Labeling apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10994885-B2
Application number	US-201916359203-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2019
Priority date	Mar 21, 2018
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to a labeling apparatus having a conveyor belt for transporting packages, having a labeler to apply labels to the packages from below, and having a pullout apparatus that comprises a pullout that is supported via a pullout guide at a stationary pullout carrier and that is linearly travelable relative thereto between a retracted end position and an extended end position, wherein the labeler is positioned on the pullout, and wherein the pullout apparatus is configured such that the location of the retracted end position of the pullout is adjustable. The pullout apparatus comprises a motor-driven adjustment unit to set the location of the retracted end position of the pullout.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A labeling apparatus comprising:
a conveyor belt for transporting packages,
a labeler to apply labels to the packages from below, and
a pullout apparatus that comprises a pullout that is supported via a pullout guide at a stationary pullout carrier and that is linearly travelable relative thereto between a retracted end position and an extended end position, wherein the labeler is positioned on the pullout, wherein the pullout apparatus is configured such that a location of the retracted end position of the pullout is adjustable, and wherein the pullout apparatus comprises a motor-driven adjustment unit to set the location of the retracted end position of the pullout.

2. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 1 ,
further comprising a control device that is configured to control the motor-driven adjustment unit of the pullout apparatus such that the location of the retracted end position of the pullout relative to the conveyor belt is set in dependence on a predefined dispensing position of the labels to be applied.

3. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 2 ,
further comprising a storage device in which a plurality of dispensing positions for labels and/or packages of different dimensions are stored, with a control unit being adapted to select the predefined dispensing position from the stored dispensing positions.

4. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the motor-driven adjustment unit comprises a threaded spindle and an electric motor driving the threaded spindle.

5. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 4 ,
wherein the threaded spindle comprises a threaded rod and a spindle nut.

6. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 5 ,
wherein a traveling of the pullout between the retracted end position and the extended end position takes place on the basis of a corresponding traveling of the spindle nut.

7. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 5 ,
wherein the pullout is axially fixedly coupled to the threaded rod such that an axial movement of the threaded rod and thus of the pullout takes place with a fixedly held the spindle nut fixedly held and with the electric motor activated.

8. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 7 ,
wherein the pullout is axially fixedly coupled to the threaded rod via a housing of the motor-driven adjustment unit such that an axial movement of the threaded rod and thus of the pullout takes place with the spindle nut fixedly held and with the electric motor activated.

9. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 7 ,
further comprising a security against retraction that releases the axially fixed coupling of the pullout to the threaded rod when a force acting on the pullout and acting against the retraction exceeds a predefined amount on an automated retraction from the extended position into the retracted position.

10. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 9 ,
wherein the security against retraction comprises the threaded rod being rotationally fixedly coupled to the electric motor, and being axially movable, with the threaded rod actuating a safety switch against the force of a spring on an exceeding of the predefined amount.

11. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the pullout apparatus comprises a further drive to travel the pullout in an automated manner between the retracted end position and the extended end position.

12. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 11 ,
wherein the further drive is formed as one of a pneumatic cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder.

13. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 12 ,
wherein the further drive has a fixedly arranged housing and a piston arranged axially movably therein.

14. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 13 ,
wherein an operating pressure of the pneumatic cylinder amounts to a maximum of 3 bar.

15. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 13 ,
wherein a spindle nut of a threaded spindle of the motor-driven adjustment unit is axially fixedly coupled to the piston so that an axial movement of the motor-driven adjustment unit of the motor-driven adjustment unit and thus of the pullout takes place with the further drive activated.

16. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 15 ,
further comprising a security against extension that releases the axially fixed coupling of the spindle nut to the piston when a force acting on the pullout and acting against the extension exceeds a predefined amount on an extension from the retracted end position into the extended end position.

17. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 15 ,
further comprising a security against extension that releases the axially fixed coupling of the spindle nut to the piston when a force acting on the pullout and acting against the extension exceeds a predefined amount on the extension from the retracted end position into the extended end position on the basis of a corresponding traveling of the piston.

18. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 16 ,
wherein the security against extension comprises the coupling of the spindle nut to the piston comprising a magnetic coupling between a magnet and an entrainer, with the magnetic coupling releasing on an exceeding of the predefined amount.

19. The labeling apparatus in accordance with claim 1 ,
wherein the conveyor belt comprises two conveyor belt sections arranged behind one another and spaced apart from one another such that a gap through which the labels can be applied to the packages from below is formed between the two conveyor belt sections.

20. A weighing conveying apparatus comprising a first conveyor belt, a weighing belt, and a labeling apparatus, the labeling apparatus comprising:
a second conveyor belt for transporting packages,
a labeler to apply labels to the packages from below, and
a pullout apparatus that comprises a pullout that is supported via a pullout guide at a stationary pullout carrier and that is linearly travelable relative thereto between a retracted end position and an extended end position, wherein the labeler is positioned on the pullout, wherein the pullout apparatus is configured such that a location of the retracted end position of the pullout is adjustable, and wherein the pullout apparatus comprises a motor-driven adjustment unit to set the location of the retracted end position of the pullout.

Assignees

• Bizerba Se & Co Kg

Inventors

• Kraft Martin
• Weckenmann Kevin
• Struecker Florian

Classifications

• B65C9/42

  Label feed control · CPC title

• B65C1/02 Primary

  Affixing labels to one flat surface of articles, e.g. of packages, of flat bands · CPC title

• B65C9/00

  Details of labelling machines or apparatus {(attaching articles to carriers B65B15/00; cards of samples G09F5/04)} · CPC title