Method and system for arranging a plurality of articles moved in a mass flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9579693-B2
Application number	US-201214358288-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2012
Priority date	Nov 28, 2011
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and a system ( 1 ) for arranging a plurality of articles moved in at least one mass flow (M 1 , M 2 ). Articles designed identically in respect of an allocation feature (A, B, C) are fed to a separate buffer station (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) from the at least one mass flow (M 1 , M 2 ) and stored in the buffer station (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ). A specified compilation (Z 1 , Z 2 ) of articles is then formed wherein stored articles are removed from one or more of the buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) in consideration of the specified compilation (Z 1 , Z 2 ) and forwarded and/or guided to a handling station ( 10 ) in a defined sequence and/or arrangement.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
processing with at least one processing station ( 14 , 14 ′, 14 ″) or manufacturing with at least one manufacturing station ( 17 ), a plurality of containers wherein each container has one or more allocation features (A, B, C),
feeding the plurality of containers into at least one mass flow (M 1 , M 2 ) and moving the plurality of containers from the at least one mass flow (M 1 , M 2 ) through a first delivery unit or transfer unit ( 3 ),
feeding containers identically designated in respect to at least one allocation feature (A, B, C) to separate buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) from the first delivery unit or transfer unit ( 3 ) and storing the containers in the buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ),
removing containers with the same allocation feature from the separate buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) to a lane end section (E 1 , E 2 , E 3 ) located downstream from each of the buffer stations,
forwarding the containers from the lane end sections (E 1 , E 2 , E 3 ) to a second delivery unit or transfer unit ( 3 ′) in a defined sequence or arrangement to form a specified compilation (Z 1 , Z 2 ) of containers, and
transferring the specified compilation (Z 1 , Z 2 ) of containers to one or more horizontal conveying devices, which lead toward a handling station ( 10 ),
wherein, when the number of containers stored in one or more buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) falls below a certain number, outputting a signal from a control unit (S) to the at least one processing station ( 14 , 14 ′, 14 ″) or the at least one manufacturing station ( 17 ), wherein the signal identifies the one or more buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) which require additional containers, and
subsequent to receiving the signal from the control unit, the at least one processing station ( 14 , 14 ′, 14 ″) or the at least one manufacturing station ( 17 ) processes or manufactures at least one container having the allocation feature (A, B, C) of the one or more buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) which require additional containers, and then feeding the processed or manufactured containers having the allocation feature (A, B, C) of the one ore more buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) which require additional containers into the at least one mass flow (M 1 , M 2 ) and then feeding the containers having the allocation feature (A, B, C) of the one ore more buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) which require additional containers to the one or more respective buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) which number of containers fell below the certain number.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the allocation features (A, B, C) of each of the containers is recorded by a sensor before the containers are fed to the buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) or before the specified compilation (Z 1 , Z 2 ) is formed.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein containers identically designated in respect to at least one allocation feature (A, B, C) are fed from the mass flow (M 1 , M 2 ) through the first delivery unit or transfer unit ( 3 ) to separate lanes (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ), and then fed to the separate buffer stations (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) along the respective lanes (G 1 , G 2 , G 3 ).

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein multiple containers with a different allocation feature (A, B, C) are conveyed together in the at least one mass flow (M 1 , M 2 ).

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one processing station ( 14 , 14 ′, 14 ″) comprises a labeling apparatus, a filling apparatus, a container manufacturing apparatus, or combinations thereof.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein a plurality of parallel processing stations ( 14 , 14 ′) is provided for processing the containers and wherein the containers are forwarded or guided to respectively one of the processing stations ( 14 , 14 ′).

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the containers are forwarded to the respective processing station ( 14 , 14 ′) or guided to the respective processing station ( 14 , 14 ′) in dependence on their allocation feature (A, B, C).

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Hausladen Wolfgang
• Mayer Josef
• Deglmann Josef
• Jogsch Michael

Classifications

• B07C5/38 Primary

  Collecting or arranging articles in groups · CPC title

• B65G47/846

  Star-shaped wheels or wheels equipped with article-engaging elements · CPC title

• B07C5/362

  Separating or distributor mechanisms (switches for postal sorting B07C3/065; particular discharging devices for B65G47/74) · CPC title

• B65G47/261

  Accumulating articles · CPC title

• B07C5/3412

  according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication (sorting according to size measured by light-responsive means B07C5/10; sorting according to optical properties B07C5/342; for packages B65D79/02; for information carriers G06K7/00) · CPC title