NL2019239B1

NL2019239B1 - Tape sealer for winding adhesive tape around an object

Info

Publication number: NL2019239B1
Application number: NL2019239A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Peter Herman Maria Verdeijen Henri
Original assignee: Terra Int B V
Priority date: 2017-07-13
Filing date: 2017-07-13
Publication date: 2019-01-30
Also published as: EP3434604B1; EP3434604A2; EP3434604A3

Abstract

A method and tape sealer for winding adhesive tape around an object such that two adhesive portions of the tape contact each other. The tape sealer comprises: a housing with a passage for passing the object there through in a transport direction parallel to a plane having a first side and an opposite second side; a tape supply at the first side ofthe plane and adapted for supplying tape with its adhesive side facing the transport direction; a support and a clamping element at the second side of the plane and adapted for clamping therebetween a first portion of the tape supplied by the tape supply, wherein the clamping element is moveable towards and away from the support; and a push element with a contact surface, moveable between a first position in which the contact surface is located on the first side and a second position in which the contact surface is located on the second side, wherein in the second position the contact surface protrudes between the clamping element and the support for pressing the adhesive side of the first portion of the tape against an adhesive side of a second portion ofthe tape.

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a tape sealer for winding adhesive tape around an object such that two adhesive portions of the tape contact each other, in particular comprising a passage having an entrance and a separate exit for entry and exit of the object respectively, during transport of the object along the tape sealer in a single direction of transport. The present invention further relates to a method for sealing tape around an object. The object preferably comprises a bouquet of flowers that has been loosely placed in a bag from a sheet like material such as plastic and/or paper, wherein the tape sealer is adapted for winding adhesive tape around the bag in such a manner that the bag is more tightly arranged around the bouquet of flowers, and such that the bouquet can be picked up by only holding a sheet portion of the bag.

Background art

From EP 0 128 687 A1 a machine for closing filled bags with an adhesive tape is known, comprising a pair of endless belts which come together to form a nip and act as guide to receive an open end part of a filled bag as it is moved through the machine, a follow-up member which is movable adjacent the guide following a bag to gather together the open end of the bag, and means for supplying a length of pressure sensitive adhesive tape and holding it across the path of the gathered together end of the bag. The pressure sensitive adhesive tape is provided by a tape supply reel.

After a length of adhesive tape has been cut and tied around a bag, a free end of the tape from the tape supply reel is caught by a reciprocating gripper which places the tape from the reel in a position for closing a subsequent bag. However, when bags are closed at high speeds, e.g. 3600 bags per hour or more, the free end is likely to move unpredictably relative to the gripper and the machine, causing the gripper to miss the free end, and consequently failure of the machine to tie tape around subsequent bags.

The present invention seeks to provide a tape sealer capable of winding adhesive tape around an object at a high speeds.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tape sealer adapted for winding adhesive tape around objects having irregular outer diameters.

Summary of the invention

To this end, according to a first aspect, the present invention provides a tape sealer for winding adhesive tape around an object such that two adhesive portions of the tape contact each other, comprising: a housing with a passage for passing the object there through in a transport direction, wherein the passage defines a plane parallel to the transport direction, the plane having a first side and an opposite second side; a tape supply, arranged at the first side of the plane and adapted for supplying tape with an adhesive side thereof facing the transport direction; a support and a clamping element arranged at the second side of the plane and adapted for clamping therebetween a first portion of the tape supplied by the tape supply, wherein the clamping element is moveable towards and away from the support; and a push element with a contact surface, adapted for moving between a first position in which the contact surface is located on the first side of the plane and a second position in which the contact surface is located on the second side of the plane, wherein in the second position the contact surface protrudes between the clamping element and the support for pressing the adhesive side of the first portion of the tape against an adhesive side of a second portion of the tape. The invention thus ensures that a portion of tape running from the tape supply is always held substantially in place on the second side of the passage. That is, when the push element is in the first position, the tape is clamped between the clamping element and the support, and when the push element is in the second position, the tape is clamped between the clamping means and the contact surface of the push element, with the adhesive side of the tape contacting the clamping element and the contact surface arranged at a non-adhesive side of the tape. During movement of the push element from the second position back to the first position, the adhesive side of the tape adheres to the clamping element while the clamping element is moved back towards the support to clamp the tape. The present invention thus enables winding of tape around objects at high rates as movement of the tape at the second side remains substantially defined during use of the tape sealer. The direction of transport of the object through the passage, and the plane defined by the passage are preferably substantially horizontal. The object may thus enter the passage at an entrance of the passage, and pass along the tape sealer in the horizontal direction of transport before leaving the passage at an exit of the passage while continuing being transported in the same horizontal direction of transport.

During movement of the object along the direction of transport and against the adhesive side of the tape, additional tape is supplied from the tape supply to form a loop around the object. The total amount of tape that is wound around the object thus depends on the size of the object, so that the method is particularly suitable for winding tape around objects of which the exact outer dimensions are not known in advance. Examples of such objects are bouquets of flowers.

Once the push element is in the second position, the first and second portions of the tape are pressed against each other, and the loop around the object is closed. In general, the tape used in the tape sealer has an adhesive side and an opposite non-adhesive side.

In an embodiment the push element is arranged for moving between said first and second position in a direction substantially normal to the transport direction. This the length of the first and second portions of tape that are pressed against each other can thus be minimized. For instance, when the transport direction is horizontal, the push element is preferably arranged for moving in a vertical direction between its first and second position.

In an embodiment the tape sealer further comprises a biasing element for biasing the clamping element against the support. Though such a biasing element may be a wire spring, the biasing element preferably comprises a gas cylinder which can be actuated for moving the clamping element towards the support, until a predetermined clamping force is achieved. The force exerted by the biasing element is small enough to be overcome by the push element when the contact surface is moved from the first to the second position.

In an embodiment the tape sealer further comprises a cutting device arranged for cutting the tape at a location on the second side of the plane, preferably for cutting the second portion of the tape, more preferably for cutting the first and second portion of the tape at a location where the adhesive sides thereof contact each other. The cutting device may comprise a cutting edge that is moveable with respect to the support for cutting the tape. For instance, the cutting device may be arranged on the second side, or may be provided on the push element.

In an embodiment the cutting device comprises a cutting edge, wherein the contact surface is provided with two spaced apart abutment portions for abutting the tape and a recess adjacent to and between said abutment portions such that the tape is spanned between the abutment portions across the recess during movement of the push element from the first position to the second position, and wherein the cutting edge is arranged for cutting the tape at said recess when the push element is in the second position.

In a preferred embodiment the cutting device is arranged at a fixed position relative the support, preferably in-line with a direction of movement of the push element. Thus, when the push element is moved to the second position, the portions of tape are stretched over the groove, and eventually are cut when the groove is moved to partially accommodate the cutting edge. Movement of the cutting edge relative to the support, which is typically fixed to the housing is thus avoided, allowing particularly safe operation of the tape sealer.

In an embodiment the tape sealer further comprises an actuator for driving movement of the push element between the first and the second position. The actuator, e.g. a pneumatically or electrically actuated piston, is adapted for driving movement of the push element from the first position to the second position and/or vice versa.

In an embodiment the tape sealer further comprises an urging element for urging the object against the adhesive side of the tape in the transport direction. The urging element thus prevents the object being blocked by the tape from being moved along the transport direction. The urging element preferably is adapted for urging the object beyond a line which extends from the periphery of the tape supply at the first side of the plane to between the support and the clamping element. It is thus ensured that the object is out of the way of the push element when the push element is moved from the first to the second position. In general, two spaced apart urging elements will be provided which are moveable in conjunction and along the direction of transport from a position upstream of the support and push element to a position downstream of the support and push element.

In an embodiment the urging element is adapted to be stationary with respect to the passage during movement of the push element from the first position to the second position to press the adhesive side of the first portion against the adhesive side of the second portion. The two portions that are thus prevented from being moved by the urging element relative to each other and/or to the support when the adhesive sides of the portions are being pressed together.

In an embodiment the urging element is adapted to move the object further along the transport direction after the first and second portions of tape have been pressed against each other with their adhesive sides. The further movement of urging element helps to prevent that the object stays in the passage after the adhesive sides have been pressed together, e.g. due to an adhesive portion of the tape that has been wound around the object sticking to the support.

In an embodiment the tape sealer further comprises an actuator for driving movement of the urging element. Preferably, the urging element is motorized and the tape sealer is provided with a controller connected thereto and adapted for controlling movement of the urging element. For instance, the urging element may be provided on an endless chain that is driven an actuator in the form of an electromotor.

In an embodiment the tape sealer is provided with a conveyor arranged for sequentially transporting a plurality of objects through the passage in the direction of transport. In general the objects will be sequentially transported through the passage by the conveyor, such as an endless belt conveyor, which supports the objects during their travel through the passage from an upstream end thereof to a downstream end of the passage along the direction of transport. During this transport, each of the objects comes into contact with the facing adhesive side of a portion of tape which extends along a line from the tape supply at the first side of the plane to between the support and the clamping element. The object is then moved further along the transport direction and beyond the line, so that a portion of the loop of tape around the object is formed. Next, in order to close the loop, the push element is moved from the first position in which its contact surface is located on the first side, to the second position in which its contact surface protrudes between the clamping element and the support at the second side and presses two adhesive portions of the tape against each other to close the loop.

In an embodiment the tape sealer further comprises: a detector adapted for generating a detection signal when an object is being conveyed by the conveyor at a predetermined distance with respect to the passage; and a controller adapted for controlling the actuators to drive movement of the urging element and the push element dependent on said detection signal, preferably also dependent on the transport velocity the conveyor. Preferably the detector is arranged upstream of the urging element along the direction of transport. It is especially advantageous if the controller drives movement of the urging element such that the urging element urges the object against the adhesive tape at a velocity higher than a transport velocity of the conveyor, and such that while the push element is moved from the first to the second position to push the first and second adhesive tape portions against each other, the urging element remains substantially stationary relative to the passage. Once the push element no longer pushes the first and second adhesive portions against each other, the urging element is again controlled to move in the direction of transport than the conveyor, preferably at a higher velocity than the conveyor, to ensure that the object and any adhesive tape attached to the object exits the passage.

In an embodiment the tape sealer further comprises a tape feeding device arranged for feeding the adhesive tape to the tape supply, the tape feeding device comprising: an arm provided with a first tape reel holder rotatable around a first axis of rotation and adapted for holding a first reel of tape, wherein the arm further comprises a second tape reel holder rotatable around a second axis of rotation and adapted for holding a second reel of tape, wherein the arm is rotatable relative to the housing around a third axis of rotation that is parallel to the first and second axis of rotation; an attachment device provided with an attachment portion for holding a free end of the second reel of tape such that the non-adhesive side of said free end faces the adhesive side of tape from the first reel of tape that is fed to the tape supply, wherein said attachment portion is moveable between a first position in which the first and second tapes are spaced apart, and a second position in which it pushes the non-adhesive side of the second tape against the facing adhesive side of the first tape; and a tape cutter arranged between the first tape reel holder and the attachment portion of the attachment device, for cutting the first tape. When a tape sealer, such as a tape sealer according to the present invention, is used to wind tape around large numbers of objects per hour (3600 objects per hour or more), it is highly desirable the tape sealer operates continuously without having to be paused when a reel of tape runs out. The tape feeding device allows continuous operation of the tape sealer when the first reel runs out, by attaching the free end of the second reel of tape to the first reel of tape while tape from the first reel is still being fed to the tape supply. Once the tape from the second reel is being fed to the tape supply, the tape from the first reel is cut, and the first tape reel is replaced by a full tape reel. Next, the arm can be rotated such that the second tape reel takes the former position of the first tape reel and the full tape reel takes the former position of the second tape reel. The free end of the full tape reel may then be attached with its adhesive side to the attachment portion of the attachment device, so that it is ready to be attached to the second tape when the second tape reel reaches its end.

In an embodiment the tape sealer further comprises: an encoder arranged for providing a signal indicative of an amount of tape that has been fed from the first tape reel to the tape supply; and a controller adapted for, upon receipt of said signal from the encoder, determining whether a predetermined portion of the first reel of tape has been fed to the tape supply and if this predetermined portion has been fed to the tape supply, controlling the attachment device to move the attachment portion to the second position and controlling the tape cutter to subsequently cut the first tape. Based on the signal from the encoder and a predetermined length of the first reel of tape when it was first installed on the first tape reel holder, the controller determines whether the predetermined portion of the first reel of tape, e.g. 95%, 97%, 98% or more, but less than the complete length of the first reel of tape, has been fed to the tape supply. If this is the case, the controller controls the attachment device to attach the free end of the second tape to the first tape and controls the tape cutter to subsequently cut the first tape.

According to a third aspect the present invention provides a method for winding adhesive tape around an object such that two adhesive portions of the tape contact each other, during which the object is moved along a transport direction through a passage which defines a first plane parallel to the transport direction, the first plane having a first side and an opposite second side, and the tape having an adhesive side and an opposite non-adhesive side, the method comprising the steps of:

- supplying tape from a tape supply that is arranged at the first side of the first plane to the second side of the first plane, with the adhesive side of the tape facing the transport direction;

- on said second side, clamping a first portion of the tape between a support and a clamping element such that a middle portion of the tape, which extends between from tape supply to the support and the clamping element, is held taut within a second plane and such that the adhesive side of the first portion of the tape faces the clamping element;

- moving the object along the transport direction from a side upstream of the second plane to a side downstream of the second plane, such that the object is pressed against the adhesive side of the tape;

- when the object is on the side downstream of the second plane, moving a push element, which is provided with a contact surface arranged for contacting the non-adhesive side of the tape, from a first position in which the contact surface is located on the first side of the first plane and a second position in which the contact surface is located on the second side of the first plane, wherein in the second position the contact surface protrudes between the clamping element and the support for pressing the adhesive side of the first portion of the tape against an adhesive side of a second portion of the tape. The direction of transport of the object towards the middle portion of the tape is preferably substantially horizontal, while the second plane is preferably substantially vertical. The push element preferably moves downwards from the first position to the second position and parallel to the second plane.

In an embodiment the object is arranged on a conveyor for moving the object in the transport direction with a first velocity, and wherein an urging element is provided for urging the object against the adhesive side of the tape; the method comprising:

- when the object is within a predetermined range from the second plane, moving the urging element at a second velocity greater than the first velocity thus urging the object along the transport direction from the side upstream from the second plane to the side downstream of the second plane, wherein the urging element is held stationary with respect to the passage during movement of the push element from the first position to the second position. When the urging element moves faster than the conveyor, it urges the object against the adhesive side of the middle portion of the tape, beyond the second plane. In order to prevent excessive stress on the tape during movement of the push element, movement of the urging element is stopped while the push element is moved from the first to the second position. The averages of the first velocity and the second velocity during travel of an object through the passage, i.e. the average conveyor velocity and average velocity of the urging element, including the time the urging element does not move, are preferably equal.

Short description of drawings

The present invention will be discussed in more detail below, with reference to the attached drawings, in which

Figs. 1A and 1B schematically show a perspective view of a tape sealer according to the invention, and a top view of a portion thereof;

Fig. 2 schematically shows a side view of the tape sealer of Fig. 1A;

Figs. 3A-3B schematically show the tape sealer of Fig. 2, with the push element in the first position;

Figs. 4A-4B schematically show the tape sealer of Fig. 2, with the push element in the second position;

Figs. 5A-5B schematically show the tape sealer of Fig. 2, while withdrawing the push element from the second position to the first position;

Figs. 6A-6D each show schematically a side view of a tape sealer according to the invention, provided with a tape feeding device for replacing tape reels during continuous operation of the tape sealer;

Fig. 7 schematically shows a side view of a tape sealer according to the invention, provided with an actuator for driving movement of the clamping element of the tape sealer.

Description of embodiments

Figs. 1A and 1B respectively show a schematic perspective view of tape sealer 10 according to the present invention, and a top view of a portion thereof viewed along plane IB-IB. The tape sealer 10, here shown arranged along an endless conveyor 18, comprises a housing 12 with a passage 14 which extends along direction of transport T of the conveyor 18. Bouquets of flowers 16, each surrounded by a bag 13, are transported by the conveyor 18 such that ends of the bouquets and bags pass through the passage 14 of the tape sealer 10. People may be present in the vicinity of the tape sealer, e.g. for picking up bouquets around which tape has been wound, from the conveyor 18. The housing protects people from moving partsand pinch points of the tape sealer, in particular from those parts of the tape sealer which are powered by actuators, such as urging elements and push elements which will be described below in more detail. Besides the main conveying surface 17, the conveyor 18 comprises a conveyor cable 19 which is spaced apart from the main conveying surface 17 and arranged for supporting the ends of the bouquets 16. The conveyor cable 19 moves with a same velocity as the conveyor surface 17 in the direction of transport T. Together the conveyor surface 17 and conveyor cable 19 move the bag 13 in which the bouquet of flowers 19 is placed in the direction of transport T towards an adhesive side of a portion of tape 26, see Fig. 1B.

Fig. 1B schematically shows a top view of a part of a tape sealer 10 along plane IB-IB of Fig. 1A. The tape sealer is provided with a push element 36, see also Fig.2, which in Fig. 1B is shown in a position in which it contacts the non-adhesive side of the tape 26 and pushes two portions of the tape with their adhesive sides against each other between the push element 36 and a stationary support 40. The manner in which the two portions are pressed together will be described in greater detail below. The tape 26 extends such that it is intersected by a substantially vertical plane P2, with the adhesive side of the tape directed towards the object 16. On either side of the plane P2 and the tape 26, urging elements 46 are arranged, for moving the along the transport direction T to urge the object against the adhesive side of tape 26. The urging elements 46 ensure that movement of the object along the transport direction is not blocked by the tape.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a cross-sectional side view of the tape sealer 10 of Figs. 1A and 1B. The passage 14 defines a first plane P1, extending in the transport direction T and in the lateral direction Y. The first plane P1, which substantially coincides with the support surface of the conveyor 18, defines a first side 21, here an upper side, and a second side 22, here a lower side. At the first, upper, side 21, a tape supply 43 is provided for supplying the tape 26. The tape supply 43, here in the form of a roller attached to the push element 36, is arranged for receiving tape from a reel of tape 71 that is held on tape reel holder 32. Rollers 34 guide transport of the tape from the reel of tape 71 to the tape supply 43. The tape 26 runs from the tape supply 43 along the push element 36 to a contact surface 48 of the push element, with its adhesive side facing away from the push element 36. The tape extends from the tape supply 43 at the first side 21 of the plane P1 to the second side 22 of plane P1 where a first portion 56 the tape is held clamped between the support 38 and clamping element 40. The support 38 is stationary with respect to the housing and the passage, while the clamping element is biased against the support by a spring 42 which is attached at on end to the clamping element and is fixed at its other end to the housing 12.

An actuator 37, here in the form of hydraulic cylinder 37 which is connected to the push element and to the housing 12, is provided for moving the push element 36 along vertical direction Z. The actuator is thus arranged for driving movement of the contact surface 48 of the push element from the first side 21 to the second side 22 of the plane P2 and to a position between the clamping element 40 and the support 38. As the push element is moved from the first position to the second position, it contacts a portion of the tape 26, guiding said portion along with it through the first plane P1 to be clamped between the support 38 and the clamping element 40.

In order to prevent the transport of the bouquet 16 along the transport direction T from being blocked by middle tape portion 57 which traverses the passage 14, an urging device 44 is provided to apply a force in the transport direction T on the bouquets 16 lying on the conveyor 18. The urging device 44 is powered by electromotor 45 and comprises an endless chain to which the urging elements 46 are attached. The chain and the support surface of the conveyor 18 are spaced sufficiently apart to prevent contact between the objects and the chain.

A detector 80 is provided along the conveyor upstream from the passage 14 for detecting a bouquet of flowers 16 during its transport to the passage 14. Such detectors are known in the art and may comprise a mechanical switch that is actuated by a bouquet, an optical sensors, and the like. When the detector 80 detects a bouquet at a predetermined distance from the passage 14, it sends a signal to a controller 82. Based on this signal, the controller 82 determines when actuator 45 of the urging device 44 should be activated to press the detected bouquet 16 against middle portion 57 of the tape 26. Based on this signal, the controller 82 also controls actuator 37 for moving the push element, so that the tape sealer is only activated when

Fig. 3A schematically shows the tape sealer 10, with the push element 36 in a first position in which its contact surface is arranged on the first side 21 of plane P1. The push element is arranged for closing a loop of adhesive tape around a bouquet flowers 16 which has been pressed against the adhesive side 28 of the tape 26 by urging elements 46. The urging elements 46 have urged the object just beyond the push element 36, i.e. just past plane P2, so that the push element can be moved downward without passing through the object 16.

Fig. 3B shows a detail of section 111B of Fig. 2A, but without the urging device for reasons of clarity. As the bouquet of flowers 16 has been pressed against the adhesive side 28 of the middle portion 56 of the tape, the tape 26 on the first side 21 partially follows the curvature of the contact surface 48 of the push element 36, with the non-adhesive side 30 of the tape 26 contacting the push element. On the second, lower, side 22 of the plane P1 portion 56 of the tape 26 is held clamped between the support 38 and the clamping element 40. The clamping element 40 comprises a cylinder 50 which contacts the adhesive side of a first portion 56 of the tape. In order to prevent the tape 26 from winding itself around the cylinder 50, the latter is fixed with respect to the clamping element 40.

A cutting device 52 having a cutting edge 54 is mounted on the support 38 at side of the support which contacts the tape 26. The cutting edge 54 is directed the contact surface 48 of the push element 36. When the push element is moved to the second position, the cutting edge thus cuts the tape that is spanned between two abutment portions in the contact surface 48 across groove 60.

Fig. 4A schematically shows the tape sealer 10, with the push element 36 moved to a second position in which its contact surface is arranged on the second side 22 of the plane P1. In the second position the contact surface of the push element 36 pushes the support 38 and the clamping element 40 apart. At the same time adhesive sides of tape portions 56, 58 of the tape 26 are pressed against each other between the contact surface 48 and the support 38.

Fig. 4B shows a detail of section IVB, for reasons of clarity again without the urging device. The push element 36 presses the adhesive side of the first portion 56 against the adhesive side of the second portion 58, which lies along the support 38. Thus the adhesive side of portions 56 and 58 stick together and close off a loop of tape around the object 16. When the push element is moved further down, the groove 60 across which the tape is spanned moves towards the cutting edge 54, so that the cutting edge 54 extends partially into the groove and cuts the tape spanning the groove.

Figs. 5A and 5B schematically show the tape sealer 10 after the tape has been cut, and a detail of section VB of Fig. 5A. The figures show the push element 36 partially moved back towards the first position. The cut-off portion of tape 27 forms a closed loop around the object 16. The free end 25 of the tape 26 that is still attached to the reel of tape, is left in between the support 38 and the clamping element 40. During movement of the push element back 36 to the first position, the free end 25 is held in place, first between the contact surface 48 and the cylinder 50 of the clamping element 40, and subsequently between the support 38 and the cylinder 50.

Figs. 6A-6D schematically illustrate a tape sealer 10 according to the invention, further provided with a tape feeder 170 which allows continuous operation of the tape sealer, even when a roll of tape runs out. Though the tape feeder 170 is here shown in combination with the tape sealer of the invention, it will be appreciated that the tape feeder can be used separate from the tape sealer and/or with other kinds of tape sealers instead. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to like structures.

Fig. 6A shows the tape sealer 10 provided with a tape feeding device 170 which feeds adhesive tape 126 from a first reel of tape 171 to the tape supply 43. The first reel of tape 171 is held on a first tape reel holder 131 that is arranged at the end of an arm 173 which is rotatable relative to the housing 12 around an axis a3. On an opposite end of the arm 173 a second tape reel holder 132 is arranged which holds a second reel of tape 172 that is to be used when the first reel of tape 171 has been used up. The first tape reel holder 131 and second tape reel holder 132 are rotatable around respective first axis of rotation a1 and second axis of rotation a2. The arm 173 is rotatable around the third axis of rotation a3 which extends parallel to the first and second axes a1, a2 and is arranged therebetween. Though tape 126 from the first reel of tape 171 and/or tape 126’ the second reel of tape 172 may be fed to the tape supply 43 such that the non-adhesive side of the tape is in contact with the roller of the tape supply 43, in Fig. 6A only tape 126 from the first reel of tape is fed to the tape supply, i.e. only the first reel of tape is connected to the tape supply 43.

An encoder 180 is arranged for measuring an amount of tape that has been fed to the tape supply 43 from the tape that presently connected to the tape supply. The encoder 180 sends a signal to a controller 182, which controller determines whether the reel of tape 174 that is currently connected to the tape supply is almost finished based upon the signal and predetermined information on the length of tape on the tape reel when no tape has yet been rolled off. The controller 182 further controls movement of an attachment device 176 and a tape cutter 178. The attachment device 176 is pivotably attached to the housing at point 179 and is provided with a roller 177 to which the adhesive side of the free end the second tape 126’ from the second reel of tape 172 is attached. The device 176 is adapted to be rotated relative to the housing in such a manner that, upon receipt of a control signal from the controller 182, the roller is moved in direction A to attach the free end of the second tape 126’ the adhesive side 128 of the tape 126 of the first reel of tape 171. The rotation may be driven in any manner known in the art, e.g. by an electrically or pneumatically powered actuator and/or by a biasing element, such as a spring, arranged for biasing the roller in the direction A.

Upon rotation of the device 176, the non-adhesive side of the second tape 126’ is thus pressed against the adhesive side of the first tape 126. The roller 177 is further moveable along longitudinal direction a direction B in which the tape is fed to the tape supply along the attachment device, so that the tape 126’can be attached to tape 126 without having to pause supply of tape to the tape supply. When the controller has determined that the tape on roll 171 has almost run out, it controls the attachment device to attach the tape 126’ to tape 126 during continued operation of the tape sealer.

Fig. 6B schematically shows the tape sealer 10 of Fig. 6A, but without the housing. Here, portion 177 of the attachment device pressing the second tape 126' onto the tape 126. After the free end of the second tape 126’ coming from the second reel of tape 175 is stuck to the adhesive side 128 of the tape 126 of the first reel of tape 174, the end 177 of the attachment device 176 moves along in direction B with both tapes 126, 126’ while pressing the tapes together.

Fig. 6C schematically shows the tape sealer 10 of Figs. 6A-6B, after moving the portion 177 has moved along direction B with the tapes 126, 126’ and the tapes have been firmly pressed against each other. Next, a tape cutter 178, which is arranged between the attachment device 176 and the position where the first reel holder 132 is located, is activated by the controller 182 to move in direction C in order to cut the tape 126 from the first reel 171.

Fig. 6D schematically shows the tape sealer 10 of Figs. 6A-6C, after cutting the tape 126 by the cutter 178. The arm 173 has been rotated around its axis of rotation a3 in direction D, so that the first and second tape reels have interchanged their positions with respect to their respective positions in Fig. 6C. The direction of rotation D is such that the reel of tape 175 which is connected to the tape supply 43 moves initially in a direction towards the tape supply 124, and such that the empty, first reel of tape 174 does not interfere with the tape 126’ that extends from the second reel of tape 175 to the tape supply 124. The attachment device 176 and the cutter 178 have been moved back to their initial positions shown in Fig. 6A.

The first reel of tape which is not connected to the tape supply 43 and now has a free end 126 can be replaced with a new reel of tape, with the free end of the new reel attached with its adhesive side to portion 177 of the attachment device 176. All of this can be done while the tape sealer 10 remains in operation, enabling continuous operation of the tape sealer during tape replacement.

Fig. 7 schematically shows a tape sealer 10, similar to the one depicted in Fig. 2, in which like reference numbers refer to like components. However, instead of a spring for biasing the clamping element 40 towards the support 38, a pneumatic cylinder is provided that is connected to a pressurized air supply. When the cylinder is provided with pressurized air it pushes the clamping element 40 towards the support 38. Release of pressurized air from the cylinder can be regulated by means of an adjustable valve, preferably an adjustable throttle valve. By adjusting the adjustable valve, the duration of time and/or force for biasing the clamping element against the support can easily be set. The use of a pneumatic cylinder thus offers the advantage that the force that must be overcome in order to move the clamping element away from the support when the cylinder is not being actuated, is easily adjustable.

The pneumatic cylinder 84 is connected to the controller 82 which controls it to move the clamping element towards the support when the push element 36 is moved from the second position back to the first position. In this way, when the push element is in the first position, stable clamping of tape between the clamping element and the support is ensured.

The present invention has been described above with reference to a number of exemplary embodiments as shown in the drawings. Modifications and alternative implementations of some parts or elements are possible, and are included in the scope of protection as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

Conclusions

A tape valve (10) for wrapping adhesive tape around an object (16) such that two adhesive portions of the tape contact each other, comprising:

a housing (12) with a passage (14) for passing the object therethrough in a conveying direction (T), the passage defining a plane (P1) parallel to the conveying direction (T), the plane having a first side ( 21) and has an opposite second side (22);

a tape feed (24) arranged on the first side (21) of the face (P1) and adapted to feed tape (26) with an adhesive side thereof (28) facing the transport direction (T);

a support (38) and a clamping element (40) arranged on the second side (22) of the face (P1) and adapted to clamp a first portion (56) therebetween of the tape supplied by the tape feeder, the clamping element ( 40) is movable towards and away from the support (38); and a push element (36) with a contact surface (48) adapted to move between a first position in which the contact surface (48) is on the first side (21) of the face (P1) and a second position in which the contact surface ( 48) is on the second side (22) of the face (P1), with the contact surface (48) between the clamping element (40) and the support (38) protruding around the adhesive side of the first portion of the pushing tape against an adhesive side of a second portion (58) of the tape.

The tape valve of claim 1, wherein the push member (36) is arranged to move between the first and second position in a direction substantially normal to the conveying direction (T).

The tape valve of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a cutting device (52) arranged for cutting the tape at a position on the second side (22) of the face (P1), preferably for cutting the second portion of the tape, more preferably for cutting the first and second portions of the tape at a position where the adhesive sides thereof contact each other.

The tape valve of claim 3, wherein the cutting device (52) comprises a cutting edge (54), wherein the contact surface is provided with two spaced apart abutment portions for abutting the tape and a recess (60) adjacent to and between the abutment portions such that the tape is tensioned between the abutment portions over the recess during movement of the push member from the first position to the second position, and wherein the cutting edge is arranged to cut the tape at the recess when the push member enters the second position.

A tape valve according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the cutting edge is at a fixed position with respect to the support.

A tape valve according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an actuator (37) for driving movement of the push member (36) between the first and second position.

Tape valve according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a penetrating element (46) for urging the object (16) in the conveying direction (T) against the adhesive side of the tape.

A tape valve according to claim 7, wherein the penetrating element (46) is arranged to be stationary with respect to the passage (14) during movement of the pushing element (36) from the first position to the second position about the adhesive side of the pressing the first portion against the adhesive side of the second portion.

The tape valve of claim 7 or 8, wherein the penetrating element (46) is adapted to further move the object along the conveying direction (T) after the first and second tape portions are pressed against each other with their adhesive sides.

The tape valve of claim 7, 8 or 9, further comprising an actuator (45) for driving movement of the urging element (46).

A tape valve according to any one of the preceding claims, provided with a conveyor (18) arranged for conveying a plurality of objects in series through the passage (14) in the conveying direction (T).

The tape valve of claim 11 when dependent on claims 6 and 10, further comprising:

a detector (80) adapted to generate a detection signal when an object is transported by the conveyor (18) at a predetermined distance from the passage; and a control device (82) adapted to control the actuators (45, 37) to drive movement of the urging element and the pushing element in dependence on the detection signal.

The tape valve of any preceding claim, further comprising a tape feeder (170) arranged to feed the adhesive tape to the tape feeder (24; 124), the tape feeder comprising:

an arm (173) provided with a first tape roll holder (131) rotatable about a first pivot axis (a1) and adapted to hold a first roll of tape (171), the arm further comprising a second tape roll holder (172) comprises rotatable about a second axis of rotation (a2) and adapted to hold a second roll of tap (172), the arm (173) being rotatable relative to the housing about a third axis of rotation (a3) parallel to the first and second axis of rotation;

a mounting device (176) provided with a mounting part (177) for holding a free end of the second roll of tape (172) such that the non-adhesive side of the free end faces the adhesive side of the tape of the first roll of tape (171) supplied to the tape feeder (43), the attachment member (177) being movable between a first position in which the first and second tapes are spaced apart, and a second position in which it is the non-adhesive side presses the second tape against the adhesive side of the first tape (126) facing there;

a tape cutting device (178) arranged between the first tap roller holder and the mounting device (177) for cutting the first tape.

The tape valve of claim 13, further comprising:

an encoder (180) arranged to provide a signal indicative of an amount of tape supplied from the first roll of tape (171) to the tape feed (43); and a driver (182) adapted to, upon receiving the signal from the encoder, determine whether a predetermined portion of the first roll of tape has been supplied to the tape feeder and if this predetermined portion has been supplied to the tape feeder, the mounting device (176) to move the mounting part (177) to the second position and driving the tape cutter (178) to subsequently cut the first tape.

A method of wrapping adhesive tape around an object such that two adhesive portions of the tape make contact with one another, wherein during the method the object is moved along a conveying direction (T) through a passage defining a first plane (P1) parallel to the transport direction (T), wherein the first face (P1) has a first side (21) and an opposite second side (22), and the tape has an adhesive side and an opposite non-adhesive side, the method comprising the steps of includes:

feeding tape from a tape feed (24) arranged on the first side (21) of the face (P1) to the second side of the face (P1), with the adhesive side of the tape facing the conveying direction (T);

on the second side, clamping a first portion (56) of the tape between a support (38) and a clamping element (40) such that a center portion (57) of the tape extending from the tape feed (43) to between the support (38) and the clamping element (40), is held tight in a second plane (P2) and such that the adhesive side of the first tape portion (56) faces the clamping element (40);

moving the object along the conveying direction (T) from a side upstream of the second plane (P2) to a side downstream of the second plane (P2) such that the object is pressed against the adhesive side of the tape;

when the object (16) is on the downstream side of the second plane (P2), moving a push member (36) provided with a contact surface (48) arranged to make contact with the non-adhesive side of the tape, from a first position in which the contact surface (48) is on the first side (21) of the first surface (P1) to a second position in which the contact surface (48) is on the second side (22) of the face (P1), wherein in the second position the contact surface (48) between the clamping element (40) and the support (38) protrudes around the adhesive side of the first tape portion (56) against an adhesive side of a second tape portion (58) to push.

The method of claim 15, wherein the object is placed on a conveyor (18) for

5 moving the object at a first speed in the conveying direction, and wherein a penetrating element (46) is provided for urging the object against the adhesive side of the tape, the method comprising:

when the object is within a predetermined range of the second plane (P2), moving the penetrating element (46) at a second speed greater than the first speed thus urging the object (16) along the transport direction (T) from the upstream side of the second plane (P2) to the downstream side of the second plane; and wherein the penetrating element (46) is held stationary with respect to the passage (14) during movement of the pushing element (36) from the first position to the second position.

Pl

ΙΠΒ

VB ίΝ