WO2002008061A1

WO2002008061A1 - Device for sealing the upper end of one or more storage spaces arranged in individual sections of a ribbon

Info

Publication number: WO2002008061A1
Application number: PCT/SE2001/001540
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tor ÖSTERBERG
Original assignee: CONVOLUTOR AB
Current assignee: CONVOLUTOR AB
Priority date: 2000-07-13
Filing date: 2001-07-04
Publication date: 2002-01-31
Anticipated expiration: 2003-01-13
Also published as: SE0002656L; SE0002656D0; AU2001267997A1

Abstract

A ribbon (3) provided with depressions arranged one after the other and constituting storage spaces (4) is sealed by a sealing mechanism (6), driven from above. The invention consists of ad riving device for a sealing mechanism (6) that is placed in such a way that the sealing mechanism (6) is driven from below. This enables several units in accordance with the invention to co-operate with a filler robot (9).

Description

DEVICE FOR SEALING THE UPPER END OF ONE OR MORE STORAGE SPACES ARRANGED IN INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS OF A RIBBON

The present invention relates to a device for sealing the upper end of one or more storage spaces arranged in individual sections in a ribbon. Such ribbons are previously known and are sealed by covering the ribbon, on the side where the openings to the storage spaces are located, with a ribbon in the shape of a foil. If both ribbons are made of plastic, a sealing unit that moves at right angles to the two ribbons is employed, sealing the openings by means of a heating procedure. The two ribbons are placed one over the other when the ribbons pass through the sealing unit and the two ribbons run along a transport track. The sealing unit in known devices is arranged above or alongside the transport track, conferring substantial width and height to the device, which is a disadvantage.

The object of the present invention is to create a device the width of which is as small as possible and this is achieved by placing the driving device for the sealing unit below the transport track and by it having a width preferably corresponding to the width of the transport track. This means that several devices can be placed alongside one another in a very small space and this is a great advantage, especially when open storage spaces are to be filled with filler. The driving unit for the sealing unit is preferably arranged as a plug-in unit, having one or two arms that move up and down, thereby allowing the sealing unit to contact both ribbons and disengage from both ribbons. The sealing ribbon can suitably be arranged immediately above the transport track for the ribbons. The ribbon with the open spaces is arranged in a cassette roll. In addition, there is a cassette for sealed storage spaces. The cassette roll and the roll being wound, as well as the sealing unit, are suitably arranged on a unit that is displaceable in the axial direction and journalled on a stand. The two rolls are suitably arranged at the end of the transport track that discharges sealed storage spaces. The ribbon with the open storage spaces runs underneath the transport track for those parts of the ribbon that are to be filled with filler. The winding spool and the sealing unit move intermittently, which thus means that the sealing unit and the roll being wound are immobile when sealing takes place. When the sealing procedure is completed, the ribbon with the storage spaces is moved along one step and, thereafter, a further sealing procedure takes place with the winding part and feeder device remaining stationary.

A unit for filling open storage spaces with filler is arranged upstream of the sealing device. The filling procedure is synchronized with the movement of the ribbon.

Because of the modest width of the unit, several devices can be placed alongside one another, enabling the use of a robot that supplies all the devices arranged alongside one another with filler. Several devices in accordance with the present invention can be placed around a robot, thus allowing a robot to be used in a particularly advantageous way. To further automate the manufacture of a ready-sealed ribbon, the cassette roll can be replaced with a machine into which new ribbon is introduced and passed through one or more punching devices, so that the machine delivers a ribbon provided with storage spaces that is introduced directly into the device at the point where the cassette roll was previously placed.

The ribbons can be made of any desired materials whatsoever, provided that they are suitable for manufacturing a ribbon with storage spaces and a ribbon for sealing purposes. Thus, the ribbon with the storage spaces can be made of plastic and the sealing ribbon can consist of a plastic foil, the sealing occurring by means of a procedure involving heating and cooling. It is also conceivable to use ribbons of aluminium and the sealing is then provided by a heating procedure so that coalescence occurs.

Further characteristics of the present invention are disclosed in the claims set out below.

An example of the present invention will be described with reference to the appended drawings, where

Figure 1 illustrates a displaceable unit in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 illustrates a sealing unit in the unit in accordance with Figure 1 , and Figure 3 shows several displaceable units co-operating with a filler robot. Each device in accordance with the present invention comprises a stand 1. At its top end, the stand 1 carries a displaceable unit 2 that is displaceable in the axial direction and can be set in the desired location. The unit has a transport track for a ribbon 3, having storage spaces 4, and for a sealing ribbon 5, arranged above the transport track. This is provided with a sealing unit 6 that can be moved up and down relative to the transport track when a ribbon 3 with storage spaces 4 provided with a ribbon 5 for sealing it passes the sealing unit 6. The sealing unit 6, which is provided with two arms that can be lowered, is connected to a driving device that moves the sealing unit 6 up and down, that is into contact with the two ribbons 3 and 5 and out of contact with the two ribbons. The driving device for the sealing unit 6 is arranged in a unit that can be designed as a plug-in unit and also be provided with driving devices for the ribbon 3 with storage spaces 4. It is also possible to place the sealing unit with other known devices where the sealing mechanism is driven by superpositioned driving devices, which can then be removed. The ribbon 3 with storage spaces 4 is wound on a cassette roll 7, located in the displaceable unit, which is arranged in front of the expulsion opening for sealed storage spaces. These are reeled onto a winding spool 8 that can be located above the cassette spool 7. The winding spool 8 has a driving device and the driving device for advancing the ribbon 3 with storage spaces is also controlled, as is the sealing unit 6. The driving devices for advancing the ribbon 3 and for moving the winding spool 8 act simultaneously and these are stationary when the sealing unit 6 is performing a sealing process. As the two spools 7 and 8 for the ribbon 3 with storage spaces are arranged one above the other, the unfilled part of the ribbon will move below and parallel to the part of the ribbon that is to be filled with filler.

Instead of having a cassette spool 7 with a ribbon provided with spaces, the device can alternatively be supplied with a ribbon provided with filling space emerging from a machine that in turn is supplied with a flat ribbon that passes through one or more punching procedures to produce a ribbon with storage spaces. At the end opposite the end provided with the cassette and winding spools 7 and 8, a device with filler material is arranged that is controlled relative to the movement that the ribbon with storage spaces is subjected to. The number of empty storage spaces upstream of a sealing unit can constitute a rather large part of the transport track, which means that there are no difficulties whatsoever with filling the storage spaces. Further, this presents the advantage that several devices in accordance with the present invention can be placed alongside one another and in close proximity to each other, which enables all the devices to have their storage spaces filled by a single robot 9. The devices 2 in accordance with the present invention can then be arranged in such a way that they are placed around a robot 9, each radial unit having two displaceable units immediately adjacent to each other.

In one way or another, each device in accordance with the present invention is provided with an individual characteristic, also featured by the filler product and by the ready-made ribbon. If a faulty filling unit is discovered, this facilitates the identification of the wound roll that is filled in an incorrect way, with an incorrect filler.

The great advantage with the present invention is that a device in accordance with the present invention is no wider than a transport track. Another advantage is that the transport track is arranged in a unit that is displaceable in the axial direction on a stand, which simplifies the adjustment procedure. Yet another advantage is that the driving device for the sealing unit and for the ribbon with storage spaces is arranged in a single unit in the shape of a plug-in unit. In fact, the plug-in unit is the essential driving unit in the device, which enables the device to be repaired very quickly.

Claims

CLAI MS

1. A device for sealing the upper end of one or more storage spaces (4) arranged in individual sections of a first ribbon (3), where, the sections are arranged one after the other and separable from each other, in which the material of the ribbon (3) is such that the ribbon (3) from a flat condition can be formed with storage spaces, and in which the first ribbon (3) is combined with a second ribbon (5), thus sealing storage spaces in sections of the ribbon arranged one after the other, filler being added to the first ribbon (3) before contact with the second ribbon (5), whereupon the two ribbons (3 and 5), whilst in contact with each other, pass through a sealing unit (6) that seals each section of the first ribbon with the second ribbon by means of a movement towards and away from the two ribbons, characterized in that said sealing unit (6) is set in motion by a driving device located below the transport track.

2. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that either one of the ribbons (3 or 5) consists of plastic, aluminium, or of any material suitable for the purpose.

3. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the sealing unit (6) and the driving device form a single unit, preferably designed as a plug-in unit.

4. A sealing device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the last-mentioned unit comprises drive arrangements for the first ribbon (3).

5. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the two ribbons (3 and 5) are introduced into the sealing unit from individual cassette rolls (7).

6. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that a sealed ribbon is reeled onto a winding roll (8).

7. A sealing device as claimed in any one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that both rolls (7 and 8) for the first ribbon (3) are located on the side of the device where sealed ribbon sections are expelled.

8. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that all the rolls (7 and 8) are located on a displaceable unit (2) together with the sealing unit (6), which displaceable unit (2) is arranged on a stand (1).

9. A sealing device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that an apparatus (9), such as a robot for supplying filler, is placed on the other side.

10. A sealing device as claimed in claims 8 and 9, characterized in that a number of stands can be placed around a supply apparatus.

11. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the cassette roll (7) is replaced with a forming machine, into which is introduced a flat ribbon that is provided with said storage spaces in the machine, whereupon the formed ribbon is introduced into the device.