WO2015097299A1

WO2015097299A1 - Accelerator unit for accelerating a batch of individual items and method

Info

Publication number: WO2015097299A1
Application number: PCT/EP2014/079334
Authority: WO
Inventors: Theodorus Johannus Gerardus Maria ROVERS
Original assignee: Langenpac B.V.
Priority date: 2013-12-27
Filing date: 2014-12-24
Publication date: 2015-07-02

Abstract

The invention relates to an accelerator unit (1) for accelerating a batch (2) of individual items (3) in a packaging machine. The accelerator unit comprises at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) that is arranged to receive at least one batch (2) of individual items (3) as dispensed from a receiving unit (4) and to support said at least one dispensed batch (2) at least along a part of a path between the receiving unit (4) and a vertical bagging unit of the packaging machine. The accelerator unit (1) further comprises at least one driving means (10) that is arranged to accelerate said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) and said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) in a direction of the path between the receiving unit (4) and the vertical bagging unit. The invention also relates to a method of accelerating a batch (2) of individual items (3) to be packaged.

Description

Accelerator unit for accelerating a batch of individual items and method

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is in the field of packaging of a batch of individual items in a single packaging using a known packaging machine comprising a vertical bagging unit for this kind of packaging process. The invention relates to a unit for supplying a batch of individual items that are to be packaged in a single packaging to a vertical bagging unit as mentioned. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Packaging of a batch of individual items into a single packaging is well known in the art. None-limiting embodiments of individual items to be packaged in the way mentioned above are sticks containing for example milk powder, sugar etc., or bars containing for example chocolate or cereal products. However, many other exemplary items that can be packaged together into a single packaging can be envisaged. Each of the sticks or bars typically comprises an elongated tubular body having a first and a second end portion, at which end portions a first and a second gripping means is arranged. The elongated tubular body for example comprises a film or a foil of organic or an-organic material, such as paper, a suitable polymer or plastic. The film or foil can be single or multi-layered depending on the specific requirements of the product that is contained in the elongated tubular body. The gripping means typically are flaps or wings comprising at least parts of the film or foil.

The unit which is the subject of the invention is applicable in a known packaging machine for packaging a batch of individual items into a single packaging. Known packaging machines of the abovementioned kind comprise a vertical bagging unit, a so- called vertical bagger (VFFS), that bags or packages the batch of individual items into a single packaging. The single packaging, for example a bag, comprises a film or a foil that is wrapped around the batch of individual items to be packaged. The film or foil comprises organic or an-organic material, such as paper, a suitable polymer or plastic. It will be appreciated by a skilled person that many other types of packaging can be used in the vertical bagging unit of the known packaging machine.

Known packaging machines further comprise a receiving unit for receiving the individual items to be packaged. The receiving unit can for example be a container having funnel-shaped interior walls or an assembly of a container and a funnel-shaped means that is arranged between the container and the bagging unit. In this way, the receiving unit on the one hand is arranged for forming a flow of individual items that are aligned with respect to each other in a direction that is advantageous for packaging the batch of aligned items in a single packaging, and on the other hand is arranged for guiding the flow of aligned individual items towards the vertical bagging unit. The receiving unit can be provided with a dispensing means for dispensing batches of aligned individual items from the overall flow of aligned individual items. The dispensing means can for example comprise a valve arrangement, a shutter

arrangement or any other suitable means known to the skilled person.

Commonly, the dispensed batch of aligned individual items is dropped into the bagging unit through a guiding means such as an elongated hollow tube that is arranged between the dispensing means of the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit. Upon arrival at the vertical bagging unit, the batch of individual items is packaged in a single packaging.

A drawback of this approach that is used in standard packaging machines of the kind mentioned above is that by dropping the batch of individual items into the vertical bagging unit via the guiding means, the individual items of this batch can get miss- oriented with respect to each other for example along the path through the guiding means. This may for example be caused by differences in the amount of friction that the individual items of the batch experience along the path. This may be the case for first items of the batch of individual items that at least partly come in contact with an inner wall of the guiding means, e.g. an elongated hollow tube, and second items of the same batch that do not come into contact with at least one of the inner walls of the elongated hollow tube. Because of the friction that the first items experience due to their contact with the inner wall of the elongated hollow tube, they may start spinning around their center point. The skilled person will understand that items that start spinning may collide with other items of the batch of individual items that may start spinning as well. In any case, an initial order of items in the batch will be lost.

Even in the case that only one of the individual items of the batch becomes miss- oriented with respect to the other items of the batch, this results in a disordered batch of individual items at the bagging unit. Packaging of the disordered batch of individual items by the vertical bagging unit may result in a faulty packaging process, as the single packaging comprising the disordered batch of individual items may not comply with packaging requirements, for example requirements regarding the appearance of the single packaging as the miss-oriented item may render the packaging to look sloppy or requirements regarding the sealing properties of the packaging as the miss-oriented item may prevent a hermetic sealing of the packaging, projecting in an area where the sealing is supposed to be made.

A way of reducing miss-orientation of individual items of the batch of items may be to diminish the distance between the dispensing means of the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit, i.e. by diminishing the dropping height. Although this could be a remedy in new-built packaging machines, this remedy cannot easily be applied in the case of an existing standard packaging machine as it will not be easy or even impossible to modify the position of the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit with respect to each other.

Another way of reducing miss-orientation of the individual items of the batch of items is to diminish the dropping height by establishing multiple dropping events along the path through the guiding means. This can be established by providing shutter or valve elements that are pivotably mounted with respect to the guiding means at different heights along the path between the dispensing means to the vertical bagging unit. In this way, the batch of individual items is dropped over multiple smaller distances thereby reducing the chance of miss-orientation of the items of the batch with respect to each other during the dropping events and during landing events of the batch due to reduced bouncing back of the individual items which is mainly due to the fact that by introducing intermediate landing levels at short distances with respect to each other along the path between the dispensing means and the vertical bagging unit, the potential energy available for conversion into kinetic energy when falling from one intermediate level to another intermediate level is limited. A drawback of the latter remedy is that the throughput of the packaging machine is reduced due to the slower supply of batches of individual items to be packaged at the bagging unit. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a unit for supplying a batch of individual items to a bagging unit that preempts or at least reduces the disadvantages of the standard packaging machines mentioned above. The unit according to the invention can be implemented in standard packaging machines by inserting the unit in at least a part of the path between the dispensing means of the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit.

Aspects of this invention are set out in the accompanying independent and dependent claims. Combinations of features from the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims as appropriate and not merely as explicitly set out in the claims.

According to a first aspect of this invention, there is provided an accelerator unit for accelerating a batch of individual items that is dispensed from a receiving unit and is to be supplied to a vertical bagging unit of a packaging machine, the accelerator unit comprising at least one supporting means that is arranged to receive at least one batch of individual items as dispensed from a receiving unit and to support said at least one dispensed batch of individual items at least along a part of a path between the receiving unit and a vertical bagging unit, and at least one driving means that is arranged to accelerate said at least one supporting means and said at least one dispensed batch of individual items in a direction of the path between the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit.

In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, said at least one driving means is adapted for accelerating said at least one supporting means and said at least one dispensed batch of individual items to a speed beyond a threshold speed at which said at least one dispensed batch of individual items and said at least one supporting means loose contact with each other.

In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, the accelerator unit further comprises a controller means that is arranged to provide at least one control signal to said at least one driving means for accelerating said at least one supporting means and said at least one dispensed batch of individual items upon receipt of said at least one dispensed batch at said at least one supporting means.

In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, said at least one supporting means and said at least one dispensed batch of individual items are continuously accelerated.

In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, the accelerator unit further comprises a guiding means that is arranged to at least partially enclose the path between the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit to provide protected guiding of said at least one dispensed batch of individual items along said path.

In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, said guiding means comprises an inner surface that is free from discontinuities in which any one of the individual items of said at least one dispensed batch is entrappable when traveling along said path between the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit.

In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, said at least one supporting means is removable from said path between the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit through said guiding means as soon as said at least one dispensed batch of individual items and said at least one supporting means loose contact with each other.

In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, said at least one supporting means comprises a first pair of shutter or valve elements and a second pair of shutter or valve elements, said first and second pairs are arranged at opposite circumferential positions along a circumference of the guiding means.

In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, the shutter or valve elements of said first and second pairs are arranged to provide respective first and second sets of shutter or valve elements, each one of said first and second sets comprising a first shutter or valve element from said first pair of shutter or valve elements and a second shutter or valve element from said second pair of shutter or valve elements, wherein said respective first and second shutter or valve elements of each one of said respective first and second sets are arranged to receive said at least one dispensed batch of individual items and support said at least one dispensed batch at least along a part of said path between the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit.

In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, said at least one driving means comprises at least one servomotor unit.

In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, said at least one servomotor unit is arranged to drive the shutter or valve elements of said respective first and second pairs in a linear direction at least along a part of said path between the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit through the guiding means.

In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, the vertical bagging unit has a vertical tube that is arranged in connection with the guiding means for receiving said at least one dispatched batch of individual items. In an embodiment of the accelerator unit according to the invention, the guiding means comprises at least a first and a second part which are arranged to form an elongated tube that is provided with at least two longitudinal slits that are configured to allow the shutter or valve elements of said respective first and second pairs to be driven at least along a part of said path between the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of accelerating a batch of individual items that is dispensed from a receiving unit and is to be supplied to a vertical bagging unit of a packaging machine, the method comprising the steps of dropping a batch of individual items as dispensed from a receiving unit on at least one supporting means that is arranged to receive said at least one dispensed batch and to support said at least one dispensed batch at least along a part of a path between the receiving unit and a vertical bagging unit, and accelerating said at least one supporting means and said at least one batch of individual items in a direction of the path between the receiving unit and the vertical bagging unit using at least one driving means.

In an embodiment of the method according to the invention, said at least one supporting means and said at least one dispensed batch of individual items are being accelerated continuously.

In an embodiment of the method according to the invention, said at least one supporting means and said at least one dispensed batch of individual items are being accelerated to a speed beyond a threshold speed at which said at least one dispensed batch of individual items and said at least one supporting means loose contact with each other.

In an embodiment of the method according to the invention, the method further comprises the step of removing said at least one supporting means when said at least one dispensed batch of individual items and said at least one supporting means loose contact with each other.

According to the invention, a unit for accelerating a batch of individual items is provided, which will hereinafter also be referred to as drop accelerator. In particular, the drop accelerator comprises at least one supporting means for receiving and supporting a batch of individual items as dispensed from the receiving unit, a driving means for driving the supporting means in a direction of the path between the dispensing means of the receiving unit and the bagging unit, and a controller means for controlling the driving means. The supporting means can be a pair of shutter or valve elements that are arranged to support the dispensed batch of individual items at least along a part of the path between the dispensing means of the receiving unit and the bagging unit. The driving means preferably is a servomotor as this kind of motor is capable of providing very accurate accelerations. The skilled person will appreciate that any other suitable device for driving the supporting means can be used as well. The controller means can be any kind of suitable control unit, e.g. an electronically preprogrammed control unit.

The control unit is adapted to function in a way as will be explained in the following. Upon receipt of a dispensed batch of individual items at the supporting means, the control unit provides a control signal to the driving means for accelerating the supporting means together with the batch of individual items beyond a threshold speed at which the batch of individual items looses contact with the supporting means, i.e. a speed associated with an unhindered fall of the batch of items. Among other things, the required threshold speed beyond which this occurs depends on at least one of the weight and shape of the item that is being supported. The skilled person will appreciate that if a speed beyond a threshold speed that is specific for the supported batch of items needs to be reached within a same distance from the dispensing means of the receiving unit, the acceleration needs to be adjustable, i.e. for heavier items a larger acceleration will be required than for lighter items.

During the acceleration of the supporting means together with the batch of individual items to a speed beyond the threshold speed required, the influence of friction forces due to interactions between at least some of the items of the batch of items and at least an inner wall of the guiding means can significantly be reduced. The relatively high initial friction force is overcome while the order of the items in the batch is still guaranteed under the influence of the supporting function realized by the supporting means. As a consequence, miss-orientation of items of the batch of items with respect to each other is reduced. Furthermore, in the situation in which the items are no longer in contact with the supporting means, the batch of items will fall freely towards the bagging unit. During the free fall of the items, the influence of the relatively low kinetic friction forces due to interaction between some of the items of the batch of items and at least an inner wall of the guiding means is small and therefore will not likely give rise to miss-orientation of items of the batch of items with respect to each other. Hence, the shape of the batch of items will remain substantially the same during its free fall towards the bagging unit. The preservation of the shape of the batch of individual items is very advantageous for the performance of the packaging process. As the batch of items stays ordered when received at the bagging unit, it can be packaged into a single packaging by the bagging unit while complying with appearance and sealing requirements for the single packaging mentioned above.

Just after the moment that the batch of individual items looses contact with the supporting means, the supporting means can be removed from the path through the guiding means without disturbing the shape of the batch of individual items. This is a significant improvement compared to a situation in which the supporting means are removed from the path when it is still in contact with at least some items of the batch of items. The contact between the supporting means and at least some of the items of the batch of items at the time of removal of the supporting means results in a distortion of the shape of the batch because the items of the batch of items that are in direct contact with the supporting means do not loose contact with the supporting means

simultaneously. However, the items of the batch of items that are in direct contact with the supporting means at a speed below the required threshold speed simultaneously loose contact with the supporting means upon being accelerated to a speed above the required threshold speed. As a result, the removal of the supporting means in the latter situation does not give rise to miss-orientation of the items of the batch of items with respect to each other and the shape of the batch is preserved.

At least one item of the batch of items can also get miss-oriented with respect to the other items of the batch if at least a part of said at least one item, for example its gripping means in the form of flaps or wings, gets stuck in any way inside the guiding means. In order to prevent this, it is advantageous for the guiding means according to the invention to have an inner surface that is free from any discontinuities, such as slits, in which any of the items of the batch could get trapped. Preferably, the batch of items to be packaged is very well confined in the guiding means that is arranged between the dispensing means of the receiving unit and the bagging unit.

A further advantage of the construction of the guiding means mentioned above is that it prevents any kind of debris from the individual items to be packaged to adhere to the inside of the guiding means and to thereby possibly clog the guiding means and/or increase friction effects. Hence, the construction of the guiding means according to the invention decreases down time of the packaging machine due to a reduction of maintenance time required to clean or to exchange the guiding means. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features mentioned above, and other features and effects of the present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to drawings in which preferred and illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown. The person skilled in the art will realize that other alternatives and equivalent embodiments of the invention can be conceived and reduced to practice without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Figure la shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a non- limiting embodiment of a unit for accelerating a batch of individual items, a so-called drop accelerator, according to the invention that is positioned between a receiving unit and a bagging unit of a standard packaging machine for packaging a batch of individual items in a single packaging such as a bag.

Figure lb shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the non-limiting

embodiment of the unit as shown in figure la along line Ib-Ib.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a non-limiting embodiment of a drop accelerator according to the invention.

Figure 3 shows a front view of the non-limiting embodiment of the drop accelerator shown in figure 2.

The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the figures identical

components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Figure la shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a non- limiting embodiment of a unit 1 for accelerating a batch 2 of individual items 3, a so-called drop accelerator 1 , according to the invention that is positioned between a receiving unit 4 and a vertical bagging unit of a standard packaging machine for packaging a batch 2 of individual items 3 in a single packaging such as a bag. The receiving unit 4 has a funnel-shaped means 6 for forming a flow of individual items 3 that are aligned with respect to each other in a direction that is advantageous for packaging the batch 2 of aligned items 3 in a single packaging. On the other hand, the receiving unit 4 is arranged for guiding the flow of aligned individual items 3 towards the vertical bagging unit or so-called vertical bagger (VFFS). Figure la further shows that the funnel-shaped means 6 is provided with a dispensing means 7 for dispensing a batch 2 of aligned individual items 3 from the flow of aligned individual items from the receiving unit 4. In the non-limiting embodiment shown in figure la , the dispensing means 7 is a shutter arrangement comprising two shutters 7a, 7b that are movable away from each other in a transverse direction of a guiding means 8 that is an elongated hollow tube in which the dispensed batch 2 of aligned individual items 3 is dropped. The elongated hollow tube 8 is arranged between the dispensing means 7 and a vertical tube 5 of the vertical bagging unit. The vertical tube 5 has a length typically in a range of 80cm- 120cm, preferably 100cm. Upon arriving at the vertical bagging unit, the batch 2 of individual items 3 is packaged in a single packaging.

The non-limiting embodiment of the drop accelerator 1 according to the invention that is shown in figure la comprises a first pair of shutters 9a, 9b as supporting means, wherein the first pair of shutters 9a, 9b is arranged at a first side of the guiding means 8. The drop accelerator 1 further comprises a second pair of shutters 9c, 9d as supporting means, wherein the second pair of shutters 9c, 9d is arranged at a second side of the guiding means 8 opposite the first side. The shutters of the first 9a, 9b and second 9c, 9d pairs of shutters mentioned above are arranged such that a first set of shutters comprising shutter 9a from the first pair and shutter 9c from the second pair of shutters is formed in order to support a batch 2 of individual items 3 at least along a part of the path through the guiding means 8 after the batch 2 has been dispensed by the dispensing means 7. The skilled person will appreciate that a second set of shutters comprising shutter 9b from the first pair of shutters and shutter 9d from the second pair of shutters is formed when the shutters 9b and 9d are in the position of shutters 9a and 9c as shown in figure la. In that latter case, the second set of shutters is capable of supporting a next batch 2 of individual items 3 at least along a part of the path through the guiding means 8 after having been dispensed by the dispensing means 7 and before they are supplied to the vertical tube 5 of the vertical bagging unit for being packaged in a single packaging. Based on the above, the skilled person will appreciate that one of the two sets of shutters is always in place to receive a newly dispensed batch of individual items by the dispensing means. As a result, the provision of two sets of shutters as described above, enables optimizing the through put of the packaging machine while preventing miss-orientation of at least one of the individual items of the batch of items when being transferred from the receiving unit 4 to the vertical tube 5 of the vertical bagging unit. Hence, by preserving the shape of the batch 2 of individual items 3 during this transfer, the performance of the packaging process is improved both regarding appearance and sealing requirements.

The non- limiting embodiment of the drop accelerator 1 that is shown in figure la further comprises a driving means 10 comprising two servomotor units 11, wherein each of these units is arranged for driving the first 9a, 9b and the second 9c, 9d pair of shutters, respectively in a linear direction at least along a part of the path through the elongated hollow tube 8. In a practical situation, it is advantageous for the length of the part of the path through the elongated hollow tube 8 along which the batch of items is accelerated until and above a certain required threshold speed to be in a range of 120 - 220 mm.

As mentioned above, it is possible for the drop accelerator to be equipped with only one set of shutters, wherein two sets of shutters are preferred due to increase of speed of the packaging process. In any case, the shutters may be driven and guided in any suitable way. For example, at each of the opposite sides of the elongated hollow tube 8, a chain may be arranged, wherein at least one shutter is arranged on the chain, wherein the chain is suspended on toothed gears, and wherein one of the toothed gears is driven by a servomotor unit 11 , which does not alter the fact that other practical ways of driving the shutters and controlling the position of the shutters are possible within the scope of the present invention. The skilled person will appreciate that instead of the abovementioned chain a timing belt can be used.

Figure lb shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the non-limiting

embodiment of the accelerator unit 1 as shown in figure la along line Ib-Ib. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a non-limiting embodiment of a drop accelerator 1 according to the invention. Figures lb and 2 respectively show that the guiding means 8 comprises a first 8a and a second part 8b which are arranged to form an elongated tube that is provided with two longitudinal slits that are configured to allow the shutter or valve elements of said respective first 9a, 9b and second 9c, 9d pairs to be driven at least along a part of said path between the receiving unit 4 and the vertical bagging unit. Figure 3 shows a front view of the non-limiting embodiment of the drop accelerator 1 shown in figure 2.

In the non-limiting embodiment of the drop accelerator 1 according to the invention shown in both figures 2 and 3, the drop accelerator 1 comprises a controller means 12 for controlling the driving means 10. The controller means 12 can be any kind of suitable control unit, e.g. an electronically pre-programmed control unit. Upon receipt of the dispensed batch 2 of individual items 3 at the supporting means 7, the control unit 12 provides a control signal to the driving means 10 for accelerating the first set of shutters 9a, 9c together with the batch 2 of individual items 3 beyond a threshold speed at which the batch 2 of individual items 3 looses contact with the first set of shutters 9a, 9c. During the acceleration of one of the sets of shutters together with the batch 2 of individual items 3 to a speed beyond the threshold speed required, the influence of friction forces due to interactions between at least some of the items 3 of the batch 2 of items and at least an inner wall of the guiding means 8 can significantly be reduced. As a consequence, miss-orientation of items 3 of the batch 2 of items with respect to each other is reduced. Furthermore, in the situation in which the items 3 are no longer in contact with one of the sets of shutters, the batch 2 of items 3 will fall freely towards the vertical tube 5 of the vertical bagging unit. During the free fall of the items 3, the influence of the friction forces due to interaction between some of the items 3 of the batch 2 of items and at least an inner side wall is small and therefore will not likely give rise to miss-orientation of items 3 of the batch 2 of items with respect to each other. Hence, the shape of the batch 2 of items will remain substantially the same during its free fall towards the vertical tube 5 of the vertical bagging unit. The preservation of the shape of the batch 2 of individual items is very advantageous for the performance of the packaging process. As the batch 2 of items stays ordered when received in the vertical tube 5 of the vertical bagging unit, it can be packaged into a single packaging by the vertical bagging unit while complying with appearance and sealing requirements for the single packaging mentioned above.

Just after the moment that the batch 2 of individual items looses contact with the shutters 9a and 9c, these shutters are removed from the path through the guiding means 8. As the items 3 are no longer in contact with the shutters 9a and 9c, the removal of the shutters 9a and 9c does not disturb the shape of the batch 2 of individual items. Hence the shape of the batch 2 of items 3 is preserved. As at least one item 3 of the batch 2 of items can also get miss-oriented with respect to the other items of the batch if at least a part of the individual packaging of said at least one item, for example its gripping means in the form of flaps or wings, gets stuck in any way inside the guiding means 8. In order to prevent this, the guiding means 8 according to the present invention has an inner surface that is free from any discontinuities, such as slits, in which any of the items 3 of the batch 2 can get trapped. Preferably, the batch 2 of items to be packaged is very well confined in the guiding means 8 that is arranged between the dispensing means 7 and the vertical tube 5 of the vertical bagging unit. The elongated hollow tube 8 has cross-sectional dimensions in a range of 40 - 90 mm such that individual items 3 can be confined within it without sticking out of the elongated hollow tube 8 in any possible way.

The batch 2 of individual items 3 can also be described as a bundle 2 of individual items 3. Friction forces between the bundle 2 of individual items 3 is a problem for the preservation of the shape of the bundle 2 during its transfer from the receiving unit 4 to the vertical bagging unit.

Upon removing the supporting means, that can be shutters or valves, when at least some items of the bundle of items are still in direct contact with the supporting means, the items that are in indirect contact with the supporting means and that are located in the middle of the guiding means, will fall down first. The items of the bundle of items that are in direct contact with at least one of the inner walls of the guiding means will experience a fnctional force that can cause miss-orientation of such items with respect to the other items of the bundle. In this way, the bundle of individual items can get disordered which is a problem for the performance of the packaging process. If a disordered bundle of items is bagged by the bagger, the appearance of the bagged disordered bundle will not meet the appearance requirements. Furthermore, an item of the disordered bundle of items can prevent meeting the sealing requirements as the miss-oriented item can prevent hermetic sealing of the packaging.

By accelerating the bundle of items and the supporting means, the initial factional forces that the items of the bundle that are in direct contact with the inner walls of the guiding means experience can be overcome. If the bundle of items is being accelerated to a speed beyond a certain required threshold speed at which the items of the bundle loose contact with the supporting means, the influence of the frictional force on the miss-orientation of items of the bundle will be negligible. The geometry and construction of the guiding means is important. Items to be guided from the receiving unit towards the bagging unit must not get stuck in any discontinuity present at the inside of the guiding means. The guiding means according to the invention does not comprise any discontinuities in the form of for example slits. The items to be packaged in the single packaging are snugly enclosed by the guiding means which can be an elongated hollow tube. In a practical situation, the bagging unit comprises a tube having cross-sectional dimensions in a range of 40 - 90 mm.

A method of accelerating a batch or bundle of individual items comprises the steps of dropping a dispensed batch of individual items on the supporting means of the drop accelerator unit, accelerating, preferably continuously, the batch of individual items together with the supporting means to a speed above a certain threshold speed at which the items of the batch of items loose contact with the supporting means, and removing the supporting means from the path through the guiding means as soon as the batch of items has lost contact with the supporting means.

It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the scope of the invention is not limited to the examples discussed in the foregoing, but that several amendments and modifications thereof are possible without deviating from the scope of the invention as defined in the attached claims. While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the figures and the description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary only, and not restrictive. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but comprises any combination of the disclosed embodiments that can come to an advantage.

Variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by a person skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the figures, and the description. In the description, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. In fact it is to be construed as meaning "at least one". For example, a driving means according to the invention should be construed by the skilled person to include one or two or any suitable number of driving means. The driving means can be a servomotor but it can be any kind of motor suitable for reaching the desired effect according to the invention. Furthermore, the mere fact that certain features are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these features cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An accelerator unit (1) for accelerating a batch (2) of individual items (3) that is dispensed from a receiving unit (4) and is to be supplied to a vertical bagging unit of a packaging machine, the accelerator unit (1) comprising

at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) that is arranged to receive at least one batch (2) of individual items (3) as dispensed from a receiving unit (4) and to support said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) at least along a part of a path between the receiving unit (4) and a vertical bagging unit; and

at least one driving means (10) that is arranged to accelerate said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) and said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) in a direction of the path between the receiving unit (4) and the vertical bagging unit.

2. The accelerator unit (1) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one driving means (10) is adapted for accelerating said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) and said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) to a speed beyond a threshold speed at which said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) and said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) loose contact with each other.

3. The accelerator unit (1) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprises a controller means (12) that is arranged to provide at least one control signal to said at least one driving means (10) for accelerating said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) and said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) upon receipt of said at least one dispensed batch (2) at said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d).

4. The accelerator unit (1) according to any one of the claims 1-3, wherein said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) and said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) are continuously accelerated.

5. The accelerator unit (1) according to any one of the claims 1-4, further comprises a guiding means (8) that is arranged to at least partially enclose the path between the receiving unit (4) and the vertical bagging unit to provide protected guiding of said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) along said path.

6. The accelerator unit (1) according to claim 5, wherein said guiding means (8) comprises an inner surface that is free from discontinuities in which any one of the individual items (3) of said at least one dispensed batch (2) is entrappable when traveling along said path between the receiving unit (4) and the vertical bagging unit.

7. The accelerator unit (1) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) is removable from said path between the receiving unit (4) and the vertical bagging unit through said guiding means (8) as soon as said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) and said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) loose contact with each other.

8. The accelerator unit (1) according to any one of the claims 5-7, wherein said at least one supporting means comprises a first pair of shutter or valve elements (9a, 9b) and a second pair of shutter or valve elements (9c, 9d), said first (9a, 9b) and second (9c, 9d) pairs are arranged at opposite circumferential positions along a circumference of the guiding means (8).

9. The accelerator unit (1) according to claim 8, wherein the shutter or valve elements of said first (9a, 9b) and second (9c, 9d) pairs are arranged to provide respective first (9a, 9c) and second (9b, 9d) sets of shutter or valve elements, each one of said first (9a, 9c) and second (9b, 9d) sets comprising a first shutter or valve element from said first pair of shutter or valve elements (9a, 9b) and a second shutter or valve element from said second pair of shutter or valve elements (9c, 9d), wherein said respective first and second shutter or valve elements of each one of said respective first (9a, 9c) and second (9b, 9d) sets are arranged to receive said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) and support said at least one dispensed batch (2) at least along a part of said path between the receiving unit (4) and the vertical bagging unit.

10. The accelerator unit (1) according to any one of the claims 1-9, wherein said at least one driving means (10) comprises at least one servomotor unit (11).

11. The accelerator unit (1) according to claim 10, wherein said at least one servomotor unit (11) is arranged to drive the shutter or valve elements of said respective first (9a, 9b) and second (9c, 9d) pairs in a linear direction at least along a part of said path between the receiving unit (4) and the vertical bagging unit through the guiding means (8).

12. The accelerator unit (1) according to any one of the claims 1-11, wherein the vertical bagging unit has a vertical tube (5) that is arranged in connection with the guiding means (8) for receiving said at least one dispatched batch (2) of individual items (3).

13. The accelerator unit (1) according to any one of the claims 5-12, wherein the guiding means (8) comprises at least a first (8a) and a second part (8b) which are arranged to form an elongated tube that is provided with at least two longitudinal slits that are configured to allow the shutter or valve elements of said respective first (9a, 9b) and second (9c, 9d) pairs to be driven at least along a part of said path between the receiving unit (4) and the vertical bagging unit.

14. A method of accelerating a batch (2) of individual items (3) that is dispensed from a receiving unit (4) and is to be supplied to a vertical bagging unit of a packaging machine, the method comprising the steps of:

dropping a batch (2) of individual items (3) as dispensed from a receiving unit (4) on at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) that is arranged to receive said at least one dispensed batch (2) and to support said at least one dispensed batch (2) at least along a part of a path between the receiving unit (4) and a vertical bagging unit; and accelerating said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) and said at least one batch (2) of individual items (3) in a direction of the path between the receiving unit (4) and the vertical bagging unit using at least one driving means (10).

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) and said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) are being accelerated continuously.

16. The method according the claim 14 or 15, wherein said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) and said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) are being accelerated to a speed beyond a threshold speed at which said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) and said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) loose contact with each other.

17. The method according to any one of the claims 14-16, further comprising the step of:

removing said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) when said at least one dispensed batch (2) of individual items (3) and said at least one supporting means (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) loose contact with each other.