Patent Application
20240261913
This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no. 102023000001785 filed on Feb. 3, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to an article production method and machine.
The invention is advantageously applied in the tobacco industry to assemble a transponder to be used in a disposable cartridge of an electronic cigarette, to which explicit reference will be made in the description below without because of this losing in generality.
An electronic cigarette normally comprises a re-usable part, which is used several times and contains, among other things, an electric battery (which provides the power needed for the operation of the electronic cigarette) and an electronic processor, which controls the operation of the electronic cigarette. Furthermore, the electronic cigarette comprises a disposable cartridge (namely to be used one single time and to be then replaced), which is coupled to the re-usable part.
Recently, a disposable cartridge was developed, which is provided with a transponder equipped with a memory where the features of the disposable cartridge are stored, particular the features of the (liquid or solid) active substance that is heated in order to release the vapours to be inhaled; in this way, the re-usable part of the electronic cigarette can read the features of the disposable cartridge coupled thereto, accordingly adjusting the heating to the features of the disposable cartridge.
In most applications, the transponder comprises one single wound antenna (namely, one single coil serving as antenna); however, in some applications, the transponder can comprise a plurality of wound antennas (namely, a plurality of coils serving as antennas), which have different spatial orientations so as to make sure that the transponder is capable of effectively communicating in all possible positions.
An automatic machine for manufacturing a disposable cartridge of an electronic cigarette comprises a conveyor, which conveys, along a processing path, a series of carriages, each supporting at least one seat configured to accommodate a support body. The processing path extends between a loading station, in which a support body to be processed is supplied to a seat of a carriage standing still in the loading station, and an unloading station, in which a processed support body is removed from a seat of a carriage standing still in the unloading station. In the area of the loading station there is a supplying device, which cyclically inserts the support bodies into the seats of corresponding carriages standing still in the loading station. During every work cycle, a carriage stops in the loading station to receive a support body and then move on, during the following work cycle, to following stations. It can happen that, during a work cycle, the supplying device of the loading station fails to supply a support body and, hence, the carriage that, in that work cycle, is in the loading station moves on empty (namely, without the support body) to the following stations.
Handling an empty carriage (namely, without the support body) generally is fairly complicated, in particular when the operations in the stations following the supply of the support body to the carriage involve the interaction with external elements, such as to create undesired situations in the absence of the support body. For instance, these operations can include filling the support body or part of the electronic cigarette with a liquid or solid substance or winding the wire to be used to build an antenna of the transponder. In case of a filling operation, indeed, the absence of the support body in the carriage would involve spilling the product onto the surrounding environment, namely also onto parts of the machine, while the second case would lead to the undesired damaging or breaking of the wire.
Another situation in which the absence of a support body inside the carriage is particularly inconvenient is when the carriage has several seats for several support bodies and only one seat is empty; this situation leads to the rejection of components without defects due to the impossibility of completing, for said components, the production cycle.
The object of the invention is to provide an article production method and machine, said method and machine allowing a failed supply of a component to be handled in a simple and effective fashion.
According to the invention, there are provided an article production method and machine according to the appended claims.
The appended claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention and form an integral part of the description.
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings showing a non-limiting embodiment thereof, wherein:
In
The support body 1 has an approximately parallelepiped-like shape having six walls (faces) and houses a transponder 9, namely an electronic device (of the passive kind, hence without a power supply of its own), which is capable of storing information and is capable of communicating through radio frequency. In other words, the transponder 9 is a small-sized smart label, which is designed to reply to the interrogation made from a distance by suitable fixed or portable apparatuses, known as readers (or interrogator devices); a reader is capable of reading and/or changing the information contained in the transponder 9 being interrogated by communicating with the transponder 9 through radio frequency. As a consequence, the transponder 9 is part of a wireless reading and/or writing system operating according to the so-called RFID (“Radio-Frequency Identification”) technology.
The transponder 9 comprises an integrated electronic circuit 10 (namely, a microchip) provided with a non-volatile memory (typically, an EEPROM or a FRAM) and a coil 11, which is connected to the electronic circuit 10; in particular, the electronic circuit 10 has two electrical contacts, to which two ends of the coil 11 are welded. The coil 11 is wound and consists of a plurality of turns of an externally insulated conductor wire 13; in the embodiment shown in the accompanying figures there are approximately 10-15 turns. The conductor wire 13 is wound around the side walls of the support body 1, whereas the electronic circuit 10 is arranged in a housing obtained in a lower wall of the support body 1. According to a preferred embodiment, the conductor wire 13 has a diameter ranging from 10 to 500 microns and preferably ranging from 20 to 200 microns (even though, in most applications, the diameter ranges from 25 to 150 microns).
The electronic circuit 10 uses the coil 11 to communicate, through radio frequency, with other electronic devices located nearby. Alternatively or in addition, the electronic circuit 10 could also use the coil 11 to generate power (used for its own operation and/or to charge its own electric battery) exploiting an electromagnetic field generated by an electronic device located nearby; namely, the electronic circuit 10 could also use the coil to carry out an inductive (namely contact-less) power charging of its own electric battery. As a consequence, the coil 11 constitutes an antenna, which can be used to exchange (transmit) information by means of electromagnetic waves (in this case, the antenna is part of a telecommunication device) and/or can be used to exchange power by means of electromagnetic waves (in this case, the antenna is part of a charging device). Namely, the coil 11 constitutes a wound antenna for electromagnetic interactions, which can be aimed at exchanging (transmitting) information or can be aimed at generating electrical power through electromagnetic induction.
In
The automatic machine 14 comprises a support frame, which rests on the ground by means of legs and has, at the front, a vertical wall on which the operating members are mounted. Furthermore, the automatic machine 14 comprises a main conveyor 15, which moves the support bodies 1 being processed along a processing path P, which develops between a loading station S1 (where the main conveyor 15 receives the support bodies 1 to be completed, namely assembled) and an output station S2 (where the main conveyor 15 releases complete, namely assembled support bodies 1); in particular, the processing path P is horizontal and linear, namely substantially develops along a straight line arranged horizontally.
The processing path P goes through a series of stations S3-S7 (better described below), where the bodies 1 passing by are subjected to processing operations (in particular, assembling operations).
The main conveyor 15 comprises a plurality of carriages 16, which are moved along the processing path P; as better shown in
The main conveyor 15 is normally designed to cyclically move each carriage 16 along the processing path P with an intermittent (step-like) movement, which entails cyclically alternating movement phases, in which the main conveyor 15 moves the carriages 16, and stop phases, in which the main conveyor 15 holds the carriages 16 still. According to
According to a different embodiment, which is not shown herein, the main conveyor 15 is a conveyor belt and comprises (at least) a flexible belt, which supports the carriages 16 and is closed in a ring shape around at least two end pulleys (at least one of them being motor-driven).
According to
Subsequently, the main conveyor 15 moves a carriage 16 (carrying four seats 18) along the processing path P and from the loading station S1 to the application station S3 (arranged between the loading station S1 and a loading station S4), where the carriage 16 stops and an adhesive means (for example, one or more glue drops or a double-sided adhesive tape) designed to cause the electronic circuit 10 to stick to the support body 1 is applied on each support body 1 carried by the carriage 16.
Subsequently, the main conveyor 15 moves a carriage 16 (carrying four seats 18) along the processing path P and from the application station S3 to the loading station S4 (arranged downstream of the loading station S1), where the carriage 16 stops and each support body 1 carried by the carriage 16 is coupled to an electronic circuit 10 provided with the two electrical contacts.
Subsequently, the main conveyor 15 moves a carriage 16 (carrying four seats 18) along the processing path P and from the loading station S4 to one of the two winding stations S5 and S6 (arranged one after the other downstream of the loading station S4), where the carriage 16 stops and an externally insulated conductor wire 13 is wound around each support body 1 carried by the carriage 16 in order to create a series of turns making up the wound coil 11. According to a preferred embodiment, each winding station S5 or S6 is configured to operate with two carriages 16 at a time (namely, with eight support bodies 1 at a time), since the winding operation is fairly slow (namely, requires time in order to be carried out with a high quality).
According to a first embodiment, the two winding stations S5 and S6 are redundant twin stations and are used simultaneously (namely, in parallel) or alternatively (so that a winding station S5 or S6 can be used, while the other winding station S6 or S5 is standing still because it needs to be restored/subjected to maintenance/cleaned). When both winding stations S5 and S6 are available (operating), each carriage 16 is stopped in only one of the two winding stations S5 or S6 and, hence, the corresponding coil 11 is coupled (wound) around each support body 1 in the winding station S5 or, alternatively, in the winding station S6; in other words, approximately half the support bodies 1 receive the corresponding coil 11 in the winding station S5, whereas the remaining half of the support bodies 1 receive the corresponding coil 11 in the winding station S6 and, as a consequence, approximately half the carriages 16 stop in the winding station S5, whereas the remaining half of the carriages 16 stops in the winding station S6 (namely, the two winding stations S5 and S6, by operating together and in parallel, split the carriages 16 between themselves).
Subsequently, the main conveyor 15 moves a carriage 16 (carrying four seats 18) along the processing path P and from the winding station S5 and/or S6 to the welding station S7 (arranged downstream of the winding stations S5 and S6), where the carriage 16 stops and, in each support body 1 carried by the carriage 16, the two opposite ends of the wound coil 11 are welded (for example, through ultrasound or through laser) to the two electrical contacts of the electronic circuit 10. According to a preferred embodiment, the welding station S7 is configured to operate with four carriages 16 at a time (namely, with sixteen support bodies 1 at a time), since the welding operation is relatively slow (namely, requires time in order to be carried out with a high quality).
Subsequently, the main conveyor 15 moves a carriage 16 (carrying four seats 18) along the processing path P and from the welding station S7 to the output station S2 (arranged downstream of the welding station S7), where the carriage 16 stops and the support bodies 1 carried by the carriage 16 (and now provided with the respective transponders 9) are removed from the seats 18 so that they can leave the automatic machine 14.
According to a preferred embodiment, each seat 18 of a carriage 16 houses the support body 1 in a projecting manner so that the support body 1 partially protrudes out of the carriage 16 letting a part of a lower wall of the support body 1 (where the electronic circuit 10 with the two electrical contacts has to be placed) free. In the application station S3, the adhesive means is coupled, from the bottom to the top, to the free part of the lower wall of the support body 1.
According to
According to
The automatic machine 14 comprises a control unit 26 (schematically shown in
The operation of the automatic machine 14 will be described below, with special reference to the distinctive control modes of the main conveyor 15 in the area of the loading stations S1 and S4.
The control unit 26 controls the main conveyor 15 so as to move, at the beginning of a first operating cycle and along the processing path P, a carriage 16 provided with four empty seats 18 towards the loading station S1 and another carriage 16 provided with four seats 18 containing the respective support bodies 1 towards the loading station S4. Therefore, the control unit 26 controls the main conveyor 15 so as to stop, during the first operating cycle, a carriage 16 in the loading station S1 and the other carriage 16 in the loading station S4. At this point, the control unit 26 controls (in the ways described above) the supplying device 24 so as to insert, during the first operating cycle, four support bodies 1 into the respective four seats 18, while a carriage 16 is standing still in the loading station S1, and controls (in the ways described above) the supplying device 25 so as to insert, during the first operating cycle, four electronic circuits 10 into the respective four seats 18, while another carriage 16 is standing still in the loading station S4.
Subsequently, the control unit 26 should control the main conveyor 15, at the beginning of a second operating cycle immediately following the first operating cycle, so as to move a carriage 16 from the loading station S1 towards the application station S3 (namely, a following station along the processing path P) and so as to move another carriage 16 from the loading station S4 towards the winding station S5 or S6 (namely, a following station along the processing path P).
The control unit 26, at the end of the first operating cycle, checks for the actual presence of four support bodies 1 in the respective four seats 18 of the carriage 16 standing still in the lading station S1 and checks for the actual presence of four electronic circuits 10 in the respective four seats 18 of the carriage 16 standing still in the loading station S4. The control unit 26, at the beginning of the second operating cycle, moves the carriage 16 from the loading station S1 to the application station S3 (namely, the following station), only if, at the end of the first operating cycle, four support bodies 1 are actually present in the respective four seats 18 of the carriage 16, and moves the carriage 16 from the loading station S4 to the winding station S5 or S6 (namely, the following station), only if, at the end of the first operating cycle, four electronic circuits 10 are actually present in the respective four seats 18 of the carriage 16.
On the other hand, the control unit 26, at the beginning of the second operating cycle, holds the carriage 16 in the loading station S1, if, at the end of the first operating cycle, at least one seat 18 of the carriage is still empty (namely, without the respective support body 1), and holds the carriage 16 in the loading station S4, if, at the end of the first operating cycle, at least one seat 18 of the carriage is still empty (namely, without the respective electronic circuit 10).
The control unit 26 controls (in the ways described above) the supplying device 24 so as to insert, during the second operating cycle, the missing support bodies 1 into the respective four seats 18, while a carriage 16 is still standing still in the loading station S1 (because it was held still, since the supply of the support bodies 1 was not completed during the preceding operating cycle), and controls (in the ways described above) the supplying device 25 so as to insert, during the second operating cycle, the missing electronic circuits 10 into the respective four seats 18, while another carriage 16 is still standing still in the loading station S4 (because it was held still, since the supply of the electronic circuits 10 was not completed during the preceding operating cycle).
The process disclosed above, namely the one involving checking for the complete supply of the support bodies 1 and of the electronic circuits 10 before allowing the carriages to be transferred from the loading stations S1 and S4 to the following stations, is repeated for a predetermined number of operating cycles so as to try and obtain a complete filling of the seats 18 of the carriages 16; the control unit 26 diagnoses a malfunction if a seat 18 is still empty (namely, without the respective support body 1 or the respective electronic circuit 10) after a predetermined number of operating cycles, during which the carriage 16 remains still in a loading station S1 or S4 trying to complete the filling of the seats 18 of the carriage 16 with every operating cycle.
In other words, the control unit 24 holds, at the beginning of each operating cycle, a carriage 16 in a loading station S1 or S4, if, at the end of the preceding operating cycle, at least one seat 18 of the carriage 16 is still empty (namely, without the respective support body 1 or the respective electronic circuit 10), and inserts, during each operating cycle, the missing support bodies 1 or electronic circuits 10 into the seats 18 while the carriage 16 is standing still in the loading station S1 or S4, if, at the end of the preceding operating cycle, at least one seat 18 of the carriage 16 is still empty (namely, without the respective support body 1 or the respective electronic circuit 10).
In this way, it is advantageously possible to avoid rejecting an (incomplete) group of support bodies 1 in the same carriage 16 when all seats 18 of the carriage 16 fail to be filled (since all seats 18 of a carriage 16 are always filled by having the carriage 16 wait in the loading station S1 or S4 until the filling is complete); in the specific case of the winding operation, drawbacks such as the undesired breaking of the wire 13 due to the lack of a support body 1 in one of the seats 18 of the carriage 16 are avoided.
Normally (namely, in the absence of problems), each carriage 16 should stop in any station S1-S7 of the processing path P for one single operating cycle.
According to a possible embodiment, if the control unit 26 stops a carriage 16 in a loading station S1 or S4 for more than one operating cycle due to an incomplete supply of components (the support bodies 1 or the electronic circuits 10), then the control unit 26 also keeps all the other carriages 16 still in the position in which they are for more than one operating cycle, since the carriages 16 need to always move together and in a synchronized manner along the processing path P. In other words, in this embodiment, it is not possible to keep only one carriage 16 still for more than one operating cycle, but all carriages 16 have to remain still, so that all carriages 16 always move together and in a synchronized manner along the processing path P. Indeed, in this embodiment, if the control unit 26 kept one single carriage 16 still in the loading station S1 or S4 due to an incomplete supply of components (the support bodies 1 or the electronic circuits 10), then the carriage 16 immediately upstream of the loading station S1 or S4 where the carriage 16 remains still could not access anyway the loading station S1 or S4 and this would have repercussions on all the other carriages 16, which would not have a place to go, if they moved; therefore, in this embodiment, it is useful for all carriages 16 to always move together and in a synchronized manner along the processing path P, since all carriages 16 switch their positions with every cycle.
According to a different embodiment, along the processing path P there is at least one parking device (namely, a store for the carriages 16), which allows the carriages 16 to leave the processing path P (namely, the annular guide 19) when, due to a temporary impediment, there is no possibility for the carriages 16 of moving on along the processing path P and, then, allows the carriages 16 to go back to the processing path P (namely, to the annular guide 19) when there is again the possibility for the carriages 16 of moving one along the processing path P. In this way, when a loading station S1 or S4 remains occupied by a carriage 16 that has not completed its filling in one single operating cycle, a carriage 16 can access a parking device in order to allow the other carriages 16 to move.
According to a further embodiment, the empty carriages 16 can also be stored and kept waiting in the return segment of the processing path P extending between the output station S2 and the loading station S1 (which serves as parking area), when a loading station S1 or S4 remains occupied by a carriage 16 that has not completed its filling in one single operating cycle.
According to a different embodiment which is not shown herein, the loading station S1 or the loading station S4 could comprise a conveyor similar to the main conveyor 15 and, hence, having a linear electric motor, which pushes carriages along a guide; or, according an embodiment which is not shown herein, downstream of the unloading station S2 there is a further conveyor similar to the main conveyor 15 and, hence, having a linear electric motor, which pushes carriages along a guide (in this case, the unloading station S2 of the main conveyor 15 becomes the loading station of the following conveyor). In these embodiments there are several conveyors, each having a linear electric motor, which pushes carriages along a guide, and arranged one after the other and these conveyors are connected to one another in series (the main conveyor 15 could be arranged in the middle of this series of conveyors); these conveyors connected in series all operate with the same logic disclosed above: a carriage of a conveyor remains still in a loading station of its own (which can be the unloading station of a preceding conveyor) until it receives all the elements to be expected based on its loading capacity. In the embodiment shown in the accompanying figures, the wire 13 is an electrically conductor wire, is externally insulated and is wound so as to form a coil 11, which creates a wound antenna for electromagnetic interactions that can be aimed at exchanging (transmitting) information or can be aimed at generating power through electromagnetic induction. According to a different embodiment, the wire 13 is an electrically conductor wire (and, hence, an electric current can flow through it, even though it has a low or very low intensity), but has a textile core (for example, made of cotton), which is caused to become a conductor, for instance through a doping with metal nanoparticles. According to a further embodiment, the wire 13 is not an electrically conductor wire, is of the textile kind and the coil 11 creates a wick (or the like) for an electronic cigarette.
The embodiments described herein can be combined with one another, without for this reason going beyond the scope of protection of the invention.
In the non-limiting embodiment described above, the article comprising the support body 1 and the transponder 9 is part of a disposable cartridge of an electronic cigarette, but the method described above can also be applied to the production of articles of any type (namely, of any product class). For example, the method described above can be applied to the production of articles for a machine, a plant, a construction, a product (for example, a payment means), for instance, but not exclusively, of the tobacco, pharmaceutical, food-related or entertainment industry; more in general, the method described above can be applied to the production of articles for applications of any type.
The embodiments described herein can be combined with one another, without for this reason going beyond the scope of protection of the invention.
The method disclosed above has numerous advantages.
First of all, the method disclosed above helps handle a failed supply of a component in a simple and effective manner, since, even in case of a failed supply of a component, it avoids the rejection of non-defective components and maximizes (as much as possible) productivity.
Furthermore, the method described above is relatively simple and economic to be implemented.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102023000001785 | Feb 2023 | IT | national |
