Exemplary embodiments relate to applications for soft robotic actuators in the manufacturing, packaging, and food preparation industries, among others. Methods and systems are disclosed for fixing target objects and/or receptacles using soft robotic actuators, for positioning target objects and/or receptacles, and/or for diverting or sorting objects. By using soft robotic actuators to perform the fixing, positioning, and/or diverting, objects of different sizes and configurations may be manipulated on the same processing line, without the need to reconfigure the line or install new hardware when a new object is received.

Exemplary embodiments relate to applications for soft robotic actuators in the manufacturing, packaging, and food preparation industries, among others. Methods and systems are disclosed for fixing target objects and/or receptacles using soft robotic actuators, for positioning target objects and/or receptacles, and/or for diverting or sorting objects. By using soft robotic actuators to perform the fixing, positioning, and/or diverting, objects of different sizes and configurations may be manipulated on the same processing line, without the need to reconfigure the line or install new hardware when a new object is received.

The bottle filling system incorporates a bottle, a fill base structure, and a control structure. The bottle, the fill base structure, and the control structure are fluidically interconnected. The fill base structure and the control structure are electrically interconnected. The control structure controls the flow of a fluid from a pressurized fluid source into the fill base structure. The fill base structure transports the fluid received from the control structure to the bottle. The control structure detects the presence of the bottle relative to the fill base structure. The control structure measures the amount of fluid in the bottle. The control structure automatically replenishes the amount of fluid contained in the bottle.

The bottle filling system incorporates a bottle, a fill base structure, and a control structure. The bottle, the fill base structure, and the control structure are fluidically interconnected. The fill base structure and the control structure are electrically interconnected. The control structure controls the flow of a fluid from a pressurized fluid source into the fill base structure. The fill base structure transports the fluid received from the control structure to the bottle. The control structure detects the presence of the bottle relative to the fill base structure. The control structure measures the amount of fluid in the bottle. The control structure automatically replenishes the amount of fluid contained in the bottle.

A device for transporting containers. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

The invention relates to a container processing system (10A-10U) for processing containers (12). The container processing system (10A-10U) has a plurality of processing units (22) for processing the containers (12) and a planar drive system (14) for transporting the containers (12). The planar drive system (14) is configured to move the plurality of movement devices (18) individually to a selection of the plurality of processing units (22) according to in each case one of a plurality of processing profiles for different container processing, wherein each of the plurality of processing profiles has a different selection of the plurality of processing units (22). The container processing system (10A-10U) advantageously allows flexible processing of different containers (different formats, contents, designs, bundles, packages, etc.) from a lot size of 1.

A method for detecting the defective status of an article intended to be contact-filled with a pourable product stored in a tank using a filling device includes creating a tight-fluid contact between an opening of an article and a first fluidic line defined by the filling device; setting a second valve in a second closed position; setting a first valve in a first open position; measuring the flow of the pourable product along the first fluidic line; and detecting that the article is defective if the flow is greater than a threshold value.

A method for detecting the defective status of an article intended to be contact-filled with a pourable product stored in a tank using a filling device includes creating a tight-fluid contact between an opening of an article and a first fluidic line defined by the filling device; setting a second valve in a second closed position; setting a first valve in a first open position; measuring the flow of the pourable product along the first fluidic line; and detecting that the article is defective if the flow is greater than a threshold value.

The invention relates to a device (1) for gripping and holding PET bottles in filling systems or the like, having a carrier body (3) that can be mounted on a star-shaped element (2) or the like, and spring-loaded gripper arms (7) that can pivot on said carrier body. The aim of the invention is to allow simple, rapid, and low-cost replacement of the gripper arms. To achieve this, a fixing element (11) is positioned between the bearing ends (13) of the gripper arm (7), wherein the bearing ends (13) of the gripper arms comprise an edge recess (14) allowing removal of the gripper arm (7) past the fixing element (11) when a gripper arm (7) is positioned in the extreme opening position.

The present disclose relates to a receptacle handling apparatus, in one implementation, the apparatus includes a filling carousel with filling units adapted tor filling respective receptacles during advancement of the receptacles from a receiving station to a transfer station and a capping carousel with capping units adapted for receiving respective filled receptacles at an Insertion station and adapted to cap said receptacles during advancement from the Insertion station to a release station. The transfer station and the insertion station are spaced apart, and the capping carousel includes gripping units, each having at least one outwardly extensible gripping arm assembly moveable between a retracted and an extracted configuration, such that the gripping arm assembly cooperates with the filling carousel to transfer a relative filled receptacle from the transfer station to the Insertion station.