Method of operating an apparatus for applying drinking straws to packaging containers and an apparatus operated by the method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10913563-B2
Application number	US-201515535224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2015
Priority date	Dec 15, 2014
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of operating an apparatus for applying drinking straws to packaging containers. The method comprises the steps of performing a first portion of a motion cycle by moving at least one applicator arm from an application position to a leaving position, said first portion being equal for successive packaging containers. The method also comprises performing a second portion of the motion cycle by moving the at least one applicator arm from the leaving position back to the application position, said second portion being adjusted to fit the pitch between successive packaging containers. The invention also relates to an apparatus operated by the method.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating an apparatus for applying straws to packaging containers, wherein the apparatus comprises:
a drive mechanism configured to convey a straw to a first position;
a conveyor configured to convey the packaging containers to a position proximate to the drive mechanism; and
an application device having at least one applicator arm and a bracket coupled to a first eccentric shaft and a second eccentric shaft, the at least one applicator arm comprising:
a first portion coupled to the bracket by the first eccentric shaft;
a second portion rotatably coupled to the first portion at a pivot point; and
a compression element, extending between the first portion and the second portion, that resiliently couples the first portion to the second portion, wherein the compression element creates a holding force,
the at least one applicator arm being configured to:
pick the straw from the drive mechanism at the first position;
move the straw to a second position in which the at least one applicator arm applies the straw to a wall of at least one of the packaging containers;
hold, with the holding force created by the compression element, the straw to the wall of the at least one of the packaging containers while moving from the second position to a third position; and
leave the straw at the third position;

wherein the method comprises:
moving the at least one applicator arm from the second position to the third position in a first motion, wherein the first motion is the same for successive ones of the packaging containers on the conveyor; and
moving the at least one applicator arm from the third position back to the second position, after passing through the first position, in a second motion, wherein the second motion is adjusted to correspond to a pitch between the successive packaging containers, and wherein the second motion is adjusted such that:
the applicator arm has a first velocity and a first acceleration at the second position; and
the applicator arm has a second velocity and a second acceleration at the third position;

wherein the first velocity, the first acceleration, the second velocity, and the second acceleration are the same for each motion cycle of the applicator arm.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises detecting the pitch between the successive packaging containers.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment of the second motion comprises adjusting a time period of the second motion to be equal to a time period required to convey the straw a distance equal to the pitch.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises, upon a detection that the pitch is shorter than a predetermined pitch value, adjusting the second motion by accelerating from the second velocity and then decelerating such that, at the second position, the first velocity and the first acceleration have been reached.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises, upon a detection that the pitch is longer than a predetermined pitch value, adjusting the second motion by decelerating from the second velocity and then accelerating such that, at the second position, the first velocity and the first acceleration have been reached.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment of the second motion is controlled by a control device, the control device being connected to a drive unit driving the drive mechanism and the application device.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising controlling the pitch between the successive packaging containers via a pitch control device, and detecting a presence of the at least one of the packaging containers via a sensor connected to the control device.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the conveyor is a first conveyor, and further comprising:
decelerating the at least one of the packaging containers to a velocity that is less than a velocity of the first conveyor via a deceleration device of the pitch control device arranged upstream of the sensor; and
accelerating the at least one of the packaging containers to a velocity that is equal to the velocity of the first conveyor via a second conveyor arranged downstream of the deceleration device and upstream of the sensor.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first velocity comprises a velocity component, in a direction of a movement of the at least one of the packaging containers, that is equal to a velocity of the at least one of the packaging containers.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second velocity comprises a velocity component, in a direction of a movement of the at least one of the packaging containers, that is equal to a velocity of the at least one of the packaging containers.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compression element is a spring, and wherein the spring is configured to allow the first portion to resiliently rotate with respect to the second portion about a pivot point.

12. An apparatus for applying straws to packaging containers, the apparatus comprising:
a drive mechanism configured to convey a straw to a first position;
a conveyor configured to convey the packaging containers to a position proximate to the drive mechanism; and
an application device including at least one applicator arm and a bracket coupled to a first eccentric shaft and a second eccentric shaft, the at least one applicator arm having:
a first portion coupled to the bracket by the first eccentric shaft;
a second portion rotatably coupled to the first portion at a pivot point; and
a compression element, extending between the first portion and the second portion, that resiliently couples the first portion to the second portion, wherein the compression element creates a holding force,
the at least one applicator arm being configured to:
pick the straw from the drive mechanism at the first position;
move the straw to a second position in which the at least one applicator arm applies the straw to a wall of at least one of the packaging containers;
hold, with the holding force created by the compression element, the straw to the wall of the at least one of the packaging containers while moving from the second position to a third position; and
leave the straw at the third position,

wherein the at least one applicator arm is configured to:
move from the second position to the third position in a first motion, wherein the first motion is the same for successive ones of the packaging containers on the conveyor; and
move from the third position back to the second position, after passing through the first position, in a second motion, wherein the second motion is adjusted to correspond to a pitch between the successive packaging containers, and wherein the second motion is adjusted such that:
the applicator arm has a first velocity and a first acceleration at the second position; and
the applicator arm has a second velocity and a second acceleration at the third position, and

wherein the first velocity, the first acceleration, the second velocity, and the second acceleration are the same for each motion cycle of the applicator arm.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising a control device, which is connected to the application device, the control device being configured to selectively control movement of the at least one applicator arm.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the control device is configured to adjust a time period of the second motion to be equal to a time period required to convey a pa

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Zarur Ashraf

Classifications

• B65B61/205

  for adding drinking straws to a container · CPC title

• B65B57/08 Primary

  and operating to stop, or to control the speed of, the machine as a whole · CPC title