This Application claims priority to European Patent Application Number 15154871.6 filed Feb. 12, 2015, to Lars Ickert and Alireza Taghipour, currently pending, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to an object carrier and a packaging system.
Not yet published European Patent Application Number 14197424.6 discloses a packaging system with a packaging machine, a loading station for trays and a lifting station for sealed packages. Object carriers are provided that can each accommodate a plurality of trays. The object carriers are transported via conveyor belts from one station or packaging machine, respectively, to the other station. For example, all trays are loaded at a loading station into an object carrier while the latter is stopped at a designated position. Such an automated device for loading the trays is still somewhat inflexible in spite of all its advantages.
One object of the present invention is to provide even more flexible and more efficient operation of such a packaging system.
The object carrier according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a carrier plate, a two-dimensional array of receptacles for packaging trays having n rows and m lanes, and is characterized in that the object carrier comprises a plurality of notch elements (or latch elements) that are provided at one or two outer sides during operation that is parallel to the intended direction of transport. Here, n and m are integers and are each at least 2. The object carrier may be stopped by way of the notch elements at different positions on a conveyor belt at a processing unit, so that the processing unit can consecutively treat an individual row or a group of adjacent rows of trays, respectively. This can reduce the cost and effort for the processing unit and increases flexibility, in contrast to simultaneous processing of an entire format consisting of several rows and lanes.
By arranging the notch element on the outer sides parallel to the intended direction of transport, one notch element can be provided at each one of the n rows, since a row of receptacles, trays or packages of an object carrier is oriented transverse to a direction of transport.
Receptacle is understood within the context of one embodiment of the present invention to be a depression or even an end-to-end opening into each of which a packaging tray can be inserted so that this tray, during transport by way of the object carrier, maintains a defined position on the object carrier. If the tray has an edge, a shoulder for example, can be provided within the receptacle or a web encircling the receptacle adjacent to the receptacle, on which the edges of the tray can rest.
The carrier plate of the object carrier may have a length and width of at least 300 mm×300 mm. A thickness of 10 to 30 mm has proven to be advantageous. The carrier plate can comprise, for example, aluminum or stainless steel or even be made entirely of one of these two materials.
It is conceivable that the notch elements are formed integrally with the carrier plate, for example, by a milling operation.
The notch elements may be disposed on one or on both sides of the object carrier equidistant from one another, for example, at respective outer sides of the carrier plate of the object carrier. The distance between mutually adjacent notch elements on the same side of the object carrier preferably corresponds to the distance (for example, the center-to-center distance) of the receptacles of adjacent rows of receptacles or an integral multiple thereof. It is conceivable, for example, that the distance between adjacent notch elements corresponds to two or three times the distance between two rows of receptacles from reach other.
In one embodiment, the object carrier comprises one notch element for every row in order to achieve a low structural complexity and low cost expenditure for the tools of the processing units.
A centering element associated with every notch element can be provided in order to minimize or eliminate possible play of the notch element at a stop system by use of a centering device of the processing unit, so that maximum positioning accuracy can be obtained. The centering element may be a centering hole capable of cooperating with a centering pin in a structurally simple manner
A packaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a packaging machine, a transport system, at least one processing unit and several multi-row object carriers, as described above, and may be characterized in that several stop systems are provided along the transport system and configured to stop an individual object carrier in an intermittent mode at consecutive notch elements of this object carrier in order to have at least one row of trays be processed by the processing unit. One advantage of this embodiment is a significantly reduced effort for retooling the processing units because only tools for processing one row of trays, products or packages need to be exchanged. The processing units do not need to comprise elaborate tools for large formats with several rows and lanes, but only for one row.
The processing unit of the packaging system may be a tray loader, a filler, a product loader, a capper, a robot or a labeler.
The packaging machine can be a tray sealer for sealing a top film onto trays that are located in the object carriers and filled with a product. Prior to sealing, the trays can further be evacuated and/or aerated to extend the shelf life of the products.
In one embodiment, the processing unit comprises a centering device to align the object carrier by way of the centering element. An exact position of the object carrier or the row relative to the tool of the processing unit is thereby obtained.
Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description.
In the following, an advantageous embodiment of the invention is further illustrated using a drawing, where:
Same components are designated throughout the figures with the same reference numerals.
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures.
The following detailed description of the invention references specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The present invention is defined by the appended claims and the description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and shall not limit the scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
Each of processing units 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 can comprise a stop system 11. Object carriers 10 can comprise three notch elements 12 that are in the direction of transport T on their left side 10a, (i.e., on the side facing the inside of the ring-like closed transport path) so that stop system 11 stops object carrier 10 consecutively in an intermittent operation at individual notch elements 12 and thereby enables partial processing of a respective subgroup of trays 13 in object carrier 10. This subgroup respectively contains all trays 13 in one, two or, for example, also three adjacent rows R of receptacles 14. Exact positioning of trays 13 relative to processing units 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 may be achieved by associating notch elements 12 to stop system 11 and thereby to processing unit 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
One notch element 12 may be provided for each row R on the left side 10a of object carrier 10 in the direction of transport T. Notch element 12 can be arranged at least approximately in alignment with the axis of symmetry a of rows R. A stop system 11 can stop this object carrier 10 for each individual row R to enable chronologically consecutive processing of individual row R of trays 13 by processing unit 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. A centering element 24 may be provided for each notch element 12 in the region of notch elements 12 in the form of a centering hole for being positioned precisely by an associated centering device of processing unit 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Notch elements 12 on side 10a of object carrier 10 can be arranged equidistant from one another. In
During the transport motion of object carrier 10, notch element 12 with its outer side 12a may push return pawl 15 away in the direction of the arrow such that spring element 16 experiences increased pre-tension. Once notch element 12 has moved in the direction of transport T with its outer side 12a past return pawl 15, return pawl 15 may again move against the direction of the arrow back to the position in which return pawl 15 abuts limiter 18. During the motion of notch element 12 along return pawl 15, a front side 12b of notch element 12 may push against stop 19 and moves stop 19 against damping device 20 which decelerates this motion and brings it to a standstill nearly or directly at a stop 20a of damping device 20. This position corresponds to the position at which outer side 12a of notch element 12 has left return pawl 15 and return pawl 15 springs back against the direction of the arrow (
A variant of object carrier 10 is also conceivable comprising notch elements 12 on two oppositely disposed sides, namely the outer sides in the direction of transport T being the right and the left sides, to be able to provide stop element 11 on different sides at different processing units 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. The position of notch elements 12 of the two sides can differ from the orientation, for example, relative to the axes of symmetry A, of rows R.
Each processing unit 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 can comprise its own controller; or a controller 23 of tray sealer 2, as shown in
Conveyor belts 9 shown in
As an alternative to a stop 19 that is movable in the direction of transport T and acting together with a damping device 20, a stop can also be provided in the direction of transport mounted on stop system 11 in a stationary manner. In such an embodiment, object carrier 10 is by way of the controlled speed of conveyor belt 9 in a decelerated manner driven against stop 19 in order to prevent products from spilling out from tray 13, in particular liquid or pasty materials.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain features and sub combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Since many possible embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is also to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting.
The constructions and methods described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts and principles of the present invention. Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel invention. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present construction will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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15154871 | Feb 2015 | EP | regional |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160236809 A1 | Aug 2016 | US |