GB2364290A

GB2364290A - Device for supplying blister strips to a cartoning machine

Info

Publication number: GB2364290A
Application number: GB0112813A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Karl Frauhammer; Manfred Hellbach; Frank Mueller
Original assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Current assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Priority date: 2000-05-27
Filing date: 2001-05-25
Publication date: 2002-01-23
Anticipated expiration: 2021-05-25
Also published as: FR2810633A1; DE10026497A1; FR2810633B1; GB2364290B; SE0101811L; GB0112813D0; SE0101811D0

Abstract

A device (10) for supplying blister strips (6) from a stamping instrument (15) onto the conveyor belt (40) of a cartoning machine consists of a base station (11) and a grouping station (13) connected to the base station (11). In the base station (11) there are arranged suction rotors (17) for depositing the stamped-out blister strips (6) onto a blister-transport belt (20) and also replenishing shafts (28) and segregating shafts (24). In the event of an increase in the number of blister strips (6) arranged side by side in the blister strand (5) replenishing shaft (33) and segregating shaft (36), in the region of the grouping station (13), interact with an additional track (27) of transport belt (20) for replacing defective blister strips (6) on track (27). Tracks (25-27) of transport belt (20) may each have a separate drive unit. Strips (6) are preferably transferred from belt (20) to the cartooning machine by a push-across rotor (38).

Description

2364290 Device for supplying blister strips to a cartoning machine

Description

The invention relates to a device for supplying blister strips to a cartoning machine, according to the preamble to Claim 1. In a known device of this type, two blister strips arranged side by side in the blister strand are stamped out simultaneously in each instance and are conveyed in the direction of a cartoning machine. The structure of the known device is such that in a base station, in which the stamping instrument is also arranged, the upward channelling of defective blister strips is effected via segregating shafts and the replenishing of good blister strips is effected from replenishing shafts. The base station is adjoined by a grouping station with a blister-transport belt projecting partially into the base station. The grouping station, which - like the base station has its own machine housing, further has an instrument for stacking the blister strips on top of one another as well as a push- across instrument which, in each instance, pushes a certain number of blister strips stacked on top of one another, for example two blister strips, across between carriers of a conveyor belt which is an integral part of the downstream cartoning machine.

The known device is designed for the purpose of processing blister strands up to a certain width. Now if, by reason of a reduced width of the blister strips, three blister strips, for example, arranged side by side are to be processed instead of two blister strips arranged side by side in the blister strand, appropriate replenishing and segregating possibilities in the event of defective blister strips arising have to be provided, inter alia, for the additional blister-strip track.

The object of the invention is to develop the known device further in such a way that, with as few structural alterations as possible, said device can be used universally in the sense of a modular system for the processing of blister strips of varying width and consequently for the processing of a varying number of blister strips arranged side by side in the blister strand. This means, in particular, that use is to be made of a base station that is as unchanged as possible or that is changed only slightly in its basic structure. This object is achieved by means of the device with the characterising features of Claim 1.

The device according to the invention has the advantage that the base station can persist in largely unchanged form in the event of an increase in the number of blister strips arranged side by side in the blister strand. Changes are required merely in respect of the stamping instrument of said base station and the transfer elements leading to the blistertransport belt. However, these changes do not give rise to a substantially enlarged construction space of the base station and can be adapted in relatively simple manner to the respective application. The base station can therefore be regarded substantially as a standardised unit. The essential adaptation to the respective application, in particular the provision of additional eliminating and replenishing possibilities for additional blister tracks, is effected in the grouping station, in which a relatively large amount of construction space and length is available.

Other advantageous further developments of the device according to the invention are specified in the dependent claims. It is advantageous to arrange the additional replenishing and segregating elements centrally in the grouping station, as the width of the grouping station can then be kept constant, and good accessibility from all sides can be guaranteed. The use of separate drive units for the individual tracks of the blistertransport belt has the advantage that timely provision of the blister strips for the upthrust shafts is made possible by virtue of the possibility of the change in the angular position of the individual tracks of the blister-transport belt.

An example of an embodiment of the invention is represented in the drawing and is elucida ted in greater detail below. Illustrated are:

Figure 1: a simplified longitudinal section through a device according to the invention and Figure 2: a greatly simplified representation of the device according to Figure I for the purpose of clarifying the mode of operation thereof, in perspective representation.

The device 10 which is represented in Figure I comprises a base station, designated by 11, with a machine housing 12, and a grouping station 13 adjoining the base station 11, with a machine housing 14. The two machine housings 12, 14 are preferably rigidly connected to one another. In the base station 11 a top web 3 is sealed onto a bottom web I which is filled with tablets or the like and which comprises cups 2. This composite, which is designated in the following as the blister strand 5, subsequently reaches the region of a stamping instrument 15 in which, in each instance, three blister strips 6 arranged side by side in the blister strand 5 are stamped out. The stamped-out blister strips 6 are placed between carriers 19 of a blister- transport belt 20 by a draw-off instrument 18 comprising three suction rotors 17. The suction rotors 17,, which execute a cycloidal trajectory, are rigidly coupled to one another and, in the embodiment example, each comprise three suction arms 22.

If, in the course of the preceding manufacturing process, cups 2 were to have been recognised by the control instrument of the device 10 as being imperfectly sealed or if a corresponding section of the blister strand 5 were to have been recognised by the control instrument of the device as being defective, the corresponding blister strip 6 is not placed onto the blister-transport belt 20 by the coffesponding suction arm 22 of the draw-off instrument 18 but is emitted directly into a segregating instrument 23 with, in the embodiment example, two segregating shafts 24. However, this only applies to the two outer suction rotors 17, or tracks 25, 26 - as the conveying path of the blister strips 6 along the device 10 will be called in the following. It is also conceivable to provide a common segregating shaft 24 for the two tracks 25, 26.

In contrast, the segregation of defective blister strips 6 pertaining to the central track 27 is effected, as will be elucidated, in the region of the blister-transport belt 20.

In order to replace defective blister strips 6 which have been emitted into the segregating shafts 24, so that the blister-transport belt 20 is loaded in gap-free manner, a replenishing shaft 28 with good blister strips 6 is arranged above each of the two segregating shafts 24 and above the corresponding suction rotors 17.

Corresponding to the three tracks 25 to 27, the blister-transport belt 20 has three separate conveyor compartments 29 to 31 which are each driven by a separate drive unit which is not represented, preferably by a servomotor. Above the central conveying compartment 30 or the central track 27 there is arranged a further suctio n rotor 32 which serves to eliminate defective blister strips 6 pertaining to the central track 27. Furthermore, in the region above the suction rotor 32 there is located a further replenishing shaft 33 with good blister strips 6 for the replacement of segregated blister strips 6 pertaining to the central track 27. The arrangement of the suction rotor 32 is such that it can receive a defective blister strip 6 from the conveying compartment 30 of the central track 27 and supply it to a further segregating instrument 35 with a segregating shaft 36 and -5 discard it there. The discarded blister strip 6 is replaced by a good blister strip 6 from the replenishing shaft 33.

For each of the conveying compartments 29 to 31 the blister-transport belt 20 is adjoined by an upthrust shaft 37, into which the blister strips 6 which are each conveyed on the conveying compartments 29 to 31 are inserted. The upthrust shafts 37 interact with a push-across rotor 38, the function of which is, in each instance, to push a certain number of blister strips 6 out of the respective upthrust shaft 37 across between carriers 39 of a conveyor belt 40 assigned to a cartoning machine. To this end, the push-across rotor 38 comprises three push-across arms 41 each offset by 120' in relation to one another, so that the push-across arms 41 come to engage the upthrust shafts 37 at respectively different times.

In the course of the finther rotation of the push-across rotor 38, the blister strips 6 are firstly drawn off from the respective upthrust shafts 37 by the push-across arms 41 and are subsequently displaced transversely, i.e. in the plane of the drawing of Figure 1, and introduced between the carriers 39 of the continuously revolving conveyor belt 40.

In supplement it will be mentioned that, instead of segregating shafts 34, 36, the segregating instruments 23, 35 may also be constructed differently or in varied manner. For instance, it is conceivable to make use of vacuum suction belts which accept the defective blister strips 6 from the suction rotors 17, 32 and subsequently guide them to a discarding space. This solution has the advantage that the blister strips 6 can be conveyed from the vacuum suction belt to an arbitrary point.

Claims

1. A device (10) for supplying blister strips (6) to a cartoning machine, with a base station (11) which comprises at least one stamping instrument (15) for the purpose of separating out blister strips (6) from a blister strand (5), transfer elements (17) for transporting and depositing the blister strips (6) from the stamping instrument (15) onto tracks (25, 26, 27) of a blister-transport belt (20) and replenishing elements (28) and segregating elements (24) for defective blister strips (6), and with a grouping station (13) connected to the base station (11), which has a push-across instrument (38) for the purpose of delivering stacked blister strips (6) to a conveyor (40) assigned to the cartoning machine, characterised in that with a view to adaptation in the event of an increase in the number of blister strips (6) which are arranged in each instance side by side in the blister strand (5) and which are to be stamped out, additional replenishing (33) and segregating (35) elements interacting with the additional track or tracks (27) of the blistertransport belt (20) are arranged in the grouping station (13).

2. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that in the event of an increase from two to three blister strips (6) arranged side by side in the blister strand (5) the blister-transport belt (20) is supplemented by an additional central track (27) and in that the replenishing element (33) and the segregating element (35) are arranged in register with the central track (27).

3. Device according to Claim I or 2, characterised in that the individual tracks (25, 26, 27) of the blister-transport belt (20) each comprise a separate drive unit, in particular a servomotor, and in that the position of the individual tracks (25, 26, 27) relative to one another is capable of being changed.

4. Device according to one of Claims I to 3, characterised in that the pushacross instrument takes the form of a push-across rotor (38) with a number of push-across arms (41) corresponding to the number of tracks (25, 26, 27), said Ppush-across arms being arranged in offset manner on the push-across rotor (38).

5. Device according to one of Claims I to 4, characterised in that the replenishing elem ents are replenishing shafts (28, 33) and the segregating elements are segregating shafts (23, 35).

6. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the base station (11) and the grouping station (13) each comprise a separate machine housing (12, 14).

7. A device for supplying blister strips substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.