Device and method for transporting containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10899554-B2
Application number	US-201816614894-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2018
Priority date	Jun 2, 2017
Publication date	Jan 26, 2021
Grant date	Jan 26, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus for transporting containers along a transport route includes first and second transport elements, at least one of which comprises grippers that are radially movable in relation to a vertical machine axis about which said first transport element rotates. The said first and second transport elements define a transport route that comprises first and second transport-route sections defined by circular arcs and a third transport-route section disposed between them. The third transport-route section comprises a transport-route region that defines a course having a kink-free transition-curve section having a curvature that either only increases or only decreases.

First claim

Having described the invention and a preferred embodiment thereof, what is claimed as new and secured by letters patent is:

1. An apparatus for transporting containers along a transport route, said apparatus comprising first and second transport elements, at least one of which comprises grippers that are movable radially in relation to a vertical machine axis about which said first transport element rotates, wherein each gripper is configured to be drawn radially inward along a radius and extended radially outward along a radius of one of said first and second transport elements between a radially inner position and a radially outer position, wherein said first and second transport elements define a transport route that comprises first and second transport-route sections defined by circular arcs and a third transport-route section disposed between said first and second transport-route sections, and wherein said third transport-route section comprises a transport-route region that defines a course having a transition-curve section that is kink free and having a curvature that either only increases or only decreases.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said third transport-route section comprises first and second transition-curve sections.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said first and second transition-curve sections connect to each other at a turning point.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a transport-section region that runs in a straight line connects said first and second transition-curve sections.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said third transport-route section comprises a region that runs in a straight line and a region that runs along a transition curve section.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said transport-route sections runs between envelope curves that define a corridor that has a width of between four millimeters and ten millimeters.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said transport-route sections runs between envelope curves that define a corridor having a width of between two millimeters and five millimeters.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said transition-curve section includes a clothoid section.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said transition-curve section includes a bloss curve section.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said clothoid section is characterized by a clothoid parameter, a tangent angle, and a clothoid length, wherein said clothoid parameter, when squared and then divided by said clothoid radius, equals said clothoid length, and wherein the square root of twice the product of said tangent angle and the square of said clothoid radius is equal to said clothoid parameter.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein said clothoid parameter is selected to be between 125 millimeters and 250 millimeters.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein said clothoid parameter is selected to be between 170 millimeters and 180 millimeters.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein said tangent angle is selected to be between 0.06 radians and 0.5 radians.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein said tangent angle is selected to be between 0.1 radians and 0.4 radians.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said tangent angle is selected to be 0.2 radians.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said bloss curve section is defined by a curvature k and a radius of a connection circular arc R, wherein I is an intermediate length of said transition curve section as seen from a starting point, wherein said transition curve has a total length L, and wherein a curvature of said bloss curve section is described by

k
=

3

R
·

L
2

·

l
2

-

2

R
·

L
3

·

l
3

17. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein said clothoid length is between 50 millimeters and 250 millimeters.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a control curve configured for guiding radial movement of said grippers.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first and second transport elements are driven such as to rotate about vertical machine axes thereof.

20. A method comprising transporting a container along a transport route that comprises first, second, and third transport-route sections, said first and second transport route sections being defined by corresponding circular arcs and said third transport-route section being disposed between said first and second transport-route sections, wherein transporting said container comprises using first and second transport elements to convey said container along said transport route, a particular transport element being selected from the group consisting of said first and second transport elements, conveying said container along said third transport-route section in sections along a course that comprises a kink-free transition curve section with a curvature that either only decreases or only increases, wherein, while conveying said container, using a gripper at said particular transport element to hold said container, causing said gripper to convey said container along said transition curve section as said third transport element rotates about a vertical machine axis thereof, and while said gripper is conveying said container, causing said gripper to move radially relative to said vertical machine axis, wherein causing said gripper to move radially comprises causing said gripper to move along a radius between a radially inner position and a radially outer position, wherein said radius is that of one of said first and second transport elements, and wherein causing said gripper to move along said radius comprises one of drawing said gripper radially inward towards said radially inner position and extending said gripper radially outward towards said radially outer position.

Assignees

• Khs Gmbh

Inventors

• Fahldieck Andreas
• Ehmer Wilfried

Classifications

• B65G47/84

  Star-shaped wheels or devices having endless travelling belts or chains, the wheels or devices being equipped with article-engaging elements · CPC title

• B65G47/847 Primary

  the article-engaging elements being grippers · CPC title

• B65G47/52 Primary

  Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices (loading or unloading by means not incorporated in, or not operatively associated with, conveyors B65G65/00; transfer of workpieces during metal rolling B21B41/00) · CPC title

• B65G2201/0244

  Bottles · CPC title