Patent Application
20190161265
The invention relates to a packing apparatus and, more particularly, to a vacuum packaging apparatus for vacuum skin products.
Product packaging for food provides protection, tampering resistance, and product information of processed food before it is delivered to the consumer.
Vacuum skin packaging (VSP) has become preferred as it removes almost all of the residual oxygen from the package, which is a benefit to the retailer and consumer. Known vacuum skin packing techniques typically include a tray that is then sealed with a plastic film as in U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,723.
While some food packaging is generally symmetrical and regularly shaped, during vacuum skin packaging the plastic film that is formed over the food can provide an asymmetrical- or irregularly-shaped packaging surface. This makes it difficult for known packing devices to move the VSP food product after sealing. Each package requires transfer from the VSP stations into shipping containers (i.e., boxes) for transport, warehousing, logistics, sale, display, and delivery.
Robotic packing systems are often used to transfer the VSP product from processing stations to subsequent packing and handling stages. Known robotic packing systems generally include a packing device that is connected to and controlled by a articulating arm that uses an optical system to provide information for positioning of the gripping device. The packing device may include a vacuum system to facilitate movement of the food product during packing. Known systems lack improved features to grasp, lift, hold, and pack VSP food products in containers for transport, warehousing, logistics, sale, display, and delivery.
Therefore, there is a need for a packing apparatus, such as a vacuum packaging apparatus and system, to grasp, lift, hold, and then pack VSP products that are contained in irregularly-shaped and/or deformable packaging.
A vacuum packaging apparatus for securing a plurality of vacuum skin packaging (VSP) products is provided and includes a receiving plate, a plurality of cavity walls, and a plurality of vacuum channels. The plurality of cavity walls extending downward from a planar bottom surface of the receiving plate and provide a plurality of cavities there within. The plurality of cavity walls includes an upper cavity wall encircling an upper cavity of the plurality of cavities, and a lower cavity wall encircling a lower cavity that is positioned adjacent to the upper cavity and recessed with respect to the upper cavity walls. The plurality of vacuum channels extend through the receiving plate and into the plurality of cavities.
The invention will be explained in greater detail in the following with reference to embodiments, referring to the appended drawings, in which:
Embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawings.
Referring first to
Now, with reference to
As shown in
In an embodiment of the invention, the pivot assembly 20 generally includes a mounting plate 22, a lever 24 and a pivot mechanism 26.
In the shown embodiment, the mounting plate 22 includes a body 22a a pair of vertical supports 22b that is a rectangular flat sheet member that supports the positioning assembly 40 and a portion of the vacuum assembly 60. The mounting plate 22 further include a pair of vertical supports 22b extending upward from and positioned perpendicular with respect to a planar surface of the body 22a. The mounting plate 22 is secured to the positioning assembly 40 using known connection methods, including fasteners, adhesives, or mechanical welds.
The lever 24 is an elongated member that is pivotally mounted to the articulating arm assembly 100 and the mounting plate 22 using the vertical supports 22b and a support pin 25 that runs through the lever 24. In the shown embodiment, the lever 24 pivots about the support pin 25 and with respect to position of the articulating arm assembly 100 and the mounting plate 22.
The pivot mechanism 26 is a switch that activates on and off based on pivot position with respect to the mounting plate 22. The pivot mechanism 26 rigidly connects to the lever 24 using horizontal supports 27 that extend from an end thereof. The pivot mechanism 26 further connects to the mounting plate 22 using an articulating connector 28. As a result, the pivot mechanism 26 pivots with respect to the articulating arm assembly 100 and the mounting plate 22. When the pivot mechanism 26 activates, the lever 24 pivots and tilts the positioning assembly 40 for transport and packaging of the VSP product 3.
As shown in
The receiving plate 42 is generally rectangular shaped member in the shown embodiment. The cavity walls 44 extend downward from a bottom surface thereof and provide a plurality of cavities 46. In the shown embodiment, three rectangular shaped cavity walls 44 are provided and correspond with three cavities 46—one lower cavity 46a and a pair of upper cavities 46b that are flanked to the side of the lower cavity 46a. It is conceivable for the invention to have more or less cavities 46 than as shown, and would be designed based on the size and number of VSP products 3 that require transport.
As shown, the cavity walls 44 of lower cavity 46a (lower cavity walls 44a) are recessed with respect to the cavity walls 44 of the upper cavities 46b (upper cavity walls 44b). Each cavity wall 44 has a planar top surface that runs parallel throughout. Further, the lower cavity walls 44a run parallel with the upper cavity walls 44b. The top planar surface of the lower cavity wall 44a is separated from the top planar surface of the upper cavity wall 44b by a height H that corresponds to a thickness T of the tray deck 3a. Therefore, height H should be about equal to the thickness T of the tray deck 3a. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the thickness T of the tray deck 3a is approximately 3/16 in.
As shown, outer sections of the upper cavity walls 44b and the lower cavity walls 44a have the same width W1. However, the inner sections of the upper cavity walls 44b are thinner and have a smaller width W2 than the outer section of upper cavity walls 44b and the lower cavity walls 44a. Since the lower cavity walls 44a are recessed from the upper cavity walls 44b by a height H (corresponding to the thickness of a tray deck 3a the VSP product 3), adjacent tray decks 3a overlap when position on the upper cavity walls 44b and the lower cavity walls 44a.
With this configuration, a tray deck 3a of the VSP product 3 in the lower cavity 46a and the tray deck 3a of the VSP product 3 in either flanking upper cavities 46b overlap each other as shown in
If only two cavities are provided, then one of the cavities is the lower cavity 46a, while the other is the flanking upper cavity 46b, and one of the cavity walls 44 is recessed from the other cavity wall 44. If four cavities are provided, the invention would include a pair of lower cavities 46a and a pair of flanking upper cavities 46b that are arranged in a repeating manner. The cavity walls 44 of the lower cavity 46a would be receded with respect to the cavity wall of the flanking upper cavity 46b. Although the positioning nodes 50 guide the VSP product 3 into the cavities 46, they also deter lateral movement of VSP product 3 when positioned above each of the cavities 46a, b.
A plurality of vacuum channels 48 are provided and extend through the receiving plate 42 and into the cavities 46a,b, as shown in
Additionally, as shown in
As shown particularly in
The vacuum assembly 60 includes a pump source (not shown) and a plurality of vacuum generators, such as a vacuum on board system as sold by JLS Automation or a vacuum pump. As the pump source activates the vacuum generator, gas flows through the vacuum channels 48 to create a vacuum in the cavities 46a, b. When the tray deck 3a of the VSP product 3 is fitted with the cavity walls 44, the receiving plate 42 grasps and lifts the VSP product 3 to transport the VSP product 3 a first location to a second location.
As shown in
The robotic vacuum packing system 1 further uses an optical positioning system (not shown) to position the end effector with respect to spatial objects, including a plurality of VSP products 3 required to be moved and repositioned by the vacuum packaging apparatus 10.
The robotic vacuum packing system 1 using positioning technology to determine the position and orientation of a spatial object with respect to the vacuum packaging apparatus 10. In an embodiment of the invention, the optical positioning system (not shown) uses known cameras, beacons and/or sensors to identify position of VSP products 3 and then positions the vacuum packaging apparatus 10 with respect to the VSP products 3 to secure them therewith. In an exemplary embodiment, the optical positioning system (not shown) use machine vision to provide imaging-based automatic inspection and analysis for such applications as automatic inspection, process control, and robot guidance,
The vacuum assembly 60 is connected to the articulating arm 2 with electronics and software known to one of skill in the art to control the timing and extent of a vacuum exerted on the VSP product 3 sufficient to securely grasp, lift, and move the plurality of VSP product from a first location to a second location.
Now with reference to the Figures, use of the vacuum packaging apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the invention will be described. By way of example, the vacuum packaging apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the invention is used with the robotic vacuum packing system 1 as described and positioning of the VSP product 3 to correspond with the cavities 46.
As shown, the articulating arm 2 is connected to vacuum packaging apparatus 10 and the positioning assembly 40 that provides information to the robotic arm 110 for positioning of the vacuum packaging apparatus 10.
The vacuum packaging apparatus 10 is directed into position with the positioning assembly 40, and grasps the upward-facing surface of a plurality of VSP products 3 with the vacuum assembly 60 in two stages. First, positioning assembly is positioned above a VSP product 3. More particularly, the receiving plate 42 is positioned such that the lower cavity 46a is positioned to grasp a VSP product 3. As the articulating arm assembly 100 lowers the receiving plate 42 above the VSP product 3, the inner nodes 50a position the tray deck 3a along the lower cavity walls 44a. The vacuum assembly 60 activates and the tray deck 3a is held about the lower cavity walls 44a corresponding with the lower cavity 46.
Next, the articulating arm assembly 100 positions the receiving plate 42 above another VSP product 3 to correspond with one of the upper cavities 46b on either side of lower cavity 46a. When activated, the vacuum assembly 60 then secures the tray deck 3a of this VSP products 3 with the upper cavity walls 44b and thus overlaps the tray decks 3a of the VSP product 3 in the lower cavity 46a. This two-stage assembly sequence creates a more secure vacuum grasp of the plurality of VSP product 3 in the pivot assembly 20.
The robotic arm assembly 100 then moves the receiving plate 42 with one or more VSP products 3 attached thereto. When it is determined that the receiving plate 42 is positioned above a shipping container, such as a corrugated box, the pivot mechanism 26 activates and the lever 24 pivots, tilting the positioning assembly 40 so the VSP product 3 can be jogged into the box.
The pivot assembly 20 and positioning assembly 40 may be constructed of various materials chosen by those of ordinary skill in the art. The materials chosen reflect the conditions under which they will be operated, including an ability to be secured to the indicated tools and to each other, and to have other properties useful in the repetitive operation of the apparatus and system. Typically, the materials chosen for these features are polymeric or metal.
As referred to herein, the lines 64 connecting the air supply (not shown) to the cavities 46 are flexible and capable of maintaining the required vacuum. Typically, the materials chosen for these features are polymeric, of natural materials such as rubber, and the like.
Also, the indefinite articles “a” and “an” preceding an element or component of the invention are intended to be nonrestrictive regarding the number of instances, that is, occurrences of the element or component. Therefore “a” or “an” should be read to include one or at least one, and the singular word form of the element or component also includes the plural unless the number is obviously meant to be singular.
The term “invention” or “present invention” as used herein is a non-limiting term and is not intended to refer to any single embodiment of the particular invention but encompasses all possible embodiments as described in the application.
The terms “a product” and “the product” are used in the present text in the singular form only for the sake of conciseness, but should be read as actually encompassing either one or more products. In particular, the claimed process encompasses not only the transfer or relocation of a single package that may contain one or a plurality of packages, each one containing one or a plurality of products, but also the transfer or relocation of a plurality of packages, each one containing one or a plurality of products.
The foregoing illustrates some of the possibilities for practicing the invention. Many other embodiments are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention. The disclosed invention utilizes the above identified components, as a system, in order to more efficiently construct a vacuum packaging apparatus for a particular purpose. Therefore, more or less of the aforementioned components can be used to conform to that particular purpose. It is, therefore, intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that the scope of the invention is given by the appended claims together with their full range of equivalents.
