Device and method for distributing and grouping containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9950875-B2
Application number	US-201615043949-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2016
Priority date	Feb 20, 2015
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A device for distributing and grouping containers in a container treatment assembly, including an infeed conveyor which is configured to convey a plurality of containers in a single-lane infeed flow; an outfeed conveyor which is configured to convey the containers away in multiple lanes; and a transfer conveyor associated with the infeed and the outfeed conveyor and having a plurality of circulating guide elements for the containers; where the transfer conveyor is adapted to separate the containers in a standing position by way of the circulating guide elements from the single-lane infeed flow to the multi-lane outfeed flow by selective guiding, in particular, by pushing them forward and/or decelerating them.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for distributing and grouping containers in a container treatment assembly, comprising:
an infeed conveyor which is configured to convey a plurality of containers in a single-lane infeed flow;
an outfeed conveyor which is configured to convey the containers away in multiple outfeed container lanes; and
a transfer conveyor associated with the infeed and the outfeed conveyor and having a plurality of circulating guide elements for the containers;
the transfer conveyor being adapted to separate the containers in a standing position by way of the circulating guide elements from the single-lane infeed flow to the multi-lane outfeed flow by selective guiding;
the infeed conveyor, the transfer conveyor and the outfeed conveyor being arranged relative to each other such that the containers are transported in the standing position at least between being received from the single-lane infeed flow and delivered to the multi-lane outfeed flow; and
the transfer conveyor further comprising at least one section of the path which intersects the outfeed conveyor at an angle α which is smaller than 90°.

2. The device according to claim 1 , the infeed conveyor comprising a conveyor belt for single-lane transportation of containers.

3. The device according to claim 2 , the outfeed conveyor comprising at least one convey or belt.

4. The device according to claim 2 , the outfeed conveyor comprising a plurality of conveyor belts arranged in parallel for multi-lane transportation of containers.

5. The device according to claim 1 , the transfer conveyor comprising at least one of a group consisting of a long-stator linear motor drive with a plurality of individually and independently movable conveying devices, a belt drive, and a chain drive.

6. The device according to claim 5 , the guide elements each having at least one stop element which is adapted such that the at least one stop element by mechanical engagement with at least one container is used for decelerating the container.

7. The device according to claim 6 , the stop element being at least one of controllably lockable and controllably unlockable.

8. The device according to claim 5 , the transfer conveyor comprising the long-stator linear motor drive and each of the guide elements comprising at least one push element which is configured such that the at least one push element by mechanical engagement with at least one container is used to push forward the container in a laterally stable manner.

9. The device according to claim 8 , the transfer conveyor further comprising plurality of controllable track switches connecting a main line of the transfer conveyor to a plurality of branch lines associated with the outfeed container lanes.

10. The device according claim 1 , the outfeed conveyor further comprising a pair of long-stator linear motor drives arranged parallel to each other with a plurality of conveying devices connected to each other in pairs by a cross member.

11. The device according to claim 10 , the cross member comprising an impact bar.

12. The device according to claim 1 , the selective guiding including at least one of pushing the containers forward and decelerating the containers by the guide elements.

13. The device according to claim 1 , the outfeed convey or comprising a plurality of conveyor belts arranged in parallel for multi-lane transportation of containers.

14. The device according to claim 1 , the angle α being represented approximately by the formula cos α=ν out /ν trans with a uniform conveying speed ν out of the containers in the outfeed flow and a uniform conveying speed ν trans of the containers along the at least one section of the path of the transfer conveyor.

15. A method for distributing and grouping containers in a container treatment assembly, comprising:
supplying a plurality of containers in a single lane to a transfer conveyor;
moving the containers by the transfer conveyor along a section of a path which intersects the outfeed container lanes at an angle α which is smaller than 90°;
conveying the containers away from the transfer conveyor in multiple outfeed container lanes; and
distributing the containers away from the single-lane infeed flow to the multi-lane outfeed flow by way of the transfer conveyor;
and in distributing the containers, selectively guiding them, while the containers are transported in a standing position, by way of a plurality of circulating guide elements of said transfer conveyor;
wherein the containers are transported in the standing position at least between being received from the single-lane infeed flow and delivered to the multi-lane outfeed flow.

16. The method according to claim 15 , and separating the containers by the transfer device when the containers are received from the infeed flow.

17. The method according to claim 15 and in distributing the containers, distributing them by way of a long-stator linear motor drive with at least one of a group consisting of a plurality of individually and independently movable conveying devices, a belt drive, and a chain drive.

18. The method according to claim 17 , at least some of the plurality of individually and independently movable conveying devices being, by a plurality of controllable track switches, fed out from a main line of the transfer conveyor to a plurality of branch lines associated with the outfeed container lanes.

19. The method according to claim 15 , and in distributing the containers, the guiding includes at least one of pushing the containers forward and decelerating the containers.

20. The method according to claim 19 , where the containers are at least one of decelerated by mechanical engagement of at least one stop element of the guide elements, or pushed forward by mechanical engagement of at least one push element of the guide elements.

21. The method according to claim 15 , and feeding the containers out in multiple lanes by way of a pair of long-stator linear motor drives, the long-stator linear motor drives disposed parallel to each other and having a plurality of conveying devices connected to each other in pairs by a cross member.

22. The method according to claim 21 , and in feeding the containers out in multiple lanes by way of the pair of long-stator linear motor drives, the cross-member is an impact bar.

23. The method according to claim 21 , and in feeding the containers out in multiple lanes by way of the pair of long-stator linear motor drives, in addition to the cross-member, additional cross-members are provided to connect the pair of long-stator linear motor drives to one another, and the cross-members are at least one of a group consisting of aligned perpendicular to the transport track, decelerated, buffered, and grouped.

24. The method according to claim 15 , and in moving the containers by the transfer conveyor, the angle α is represented approximately by the formula cos α=ν out /ν trans with a uniform conveying speed ν out of the containers in the outfeed flow and a uniform conveying speed ν trans of the containers along the section of the path of the transfer conveyor.

25. A device for distributing and grouping containers in a container treatment assembly, comprising:
an infeed conveyor which is configured to convey a plurality of containers in a single-lane infeed flow;
an outfeed conveyor which is configured to convey the containers away in multiple outfeed container lanes; and

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Walter Ralf
• Elsperger Stefan
• Neubauer Michael

Classifications

• B65G47/715 Primary

  to a broader conveyor lane · CPC title

• B65G2201/0244

  Bottles · CPC title

• B65G19/02

  for articles, e.g. for containers · CPC title

• B65B21/06

  Forming groups of bottles · CPC title

• B65G47/088

  cylindrical articles · CPC title