WO2015055390A1

WO2015055390A1 - Arrangement for a packaging-container handover

Info

Publication number: WO2015055390A1
Application number: PCT/EP2014/070255
Authority: WO
Inventors: Håkan ZETTERSTRÖM; Fredrik Hansen; Mats ÅKESSON
Original assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance SA
Current assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings and Finance SA
Priority date: 2013-10-16
Filing date: 2014-09-23
Publication date: 2015-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 2016-04-16

Abstract

An arrangement for a packaging-container handover of packaging containers (114) held by first carriers (104) of a first conveyor following a first path, to second carriers (108) of a second conveyor following a second path, wherein the second conveyor is a rotational conveyor, and wherein the first and the second path meet in a handover area wherein the first carriers (104) are configured to allow for a packaging container (114) to tilt in the handover area to increase the time available for packaging-container handover, and effectively to increase extension of the handover area.

Description

ARRANGEMENT FOR A PACKAGING-CONTAINER HANDOVER

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device and a method for packaging handover, in particular in relation to handovers in a conveyor system for transporting packaging containers. Technical Background

When transporting packaging containers through any kind of processing, such as cleaning, sterilization, filling, sealing etc, use is often made of packaging-container handovers between conveyors of different functions. For example, it may not be desired or even possible to use the same conveyor inside an aseptic area and outside the aseptic area, before and during filling etc. Therefore packaging-container handovers will be a necessity.

More specifically the present invention relates to packaging-container handover in relation to a rotational processing station. Handovers to and between rotational processing stations are particularly common within the bottling industry, e.g. in filling and processing of plastic or glass bottles, and the handovers are often spectacular processes due to the high speeds required.

The present invention is not limited to handovers between subsequent rotational processing stations, still one aim of the invention is to improve handling during such packaging-container handovers.

Summary

To that end the present invention relates to an arrangement for a packaging- container handover of packaging containers held by first carriers of a first conveyor to second carriers of a second conveyor, wherein the second conveyor is a rotational conveyor. The first conveyor follows a first path and the second conveyor follows a second, circular, path, wherein the first and the second path enables packaging- container handover in a handover area. The handover area is defined by an angular extension defined by as the minimal angle between a first position where the packaging container is fully conveyed by the first conveyor and a second position where the packaging container is fully conveyed by the second conveyor. The inventive arrangement is characterized in that the first carriers are configured to allow for a packaging container to lean in the handover area to increase the time available for packaging-container handover, and effectively to increase the angular extension of the handover area.

In one or more embodiment the inventive object is achieved by the carriers of the first conveyor being configured to grip the packaging container at a first end thereof, whereas the carriers of the second conveyor are configured to grip the packaging container at an opposite end thereof, thus allowing for a tilt of the packaging container.

In one or several embodiments a free end of the packaging container is arranged to tilt in a first direction in the start of the handover area and a second direction by the end of the handover area. For example the free end may tilt towards a direction of travel in the start and against the direction of travel by the end, enabling the free end to have a lower mean velocity than the first and or second conveyor.

In still other embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments, the path of the first path intersects with the second path in at least two positions, as seen in a plane of travel (i.e. as seen from a direction normal to the plane in which the conveyors travel, e.g. from above). In particular, embodiments where the packaging container is allowed to tilt may benefit from the suggested approach since the resulting overlapping area where the conditions for handover is almost perfect may be fully utilized in such an embodiment. For further details reference is made to the detailed description.

In one or more embodiment the extension of the handover area is in the order of at least 5° of a full 360° degrees revolution.

In one or more embodiments the arrangement also includes a second handover area, where the each packaging container may be handed over from the second carrier to a third carrier of a third conveyor.

In one or several embodiments related to the last one, the third conveyor and the first conveyor is the same conveyor, enabling for a packaging container to be transported to the second conveyor where it shifts from the first conveyor to the second conveyor. While on the second conveyor the packaging container may be processed, and then it may be returned to the first conveyor and forwarded in a process, all while moving continuously. Sterilization, heating, flushing, and filling are examples of processing that the packaging container could be subjected to while located on the second conveyor.

In any of the embodiments each of the first conveyor, the second conveyor and the third conveyor moves continuously.

In one further embodiment the first path follows a segment of the second path, meaning that they will move in parallel. In such an embodiment there is at least theoretically ample time to finalize handover yet for the reason of maximizing the time available for processing of the mentioned time it is often desired to finalize the handover as quickly as possible.

According to another concept the present invention relates to an arrangement for a packaging-container handover from a first conveyor to a second conveyor, wherein the second conveyor is a rotational conveyor. Each of the first and second conveyors comprises packaging-container carriers configured to grip the packaging containers. The first conveyor follows a first path and the second conveyor follows a second, circular, path, wherein the first and the second path meet in a handover area. The handover area is defined by an angular extension defined by as the minimal angle between a first position where the packaging container is fully conveyed by the first conveyor and a second position where the packaging container is fully conveyed by the second conveyor. The inventive arrangement is characterized in that the angular speed of the second conveyor is modulated such that the angular speed of the second conveyer is lower in the handover region than a mean angular speed for a full revolution of the second conveyor.

The invention according to the second concept may utilize features of embodiments of the invention according to the first concept where appropriate, and by combining the features synergetic effects may improve packaging-container handover even further.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a system of conveyors incorporating a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 corresponds to Fig. 1, yet the system of conveyers has been separated for increased visibility.

Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a handover in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, illustrated as a linear process rather than a rotational one.

Fig. 4 is a simple view illustrating overlapping conveyor paths. Fig. 5 illustrates another system of conveyers incorporating one or more embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 6 illustrates in a side view a handover process according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

Description of Embodiments

In its simplest form the present invention relates to packaging-container handover, i.e. the handover of a packaging container from a first conveyor system to a second conveyor system. This is illustrated in the view of Fig. 1. Due to the interconnected nature of the handover the view of Fig. 1 may be a bit difficult to sort out, which is why in Fig. 2 the involved conveyers have been separated. The setup of Fig. 2 purely illustrative, and should not be regarded as a configuration of practical use. Returning to Fig. 1 there is shown a first conveyor 102 having first carriers 104, and a second conveyor 106 having second carriers 108, and optionally a third conveyor 110 having third carriers 112. The carriers 104, 108, 112 are arranged such each carrier is configured to hold a packaging container 114. It will be described in relation to another embodiment how the first and the third conveyor actually may be the same one, at least for some configurations.

In the plan view of Fig. 1 the packaging containers 114 are schematically indicated by carriers having a hatched fill. A first handover area 116 and second handover area 118 are indicated where the involved conveyors "share" a carrier (as seen in the view of Fig. 1). In the illustrated embodiment the first 102 and third conveyer 110 moves in a counter-clockwise direction, the second conveyor 106 moves in a clockwise direction, such that the carriers of adjacent conveyors will move essentially parallel and essentially in the same direction in a handover area 116, 118. The use of essentially reflects the situation of the present embodiment where all conveyors follow a curved path in a handover area, and therefore the paths are only truly parallel in a point. In other embodiments the paths in and handover area may differ from a curved one, notwithstanding that the inventive approach may still deliver advantages.

The packaging containers 114 are transported on the first conveyor 102 to the first handover area 116, where each packaging container 114 is handed over from a carrier 104 of the first conveyor 102 to a carrier 108 of the second conveyor 106. The view of Fig. 1 gives little or no information in regard of a reason for the handover, and furthermore it does not show actual features of the invention since it is a plan view of schematic character. A reason for the handover may be that a particular processing step is performed on the second conveyor, such as filling, sterilization, cleaning etc., and it may also be that the second conveyor represents a new segment of a machine in which the transport arrangement is utilized, or a transfer to a new machine altogether. A further feature which is not visible in Fig. 1 is that the carriers of the first and second conveyor grip a packaging container at different positions on the packaging container. In the present embodiment the first carrier 104 (referring to carriers of the first conveyor) grips the packaging container 114 at a first end thereof, while the second carrier 108 (referring to carriers of the second conveyor) grips the packaging container 114 at an opposite end thereof. More generally speaking the first and second end should not necessarily be construed as an absolute end of the packaging container 114, even if that may be the case for some embodiments. A definition more true to an inventive effect according to several embodiments is that a tilt of the first carrier 104 will result in a movement of the position on the container 114 where the second carrier 108 will grip the container 114, or that a tilt of the container 114 around the first carrier 104 as a pivot point will result in said effect. This should be readily understood when looking at some of the effects of various embodiments of the present invention.

Tying up the description of Figs. 1 and 2 there is also a second handover area

118 which may or may not benefit from the same technical solution as used in the first handover area 116, or actually the reverse one. For the purposes of clarifying the scope of the present invention it should be clearly stated that it is not to be limited to an arrangement utilizing two packaging-container handovers.

Fig. 3 is a linear representation of a sequence of the first handover area 116 in

Fig. 1, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Packaging containers 114 move from left to right in the view of the drawing. The first carriers 104 grip the packaging containers 114 at a lower end thereof. It may be noted that what is the lower end in Fig. 2 actually represents the top portion of the packaging container as such. In the handover area 116 the second carriers 108 close in from above and grip the packaging containers 114 at an upper end thereof (a bottom of the container). The second carrier 108 follows a path such that it is lowered to pick up the packaging container 114, after which it is raised again to release the packaging container 114 from the first carrier 104. At its first contact with the packaging container 114 the second carrier 108 will be slightly offset, which will induce a tilt of the packaging container 114. In the embodiment of Fig. 1 this would correspond to that the paths of the first and second conveyor 102 and 106 respectively, have still not intersected. In another embodiment it could represent that the first and second conveyor does not travel at the same velocity. It should be highlighted that the vertical movement of the second carrier 108 may be cancelled in embodiments where such movement is not necessitated by the configuration of the carriers or conveyors. Using this embodiment of the present invention results in that more than the central position (referring to the central packaging container position in the sequence shown in Fig. 3) is available for handover, i.e. there is an effective extension of the handover area.

Returning to the present embodiment the second carrier 108 is lowered until its grip of the packaging container 114 is adequate after which the second carrier 108 is raised again, bringing the packaging container 114 with it, representing the end of the handover area 116.

Turning now to Fig. 4, the view is very schematic, yet having the previous embodiments in mind it should be readily understood. Fig. 4 shows a plan view of the paths of two conveyors, such as e.g. the first and second conveyor 102 and 106 respectively of Fig. 1. Instead of meeting in a point only, the conveyors 102, 106 are slightly shifted so that there is an overlap of the paths, indicated by the hatched area representing a portion of the handover area 116. Another way of putting it is that the first and second path intersects at two points. Given some of the effects of

embodiments of the present invention it is readily understood that this measure will increase the handover area even further. Instead of only being able to use the contact point and a small area around it, as would be the case if the first conveyor was in the position indicated by the hatched line 102', the handover area is significantly increased. In this embodiment the packaging containers may or may not be given a varying inclination in a transport direction, similar to what is shown and described in relation to Fig. 3. It is also apparent that the packaging containers will have a component of inclination in a direction perpendicular to the transportation direction due to the overlapping paths.

Fig. 5 illustrates an embodiment where the, using the terminology of the first embodiments, the first and the third conveyor is the same conveyor. There is no difference in the handovers, yet after the first handover the path of the first conveyor follows the path of the second conveyor. If the first conveyor 102 is of an endless-belt type it may simply follow a guide wheel arranged on the same drive as the second conveyor. Depending on the configuration there will be more than one way of solving the issue related to the path of the first conveyor 102, yet the suggested one facilitates a perfect synchronisation in the second handover area 118. If desired it will even be possible for the same carrier to leave a packaging container in the first handover area 116 and receive the very same container at the second handover area 118.

Fig. 6 illustrates is a sideview of the configuration of Fig. 5. Some perspective effects have been added to further increase the understanding of it. Packaging containers 114 enters from the left (referring to the layout of the drawing), are handed over from the first conveyor 102 to the second conveyor 106 in the first handover area 116, follows the second conveyor 106 along its path, and are returned to the first conveyor 102 in a second handover area 118. This schematic view would look the same even if there were three isolated conveyors instead of two (e.g. the embodiment of Fig. 1).

The teachings of the present invention are quite general, and it is believed that reading the present specification would enable the skilled person to realize the disclosed as well as further embodiments of the present invention. Still it may be worthwhile to look a bit closer at some of the building blocks surrounding the present invention:

The conveyors. The first conveyor may be of an endless belt type, comprising one or more endless wires onto which carriers are distributed. Instead of endless wires an actual belt may be used, e.g. a belt similar to a timing belt. The drive inducing the continuous motion of the conveyor could be transferred to the conveyor via one or more drive wheels in frictional contact with the conveyor. The conveyor may also be a physical track on which individual carriers travel. Such individual carriers may be of the magnetic driven type allowing for an individual and programmable motion pattern (along the track) for individual carriers. There are obviously other options for the configuration of the first conveyor, yet the above should be readily applicable to the embodiments. The second conveyor may be of the same type as the first conveyor, and to increase the list of possible configurations the second (as well as the first) conveyor may be of a carousel type, where the carriers are arranged at the perimeter of a rotating frame. This is a commonly used approach within the bottling industry.

The carriers: There are numerous carriers possible, even if there are a few criteria to be met. The first carrier should allow for the packaging container to tilt. This may be accomplished by having a carrier holding the packaging container firmly in place while the carrier is pivotably arranged to the conveyor, or by having some freedom of motion for the packaging container when arranged in the carrier. The actual design of a particular carrier will depend on the design of the packaging container as is readily understood. An example of a carrier having the latter function (giving the container some freedom of motion) could be a carrier supporting the container from below while having guide means limiting the tilting motion of the container to some extent. The guide means may be slightly resilient such as to allow for some tilting motion, or provide enough clearance to allow for the packaging container to tilt to the extent necessary. These examples illustrate passive carriers. An active carrier would be a carrier which adapts its retaining performance. One such example could be that the guide means are pivotably arranged and engages with e.g. a cam means in the handover area, such that their grip around the packaging container is released somewhat in the handover area, thus enabling the tilt. In an embodiment where the packaging containers are of a carton bottle type, it may be preferred that the packaging container is supported on a ledge formed at a fusion between a main body 114A (sleeve, see Fig. 6) of the packaging container and the top 114B (shoulders and opening device etc, see Fig. 6), since this results in a very accurate positioning cancelling any tolerance issues in relation to the top. The second carrier may be of a similar type as the first one, while it could also be more complex. Looking at the embodiment of Fig. 3 the carrier may have a central body being insertable in an open end of the packaging container. If that central body has a tapered end it could facilitate the engagement with the packaging container in the way illustrated in the sequential drawing. Once fully inserted the carrier could hold the packaging container by frictional forces, optionally aided by a clamping means from the outside as well. In another example the carrier instead holds the packaging container from the outside only. In yet another example the second carrier may comprise a pair of pivotal arcuate tongs arranged to clamp around the outside of the packaging container in the handover area. This type of carrier could also enable the illustrated result. The clamping function of the pair of tongs could be accomplished by a servomotor or more rudimentary, by a cam solution where a cam follower connected to the tongs engages a cam on the second conveyor (or first conveyor or any other conveyor, wherever this solution is applied).

Furthermore, it may be noted that a tilt or inclination of the packaging container does not have to be initiated by any separate means, it suffices that e.g. the first carriers and the second carriers are offset and that the packaging container is allowed to tilt in the respective carrier. The carrier itself will not have to be tilted, though it obviously is an option to have such an arrangement. In such a case an inclination of the carrier may be controlled by means of a cam curve.

The above list of examples for named components in embodiments of the invention is not to be considered exhaustive, rather the purpose is to highlight that there are several options available for a skilled person given the task to construct a device incorporating the present invention. This should not be confused with the inventiveness of the invention as such, since the skilled person would have to be given the invention in order to present a suggested solution.

While the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail hereinabove with reference to the accompanying drawings, a technical range of the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. Specifically, it is to be understood that, as is well known to those skilled in the art, various modification, combinations, and other embodiments may be made depending on designs or other elements within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An arrangement for a packaging-container handover of packaging containers (114) held by first carriers (104) of a first conveyor (102) following a first path, to second carriers (108) of a second conveyor (106) following a second path, wherein the first and the second path meets in a handover area (116), wherein the first carriers (104) are configured to allow for a packaging container (114) to tilt in the handover area (116) to increase the time available for packaging-container handover, and effectively to increase extension of the handover area.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first carriers (104) are configured to grip the packaging containers (114) at a first end thereof, whereas the second carriers (108) are configured to grip the packaging container (114) at an opposite end thereof, thus allowing for the tilt of the packaging container (114).

3. The arrangement of any preceding claim, wherein the packaging container is arranged to tilt in a first direction in the start of the handover area and a second direction by the end of the handover area.

4. The arrangement of any preceding claim, wherein the first path intersects with the second path in two positions as seen from a position orthogonal to a plane in which the first conveyor is arranged.

5. The arrangement of any preceeding claim, wherein by defining the extension of the handover area as the minimal angle between a first position where the packaging container is fully conveyed by the first conveyor and a second position where the packaging container is fully conveyed by the second conveyor, the extension of the handover area is in the order of at least 5° of a full 360° degree revolution.

6. The arrangement of any preceding claim, wherein the arrangement also includes a second handover area (118), where the packaging container may be handed over from the second carrier to a third carrier of a third conveyor.

7. The arrangement of claim 6, wherein the third conveyor and the first conveyor is the same conveyor.

8. The arrangement of any preceding claim, wherein the second conveyor is configured to provide processes such as sterilization, heating, flushing, and filling.

9. The arrangement of any preceding claim, wherein the first and second conveyor moves at a continuous speed.

10. The arrangement of any preceding claim 1-8, wherein a drive of the second conveyor is modulated such that the speed of the second conveyer varies over a full revolution.

11. The arrangement of any preceding claim, wherein the second conveyor is a rotational conveyor.