Device and method for transporting and handling containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10265906-B2
Application number	US-201515302626-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2015
Priority date	Apr 10, 2014
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for transporting and handling containers, in particular containers made of a thermoplastic material. The containers are transported from an inlet point ( 41 ) to an outlet point ( 30 ) in a transport direction by the transport device. The transport device has at least one handling device ( 26 ) which moves in the transport direction for handling one or more of the containers in a simultaneous manner in particular, and the handling device ( 26 ) is arranged in a movable manner relative to the transport device in order to move in a direction which deviates from the transport direction. The invention is characterized in that the transport device has at least one motor ( 32, 34, 37 ), by means of which the at least one handling device ( 26 ) can be moved in a motor-driven manner in the direction which deviates from the transport direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transport device for transporting and handling containers in a transport direction between an input point and an output point of a blow-molding machine, said transport device comprising:
a transfer wheel that is rotatable about a central axis by a motor; and
a plurality of handling devices that are configured to rotate together with the transfer wheel;
wherein each of the plurality of handling devices comprises
a carrying arm having a longitudinal axis and an end, and
a handling element arranged on the end of the carrying arm,

wherein each handling element is configured to independently handle one of the containers,
wherein each carrying arm is movable linearly in directions parallel to its longitudinal axis by and with respect to a linear motor arranged on the transfer wheel and associated with said carrying arm, and
wherein each carrying arm is also pivotable on a pivot axis that is parallel to the central axis by a torque or servo motor arranged on the transfer wheel and associated with said carrying arm.

2. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of handling devices is individually movable using at least one of the linear motor and the torque or servo motor from an operational position into a safety position.

3. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein movement of each of the plurality of handling devices is controlled by a separately assigned control device.

4. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one sensor or a sensor array is provided for determining a position and/or a setting of each of the plurality of handling devices.

5. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein movement of at least a few of the plurality of handling devices relative to one another is synchronized by at least one central control device or by communication of a plurality of control devices with one another and/or with sensors.

6. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one handling element is a gripper or a transport mandrel.

7. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein a treatment station for containers is arranged between the input point and the output point.

8. The transport device according to claim 7 , wherein the treatment station is selected from the group consisting of a heating device, a blow-molding device, a filling device, a sterilization device, an inspection device, a cleaning device, a locking device and a labeling device.

9. A blow-molding machine comprising a transport device according to claim 1 .

10. A method for transporting and handling containers in a transport direction between an input point and an output point of a blow-molding machine, said method comprising:
providing a transport device according to claim 1 ;
rotating the transfer wheel using the motor;
gripping the containers, one at a time, at the input point; and
sequentially releasing the containers, one at a time, at the output point;
wherein each individual container is gripped by the handling element arranged on the end of the carrying arm of one of the plurality of handling devices rotating with the transfer wheel as the individual container is transported from the input point to the output point via rotation of the transfer wheel.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising pivoting at least one carrying arm of one of the plurality of handling devices that is not gripping a container on a pivot axis that is parallel to the central axis by a torque or servo motor associated with said carrying arm.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising moving at least one carrying arm of one of the plurality of handling devices that is not gripping a container from an operational position into a safety position using at least one of the linear motor and the torque or servo motor associated with said carrying arm.

13. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising separately controlling movement of each of the plurality of handling devices using a separately assigned control device.

14. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising determining a position and/or a setting of each of the plurality of handling devices using at least one sensor or a sensor array.

15. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising synchronizing the movement of at least a few of the plurality of handling devices relative to one another using at least one central control device or using communications with a plurality of control devices with each other and/or with sensors.

16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein gripping is carried out using a gripper or a transport mandrel.

17. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising treating the containers in a treatment station as they are being transported between the input point and the outpoint point.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the treatment station is selected from the group consisting of a heating device, a blow-molding device, a filling device, a sterilization device, an inspection device, a cleaning device, a locking device and a labeling device.

Assignees

• Khs Corpoplast Gmbh

Inventors

• Gerhards Martin
• Herklotz Thorsten
• Klatt Dieter

Classifications

• B29C49/42073

  Grippers · CPC title

• B29C49/42075

  with pivoting clamps · CPC title

• B65G47/842

  the article-engaging elements being grippers · CPC title

• B65G2201/0247

  Suspended bottles · CPC title

• B29C49/06

  Injection blow-moulding · CPC title