Patent Grant
8469179
The present invention concerns a machine for treating containers, in particular in a plant for bottling food products, according to the preamble of the main claim.
The machine, according to the invention, is intended to be advantageously used in industrial plants for bottling beverages, such as wine or mineral water, in particular for making containers, such as bottles or the like (made from glass or plastic), undergo a rinsing treatment with one or more washing liquids.
Rinsing machines used in conventional bottling plants comprise, in a per se known way, a turntable rotating around its own central axis, which, along its periphery, is provided with a plurality of pincers intended to grasp the containers to be treated, typically at their necks, and to arrange them upside down at the respective rinsing groups.
Each of such rinsing groups substantially comprises an injector, equipped with a nozzle with a dispensing opening facing upwards, which through a fitting tube, is connected to a distribution valve to feed the nozzle with a washing liquid with which the containers are to be rinsed. In detail, rinsing machines are known equipped with rinsing groups with fixed nozzles, in which the nozzles are kept outside the container, and machines with mobile nozzles, in which the nozzles are moved so as to penetrate inside the container through its mouth.
Each pincer is conventionally equipped with two arms, to grasp and release a bottle, which are pivoted to a fork rotatably fixed to the support for connecting to the turntable of the relative rinsing group. The fork can undergo a rotation of 180° around a rotation axis which is transverse with respect to the central axis of the turntable to turn the container held by the arms of the pincer upside down.
Operatively, each container fed into the rinsing machine is grasped by a pincer, which turns it upside down arranging it with its mouth aligned above the nozzle of the corresponding rinsing group. Subsequently, through such a nozzle, the washing liquid for rinsing the container is injected inside the container itself. The container is then kept upside down for a certain amount of time with the purpose of allowing it to dry and to ensure that the washing liquid is completely drained. Finally, the container is brought back into the upright position and is released by the pincer at the outlet of the rinsing machine to be conveyed to the subsequent operating machines (filling machine, bottle closing machine, capping machine, etc.).
Optionally, a pre-evacuation step of the air present inside the container is foreseen which provides for introducing an inert gas (for example nitrogen) inside it before the injection of the washing liquid. Preferably, after rinsing with the washing liquid, a step is foreseen for injecting air inside the upside down container so as to facilitate the drying thereof.
A particular embodiment of the known type is described, for example, in the Italian utility model IT 241903. It concerns a rinsing machine in which the arms of each pincer are hinged to the corresponding fork through distinct pins parallel to the central axis of the turntable. The arms of each pincer are equipped with a free end thereof, intended to hold the container, and a fixed end, connected to a cam mechanism that controls both the opening and the closing of the arms themselves.
Moreover, on the free ends of the arms, holding portions are fixed, which are made up of buffers made from plastic material with a matching shape with respect to the shape of the neck of the container. These buffers have the purpose of both ensuring a tight hold on the container, as well ensuring the centring of the mouth of the container itself with the nozzle of the corresponding rinsing group when the container is upside down to be rinsed.
This known type of solution, however, is not in practice without drawbacks.
A first drawback is related to the fact that on the market there are numerous container formats, which have different neck shapes and/or sizes i.e. different bague shapes. In known types of pincers, briefly described above, it is necessary for the buffers fixed at the free ends of the arms to be changed each time to ensure the correct holding and centring of the containers as their format varies. Such operations require that the entire bottling plant be brought to a halt with consequent production idle time and a decrease in yield of the production process. Moreover, it is necessary to have specific inserts for each container format. This causes there to be a substantial worsening of production and storage costs, which are reflected in the final cost of the rinsing machine.
A further drawback is due to the fact that known types of pincers are not capable of correctly adapting to the conicity of the container neck (also variable according to the format) and thus cannot ensure a tight hold on the container itself with consequent reduction of the reliability and functionality of the rinsing machine.
Another drawback is linked to the high constructive complexity of the actuator means to determine the opening and closing of known types of pincers which thus make it easier for failures or malfunctions to occur.
The general purpose of the present invention is thus that of overcoming the drawbacks of the aforementioned known types of solutions, by providing a machine for treating containers, in particular in a plant for bottling food products, which allows a use which is versatile to the varying of both the shape and sizes of the containers without requiring laborious adaptations to be carried out.
A further purpose of the present invention is that of making a machine for treating containers equipped with holding devices which make it possible to hold containers centred on the nozzles of the corresponding rinsing groups with the varying of the shape and sizes of the neck of such containers i.e. their bague shape.
A further purpose of the present invention is that of providing a machine for treating containers which is cost-effective and easy to manufacture.
A further purpose of the present invention is that of providing a machine for treating containers which is operatively completely reliable.
The technical characteristics of the invention, according to the aforementioned purposes, are clearly seen in the content of the attached claims and its advantages shall become clearer from the following detailed description, given with reference to the attached drawings, which show two embodiments purely given as an example and not for limiting purposes, in which:
a, 8b and 8c show the holding device illustrated in
a, 9b and 9c show the holding device illustrated in
With reference to the attached drawings the machine for treating containers, in particular in bottling plants of food products, object of the present invention is wholly indicated with reference numeral 1.
It is inserted, in a completely conventional way, inside a plant or bottling line equipped with many machines which work in succession and in particular typically provided with a rinsing machine, with a bottling machine and with a bottle closing machine. The containers to be filled are transferred from one machine to another through transportation lines, like for example conveyor belts, or through transporting apparatuses like for example starwheels with recesses, Archimedean screws, etc.
In the rest of the description, we shall describe a preferred embodiment according to the present invention relative to a rinsing machine, although it should be clear that the technical solutions, object of the present invention, can advantageously be applied also to other types of machines, for example filling machines, bottle closing machines, apparatuses for transporting containers, etc.
In detail, we shall describe a rotating rinsing machine with fixed nozzles, which makes it possible to subject containers 8, typically bottles or similar, to a treatment with a washing liquid product for cleaning or even sterilizing their inner surface.
With reference to
The machine 1 comprises, in a completely conventional way, a support frame on which a turntable 70 is rotatably mounted, set in rotation around its own vertical shaft 74 through known type motor means. On the periphery of the turntable 70, a plurality of rinsing groups 71 are evenly distributed over its circumference. Each rinsing group 71 substantially comprises a support structure 4 fixed to the turntable 70 of the machine 1 on which a draining basin 7 is mounted, connected to a run-off circuit to drain the washing liquid used during the rinsing treatment. As can be seen from the examples illustrated in
Each rinsing group 71 also comprises a container holding device 2, which is provided with a pincer 3, to grasp and release the containers 8, mounted on the support structure 4. With reference to the example embodiment illustrated in
Of course, without for this reason departing from the scope of protection of the present patent document, the holding device 2 can be associated with any operative group of a machine for treating containers in a bottling plant, i.e. it can operate regardless of a specific operative group like, for example, in an apparatus for transporting containers.
In detail, the fork 6 is conventionally equipped with two parallel elongated portions 9, fixed at one of their first ends 10 to a transverse connection plate 11, on which the pincer 3 is fixed, and hinged at a second end 12 to the bracket 5 through a hinge 13. The hinge is arranged under the draining basin 7 and extends horizontally along an inverting axis X tangent to the circumference of the turntable 70 in the point in which the holding device 2 is mounted on it. In this way the pincer 3 can substantially rotate by 180° from a lowered position, in which it is placed under the draining basin 7, to a lifted position, in which it is placed above the same draining basin 7 at its own upper open face 14. The rotation of the pincer 3 between the lowered position and the lifted position is controlled, for example, by a fixed tubular cam (not illustrated), which is mounted around the machine 1. A guide 64 fixed to the fork 6 is slidingly engaged with the tubular cam to control the movement of the pincer 3 after the turntable 70 has rotated.
The pincer 3 of the holding device 2 comprises two arms 15 pivoted to the plate 11 of the fork 6 to rotate around their own first rotation axis Y preferably parallel to the vertical shaft 74 of the turntable 70 of the machine 1. In accordance with the embodiments illustrated in the attached figures, the arms 15 are arranged symmetrically with respect to a radial axis R of the turntable 70 and are rotatably pivoted on corresponding first cylindrical hinge pins 16 to rotate around the first rotation axis Y.
Each arm 15 of the pincer 3 comprises a support body 15′ pivoted to the plate 11 of the fork 6 mechanically associated with the actuator means 18 suitable for opening and closing the pincer 3, and a holding body 20 mechanically connected to the support body 15′ of the arm 15 and intended to grasp and release the containers 8, preferably at their necks 37.
Operatively, the actuator means 18 actuate the arms 15 to rotate around their first rotation axis Y between at least one open position, in which the respective holding bodies 20 are separated so as to receive or release the container 8, and at least one closed position, in which the same holding bodies 20 are moved closer together to hold the container 8 between them.
In accordance with the idea the present invention is based upon, each one of the holding bodies 20 of the holding device 2 is connected to the support body 15′ of the respective arm 15 through at least one articulation 21 suitable for allowing the holding body 20 itself to rotate at least around a second rotation axis Z lying on a plane π substantially perpendicular to the first rotation axis Y of the arms 15 and passing through them. When the pincer 3 closes upon the container 8, the holding bodies 20, thanks to their free rotation around the respective second rotation axis Z, go into abutment with the neck 37 of the container 8 correctly following the profile, i.e. conicity, thereof.
The articulation 21 allows the holding body 20 to carry out further rotation movements as well as that around the second rotation axis Z with the purpose of allowing the holding device 2 to tightly grasp and centre containers 8 having particular shape and sizes.
More in detail, in accordance with the preferred embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the support body 15′ of the arm 15 has a fork structure and comprises two, opposing and parallel, plate-like longitudinal elements 22. These mainly extend from a third end 17, at which the support body 15′ is connected to the actuator means 18, and a fourth end 19, where they are rigidly fixed to one another by a transverse element 23 and at which the support body 15′ is connected to the respective holding body 20.
The longitudinal elements 22, are also equipped with through eyelets 43 aligned with one another and through which the first cylindrical hinge pin 16, that fixedly connects the arm 15 to the plate 11 of the fork 6, is inserted. Preferably, each eyelet 43 is formed on the relative longitudinal element 22 in an intermediate position between the third end 17 and the forth end 19 of the support body 15′ of the arm 15.
Advantageously, the articulation 21, which connects the two parts of each arm 15, i.e. the support body 15′ to the respective holding body 20, comprises a male-female coupling between a pin 28 and a seat 29 formed one in the retaining body 15′ and the other on the holding body 20 and rotatably coupled with one another around the axis of the pin 28. More in detail, in accordance with the example shown in the attached figures, the pin 28 extends coaxially with respect to the second rotation axis Z, whereas the seat 29 is formed on the transverse element 23 of the arm 15 and has a substantially cylindrical shape coaxial with respect to the second rotation axis Z. Such a seat 29 has a slightly greater diameter than that of the pin 28 so as to allow it to fittingly insert itself inside the same seat 29 rotating without clearances.
Advantageously, the second rotation axis Z of the holding body 20 of each arm 15, which passes through the longitudinal development of the pin 28 and of the seat 29, is substantially oriented along the longitudinal development of the same arm 15.
As can be seen in figures from 4-6, the holding body 20 of each arm 15 is also advantageously fork-shaped, comprising two elongated elements 27 parallel to one another and to the second rotation axis Z as well as being fixed to a connection base 24 perpendicular to the same elongated elements 27. The connection base 24 carries the pin 28 fixed in a central position and parallel to the elongated elements 27 but oriented with opposite development to them.
In normal operative conditions, the elongated elements 27 are arranged substantially one above and the other below the plane π on which the second rotation axis Z lays. Advantageously, such elongated elements 27 are provided with a shaped inner side 41, which is intended to receive the neck 37 of the container 8 resting against it, to grasp it, and an outer side 42, opposite the inner one and substantially rectilinear.
Usefully, the two elongated elements 27 of the holding body 20 of each arm 15 are separated from one another with an empty space suitable for allowing the insertion of the pincer mounted on an operating machine (i.e. on an apparatus for transporting containers) placed directly upstream or downstream of the machine 1 during the transfer of the containers 8 from one machine to another.
In accordance with a particularly advantageous characteristic of the present invention, the elongated elements 27 of each holding body 20 define, on their inner side 41, opposing concave profiles intended to stick onto the neck 37 of the container 8 in at least two contact points. Such opposing concave profiles are shaped to wrap around the tangent points with the neck 37 of the containers 8 as the diameter of their necks 37 varies (according to the format of the containers 8 and within a range of between 20-40 mm), when of course the arms 15 are in their closed position.
In detail, with reference to
Usefully, the elongated elements 27 of the holding bodies 20 of the arms 15 are covered in a plastic material or carry mounted rubber inserts with the purpose of improving the adherence with the neck 37 of the container 8.
Advantageously, each support body 15′ of the arms 15 is equipped with at least one abutment element 36 which is able to interfere with the relative holding body 20 to limit its rotation around its second rotation axis Z.
In detail, with reference to
The pin 28 is held axially in the seat 29 of the relative support body 15′ of the arm 15 through foreseen retaining means. These comprise a ball plunger 30, which is screwed into a first through hole 31 formed on the retaining body 15′ and engages with the ball arranged at the shank end in an annular groove 34 of the pin 28 to keep it in the seat 29.
With reference to the example embodiment illustrated in figures from 4-6, on each support body 15′ of the arms 15 at least two first holes 31 are foreseen aligned to hold the pin 28 in the seat 29 in a more even way around its circumference allowing axial rotations which are guided and without jamming. Each first through hole 31 is formed, for its first part 31′ in the longitudinal element 22 and, for its second part 31″ continuing on from the first and in communication with the seat 29, in the transverse element 23.
The two longitudinal elements 22 are made in a single piece with the transverse element 23 of the arm 15 i.e. they are rigidly fixed to it through welding.
Advantageously, the actuator means 18, which control the opening and closing of the arms 15 of the pincer 3, comprise a cylinder 44 fixed to the plate 11 of the fork 6 coaxially with respect to the radial symmetry axis R of the pincer 3 itself. Inside such a cylinder 44 a piston 45 is slidingly housed, said piston being mechanically connected to the arms 15 through transmission means comprising, for example, a toggle mechanism 52. Operatively, the piston 45 is moved by control means associated with the machine 1 between a first position in which the arms 15 of the pincer 3 are in the closed position to hold the container 8, and a second position, in which the arms 15 of the pincer 3 are in the open position to receive or release the container 8.
In detail, with reference to
Advantageously, the piston control means 45 comprise first pneumatic means for moving the latter in its first position with the arms 15 of the pincer 3 in the closed position. In detail, the cylinder 44 defines, with the piston, at least one first compression chamber 53, which is defined between a front wall 54 of the cylinder 44 and a corresponding front face 55 of the piston 45. It is also foreseen for there to be a first air duct 56 connected to the first compression chamber 53, through which the first pneumatic means inject compressed air inside the same first chamber 53 with the purpose of moving the piston 45 into its first position and thus close the arms 15 of the pincer 3. The piston 45, when it is pushed by air into the first position, it is at the end stop of the cylinder 44 placed at the inner part of the holding device 2 farther with respect to the container 8. The pneumatic closure of the pincer 3 obtained through the first pneumatic means offers excellent guarantees that the containers 8 will be held safely.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
Otherwise, instead of the cam mechanism, in accordance with a second particularly advantageous embodiment illustrated in
In accordance with this second embodiment, the control means of the piston 45 are completely pneumatic to carry out both the opening and the closing of the arms 15. Such a solution reduces the risk of failures due to wearing of mechanical parts (such as cams, wheels, springs, etc.) which undergo wearing due to friction during operation.
Operatively, by rotating, the turntable 70 of the machine 1 moves the holding devices 2 to the inlet station 66 to withdraw the containers 8 conveyed by the first transport line 67.
For this purpose, the arms 15 of the pincer 3 are moved by the actuation means 18 into the open position to receive, between the rubber inserts of the holding body 20, the neck 37 of a container 8. In this operative step, the pincer 3 is in its lowered position with the arms 15 arranged under the injector 72 of the corresponding rinsing group 71.
Subsequently, such arms 15 are moved into their closed position to grasp the neck 37 of the container 8. Then the container is turned upside down through rotation of the pincer 3 around the inverting axis X with a movement from its lowered position to its lifted position. In this way, the container 8 is moved over the draining basin 7 with its own mouth aligned above the nozzle 73 of the injector 72.
Subsequently, the nozzle 2 sprays the washing liquid through the mouth of the container 8 to rinse the inner surface of the container 8, itself. The washing liquid, which by gravity, comes out from the mouth of the container 8, is conveyed from the draining basin 7 to the suitable run-off circuit. Subsequently, the container 8 is moved back into its upright position moving the pincer 3 back into its lowered position. Finally, the arms 15 of the pincer 3 are moved into their open position to release the container 8 at the outlet station 68 of the machine 1.
In detail, in accordance with both embodiments illustrated in the attached figures, the closing step of the arms 15 of the pincer 3 foresees that first pneumatic means of the control means of the piston 45 inject compressed air inside the first compression chamber 53 of the cylinder 44 with the purpose of pushing the piston 45 away from the front part 54 of the same cylinder 44. In this way, the piston 45, is taken back into its first position, in which it arranges the levers 46 which connect it to the arms 15 with the sixth ends 50 moved back, towards the inner part of the holding device 2, as illustrated for example in
In accordance with the first embodiment of the holding device 2 illustrated in detail in
In accordance with the second embodiment illustrated in
In accordance with both embodiments of the machine 1, object of the present invention, the movement of the piston 45 from the first to the second position determines the rotation of the arms 15 around the first cylindrical hinge pins 16 controlled by the actuation of the levers 46 that pull the third ends 17 of the support portions 15′ of the arms 15 towards one another.
The angle subtended by the arms 15, when these are closed around a container 8, can be more or less wide according to the size of the neck 37 of the same container 8, as illustrated for example in
In particular, in the example illustrated in
Such a condition is also repeated even when holding containers 8 having a relatively tight neck 37 (for example 24 millimeters), as illustrated in
In the limit case, not illustrated, in which the arms 15 of the pincer 3 are arranged to hold a container 8 with a particularly tight neck 37 (for example, having a diameter of 20 millimeters), the latter will go to rest with a convex perimeter portion on an indentation 40 for dividing the holding portions 38 and 39, which is shaped to partially follow the profile of such a perimeter portion of the container 8 ensuring a good hold and correct centring.
In accordance with a further advantageous characteristic of the present invention, the articulation 21 that connects the arms 15 of each holding device 2 to the corresponding holding bodies 20 allows them to rotate around the second rotation axis Z perfectly adapting to the conicity of the neck 37 of different formats of containers 8. In particular, as illustrated in
The invention thus described achieves the predetermined purposes.
Of course, it can take up, in its practical embodiment, even shapes and configurations which are different from the one illustrated above, without, for this reason, departing from the present scope of protection. Moreover, all the details may be replaced by technically equivalent elements and the shapes, sizes and materials used can be any according to the requirements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PD2009A0123 | May 2009 | IT | national |
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|---|---|---|---|
| 2415997 | Eldred | Feb 1947 | A |
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| 5421447 | Ruth et al. | Jun 1995 | A |
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| 7264108 | Borsarelli et al. | Sep 2007 | B2 |
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| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 94 11 971 | Aug 1995 | DE |
| 203 05 988 | Jul 2003 | DE |
| 1 296 413 | Jun 1999 | IT |
| Entry |
|---|
| Search report issued by the Italian Patent and Trademark Office in Application No. IT PD20090123. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20100282364 A1 | Nov 2010 | US |
