EP0645308B1 - Method and packaging machine for unloading vessels from transport containers - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for removing vessels from transport containers and a packaging machine suitable for this purpose according to the preamble of claim 14.

DE 25 34 183 C3 already suggests to supply empties returning from the consumer unsorted in boxes to several packaging machines arranged one behind the other, each of the packaging machines only taking containers with certain characteristics, for example height or color, from the boxes and placing them on an assigned removal device. This solution requires a not inconsiderable effort, since a separate packaging machine must be provided for each type of container. Quite apart from the mechanical and drive-related effort, this design takes up a lot of floor space for installing the packaging machines and the associated conveyor systems.

The invention is therefore based on the object of improving a method and a suitable packaging machine of the type mentioned.

This object is solved by the features of claims 1 and 14.

The decisive vessel characteristics can be recognized before the vessels are captured and removed from the transport container. A test device arranged in a stationary manner in the infeed area of the packing machine is suitable for this purpose, which is connected to the gripping members by means of signal and control lines, if necessary via sliding contacts. Instead, gripping members with integrated or directly assigned sensors or devices for recognizing certain vascular features, such as color, shoulder contour or height, can be used. Gripping members with assigned color detection sensors are known from DE-GM 93 14 112. If a vessel cannot be assigned to any of the vessel delivery stations when the characteristics are determined, it can either remain in the transport container or be fed to a vessel delivery station that is specially provided for receiving foreign vessels.

The supply of the transport containers, the removal of the containers from the transport containers, the placement of the containers at the individual container delivery stations and the removal of the Vessels from the vascular delivery stations can be carried out in cycles. In the case of a packing machine operating in cycles, the conveying device for supplying the transport containers and the conveying means assigned to the individual vessel dispensing stations can be arranged parallel to one another, the gripping members being guided past the individual vessel dispensing stations, in particular transversely to the conveying means, one after the other, and after reaching them return to the vial removal station at the last vial delivery station.

However, a method and a packing machine provided for this purpose are more efficient, in which the gripping members are guided continuously with a constant sense of rotation on a closed movement path. This trajectory can lie essentially in a horizontal or vertical plane.

With such a solution, the supply of the transport containers and the removal of the containers parked at the individual container delivery stations can advantageously take place continuously. Another advantage is that the continuous mode of operation allows the use of a plurality of packing heads spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction, each consisting of a group of gripping members. High work rates can be achieved with a continuously operating packaging machine.

If the gripping members or packing heads run essentially in a horizontal plane, the vessel dispensing stations can also lie in a common horizontal plane be staggered one after the other along the orbit. It is conceivable to arrange the vessel dispensing stations offset in height in the direction of rotation, for example in a step-like manner.

If the gripping members or packing heads are guided on a circulation path lying in a vertical plane, the conveying means assigned to the individual container dispensing stations can advantageously be arranged in parallel with the conveyor for feeding the transport containers and aligned with the latter. With this arrangement of the conveying means, the operating personnel have very good access to all important areas of the packaging machine from one side.

Further advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

An exemplary embodiment is explained below with reference to the figure. In the figure, a packaging machine for unpacking bottles from bottle crates is shown schematically in a side view.

The packing machine essentially consists of a vertically oriented, stationary frame plate 14 on which a continuously rotatable carrier 13 is rotatably mounted. The packing machine has a total of four packing heads 4, each consisting of a group of gripping members 3. Each packing head 4 is fastened to the rotating carrier 13 by means of a controllable suspension 12. A Suspension 12 consists of a total of four lever arms 15, 16, 17, 18, wherein the lever arms 15 and 16 are pivotally mounted on the rotating carrier 13. The lever arm 16 is connected to the lever arm 17 and this to the lever arm 18 carrying the packing head 4, while the lever arm 15 is directly articulated to the lever arm 18. The frame plate 14 is equipped with two groove curves 19 and 20, a cam roller 15 ′ attached to the lever arm 15 engaging in the groove curve 20 and a cam roller 16 ′ attached to the lever arm 16 engaging in the groove curve 19. The groove curves 19 and 20 are designed so that the packing heads 4 move approximately on the orbit 21 shown when the carrier 13 rotates. The packing heads 4 are always kept in a horizontal position by a gear mechanism (not shown) during a complete revolution.

The gripping members 3 of the packing heads 4 are each equipped with an integrated sensor 5 for color recognition. A control device 7 is arranged on each packing head 4, which is connected to the sensors 5 and controls the gripping function of the gripping members 3 taking into account the recognized bottle color. This control device 7 is also connected to a position transmitter, not shown, which indicates the current rotational position of the rotating carrier 13.

Bottle crates 2 filled with unsorted empties are fed in the direction of the arrow to the packaging machine by a box conveyor 8 running horizontally near the floor. Parallel to the box conveyor 8 are three conveyor belts 9, 10 and 11 offset in height, the conveyor belt 9 of the first vessel delivery station II, the conveyor belt 10 of the second vessel delivery station III and the conveyor belt 11 of the third vessel delivery station IV being assigned. The conveyor belts 9 and 10 are driven in the same direction as the box conveyor 8, while the conveyor belt 11 is driven in opposite directions. Both the box conveyor 8 and the conveyor belts 9, 10 and 11 are continuously driven synchronously with the carrier 13 of the packaging machine.

The groove curves 19 and 20 which determine the orbit 21 are designed such that the packing heads 4 and their gripping members 3 each have a horizontal movement component which corresponds to the conveying speed in the region of the vessel removal station I and the vessel delivery stations II, III, IV.

A complete working cycle of a packing head 4 begins with the immersion of the gripping elements 3 in a bottle crate 2 in the area of the container removal station I. As soon as the height of the gripping granes has reached the bottle heads, all gripping elements 3 of the packing head 4 are moved into the access position by the control device 7, so that subsequently all bottles 1 located in a bottle crate 2 are lifted out of the latter and transported in the direction of the first container dispensing station II. During this, the color of each individual bottle is determined by the sensors 5 on the gripping members 3. When the first vessel dispensing station II is reached, the control device 7, for example, only moves those gripping members 3 of the packing head 4 into the release position transferred, which have previously taken a white glass bottle from the bottle crate 2. All other gripping members 3 remain in the access position. As a result, only white glass bottles are released at Vessel Delivery Station II. The packing head 4 with the other, differently colored bottles 1 is then lifted off the conveyor belt 9 and transferred in the direction of the second container dispensing station III. At this station, the control device 7 causes, for example, the release of all the green glass bottles on the conveyor belt 10 assigned to the delivery station, in that the respective gripping members 3 are actuated accordingly and change over to the handle release position. In the subsequent third vessel delivery station IV, all the other gripping members 3 that are still in the access position are actuated, so that the remaining, neither white nor green, for example brown, bottles 1 are placed on the conveyor belt 11.

The empty bottles sorted by color can be fed from the conveyor belts 9, 10 and 11 to a bottle store or packing machines for inserting the sorted bottles into boxes. However, it is conceivable that at least one of the conveyor belts leads directly to a bottle cleaning and filling line.

Claims (26)

1. A process for removing vessels (1) from transport containers (2), particularly bottles or the like from boxes or cartons, taking into consideration defined vessel features identifiable by a testing device (5), particularly colour, shape or height, wherein a vessel (1) situated in a transport container (2) in a vessel removal station (I) is removed by a controllable gripper element (3) and transported to a vessel discharge station (II, III, IV), characterised in that the gripper element (3) is led past a plurality of vessel discharge stations (II, III, IV), wherein the vessel (1) is released by the gripper element (3) at a defined vessel discharge station (II, III, IV) in accordance with one or more features.
2. A process according to claim 1, characterised in that the identification of defined vessel features is effected before the grasping and removal of the vessels from a transport container.
3. A process according to claim 1, characterised in that the identification of defined vessel features is effected during grasping or during subsequent transport by a gripper element.
4. A process according to claim 3, characterised in that the identification of defined vessel features is effected by the gripper element itself by means of associated devices or sensors (5).
5. A process according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the gripper element is forcibly guided along a path of movement (21) which is of the same form for each operating cycle.
6. A process according to claim 5, characterised in that the gripper element is forcibly guided, and in particular is continuously forcibly guided, along a closed path of movement (21) with a constant direction of circulation.
7. A process according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the vessel discharge stations are disposed displaced along the path of movement of the gripper element and the gripper element is fed to each vessel discharge station in succession.
8. A process according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the path of movement of the gripper head lies substantially in a vertical plane.
9. A process according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the vessels released at the vessel discharge stations are continuously carried away.
10. A process according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the vessels released at the vessel discharge stations are collected or placed in containers.
11. A process according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the removal of the vessels from the transport containers is effected during the conveying movement of the transport containers.
12. A process according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterised in that all the vessels situated in a transport container are grasped and removed simultaneously by a group of gripper elements, the group of gripper elements is led past the vessel discharge stations and each gripper element of the group call be triggered and operated in order to release the vessel held by it individually at one of the vessel discharge stations in accordance with the vessel features determined.
13. A process according to claim 12, characterised in that each vessel which still remains at the last vessel discharge station before the vessel removal station is released irrespective of its features.
14. A packing machine for removing vessels (1) from transport containers (2), particularly bottles or the like from boxes or cartons, having at least one gripper element (3) which can be moved from a vessel removal station (I) to a vessel discharge station (II) and back, which can be controlled taking into consideration defined vessel features identifiable by a testing device (5), characterised in that after the vessel removal station (I) the gripper element (3) can be led past a plurality of vessel discharge stations (II, III, IV) and can be controlled so that a vessel (1) having a defined feature can be released at a defined vessel discharge station (II, III, IV).
15. A packing machine according to claim 14, characterised in that the testing device for the identification of defined vessel features is disposed upstream of the packing machine.
16. A packing machine according to claim 14, characterised in that a testing device (5) or a plurality of testing elements for the identification of vessel features, particularly for the identification of colour or height, is associated with the gripper element (3).
17. A packing machine according to at least one of the preceding claims 14 to 16, characterised in that the operation of the gripper element (3) for grasping or discharging a vessel (1) is effected by a controller (7) which is connected to a stationary testing device or to testing devices (5) disposed on the gripper elements (3).
18. A packing machine according to at least one of the preceding claims 14 to 17, characterised in that a plurality of gripper elements (3) is assembled to form a packing head (4), but that the gripping function of each individual gripper element (3) can be controlled independently of the adjacent gripper elements.
19. A packing machine according to at least one of the preceding claims 14 to 18, characterised in that conveying means (9, 10, 11), which can be driven, for carrying the sorted vessels (1) away, are associated with the vessel discharge stations (II, III, IV).
20. A packing machine according to at least one of the preceding claims 14 to 19, characterised in that the transport containers (2) can be fed to the packing machine by a container conveyor (8), which can be driven.
21. A packing machine according to claims 19 and 20, characterised in that the conveying means (9, 10, 11) of the vessel discharge stations (II, III, IV) are disposed above the container conveyor (8), preferably parallel to and aligned with the latter.
22. A packing machine according to at least one of the preceding claims 14 to 21, characterised in that the conveying means (9, 10, 11) of the vessel discharge stations (II, III, IV) are disposed offset in height in relation to each other, particularly in the manner of steps.
23. A packing machine according to at least one of the preceding claims 14 to 22, characterised in that the gripper element (3) or a packing head (4) has a horizontal component of movement in the region of the vessel discharge stations (II, III, IV) and of the vessel removal station (I), which horizontal component of movement corresponds to the conveying speed of the container conveyor (8) and of the conveying means (9, 10, 11).
24. A packing machine according to at least one of the preceding claims 14 to 23, characterised in that the gripper element (3) or a packing head (4) comprising a plurality of gripper elements is moved from the vessel removal station (I) to the vessel discharge stations (II, III, IV) and back by a forcibly controlled suspension (12), and the suspension (24) is preferably fixed to a support (13) which can be continuously driven.
25. A packing machine according to claim 24, characterised in that a plurality of packing heads (4) is fixed, spaced apart in the direction of circulation, to the support (13) by means of suspensions (12) which can be forcibly controlled.
26. A packing machine according to at least one of the preceding claims 14 to 25, characterised in that during a complete operating cycle the gripper element (3) or the packing head (4) circulates substantially in a vertical plane.

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