 shows the transfer unit according to FIG. 2 before picking up the products leading the gap;

FIG. 4 shows the transfer unit according to FIG. 3 after receiving the products leading the gap;

FIG. 5 shows the conversion unit according to FIG. 4 after the gap has been closed, FIG. 6 shows the transfer unit according to FIG. 5 before picking up the complete product group and FIG

FIG. 7 shows the transfer unit according to FIG. 6 after receiving the complete product group.

1 shows a transfer unit 10 in a packaging machine. A conveying device 12 accommodated in a housing 11 in the form of an endlessly circulating belt conveyor has a multiplicity of spaced-apart wall parts 13, between which product chambers 14 are defined, into which a product P, for example in the form of a blister strip, is inserted can be kept safe. The products P are supplied in a manner not shown in FIG. 1 from the left in the conveying direction A and form a continuous row.

Within the packaging machine in front of the illustrated Um¬ setzeinheit 10 takes place a quality control of the products. Defective products must be taken out of the packaging process. Ver¬ a control device 21 operates the information concerning the out increasing products and controlled via a data line 22 an ejector 20 which ejects a defective product P ^~ from the con- tinuous range, as shown in FIG. 1. The removal of the defective product P ^" from the row results in a gap L (see Fig. 2) in the product row, ie one of the product chambers 14 of the conveyor device 12 is not filled with a product This gap L must be closed.

Above the conveying device 12, a Umsetzvorrich¬ device 15 is provided, which can be moved vertically up and down, as indicated by the double arrow V. The transfer device 15 has a strut 16, which with a in the longitudinal direction of the conveying device 12 extending and at a distance above this arranged longitudinal strut 17 is connected. On the longitudinal strut 17, five gripping elements extending vertically downward in the form of suckers 18 are arranged, which can be activated independently of one another, ie can be acted upon by a negative pressure, and can be deactivated. The activation of the suckers 18 takes place by means of the control device 21 via a data line 23 as a function of the information about the gap L. The distance between adjacent suckers 18 corresponds to the mutual distance of adjacent product chambers 14 and the suckers 18 are lowered by lowering the transfer device 14 in each case a product contained in the conveying device 12 can be placed so that upon activation of all five suckers 18, a product group consisting of five products can be removed as a unit from the conveying device 12 and converted, for example, to a further conveying device (not shown).

In the following, the method will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, with which the gap L in the product series is closed in order to be able to implement a complete product group.

Fig. 1 shows the state that a previous product group has just been implemented, so that the arranged below the suction 18 product chambers 14 are empty. Moreover, the defective product P ^{~ is} just ejected by the ejector 20. The conveyor device 12 is then preferably cyclically advanced in the conveying direction A, so that the next five product hammers 14 of the conveyor device 12 are arranged below the suction device 18. Due to the sorted-out, defective product P ^~ ^¬ under the half of the central vacuum cleaner 18 is disposed product chamber 14 is empty, ie, a gap L is formed. In this still incomplete product group comprises two in the conveying direction A before the gap L arranged products P _v , which are referred to below as leading products P _v and are shown in Fig. 2 on the right side. In addition, the product group comprises two products P _N arranged downstream in the conveying direction A or behind the gap L, which are referred to below as trailing products P _N and are likewise shown in FIG. 2.

To close the gap L, the transfer device 15 is lowered, so that the suckers 18 come into contact with the products located underneath. This position is shown in Fig. 3. By means of the control device 21, however, only those suckers 18 are activated which are assigned to the preceding products P _v , ie, in the example shown, the two suckers downstream or in front of the gap 11. These two suckers 18 each record the associated leading product P _v , whereupon the transfer device 15 is raised and the two leading products P _v lifts out of the conveyor 12, as shown in Fig. 4 dar¬. The trailing products P _N remain in the conveying device 12, since the associated suckers 18 are not activated. Subsequently, the conveyor device 12 is moved further by one cycle (see arrow T in FIG. 5), whereby the trailing products P _{N are} transported further and the gap L is closed. This position is shown in FIG. 5.

Subsequently, the transfer device 15 is lowered again, wherein the previously taken leading products P _{v are} again introduced into the product chambers 14 arranged below them. However, the leading products Pv remain seized by the sucker 18. _Q

By lowering the transfer device, the suckers 18, which are not yet in contact with a product, also come into contact with the trailing products P _N underneath (FIG. 6). By means of the control device 21, the suckers 18 associated with the trailing products P _N are then also activated, so that now all the suckers 18 have detected a product. By lifting the transfer device 15, a complete product group can then be removed from the conveyor device 12 and converted in the desired manner, as shown in FIG. 7.

Due to the aforementioned gap-closing movement, the transfer of the product group to the secondary conveying device is somewhat delayed. Since the machine control system knows beforehand whether and if so how often the gap-closing movement has to be carried out for the next product group, the transport movement of the secondary conveyor to which the product group is transferred can be correspondingly reduced by a small amount, so that the further conveying device is not filled irregularly due to the retardation due to the gap closure.

Claims

claims

1. A method for converting a product group consisting of several products (P) within a packaging machine by means of a transfer device (15), wherein the products (P) of the product group by means of a conveyor device (12) successively fed in a row of the transfer device (15) and are taken from this from the conveyor device (12), wherein a gap (L) in the series of supplied products (P) is detected and closed, characterized in that for closing the gap (L) first of the Lü¬ (L) in the conveying direction (A) leading products (Pv) of the product group by means of the transfer device (15) from the conveyor device (12) are removed and then the gap (L) trailing Pro¬ products (P _N ) by means of the conveyor ( 12) are moved forward to close the gap (L), whereupon the products (P _N ) leading the gap (L) of the product group are returned to d in the case of closing of the gap (L) The conveyor device (12) are used and then the product group as a unit by means of Um¬ setting device (15) from the conveyor device (12) is removed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the gap (L) leading products (Pv) of the product group also during and after the renewed Einset¬ zen in the conveying device (12) into engagement with the transfer device (15). ^

3. conversion unit for converting a product group consisting of several products (P) within a packaging machine, in particular for carrying out the method according to one of claims 1 or 2, with a conveying device (12) by means of which the products ( P) are successively fed in a row of a Umsetzvorrich¬ device (15), wherein the transfer device (15) comprises a plurality of gripping elements (18), with which in each case in the conveyor device (12) befindliches product (P) detectable and from the conveyor

(12) is removable, characterized in that the gripping elements (18) with respect to their gripping function inde pendent of each other and are individually controllable.

4. conversion unit according to claim 3, characterized in that the gripping elements (18) are suckers which are inde pendent of one another activatable and deactivatable.

5. Conveying unit according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the gripping elements (18) are held on a common support structure (16, 17) and can only be moved as a unit.

6. Conversion unit according to one of claims 3 to 5, character- ized in that a control device (21) is provided, in which information about a gap (L) in the series of supplied products (P) is ver¬ workable , wherein the gripping elements (18) by means of the control device (21) in dependence on the information about the gap (L) are selectively controllable.

7. Conversion unit according to one of claims 3 to 6, da¬ characterized in that the products (P) are blisters.