Patent Grant
12006080
This application relates to and claims the benefit and priority to International Application No. PCT/ES2020/070807, filed Dec. 18, 2020, which claims the benefit and priority to European Application No. EP19383158.3, filed Dec. 20, 2019.
The present invention relates to packaging machines, and particularly to vertical packaging machines.
Some types of conventional packaging machines, particularly vertical packaging machines, comprise a feeder with which there is supplied a continuous film which is wound in the form of a reel. The film is supplied to a vertical forming element, imparting a tubular shape to said film. The machine also comprises a drive device for driving the tubular-shaped film in a downward forward movement direction, about the forming element, and at least one longitudinal sealing tube sealing the longitudinal ends of the tubular-shaped film together, a film tube thus being generated. The forming element is open at its upper part and at its lower part.
A machine of this type further comprises a transverse sealing and cutting tube, arranged downstream of the forming element, for generating a transverse seal and a transverse cut in the film tube. After this operation (or operations), a tube closed at one end upstream of the transverse cut, and a package closed at both ends downstream of the transverse cut and physically separated from the film tube is obtained. During said operation (or operations), the most upstream end of the package is closed and corresponds with the end of the film tube from the previous cycle that has been closed, i.e., the transverse seal closing one end of the tube of the film tube will be a closed end of the package obtained in the following cycle.
The machine also comprises a hopper or similar device upstream of the forming element, from where the product to be packaged is introduced into the forming element, the product being arranged on the transverse seal of the film tube closed at one end after falling through the forming element. The product is introduced into the forming element by its upper part, and the lower part thereof exits towards the transverse seal of the film tube. It must be taken into consideration that the film tube surrounds the forming element, such that when the product is introduced into the forming element, it is also introduced into the film tube.
The product is supplied in a controlled manner from the hopper (or from upstream of the hopper), a predetermined amount being supplied each time (if it is of the type for lettuce, snacks, or the like) or the unit product itself, which corresponds with the amount of product to be packaged in each package.
US6179015B1 and EP3530575A1 disclose a machine comprising a forming element and a hopper arranged upstream of the forming element and aligned with said forming element, at least said forming element and said hopper forming a supply conduit through which the product to be supplied falls. The machine further comprises a flow generator with an injection device configured for injecting a gaseous fluid and a distributor for directing said fluid to the supply conduit, and a control device configured for controlling the injection of fluid.
In the machine disclosed in US679015B1, the distributor comprises an inlet mouth for receiving the injected flow through the injection device and an annular outlet mouth arranged in height between a lower opening of the hopper and an upper opening of the forming element, for introducing said fluid in the supply conduit. The machine further comprises a sensor arranged below the hopper and the annular outlet mouth for detecting the presence of the product to be packaged, and the control device is configured for controlling the injection of fluid based on said detection, such that the injected flow accelerates the product in the downward direction towards the forming element. In this machine, when the fluid is injected once all of the product has gone from the height of the annular outlet mouth, it is impossible to prevent the product upstream of said outlet mouth from jamming. This jamming would occur upstream of the sensor, such that the product could not reach the height of said sensor, and therefore the injection of the fluid would not be generated either.
In the machine disclosed in EP3530575A1, the control device is configured for causing the injection device to perform an injection of fluid of a given duration for each product to be packaged in one and the same package, and for said injection device to perform each injection of fluid such that said injected flow begins to reach the upper opening of the forming element before all of the product to be packaged in one and the same package has passed completely at the height of the outlet mouth, and ends up reaching the upper opening of the forming element once all of the product has gone through said upper opening. This therefore hinders the product from being able to become jammed upstream of said upper opening.
Disclosed is a vertical packaging machine. The machine is configured for packaging products, particularly for packaging vegetable products such as leaves of spinach, lettuce, parsley, or other such products, for example, the characteristics of which (with a unit weight and large surface) cause a slow gravity-induced falling speed and a high risk of jamming in regions where the area of passage for the product is reduced. The machine comprises a hopper with a hopper inlet mouth through which the products to be packaged are introduced and with at least one hopper outlet mouth downstream of the hopper inlet mouth, a vertical tube arranged downstream of the hopper and comprising a tube inlet mouth and a tube outlet mouth downstream of the tube inlet mouth, a supply conduit through which the product to be packaged falls, which is formed by at least the hopper, the tube and an intermediate region extending between the hopper outlet mouth and the tube inlet mouth, and acceleration means configured for accelerating the falling of the product through the supply conduit.
The hopper outlet mouth delimits a stepped outlet area or an outlet area in a non-horizontal plane, such that said outlet area comprises regions at different heights with respect to the tube outlet mouth. The acceleration means is configured for injecting a gaseous fluid into the supply conduit, in a downward direction, through at least one first injection port arranged in the intermediate region of the supply conduit at a first vertical height with respect to the tube outlet mouth, and a second injection port arranged in the intermediate region of the supply conduit at a second vertical height with respect to the tube outlet mouth different from the first vertical height, and for causing, with said injection, pressure drop to be generated upstream of the injection ports and, accordingly, at least part of the air present in said supply conduit above the corresponding injection port to follow the injected flow (due to the Venturi effect). The first injection port is horizontally facing the interior of the hopper and the second injection port is not horizontally facing said interior of the hopper.
Therefore, an injection of gaseous fluid upstream of the inlet mouth of the tube can be performed with the machine of the invention, said injection being able to cause at least part of the air present in the supply conduit above the corresponding injection port to follow the injected flow and increase the falling speed thereof, due to the effect known as the Venturi effect, with an airstream being produced which pushes the product from the hopper into the tube, such that the product reaches the inlet mouth of the tube having been accelerated while traveling towards the same, which facilitates the passage thereof through said inlet mouth and prevents, to a greater extent, said product from jamming at the outlet mouth of the hopper and/or in the inlet mouth of the tube. Furthermore, having injection ports at different heights and arranged as indicated in the intermediate region of the supply conduit causes not all the product to be accelerated by said injection of gaseous fluid in the same manner (or at the same time), said product reaching said inlet mouth in an “elongated” shape, i.e., part of the product arrives before another part of said product, going through the outlet mouth of the hopper and the tube inlet mouth in a progressive manner, which even further facilitates the passage thereof into the tube and prevents, to a greater extent, the possibility of said project jamming.
Since the product reaches the tube inlet mouth in an “elongated” shape, it also allows the diameter of said tube to be decreased, and since the tube has a smaller diameter in this case, the amount of film used for each package is reduced as a smaller amount of film is required to surround said tube.
These and other advantages and features will become apparent in view of the figures and the detailed description.
The vertical packaging machine 100 of the invention, in any of its embodiments, comprises at least:
The tube inlet mouth 2.0 is communicated with said hopper 1, such that the products to be packaged introduced in the hopper 1 reach the interior of the tube 2 through said tube inlet, mouth 2.0.
The hopper outlet mouth 1.01 delimits an outlet area which is stepped or which is arranged on a non-horizontal plane, such that said outlet area comprises regions at different heights with respect to the tube outlet mouth 2.1. The acceleration means is configured for injecting a gaseous fluid into the supply conduit 200, in a downward direction, through at least one first injection port 9.1 arranged in the intermediate region 201 of the supply conduit 200, at a first vertical height with respect to the tube outlet mouth 2.1, and as second injection port 9.2 arranged in the intermediate region 201 of the supply conduit 200, at a second vertical height with respect to the tube outlet mouth 2.1 different from the first vertical height, and for causing, with said injection, at least part of the air present in said supply conduit 200 above the corresponding injection port 9.1 and 9.2 to follow the injected flow (effect known as the Venturi effect), driving the corresponding part of the product with it and increasing its falling speed. The first injection port 9.1 is horizontally facing the interior of the hopper 1 and the second injection port 9.2 is not horizontally facing said interior of the hopper 1. A stepped outlet area or an outlet area arranged in a non-horizontal plane causes different parts of the product to be packaged from reaching and going through the outlet area delimited by the hopper outlet mouth 1.01 at different times, such that the product goes through the outlet mouth of the hopper 1.01 in a progressive manner, causing the shape of the product to be elongated downstream of said outlet area. Furthermore, as a result of having injection ports 9.1 and 9.2 at different of heights, the effect generated by the injected flow (the airstream causing the injected flow upstream of the injection ports 9.1 and 9.2) acts at different heights of the supply conduit and even further elongates the shape of said product, which in addition to preventing jamming to a greater extent (since the airstream pushes the product from the hopper 1 into the tube 2), also increases the packaging speed, and therefore the productivity of the machine 100.
Preferably, the acceleration means is configured for directing the gaseous fluid into the supply conduit 200, in a downward direction with an inclination of between 0° and 45° with respect to the vertical. Said airstream thereby tends to follow the contour of an inner surface of the supply conduit 200: it tends to be drawn by the inner surface of the supply conduit 200, according to the effect known as the Coanda effect. This prevents the injected flow from generating turbulences which may negatively affect the falling of the product through the supply conduit 200, while at the same time allows the air located above the injection ports 9.1 and 9.2 to be suctioned in a more effective and directed manner.
Preferably, the acceleration means comprises at least one flow generator 101 with at least one injection device configured for injecting the gaseous fluid into the supply conduit 200, in the intermediate region 201 of the supply conduit 200 and through the injection ports 9.1 and 9.2, the arrangement and actuation of said injection device being configured for generating a pressure drop upstream of the injection ports 9.1 and 9.2 when it injects a gaseous fluid due to the Venturi effect.
The hopper 1 could be formed by a single element, or it could be formed by a plurality of hollow elements arranged on top of one another, each hollow element comprising its corresponding central axis Y1.0 or Y1. The central axes Y1.0 and Y1 may or may not coincide, they may all be vertical, or each one can have a given angle with respect to the vertical (where one of said angles may be equal to zero). In the context of the invention, hopper 1 is a hollow element, or assembly of hollow elements, arranged upstream of the intermediate region 201, at least the most downstream hollow element comprising an inner area the size of which decreases in the downward direction. The hollow elements the inner area of which decreases in the downward direction are preferably cone-shaped, and the rest (if there are any) are preferably cylindrical. In the context of the invention, when it is indicated that the hopper 1 has a hopper axis Y1, the central axis of the most downstream hollow element (the hollow element closest to the tube 2) must be considered.
In the first embodiment, the hopper 1 is formed by a single hollow element, shown in
The tube 2 can be a coaxial tube comprising an inner tube 2.9, the inner tube 2.9 comprising the inlet mouth 2.0 receiving the products coming from the hopper 1. In the case of a coaxial tube, the coaxial tube further comprises an outer tube 2.8 having a larger diameter than the inner tube 2.9, and between both tubes 2.8 and 2.9 an open space 2.7 is generated, communicating the most upstream part with the most downstream part.
In the first embodiment, the machine 100 comprises a flow generator 101 associated with the hopper 1 and comprised in the acceleration means, said flow generator 101 comprising an injection device configured for injecting a gaseous fluid into the supply conduit 200 in an injection region 1.1 facing the interior of said hopper 1, in a downward direction towards the tube inlet mouth 2.0 of the tube 2 (into the inner tube 2.9 of the coaxial tube, in the event that the tube 2 is a coaxial tube). The injection region 1.1 comprises an angular length about the hopper axis Y1 less than 360°. With an angular length less than 360°, it must be interpreted that the gaseous fluid entering the interior of the supply conduit 200 does not affect the entire inner perimeter of the supply conduit 200 the same way, so said injection and the airstream generated due to the Venturi effect does not affect the entire perimeter of the product the same way. Therefore, the injection device does not inject gaseous fluid into part of said angular length. Preferably, said angular length is less than or equal to 180°, although it is also possible to use other angular lengths provided that they are less than 360°. The supply conduit 200 preferably comprises a plurality of injection ports distributed homogeneously about the hopper axis Y1 and facing the injection region 1.1, including among the first injection port 9.1. Preferably said injection ports are all at the same height with respect to the tube outlet mouth 2.1.
When the product is introduced into the hopper 1, said product generally falls through the entire diameter of said hopper 1. As a result of this injection region 1.1 and its angular length (which does not cover 360°), the effect generated by the injection of gaseous fluid through the injection device (the airstream generated upstream of the injection region 1.1) does not affect the entire inner perimeter of the hopper 1 to the same extent; it mainly affects the part which is above said injection region 1.1, and in the part of the perimeter that is least affected or not affected by said injection (the part of the angular length about the hopper axis Y1 arranged above the angular length not covered by the injection region 1.1), the product falling through said part accelerates to a lesser extent (or does not accelerate). Therefore, the product accelerates in a non-homogeneous manner, and the effect of elongating said product inside the supply conduit, as described above in detail, is obtained given that the part that is not affect (or affected to a lesser extent) by said airstream is delayed with respect to the other part (generally, the less the airstream affects a part of the product, the more delayed said part of the product will be).
When a product is packaged as described above, a film tube surrounds the tube 2 and said film tube has a transverse end below the tube 2 that is closed. If the tube 2 is a coaxial tube such as the one described above, the gaseous fluid that is injected into the hopper 1 as well as the generated airstream which reaches the interior of the tube 2 (the interior of the inner tube 2.9 in this case) can be discharged from the tube 2 through the space 2.7, after exiting at the lower part of the interior of said inner tube 2.9, thereby being prevented from remaining in the generated final package or from exiting in the opposite direction with respect to the falling of the product through the interior of said inner tube 2.9.
In the embodiment in
In the first embodiment shown in
The further injection region 1.2 preferably comprises at least one part that does not angularly coincide with the injection region 1.1 about the hopper axis Y1, and preferably none of the injection ports of the second injection assembly vertically coincides with any port of the first injection assembly. This ensures to a greater extent the acceleration of at least part of the product that has not previously been accelerated, or which has been to a lesser extent, due to the effect of the injection performed in the injection region 1.1, which assures a drawing and an acceleration in the fall through the supply conduit 200 of all the product to be packaged. If there is a further injection region 1.2 with at least one part that angularly coincides with the injection region 1.1, the product not becoming jammed in the tube inlet mouth 2.0 could be even further ensured, since the part of the product previously accelerated by the injection region 1.1 is even further accelerated when it reaches the further injection region 1.2 angularly coinciding with the injection region 1.1, while at the same time the part of the product accelerated to a lesser extent (or not previously accelerated) by the injection region 1.1 is also drawn and accelerated when it next reaches the part of said further injection region 1.2 which does not angularly coincide with the injection region 1.1.
In some embodiments, like in the case of the first embodiment, the further injection region 1.2 does not angularly coincide with the injection region 1.1 about the hopper axis Y1 of the hopper 1, as shown in
Preferably, in said embodiments the second injection region 1.2 furthermore covers at least the angular length not covered by the injection region 1.1, such that as a result the gaseous injected fluid affects the 360° of the interior of the perimeter of the supply conduit 200 (adding both injections together) and the entire perimeter of the product that is introduced into said hopper 1 is accelerated. The largest possible part of the product is thereby accelerated with the small possible amount of gaseous fluid.
Preferably, as occurs in the first embodiment, the angular length of the further injection region 1.2 covers the entire perimeter (360°), such that the advantage of accelerating all the product towards the inlet mouth 2.0 of the inner tube 2.9 of the coaxial tube 2 is obtained, while at the same time the product is kept elongated.
In other embodiments not depicted in the figures, the machine 100 comprises a plurality of further flow generators (as many as may be required), each of them comprising a respective further injection device configured for injecting a gaseous fluid into the supply conduit 200 in a respective further injection region of said supply conduit 200, which preferably corresponds with a region of the inner perimeter of said supply conduit 200, in a downward direction towards the tube inlet mouth 2.0 of the tube 2. Each further injection region can be at a different height with respect to said inlet mouth 2.0 in the direction of the hopper axis Y1 (or with respect to the inlet mouth 1.0 of the hopper 1 in said direction) and at a different height with respect to the height at which injection regions 1.1 and 1.2 are located, allows a progressive entry of the product and different accelerations of the product being generated along its fall, and each further injection region comprises a respective angular length about the hopper axis Y1. The arrangement and angular length of the further injection regions can be selected as may be required, based on how the product (or part of it) is to be accelerated, it comprises at least three hopper outlet mouths at different heights between which a stepped outlet area is delimited, each hopper outlet mouth comprising at least one injection port, and the acceleration means being configured for generating a pressure drop upstream of each of the hopper outlet mouths due to the injection of gaseous fluid into the supply conduit 200 through the corresponding injection port, said acceleration means comprising a flow generator associated with each hopper outlet mouth, and each flow generator comprising an injection device configured for injecting a gaseous fluid in a further injection region of the interior of the supply conduit 200 in a downward direction and through the corresponding injection port.
Preferably, each flow generator 101 and 102 is associated with a respective angular segment 1.1s and 1.2s of the hopper 1, such that the machine 100 comprises as many angular segments 1.1s and 1.2s as flow generators 101 and 102 associated with the hopper 1 and configured for injecting a gaseous fluid into the supply conduit 200. Each angular segment 1.1s and 1.2s comprises a given angular length about the hopper axis Y1 of the hopper 1 and a given axial length in the direction of the hopper axis Y1 of the hopper 1, from the inlet mouth 1.0 of said hopper 1. Each angular segment 1.1s and 1.2s comprises a corresponding outlet mouth communicated with the inlet mouth 2.0 of the tube 2, such that each angular segment 1.1s and 1.2s extends in the direction of the hopper axis Y1 between the hopper inlet mouth 1.0 and the outlet mouth of the corresponding angular segment 1.1s and 1.2s (said extension is the axial length) and is communicated with the interior of the tube 2. The given axial lengths of all the angular segments 1.1s and 1.2s can be different from one another, the different outlet mouths thus being arranged at different heights with respect to the tube inlet mouth 2.0, and the injection region 1.1 and the further injection region(s) 1.2 is/are preferably at the height of the outlet mouth of the corresponding angular segment 1.1s and 1.2s. Said outlet mouths correspond with the hopper outlet mouths 101 and 1.02 and form a stepped outlet area formed by a first semi-area on a horizontal plane at the height of the first hopper outlet mouth 1.01 and a second semi-area on a horizontal plane at the height of the second hopper outlet mouth 1.02.
Preferably, the hopper 1 may comprise a wall 1.5 between every two angular segments 1.1s and 1.2s, as shown in
Preferably, the outlet mouths of the angular segments 1.1s and 1.2s comprise a semicircular shape, in the event that the corresponding injection region does not cover the entire corresponding inner perimeter of the hopper 1, or a circular shape, in the event that the corresponding injection region covers the corresponding entire inner perimeter of the hopper 1. In both cases the radius is preferably equal to the radius of the tube 2 (or of the inner tube 2.9 when the tube 2 corresponds with a coaxial tube). Furthermore, said outlet mouths are preferably concentric to one another and concentric to the tube 2. This allows the products to more easily enter said tube 2.
Each cross-section of the different angular segments 1.1s and 1.2s of the hopper 1 furthermore defines a given angle α1 and α2 with respect to the hopper axis Y1 of said hopper 1, said angle α1 and α2 preferably being different from one angular segment 1.1s and 1.2s to another. This allows the falling of the product to the corresponding injection region 1.1 and 1.2 to be controlled. For example, the smaller the given angle α1 and α2, the less it will take the product to arrive from the hopper inlet mouth 1.0 to the corresponding injection region 1.1 and 1.2. The axial lengths and the given angles α1 and α2 of each of the angular segments 1.1s and 1.2s can thus be related as may be required in order to achieve the result required in each case. Preferably, the angle α1 and α2 of a cross-section of an angular segment 1.1s and 1.2s is smaller the greater the axial length of the corresponding angular segment 1.1s and 1.2s.
The machine 100 preferably comprises an outer casing 1.9 at least partially externally surrounding the angular segments 1.1s and 1.2s of said hopper 1 and preferably at least the injection regions 1.1 and 1.2. Said casing 109 extends at least from the height of the injection region 1.1 and 1.2 arranged most upstream until covering the injection regions 1.1 and 1.2. Between the casing 109 and the angular segments 1.1s and 1.2s of the hopper 1 there is defined a space 1.90, which is open preferably towards the exterior, at least in its most upstream part, so at least part of the gaseous fluid which is injected into the supply conduit 200 (with the flow generator 101 and the further flow generators 102, as the case may be) and at least part of the airstream generated due to the effect of the injection of said gaseous fluid can be discharged.
Therefore, since part of the fluid and of the airstream is discharged through said space 1.90, a larger amount of gaseous fluid can be injected into the hopper 1 without needing to increase the space 2.7 between the tubes 2.8 and 2.9 of the tube 2, which allows the amount of film used not being increased (if the space 2.7 is increased due to an increase in the diameter of the outer tube 2.8, the film tube surrounding it is larger and therefore requires more film); or the diameter of the tube 2 can even be reduced, with the amount of film required for each package being reduced.
Furthermore, as a result of non-homogeneous accelerations of the product, which entails an elongated shape of the product as described, the tube 2 (the inner tube 2.9 in the case of a coaxial tube) may comprise a smaller diameter and either the space 2.7 can be increased if the diameter of the outer tube 2.8 is maintained (offering a better path for the gaseous fluid discharge), or else both diameters (or the diameter of the tube 2, if it is not a coaxial tube) can be reduced proportionally, maintaining the same space 2.7, in which case the amount of film needed is reduced.
The machine 100 may comprise a further flow generator 103 in the intermediate region 201 of the supply conduit 200, comprising an injection device configured for injecting a gaseous fluid into said intermediate region 201, in a downward direction towards the tube inlet mouth 2.0 of said tube 2 (of the inner tube 2.9 of the coaxial tube, where appropriate), which helps to even further accelerate the packaging process, since the passage of the product through the tube 2 is accelerated. This gaseous fluid can furthermore be discharged through the space between the two tubes 2.8 and 2.9 of the coaxial tube, as described above, when the tube 2 is a coaxial tube. The flow generator 103 is downstream of the flow generators 101 and 102.
Preferably, each injection device is configured for generating a pressure drop upstream of the corresponding injection region 1.1 and 1.2, and upstream of the corresponding region of the intermediate region 201 in the case of the flow generator 103, when it injects a gaseous fluid (the effect known as the Venturi effect being achieved).
The machine 100 further comprises a control device for controlling the actuation of the flow generators 101, 102 and 103 (of the injection devices), such that a continuous or a discontinuous and selective injection of gaseous fluid, as required, may be performed.
In other embodiments of the machine 100, the hopper 1 that is part of the supply conduit 200 preferably comprises a single hopper outlet mouth 1.01, as depicted in
In these embodiments with a single hopper outlet mouth 1.01, the machine 100 preferably comprises a plurality of injection ports in the intermediate region 201 about the hopper axis Y1 with an angular length of 360°, preferably distributed homogeneously.
In these embodiments, the hopper 1 may comprise a hopper axis Y1 with a given angle with respect to the vertical (with respect to the tube axis Y2 of the tube 2), as occurs in the second embodiment (
In some alternative embodiments in which the hopper 1 comprises a single outlet mouth 1.01, the supply conduit 200 comprises a plurality of injection ports in the intermediate region 201, between which there are located the injection ports 9.1 and 9.2, distributed on a distribution plane parallel to the plane of the outlet area delimited by said hopper outlet mouth 1.01 of the hopper 1 and to the plane of the inlet area delimited by the tube inlet mouth 2.1 of the tube 2, said distribution plane being arranged between the plane of the outlet area delimited by the hopper outlet mouth 1.1 of the hopper 1 and the plane of the inlet area delimited by the tube inlet mouth 2.1 of the tube 2, said inlet area and said outlet area being identical.
Preferably, in any of its embodiments the machine 100 has a weighing station upstream of the hopper 1, for example a multi-head weighing station, which feeds a given weight of product (or a given amount of product) to said hopper 1.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19383158 | Dec 2019 | EP | regional |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4738287 | Klinkel | Apr 1988 | A |
| 6116001 | Roman et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
| 6179015 | Kammler | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 11344037 | Otxoa-Aizpurua Calvo | May 2022 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 8813375 | Dec 1988 | DE |
| 2489596 | Aug 2012 | EP |
| 3530575 | Aug 2019 | EP |
| 2002347705 | Dec 2002 | JP |
| 2007108479 | Sep 2007 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report, PCT/ES02020/070807, Feb. 12, 2021, 11 pages. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220306328 A1 | Sep 2022 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/ES2020/070807 | Dec 2020 | WO |
| Child | 17837557 | US |
