Patent Application
20140250659
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to article assembly apparatuses and methods, and, more particularly, to apparatuses and methods for the insertion of round discs into open ended cylinders at a high rate of speed.
2. General Background of the Invention
Article assembly apparatuses are known. One type of article assembly apparatuses employs rotary pick and place technology to pick up, transfer, and place an article from one location to another. Pick and place technology may be employed, for example, to deposit an article upon a moving linear transport.
To accomplish this, rotary pick and place devices may be employed. One such prior art rotary pick and place device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,843 to Lashyro. Such rotary pick and place devices are commonly relatively complex in design and operation, involving motorize mechanisms having multiple axes of rotation in order to smoothly deposit an article upon a moving linear transport.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an article assembly device and method that is capable of depositing one component of an apparatus within another at a relatively high rate of speed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an article assembly device and method capable of inserting a substantially disk-like component within a substantially cylindrical component, wherein there is a relatively tight fitting, with narrow clearance, of the substantially disk-shaped (i.e., relatively squat and cylindrical) component within a substantially cylindrical component.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an article assembly device and method for assembling at least a portion of a bottom-filled airless pump-type dispensing container, by inserting a disk-like piston into a substantially cylindrical body of the container through a circular bottom opening of the container.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent in view of the following specification, drawings and claims.
The present invention comprises an apparatus and method for high speed assembly of an article and employing rotary pick and place technology. In one embodiment of the invention, the article to be assembled comprises a bottom-filled airless pump-type container, having a substantially cylindrical outer body and a substantially disk-like piston. Each of the plurality of containers to be assembled is inserted, bottom opening facing up, into an associated carrier for linear conveyance along an assembly line. As each container and associated carrier reaches the present assembly apparatus, it is gripped by two opposing pairs of counter-rotating star wheels, also known as indexing wheels. In particular, one pair of opposing counter-rotating star wheels grips the carrier, and, simultaneously, the other pair of opposing counter-rotating star wheels grips the cylindrical container.
In timed coordination with the linear movement of the conveyor and the horizontal rotation of the star wheels, a vertically orientated and rotating vacuum wheel, also known as an indexing wheel, sequentially retrieves and releasably grips substantially disk-like bottom pistons from a supply chute, carries the piston for a portion of a complete rotation of the vacuum wheel, and then releases and inserts each piston through a circular opening of the substantially cylindrical outer body of the airless container. In one embodiment of the invention, the vacuum wheel includes ten vacuum stems, spaced on equidistantly spaced radii extending from a center of the vacuum wheel and radiating outwardly from a circumferential outer surface of the vacuum wheel.
A vacuum manifold receives a supply of external vacuum and applies the vacuum to each vacuum stem during only a predetermined segment of the overall 360° rotation of each vacuum stem. This, in turn, causes vacuum to be applied to a distal gripping surface of a collar of each vacuum stem, beginning immediately prior to each empty vacuum stem coming into proximity with the piston dispensing chute, and ending upon the placement of the piston through the circular bottom opening of the airless container cylindrical body and into the interior of the container body. As the vacuum stem completes a rotation together with the remainder of the vacuum wheel, it is ready to repeat the foregoing cycle with another piston disposed at a pick-off location of the piston supply chute.
To impart coordinated, timed rotational movement of both the pairs of star wheels and the vacuum wheel, a main drive motor turns an associated motor output pulley to, in turn, move a timing drive belt coupled to the motor output pulley. The timing drive belt, in turn, causes the opposite rotation of two star wheel timing pulleys, each coupled to an associated star wheel shaft. A shaft coupling is employed to couple one of the star wheel shafts to a gearbox drive shaft while, at the same time, permitting vertical height adjustment of the gearbox and vacuum wheel. The gearbox transfers rotation from the gearbox driveshaft to the vacuum wheel drive shaft to, in turn, impart rotation of the vacuum wheel. The gearbox may employ fixed or adjustable gear ratios to, in turn, impart a desired rotational speed of the vacuum wheel, relative to a desired rotational speed of the star wheels. In one embodiment of the invention, the gearbox has a fixed, 1:1 input to output ratio.
Unlike prior art rotary pick and place apparatuses and methods that employ relatively complex mechanisms that involve the rotation of the retrieved article about multiple axes of rotation, the present apparatus is able to accomplish the high speed insertion of a substantially disk-shaped component through a closely fitting aperture of a cylindrical body, only slightly larger in diameter than that of the disk-shaped component, while carrying the disk-shaped component through only a single axis of rotation. In particular, it has also been discovered by the inventor that, by disposing the disk-shaped component at a particular angle, relative to radii of the vacuum wheel, only a single axis of rotation is necessary in order to smoothly deposit the disk-shaped component through the tightly-fitting aperture and into the cylindrical body. Specifically, the inventor has also discovered that a specific angle relative to the radii emanating from the center of the vacuum wheel, denoted as θ (theta), of between 20° and 30°, works optimally in this regard.
In an apparatus and in a method of the present invention, a component transfer mechanism is provided for inserting a first component, such as a substantially disk-shaped piston of a bottom-filled airless pump-type dispensing container, within a second component, such as a substantially cylindrical body of a bottom-filled airless pump-type dispensing container, having a circular bottom aperture and in motion along a horizontal axis. A least one first component gripping member, which may comprise a vacuum stem coupled to a vacuum wheel, is provided and is supported above the horizontal axis by a frame or other support for rotation in a substantially circular path about a center point. The at least one first component gripping member is disposed along a radius extending from the center point and in a plane of rotation of the at least one first component gripping member. The at least one first component gripping member grasps and holds the first component beginning at a first position along the substantially circular path and at a predetermined, fixed angled offset relative to the radius, and carries the at least one first component gripping member carrying the first component through a portion of a complete rotation of the first component gripping member about the center point. The at least one first component gripping member places at least a portion of the first component through an aperture of the second component and within at least a portion of an interior region of the second component when the at least one first component gripping member is at a second position along the substantially circular path. The at least one first component gripping member releases its hold on the first component after placing at least a portion of the first component within at least a portion of the second component when the at least one first component gripping member is at a third position along the substantially circular path, thereby inserting at least a portion of the first component within the second component.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the at least one first component gripping member holds the first component at a fixed angle of about 20 degrees to about 30 degrees relative to the radius emanating from the center point of the vacuum wheel. During assembly, the at least one first component gripping member places a leading edge of the first component through the aperture of the second component and within at least a portion of the interior region of the second component at an oblique angle, relative to the aperture, when the at least one first component gripping member is at the second position along the substantially circular path.
The at least one first component gripping member further comprises a channel extending through at least a portion of the at least first component gripping member and coupled to a periodic source of vacuum pressure. The at least one first component gripping member holds the first component when vacuum pressure is applied to the channel and releases the first component when vacuum pressure is removed from the channel.
In an embodiment of the invention, the at least one first component gripping members comprises a plurality of first component gripping members, such as ten first component gripping members, with each of the first component gripping members being disposed about a circumference of a wheel, such as a vacuum wheel, rotating about the center point.
The wheel may include a stationary vacuum manifold and a rotating hub adjacent the vacuum manifold. The channel extending through at least a portion of the least one first component gripping member is coupled to the rotating hub, causing the vacuum manifold to supply vacuum pressure to the rotating hub and the channel through only a portion of a complete rotation of the first component gripping member about the center point.
A motorized drive mechanism is provided to impart rotational movement of the at least one first component gripping manner in synchronization with the motion of the second component along the horizontal axis. A chute is provided to supply a plurality of first components for sequential picking up and holding by the at least one first component gripping member.
The center point and, in turn, the wheel and at least one first component gripping member, all may be supported above the horizontal axis along which the second component moves in a height adjustable manner, thereby accommodating second components of varying dimensions.
While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail, one specific embodiment, with the understanding that the present disclosure is intended as an exemplification of the principles of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated.
A prior art bottom-fill airless container 10, such as the MEGA® container manufactured by MegaPlast GmbH, is shown in
Airless container assembly apparatus 10 is shown in
As best seen in
Referring to
Motor pulley 142, in turn, drives continuous timing drive belt 143, which may be constructed of neoprene or another strong yet sufficiently resilient material. Timing drive belt 143, is operably coupled to and imparts rotational movement to first star wheel timing pulley 152 in a clockwise direction, as viewed from above, and to second star wheel timing pulley 157 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed from above. Four idler wheels 144, at least one of which is preferably adjustable in position, provide tension on timing drive belt 143, and ensures that an adequate length of timing drive belt 143 engages sufficient corresponding amounts of arc length of both first star wheel timing pulley 152 and second star wheel timing pulley 158 in order to smoothly rotate both pulleys.
The rotation of first star wheel timing pulley 152 imparts rotation to first star wheel shaft 151, operably coupled to first star wheel timing pulley 152. As both star wheels 150 and 150′ are secured to first star wheel shaft 151 in a vertically spaced relation to each other, clockwise rotation of first star wheels 150 and 150′ are imparted by the rotation of first star wheel shaft 151. Likewise, the rotation of second star wheel timing pulley 158 imparts rotation to second star wheel shaft 156. As both star wheels 155 and 155′ are secured to second star wheel shaft 156, counterclockwise rotation of second star wheels 155 and 155′ are imparted by the rotation of second star wheel shaft 156.
First star wheel shaft is further coaxially coupled to gear box drive shaft 171 via shaft coupling 160. The use of shaft coupling 160 permits the vertical height of gearbox 170 and vacuum wheel to be adjusted to a desired height, in order to accommodate varying lengths of airless containers that are under assembly. Vertically oriented gear box drive shaft 171 drives gear box 170 which, in turn, drives horizontally oriented vacuum wheel drive shaft 171. As vacuum wheel 200 is secured to vacuum wheel drive shaft 171, corresponding rotation movement is accordingly imparted to vacuum wheel 200. In an embodiment of the present invention, gear box 170 has a 1:1 gear ratio. Other ratios may alternatively be employed to impart different rates of rotation to vacuum wheel 200.
Main drive motor 140, motor output shaft 141, motor pulley 142, timing drive belt 143, first star wheel timing pulley 152, second star wheel timing pulley 157, and idler wheels 144 are all housed within an interior region of support frame 100, shown in
Referring to
Collar 260 is coupled to outer shaft 250, with central channel 262 of collar 260 in axial alignment and communication with central channel 252 of outer shaft 250. Outer shaft 250 is likewise coupled to inner shaft 240, with central channel 252 of outer shaft 250 in axial alignment and communication with central channel 242 of inner shaft 240. Moreover, inner shaft 240 is similarly coupled to angled shaft 230, with central channel 242 of inner shaft 240 in axial alignment and communication with central channel 232 of angled shaft 230.
Angled shaft 230 includes vacuum stem attachment region having outlet port 233 extending through a proximal end of angled shaft 230, and is coupled to a corresponding port of vacuum stem hub 210 of vacuum wheel 200. In this manner vacuum pressure is communicated along the entire interior of vacuum stem 220, with air flowing from inlet port 263 of collar 260 to outlet port 233 of angles shaft 230.
As shown in
Referring to
In this manner, each airless container 10 undergoing assembly is carried along conveyor 130 at a predetermined position, due to the coordinated rotation of star wheels 150, 150′, 155, 155 and vacuum wheel 200, permitting each vacuum stem 220 to repeatedly retrieve a piston 30 from chute 180 using suction created via the application of vacuum pressure at inlet port 263, carry piston 30 through only a portion of a complete rotation of vacuum wheel 200, and deposit piston 30 through a cylindrical bottom aperture 14 of cylindrical body 11 of airless container 10 before vacuum pressure is removed from vacuum stem 220. Each airless container 10 moves along conveyor 130 being positioned by the star wheels so as to be appropriately located as an associated vacuum stem approaches, and as a distal portion of collar 260 of an associated vacuum stem 220 then passes through bottom aperture 14 of cylindrical body 11, depositing a carried piston 30 in place within cylindrical body 11 immediately prior to the removal of vacuum pressure to vacuum stem 220, releasing piston 30 thereby permitting piston 30 to be retained in place within cylindrical body 11 as the distal portion of collar 260 then exits the interior of cylindrical body 11 and completes its rotation, ready to retrieve another piston 30 from chute 180 as vacuum is again applied to vacuum stem 220.
As illustrated in
Accordingly, as shown in
Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described. Various modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of construction of the invention disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present disclosure is intended to exemplify and not limit the invention.
