Grouping unit and method to form groups of hygiene absorbent articles in a packaging machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10683116-B2
Application number	US-201615557234-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2016
Priority date	Mar 19, 2015
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

Grouping unit and method to form groups of hygiene absorbent articles in a packaging machine; a conveyor which receives the single hygiene absorbent articles in an input station is provided, which feeds the hygiene absorbent articles along a grouping path, and releases the groups of hygiene absorbent articles in an output station; wherein the conveyor has a belt which is closed so as to form a ring, is wound around at least two pulleys, and supports a plurality of blades, which extend perpendicular to the belt and delimit, between one another, respective pockets, which are each designed to hold a corresponding hygiene absorbent article; an active braking device is provided, which is arranged at the input station so as to cooperate with a pocket arranged in the input station to slow down the movement with which a corresponding hygiene absorbent article enters the pocket.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A grouping unit ( 7 ) to form groups ( 3 ) of hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) in a packaging machine ( 1 ), the grouping unit ( 7 ) comprises:
a conveyor ( 9 ), which receives, in succession, single hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) in an input station (S 1 ), feeds the hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) along a grouping path (P), and releases groups ( 3 ) of hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) in an output station (S 2 );
wherein the conveyor ( 9 ) comprises a closed belt ( 10 ) which is wound around at least two pulleys ( 11 ), and supports a plurality of blades ( 14 ), which extend perpendicular to the belt ( 10 ) and delimit, between one another, respective pockets ( 12 ), which are each designed to hold one and only one corresponding hygiene absorbent article ( 4 );
wherein a braking device ( 15 ) is provided, which is arranged at the input station (S 1 ) so as to cooperate with a pocket ( 12 ) arranged in the input station (S 1 ) in order to slow down a movement with which the corresponding hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) enters the pocket ( 12 );
wherein the braking device ( 15 ) comprises a pushing element ( 16 ), which is arranged on an inside of each pocket ( 12 ) arranged in the input station (S 1 ) to push the corresponding hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) entering the pocket ( 12 ) against a blade ( 14 ) that delimits the pocket ( 12 );
wherein the braking device ( 15 ) comprises a moving device ( 17 ), which cyclically moves the pushing element ( 16 ) between an open position and a closed position while within the pocket ( 12 ) arranged in the input station (S 1 ) and delimited by a first blade ( 14 a ) and a second blade ( 14 b );
wherein when in the open position, the pushing element ( 16 ) is closer to the first blade ( 14 a ) than the second blade ( 14 b ) so as to allow the corresponding hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) to enter a space created between the pushing element ( 16 ) and the second blade ( 14 b ) and when in the closed position, the pushing element ( 16 ) is closer to the second blade ( 14 b ) than the first blade ( 14 a ) to push the corresponding hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) against the second blade ( 14 b ); and
wherein the pushing element ( 16 ) is configured to be moved into each pocket ( 12 ) arranged in the input station (S 1 ) and subsequently moved out of each pocket ( 12 ) when the pocket ( 12 ) is conveyed away from the input station (S 1 ).

2. The grouping unit ( 7 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a braking action acting upon a hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) entering a corresponding pocket ( 12 ) in the input station (S 1 ) is absent in an initial step of an introduction of the hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) into the corresponding pocket ( 12 ) and is present only in a final step of the introduction of the hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) into the pocket ( 12 ).

3. The grouping unit ( 7 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the moving device ( 17 ) comprises:
an arm ( 18 ), which is mounted so as to rotate around a rotation axis ( 19 ) and supports the pushing element ( 16 ); and
an actuator ( 20 ), which cyclically causes the arm ( 18 ) to rotate around the rotation axis ( 19 ) in order to move the pushing element ( 16 ) between the open position and the closed position.

4. The grouping unit ( 7 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the moving device ( 17 ) is synchronized with a movement with which each hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) enters a corresponding pocket ( 12 ) arranged in the input station (S 1 ), so that the pushing element ( 16 ) reaches the closed position only when the hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) has completely entered the corresponding pocket ( 12 ).

5. The grouping unit ( 7 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the moving device ( 17 ) is synchronized with an introduction movement carried out by each hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) to enter a corresponding pocket ( 12 ) arranged in the input station (S 1 ), so that the pushing element ( 16 ) reaches the closed position when and only when the hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) has completely entered the corresponding pocket ( 12 ) and has not yet come into contact with the belt ( 10 ).

6. The grouping unit ( 7 ) according to claim 1 , wherein:
the conveyor ( 9 ) comprises two belts ( 10 ), which overlap one another, are vertically aligned, arranged at a given distance from one another and each comprising a succession of blades ( 14 ), so that each pocket ( 12 ) is delimited, on each side, by a pair of blades ( 14 ), which are vertically arranged one above the other and at a distance from one another; and
the pushing element ( 16 ) is arranged in an empty space created between the blades ( 14 ) supported by an upper belt ( 10 ) and the blades ( 14 ) supported by a lower belt ( 10 ).

7. A packaging machine ( 1 ) for hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) comprising:
a feeding unit ( 6 ) which receives the hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ), in succession, from a manufacturing machine arranged upstream from the packaging machine ( 1 );
a grouping unit ( 7 ) according to claim 1 , which receives, in succession, single hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) from the feeding unit ( 6 ) in an input station (S 1 ) and forms groups ( 3 ) of hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) that leave the grouping unit ( 7 ) in an output station (S 2 ); and
a wrapping unit ( 8 ), which receives the groups ( 3 ) of hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) from the grouping unit ( 7 ) and introduces the groups ( 3 ) of hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) into respective wraps ( 5 ) to form packs ( 2 ).

8. A grouping method to form groups ( 3 ) of hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) in a packaging machine ( 1 ), the grouping method comprises the steps of:
feeding, along a grouping path (P), a conveyor ( 9 ) comprising a closed belt ( 10 ) which is wound around at least two pulleys ( 11 ) and supports a plurality of blades ( 14 ) which extend perpendicular to the belt ( 10 ) and delimit, between one another, respective pockets ( 12 ), which are each designed to hold one and only one corresponding hygiene absorbent article ( 4 );
feeding, in succession, single hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) to corresponding pockets ( 12 ) of the conveyor ( 9 ) in an input station (S 1 );
removing groups ( 3 ) of hygiene absorbent articles ( 4 ) from the corresponding pockets ( 12 ) of the conveyor ( 9 ) in an output station (S 2 ); and
slowing down the movement with which each single hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) enters the corresponding pocket ( 12 ) arranged in the input station (S 1 ) by means of an active braking device ( 15 ), which is arranged in an area of the input station (S 1 );
wherein the braking device ( 15 ) comprises a pushing element ( 16 ), which is arranged inside of the corresponding pocket ( 12 ) arranged in the input station (S 1 ) so as to push each single hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) entering the corresponding pocket ( 12 ) against a blade ( 14 ) that delimits the pocket ( 12 );
wherein the braking device ( 15 ) comprises a moving device ( 17 ), which cyclically moves the pushing element ( 16 ) between an open position and a closed position while within the corresponding pocket ( 12 ) arranged in the input station (S 1 ) and delimited by a first blade ( 14 a ) and a second blade ( 14 b );
wherein when in the open position, the pushing element ( 16 ) is closer to the first blade ( 14 a ) than the second blade ( 14 b ) to allow each single hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) to enter a space created between the pushing element ( 16 ) and the second blade ( 14 b ), and when in the closed position, the pushing element ( 16 ) is closer to the second blade ( 14 b ) than the first blade ( 14 a ) to push each single hygiene absorbent article ( 4 ) agains

Assignees

• Gdm Spa

Inventors

• Piantoni Matteo
• Soli Valerio

Classifications

• B65B35/243 Primary

  using cooperating conveyors engaging the articles simultaneously · CPC title

• B65H2301/321

  Standing on edge · CPC title

• B65B25/145

  packaging folded articles · CPC title

• B65H2301/4474

  Pair of cooperating moving elements as rollers, belts forming nip into which material is transported · CPC title

• B65G2205/06

  Cushioned or damping stop devices, e.g. using springs or other mechanical actions · CPC title