Receptacle conveying and cooling apparatus, a method of operating such a receptacle conveying and cooling apparatus and a receptacle treatment machine having such a receptacle conveying and cooling apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10106281-B2
Application number	US-201815865490-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2018
Priority date	Jan 12, 2017
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

There is described a conveying and cooling apparatus ( 6, 6 ′) for conveying and cooling receptacles ( 2 ) comprising a conveying device ( 25 ) for advancing receptacles ( 2 ) along a conveying path (P 1 ), a cooling device ( 28, 28 ′) for cooling the receptacles ( 2 ). The cooling device ( 28, 28 ′) comprises a supply unit adapted to supply a cooling medium, a plurality of advancing injection nozzles ( 45 ) adapted to be in fluid connection with the supply unit and for directing a cooling medium onto the receptacles ( 2 ) and a plurality of valve members ( 46 ), each one associated to one respective injection nozzle ( 45 ) and adapted to selectively open or close the fluid connection between the respective injection nozzle ( 45 ) and the supply unit ( 40, 81 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for conveying and cooling a plurality of receptacles, the apparatus comprising:
a conveying device configured to advance the receptacles along a conveying path from a receiving station to a transfer station, wherein the conveying device includes a plurality of retaining units, each retaining unit configured to retain at least one respective receptacle during advancement of the respective receptacle along the conveying path; and
a cooling device configured to cool the receptacles, wherein the cooling device includes a supply unit for supplying a cooling medium and a plurality of injection nozzles configured to direct the cooling medium onto the receptacles for cooling the receptacles during advancement of the receptacles along at least a portion of the conveying path, and wherein:
each injection nozzle is associated with at least one respective retaining unit;
the injection nozzles are movable along a nozzle path at least partially parallel to the conveying path and through the receiving station and the transfer station;
the cooling device further includes a plurality of valve members, each valve member being associated with at least one respective injection nozzle and being adjustable between an open configuration, in which the valve member is configured to open the fluid connection between the supply unit and the respective injection nozzle, and a closed configuration, in which the valve member is configured to close the fluid connection between the supply unit and the respective injection nozzle;

a control unit configured to control operation of the conveying device and the cooling device,
wherein the control unit is configured to selectively control each valve member between the open configuration and the closed configuration during advancement of the injection nozzles between the receiving station and the transfer station.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a sensor assembly configured to determine at least one of whether a receptacle is present within the retaining units or whether a defective receptacle is present within the retaining units;
wherein the control unit is further configured to control the respective valve member or the respective valve members to be in the closed configuration when the sensor assembly determines that a receptacle is not present or a defective receptacle is present within the respective retaining unit or the respective retaining units.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit includes a first control assembly arranged in the area of the receiving station and being configured to selectively control the valve members to be in the closed or open configuration, and a second control assembly arranged in the area of the transfer station and being configured to control the valve members to be in the open or closed configuration.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling device further includes a plurality of connecting conduits, each connecting conduit being arranged between the supply unit and at least one respective valve member and being configured to establish the fluid connection between the supply unit and the respective injection nozzle.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each injection nozzle is carried by the respective valve member ( 46 ).

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each injection nozzle is arranged in the area of a bottom portion of the respective retaining unit.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein each injection nozzle is configured to direct the cooling medium onto a bottom portion of a respective receptacle retained by the respective retaining unit.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying device is adapted to advance the injection nozzles along the nozzle path.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying device includes a carousel rotatable around a central axis; and
wherein the retaining units are peripherally arranged on the carousel.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the cooling device further includes an annular tank coaxially arranged with the carousel and configured to be in fluid connection with the valve members.

11. A machine for treating a receptacle, the machine comprising:
at least one conveying and cooling apparatus according to claim 1 ; and at least one treatment apparatus configured to perform one or more treatments on the receptacles;
wherein the treatment apparatus is configured to receive the receptacles from the conveying and cooling apparatus or the treatment apparatus is configured to transfer the receptacles to the conveying and cooling apparatus.

12. A method for operating a conveying and cooling apparatus according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
advancing the receptacles along the conveying path from the receiving station to the transfer station;
advancing the injection nozzles along the nozzle path through the receiving station and the transfer station; and
selectively controlling, via the control unit, the valve members to be in the open or closed configuration during advancement of the injection nozzles between the receiving station and the transfer station.

13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
determining at least one of whether a receptacle is present within the retaining units advancing between the receiving station and the transfer station or whether a defective receptacle is present within the retaining units advancing between the receiving station and the transfer station; and
controlling the respective valve member or the respective valve members to be in the closed configuration of the respective retaining unit or the respective retaining units when a receptacle is not present or a defective receptacle is present within the respective retaining unit.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein each injection nozzle directs the cooling medium onto the bottom portion of the respective receptacle during advancement of the receptacles along at least a portion of the conveying path.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the injection nozzles follow the respective receptacles during advancement of the receptacles from the receiving station to the transfer station.

16. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first control assembly includes an interaction member configured to selectively interact with respective control elements of the valve members.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the control unit is configured to selectively control the interaction member to move between an operative configuration, in which the interaction member interacts with the respective control elements of the valve members, and a rest configuration, in which the interaction member is retracted from the control elements.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the interaction member includes:
a piston element moveable between an extracted configuration and a retracted configuration; and
an engagement element configured to cooperate with the respective control elements of the valve members.

19. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the second control assembly includes an interaction element configured to selectively interact with respective control elements of the valve members.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the interaction element includes an engagement element configured to cooperate with the respective control elements of the valve members.

Assignees

• Sidel Participations

Inventors

• Zoni Roberto
• Tegoni Tommaso

Classifications

• B29C49/66

  Cooling by refrigerant introduced into the blown article · CPC title

• B29C49/6427

  Cooling of preforms · CPC title

• B29C49/786

  Temperature · CPC title

• B29L2031/7158

  Bottles · CPC title

• B29C49/06

  Injection blow-moulding · CPC title