Device and method for grouped feeding of containers to a cyclical processing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10968048-B2
Application number	US-201816763069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2018
Priority date	Nov 20, 2017
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus for grouped take-up and feeding of a container-group of containers to a cyclical processing machine having a cyclical take-up device for taking up the group of containers includes an intake, a feed, and a transfer apparatus arranged in a transfer region between the intake and the take-up device. The intake forms a closed conveyor section that comprises a linear section, a conveyor, and carrying-and-holding elements that convey containers in a continuous container stream along the conveyor section. The feed uses mechanical propulsion to convey suspended containers to individually transfer the suspended containers to the carrying-and-holding elements. The transfer apparatus has rotatable grippers for taking up a container group from the container stream and after having taken up the group of containers, feeding the group of containers to the cyclical take-up device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for grouped take-up and feeding of a group of containers to a cyclical processing machine having a cyclical take-up device for taking up said group of containers, said apparatus comprising an intake, a feed, and a transfer apparatus that is arranged in a transfer region between said intake and said take-up device, wherein said intake forms a closed conveyor section that comprises a linear section and comprises a conveyor and carrying-and-holding elements, wherein said carrying-and-holding elements cooperate to convey containers in a continuous container stream along said conveyor section, wherein said feed uses mechanical propulsion to convey suspended containers to individually transfer said suspended containers to said carrying-and-holding elements, wherein said transfer apparatus comprises grippers for simultaneously taking up a group of containers from said continuous container stream at said linear section and after having taken up said group of containers, feeding said group of containers to said cyclical take-up device, and wherein each of said grippers rotates about a vertical axis-of-rotation thereof.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of said grippers is configured to grip a container at or above a container neck thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said grippers are configured to pivot about their respective vertical axes-of-rotation in synchrony with one another.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said grippers are rotated to match movement of containers along said linear section.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said grippers of said transfer apparatus are arranged to remain along a line that is parallel to and at a distance from said linear section, wherein each gripper of said transfer apparatus takes up a container from a corresponding gripper on said intake.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said transfer apparatus comprises a common drive that drives all of said grippers to cause all of said grippers to rotate together.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each gripper comprises two mutually opposed gripper arms, each of which has a free-end region, wherein said free-end regions enclose a gripper opening for introducing and holding a neck of container between said two gripper arms.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of said grippers has a gripper-opening axis that extends from its vertical axis-of-rotation in a direction that is perpendicular to said vertical axis-of-rotation and passes between mutually-opposed gripper arms of said gripper, said gripper arms having free ends that define an opening for engaging a container's neck.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a circulating conveyor that holds said carrying-and-holding elements such that said carrying-and-holding elements face laterally outwards from said conveyor section and project from said conveyor section.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said conveyor comprises carriage elements and a conveyor chain having chain links, and wherein said carrying-and-holding elements are secured to said chain links.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said conveyor comprises carriage elements and a conveyor rail, and wherein said carrying-and-holding elements are secured to said carriage elements respectively.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said conveyor comprises a rail and a plurality of drawing modules, wherein each of said drawing modules comprises a drive, and wherein said drive is a controllable servomotor that propels said drawing module along said rail.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said conveyor comprises a conveyor rail and a plurality of drawing modules, wherein each drawing module has an assigned electromagnetic drive unit, wherein each drawing module comprises carriages, each of which has a magnetic structure selected from the group consisting of a permanent magnet and a ferromagnetic material, and wherein said electromagnetic drive unit causes said drawing module to move along said conveyor rail independently of all other drawing modules.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said conveyor comprises a drawing module that comprises as many carrying-and-holding elements as there are containers in said group of containers and wherein said drawing module moves said carrying-and-holding elements as a unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said suspended containers are suspended from neck rings thereof.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each gripper comprises arms that lie in a first horizontal plane and each carrying-and-holding element suspends a container from a second horizontal plane that is vertically offset from the first horizontal plane thereby enabling said gripper to execute an interference-free pivot inward into said continuous container stream.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each gripper comprises an opening axis that is perpendicular to said gripper's vertical axis-of-rotation, wherein rotating said gripper causes said opening axis to transition from lagging behind a container that is to be gripped by said gripper to catching up to said container.

18. A method for using an apparatus for grouped take-up and feeding of a group of containers to a cyclical processing machine having a cyclical take-up device for taking up said group of containers, said apparatus comprising an intake, a feed, and a transfer apparatus that is arranged in a transfer region between said intake and said take-up device, wherein said intake forms a closed conveyor section that comprises a linear section and comprises a conveyor and carrying-and-holding elements, causing said carrying-and-holding elements to convey containers in a continuous container stream along said conveyor section, causing said feed to mechanically propel suspended containers to individually transfer said suspended containers to said carrying-and-holding elements, causing grippers of said transfer apparatus to rotate as said grippers simultaneously take up a group of containers from said continuous container stream at said linear section, and after said grippers have taken up said group of containers, causing said grippers to rotate to feed said group of containers to said cyclical take-up device, wherein causing a gripper to rotate comprises causing said gripper to rotate about a vertical axis-of-rotation of said gripper.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein causing said grippers to rotate about vertical axes-of-rotation thereof comprises causing all of said grippers to rotate about their respective vertical axes-of-rotation together by the same amount.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising causing said carrying-and-holding elements to move continuously along said closed conveyor section while said grippers rotate about their respective vertical axes-of-rotation.

Assignees

• Khs Gmbh

Inventors

• Niehr Thomas
• Singur Igor
• Vorwerk Jürgen Franz

Classifications

• B65G47/082

  grouping articles in rows · CPC title

• B65G47/32

  Applications of transfer devices {(such devices per se B65G47/74)} · CPC title

• B65G47/847

  the article-engaging elements being grippers · CPC title

• B65G54/02 Primary

  electrostatic, electric, or magnetic · CPC title

• B65G47/908

  with inflatable picking-up means (inflatable gripping members on load engaging elements for cranes B66C1/46) · CPC title