Tray sealing machine and method for operating a gripper device on the tray sealing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11401067-B2
Application number	US-202016865531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2020
Priority date	May 3, 2019
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

A tray sealing machine comprises a gripper device including first and second tray grippers that operate together to take up trays provided by a feed unit and transport them to a sealing station that is downstream in a production direction. A speed of the first and second tray grippers in the production direction when respectively performing a closing motion from a respective initial position toward a respective closing position can be accelerated such that the speed of the first and second tray grippers in the production direction relative to a belt speed of the feed unit during a predetermined first time interval is slower than the belt speed, and during a subsequent predetermined second time interval until the respective closing position has been reached is greater than the belt speed, so that gripper fingers on the first and second tray grippers immerse into respective position windows located between the trays.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tray sealing machine, comprising a feed unit for transporting trays in a direction of production, a sealing station in the direction of production downstream of the feed unit for the production of packagings, a discharge unit in the direction of production downstream of the sealing station, and a gripper device which is configured to take up trays provided in a transport cycle at the feed unit and transport them into the sealing station for a tray sealing process therein as well as to take up packagings produced within the sealing station and transport them to the discharge unit, wherein the gripper device comprises a first gripper unit with a first tray gripper and a second tray gripper, wherein the first tray gripper and the second tray gripper are mounted synchronously to each other periodically adjustable along closed trajectories, wherein the first tray gripper and the second tray gripper are configured to perform a closing motion to take up the trays provided by the feed unit, wherein the first tray gripper and the second tray gripper are each adjustable when performing the closing motion from a respective initial position toward a respective closing position, wherein the first tray gripper and the second tray gripper are adjustable toward each other during the closing motion, at least along a predetermined motion section until the closing position has been reached, by way of a motion superimposed both in the direction of production and transverse to the direction of production in order to take up the trays provided at the feed unit, wherein the feed unit is configured to provide the trays on a conveyor belt of the feed unit so that the trays are arranged consecutively in the direction of production at a predetermined distance from each other which defines a respective position window between the trays, wherein the first gripper unit is configured such that a speed of the first tray gripper and the second tray gripper in the direction of production when respectively performing the closing motion from the respective initial position to the respective closing position can be accelerated such that the speed of the first tray gripper and the second tray gripper in the direction of production relative to a belt speed of the feed unit, which is greater than zero, during a predetermined first time interval of the predetermined motion section is slower than the belt speed and during a subsequent predetermined second time interval until the closing position has been reached is greater than the belt speed, so that gripper fingers formed on the first tray gripper and the second tray gripper are immersible into the respective position windows located between the trays provided, each along a predetermined trajectory section.

2. The tray sealing machine according to claim 1 , wherein, when performing the closing motion for taking up the trays by way of the first gripper unit, a motion of the first tray gripper and the second tray gripper in the direction of production and transverse to the direction of production as well as an advance motion of the conveyor belt of the feed unit are continuously superimposed.

3. The tray sealing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the respective gripper fingers are adjustable during the performance of the closing motion, at least during the first time interval, in a noncontact manner toward the trays along the respective trajectory section within a region of the respective position windows.

4. The tray sealing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the respective initial position of the first tray gripper and the second tray gripper is defined such that respective gripper tips of the gripper fingers are movable in the direction of production to a rear tray corner and are positioned in the direction of production at a front of a subsequent position window before the closing motion begins.

5. The tray sealing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the gripper device comprises a second gripper unit in the direction of production downstream of the first gripper unit with a third tray gripper and a fourth tray gripper, wherein the third tray gripper and the fourth tray gripper are mounted synchronously to each other periodically adjustable along closed trajectories, wherein the third tray gripper and the fourth tray gripper of the second gripper unit are configured to perform a closing motion for taking up the packagings produced in the sealing station, wherein the third tray gripper and the fourth tray gripper are each adjustable when performing the closing motion from a respective initial position toward a respective closing position.

6. The tray sealing machine according to claim 5 , wherein the first gripper unit and the second gripper unit are formed coupled to each other, so that the respective tray grippers are adjustable on common trajectories.

7. The tray sealing machine according to claim 5 , wherein the first gripper unit and the second gripper unit are formed as separate gripper units.

8. The tray sealing machine according to claim 5 , wherein the third tray gripper and the fourth tray gripper of the second gripper unit are configured to perform a release motion for the release of produced packagings to the discharge unit, wherein the third tray gripper and the fourth tray gripper are adjustable, at least along a motion section during the release motion, by way of a motion superimposed both in the direction of production as well as transverse to the direction of production away from each other in order to transfer the packagings for onward transportation to a conveyor belt of the discharge unit running in the direction of production.

9. The tray sealing machine according to claim 8 , wherein, when performing the release motion, the third tray gripper and the fourth tray gripper of the second gripper unit are each adjustable with a motion component in the direction of production which is synchronized with a motion component of the packagings transported away in the direction of production by the discharge unit.

10. The tray sealing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the first gripper unit is configured to perform a return motion to the respective initial position, wherein the respective first tray gripper and the respective second tray gripper are adjustable toward each other during the return motion, at least along a motion section until an initial position has been reached, by way of a motion superimposed both against the direction of production as well as transverse to the direction of production.

11. A method for operating a gripper device on a tray sealing machine, where trays from a feed unit are taken up by a first gripper unit and transported into a sealing station for a tray sealing process, wherein, for taking up the trays provided by the feed unit, a first tray gripper and a second tray gripper of the first gripper unit perform a closing motion with which the tray grippers are adjusted from a respective initial position toward a respective closing position, wherein the first tray gripper and the second tray gripper during the closing motion are adjusted toward each other, at least along a predetermined motion section until the closing position has been reached, by way of a motion superimposed both in a direction of production as well as transverse to the direction of production in order to take up the trays provided at the feed unit, wherein the trays are provided on a conveyor belt of the feed unit consecutively in the direction of production at a predetermined distance from each other which defines a respective position window between the trays, wherein a speed in the direction of production of the first tray gripper and the second tray gripper, when res

Assignees

• Multivac Haggenmueller Kg

Inventors

• Gabler Albert
• Buchberger Peter

Classifications

• B65B35/36 Primary

  by grippers · CPC title

• B65G2201/0258

  Trays, totes or bins · CPC title

• B65B43/52

  using roller-ways or endless conveyors · CPC title

• B65B43/46

  using grippers · CPC title

• B65G47/082

  grouping articles in rows · CPC title