Patent Application
20200191193
The invention relates to a bearing device for at least one pair of gripper arms which is suited to gripping, holding and guiding in particular bottle-like containers.
To be understood by the term “container” in the context of the present invention is in particular, but not exclusively, containers having a substantially circular cross section, e.g. bottles, cans or glassware, consisting of glass, metal or plastic according to the respective requirement.
A gripper arm pair as such in particular, but not exclusively, comprises a first gripper arm and a second gripper arm which grip a container by way of a pincer motion and which can hold, transport and guide the container via positive or frictional connection of the container between the two gripper arms. The second gripper arm is thereby in particular configured mirror-inverted to the first gripper arm. During the pincer motion, the gripper arm pair moves from an open position into a gripping position, whereby in the open position, a container can be positioned between the spread gripper arms, and in the gripping position, the gripper arms either grasp and hold a container or, without a container arranged between said gripper arms, are closed and can in particular touch each other.
The use of such gripper arm pairs, also called clamp grippers, is known in the beverage industry. It is customary in that context, at least on an industrial scale, for containers, in particular bottles, to be filled with liquids, such as for example water, juice, beer, etc., and sealed in production lines/bottling plants or container filling and transport systems. A production line usually comprises a cleaning system for the containers, a filling station for filling the liquid into the containers, and a sealing system for sealing the containers. The different systems are connected together by means of feeder systems which can be configured as assembly lines, transport stars, etc.
A transport star, also referred to as a damping star, is a device which is able to rotate around an axis and has a plurality of clamp grippers at the edge of an in particular circular support plate. The support plate is rotatable about the axis, whereby the clamp grippers grab and release a container on container transport flows running in particular tangentially to the support plate and transport the container along a circular arc between these points.
Although gripper arm pairs are suited to grasping containers of different sizes, in particular diameters, due to the pincer motion, there are however tolerance limits contingent upon the length and gripping configuration of the gripper arms and the maximum opening angle between the gripper arms. If these limits are exceeded, containers which are too small or too large, in particular of a different shape, can no longer be stably gripped and held. Therefore, when adapting a production line to a new type of container, it may become necessary to replace the gripper arm pairs with ones able to hold the new containers without any difficulty.
The gripper arms are likewise subject to attrition/wear and thus a statistical lifespan stemming from the mechanical load occurring during the movement from the open position into the gripping position and vice versa as well as the holding of the containers. Once the gripper arms are worn out to the extent they can no longer perform their gripping function, they need to be replaced. This is the case when, for example, gripper arms made of metal have been bent through wear or gripper arms made of plastic have at least partially broken off.
In the above-cited situations, in which the gripper arms need to be replaced, the systems are stopped and the respective gripper arms manually changed. These planned or unplanned operational interruptions negatively impact the revenue of the company operating such systems equipped with transport stars or similar systems equipped with gripper arms and should therefore be kept as short as possible.
A bearing unit on which a gripper arm pair is arranged and supported is known from printed publication DE 10 2014 111 564. The bearing unit allows an operator or establishment to replace a gripper arm pair relatively quickly compared to other prior art.
The prior art does, however, have further numerous disadvantages. For instance, the above-cited bearing unit is for example of relatively large dimensions and not particularly easily mountable on a transport star. Moreover, the bearing unit consists of a plurality of individual separate components which complicates handling when replacing a gripper arm pair.
It is thus the task of the present invention to design a bearing device which eliminates or at least minimizes the known prior art disadvantages.
This task is inventively solved by a bearing device in accordance with claim 1. Accordingly, a bearing device for at least one pair of gripper arms having a first gripper arm and a second gripper arm of mirror-inverted configuration thereto is provided, wherein the at least one gripper arm pair is movable from a gripping position into an open position or vice versa by means of a rotatably mounted control cam for gripping, holding and guiding in particular bottle-like containers. The bearing device additionally comprises a first bearing pin for pivotably supporting the at least one first gripper arm, a second bearing pin for pivotably supporting the at least one second gripper arm, a base plate with a seating for pivotably supporting the control cam, and a spacer sleeve for receiving a fixing means for fixing the spacer sleeve on a platform, wherein the bearing pins and the spacer sleeve are fixed to the base plate.
This bearing device or respectively bearing structure has the advantage of all the components being firmly connected together and thus providing a compact device which does not require time-consuming assembling and can be more quickly and easily mounted to a platform.
Additionally, the base plate forms a boundary for the bearing pin such that the inserted gripping arms cannot slide out of or slip under the bearing pin. Moreover, due to the base plate, the bearing pin can be extended and thus accommodate multiple gripper arm pairs without any tilting or deforming of the bearing pin during the pincer motion. That is particularly because one end of the bearing pin is inserted into a carrier platform in the mounted state and the other end into the base plate and thus no leverage can act over the entire length of the pin but rather only one end of the pin.
A further advantage is based on the spacer sleeve which, as the sole component of the bearing device, substantially defines and maintains the distance to the platform, in particular between the base plate and platform, Thus, no laborious adapting of different bearing device components is necessary to define the height or respectively distance. Furthermore, only one single fixing means is required, same fixing the spacer sleeve and thereby the bearing device to the platform. The replacing of the at least one gripper arm pair and the mounting of the bearing device on the platform are thus simplified.
The following describes preferential embodiments of the invention as specified in the subclaims.
The bearing pins are advantageously removably inserted into the platform and the spacer sleeve arrangeable on the platform and releasably attached to the platform by the fixing means. The removable insertability as well as releasable attachability allow fast and uncomplicated replacement of the bearing device. The spacer sleeve is thereby in particular configured such that it cannot tilt on the surface of the platform. This is for example possible by the end of the sleeve facing the platform, in particular its wall thickness, being configured complementary to the mounting position of the spacer sleeve on the platform or when the end of the sleeve and the platform are level. Due to their insertability, in particular on/in the platform in the inserted state, the bearing pins essentially prevent a pivoting of the bearing device about the spacer sleeve axis.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the length of the spacer sleeve is shorter than the length of the bearing pin. This is particularly advantageous with a flat platform surface since the ends of the bearing pins are thereby always inserted into corresponding seatings of the platform as soon as the spacer sleeve is arranged at its mounting position on the platform and the bearing device aligned so as to be ready for operation or securing. The bearing pins thus also form a type of guide means when arranging the bearing device on the platform.
The base plate preferably exhibits at least four drill holes for receiving the first and second bearing pin, the spacer sleeve and the control cam. This advantageous configuration of the base plate enables simple production and uncomplicated assembly of the bearing device, whereby the corresponding components can be arranged in the base plate and affixed for example by welding or force fit. The drill hole for the control cam is configured such that the control cam can be easily inserted and has enough play in the inserted state so as to be able to rotate or pivot respectively.
Likewise having proven advantageous is for the spacer sleeve to be arranged with the base plate or configured such that the fixing means is insertable from one end of the spacer sleeve and can partially lead out from the other end of the spacer sleeve. The securing of the bearing device is thus further simplified. Additionally, the sleeve can simply be configured such, that it serves as a guide means for the fixing means. As soon as the fixing means is led through the sleeve, inserted into the platform and affixed, and the sleeve pressed against the platform, the sleeve, particularly its end, forms a frictional connection with the surface of the platform.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the bearing device exhibits a bearing plate as a platform comprising a first and a second seating for the inserting of the first and second bearing pin, a third seating on which the spacer sleeve can be arranged and in which the fixing means is releasably securable, as well as a fourth seating for pivotably supporting the control cam. As soon as at least the gripper arms of the at least one pair of gripper arms are arranged on the bearing pins, the base plate with the bearing pin can be set on the bearing plate and attached together with fixing means via the spacer sleeve. Additionally, the control cam can also be inserted before or after the assembling of the base plate and bearing plate. Each bearing device thereby has its own separate bearing plate. Lastly, the operator of a transport star immediately has a unit at his disposal in which all the necessary components of a clamp gripper can be installed and then be substantially operationally ready. This thereby circumvents a laborious selecting and assembling of the components of a clamp gripper, in particular the gripper arms and the bearing device, and the inserting and mounting of the bearing device, in particular its base plate, bearing pin and spacer sleeve, on the platform.
Preferably, the bearing plate is adapted so as to be fixed, in particular detachably, to a support plate of a clamping star. At least three seatings are required when mounting the bearing device of base plate, bearing pin and spacer sleeve (without bearing plate); or four seatings if an additional seating serves as to support the control cam. The bearing plate can be secured on the support plate with only one or with multiple fixing means, whereby the mounting of the bearing device on the support plate is simplified and the production of the support plate inherently becomes more economical due to a fewer number of drill holes.
Advantageously, a fixing means guided through the spacer sleeve is configured as a screw which is releasably securable to or in the platform. The screw can be screwed into a threaded seating of the platform and in particular dimensioned so as to pass through the spacer sleeve and concurrently, in the screwed-in state, prevent a displacing of the sleeve perpendicular to the screw. The screw head thereby exerts a force on the one end of the sleeve, whereby a frictional connection additionally occurs between the other end of the sleeve and the platform. A screw as fixing means is easy and economical to produce and can be readily inserted and disengaged if necessary.
Further preferential embodiments are provided which can exhibit the features described in the following, in particular in conjunction with the features of one or more subclaims.
The bearing pins and the spacer sleeve are preferably arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to the base plate and exhibit a consistent diameter over their entire length. On the other hand, the diameter of the bearing pins can be adapted to the corresponding bearing drill holes of a gripper arm in a longitudinal section of said bearing pin. Additionally, the end sections can exhibit a diameter or a shape and/or an offset to the axis of the bearing pin which is adapted to the drill hole of the base plate and/or the seating of the platform. That means that the bearing pin can be configured with differing longitudinal sections of different diameter, shape and/or axes.
The base plate can be of trapezoidal, rhombus, deltoid, rectangular or elliptical configuration and exhibit a thickness between 3 and 10 mm, preferably 5 mm. These shapes are easy to produce and the bearing plate can be the same shape as the base plate.
The individual components of the bearing device can consist either of metal or plastic depending on individual mechanical load requirements and material and manufacturing costs.
The following will reference the accompanying schematic drawings in describing the invention in greater detail on the basis of exemplary embodiments incorporating further details.
Shown are:
The bearing device depicted in
In
The cross-sectional view in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2017 105 016.7 | Mar 2017 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2018/052592 | 2/2/2018 | WO | 00 |
