Device and method for grouping containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9873571-B2
Application number	US-201414917916-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2014
Priority date	Sep 13, 2013
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

Described are a device and a method for grouping, and in particular, for sorting out containers conveyed in a container flow. Provided for this purpose are an outlet star wheel and an immediately adjoining outlet conveyor. Because the latter comprises a plurality of separately driven vehicles with positioning elements to influence the conveying position of a container relative to the container flow, and because a conveyor section is provided for the containers along which the vehicles run during the grouping of the containers, the positioning elements can be selectively positioned in a flexible manner between individual containers in order to push the containers together into container groups.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for grouping containers conveyed in a container flow with an outlet star wheel and with an immediately adjoining outlet conveyor, comprising:
a plurality of separately driven vehicles, to which are attached positioning elements to influence a conveying position of a container relative to the container flow; and
a conveyor section for the containers along which the vehicles run during the grouping of the containers, wherein the outlet conveyor selectively decelerates the vehicles along the conveyer section to at least one stipulated speed and a conveyor clearance stipulated by the outlet star wheel is reduced between containers within formed container groups and simultaneously enlarged between the formed container groups.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet conveyor drives the vehicles independently of one another to the outlet star wheel and, with the positioning elements, engages the vehicles into the container flow before and/or after an individually selectable sequence of containers.

3. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a distributing device in order to distribute container groups formed in the outlet conveyor to at least two conveying channels.

4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the distributing device comprises at least one diverting flap that engages in each gap between the formed container groups.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet conveyor further comprises a return track to return the vehicles to the outlet star wheel.

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein developed on the return track is at least one diversion area for containers to be sorted out from the container flow.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the outlet conveyor comprises at least one conveyor belt on which the containers stand during the grouping.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning elements comprise centering sections that center the containers at a right angle to the container flow during the influencing of their conveying position.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device further sorts out and/or distributes the containers.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of separately driven vehicles is driven by linear motor drives.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is for sorting out and/or distributing containers conveyed in the container flow.

12. A method for grouping and/or sorting out containers conveyed in a container flow with a device, comprising:
contacting at least a first container of a container group that is to be formed in front with a leading positioning element;
decelerating a vehicle of the leading position element; and
running the containers of the container group into one another, where the device includes an outlet star wheel and an outlet conveyor immediately adjoining the outlet star wheel, and wherein a conveyor clearance stipulated by the outlet start wheel is reduced between containers within formed container groups and simultaneously enlarged between the formed container groups.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein a last container of the container group that is to be formed is contacted from behind with a trailing positioning element, and wherein the containers of the container group are slid together.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein containers that are sorted out of the container flow are squeezed between the leading positioning element and a trailing positioning element and are conducted by the vehicle of the leading positioning element and a vehicle of the trailing positioning element into a diversion area.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the containers of the container group are further squeezed together.

16. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the containers are distributed in groups to conveying channels that are connected in parallel.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein an absence of the containers due to the containers being sorted out of the container flow is compensated for by adjusting a size of the formed container groups and/or by a weighted distribution of the formed container groups to the conveying channels in order to uniformly distribute a total number of conveyed containers to the conveying channels.

18. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the containers are bottles.

19. A device for grouping containers conveyed in a container flow with an outlet star wheel and with an immediately adjoining outlet conveyor, comprising:
a plurality of separately driven vehicles, to which are attached positioning elements to influence a conveying position of a container relative to the container flow; and
a conveyor section for the containers along which the vehicles run during the grouping of the containers, wherein the outlet conveyor further comprises a return track to return the vehicles to the outlet star wheel, and wherein developed on the return track is at least one diversion area for containers to be sorted out from the container flow.

20. A method for grouping and/or sorting out containers conveyed in a container flow with a device, comprising:
contacting at least a first container of a container group that is to be formed in front with a leading positioning element;
decelerating a vehicle of the leading position element; and
running the containers of the container group into one another, where the device includes an outlet star wheel and an outlet conveyor immediately adjoining the outlet star wheel, wherein containers that are sorted out of the container flow are squeezed between the leading positioning element and a trailing positioning element and are conducted by the vehicle of the leading positioning element and a vehicle of the trailing positioning element into a diversion area.

21. A method for grouping and/or sorting out containers conveyed in a container flow with a device, comprising:
contacting at least a first container of a container group that is to be formed in front with a leading positioning element;
decelerating a vehicle of the leading position element; and
running the containers of the container group into one another, where the device includes an outlet star wheel and an outlet conveyor immediately adjoining the outlet star wheel, wherein the containers are distributed in groups to conveying channels that are connected in parallel, and wherein an absence of the containers due to the containers being sorted out of the container flow is compensated for by adjusting a size of the formed container groups and/or by a weighted distribution of the formed container groups to the conveying channels in order to uniformly distribute a total number of conveyed containers to the conveying channels.

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Hahn Wolfgang

Classifications

• B65G2201/0244

  Bottles · CPC title

• B65B35/405

  linked to endless conveyors · CPC title

• B65G47/082 Primary

  grouping articles in rows · CPC title

• B65G54/02

  electrostatic, electric, or magnetic · CPC title

• B65G2811/0615

  Devices for arranging grouped articles in a single lane · CPC title