Gripping assembly for capping head for the application of caps on containers or bottles

Abstract

A gripping assembly for a capping head for applying caps on containers, as well as a capping head, are provided. The gripping assembly comprises a hollow body longitudinally extending along a vertical axis and internally defining a seat delimited at its lower end by an inlet mouth for the introduction of a cap. An ejector member is housed inside the hollow body such that the ejector member is free to slide axially. The gripping assembly further comprises a suspension member made of magnetic material or magnetizable material, and the ejector member carries a first magnetic element that interacts with the suspension member to determine a suspension condition of the ejector member. The magnetic interaction between the first magnetic element and the suspension member is such that the suspension condition is determined only when the ejector member is brought in close proximity of or, in contact with, the suspension member.

Claims

1. A gripping assembly (10) of a cap (50) for a capping head (30) for the application of caps on containers or bottles, comprising a hollow body (11) longitudinally extending along a vertical axis (A) and internally defining a receiving and retaining seat (12) for the cap, the receiving and retaining seat (12) being delimited at its lower end by an inlet mouth (13) for the introduction of the cap (50), inside the hollow body (11) there being housed an ejector member (16, 16′) that is free to axially slide, wherein the gripping assembly comprises an end-stop wall (21) made of magnetic material or magnetizable material, wherein the ejector member is slidable between a lower end stop position in which the ejector member is closer to the inlet mouth (13) and is maintained by gravity in the lower end stop position when the receiving and retaining seat (12) is empty, and an upper end stop position in which the ejector member (16,16′) is brought in proximity of or in contact with the end stop-wall (21) when a cap is introduced in said receiving and retaining seat (12) thereby causing the ejector member, upon the introduction of the cap into the receiving and retaining seat, to be pushed upwards and brought in close proximity of the end stop wall of magnetic or magnetizable material, and wherein the ejector member (16, 16′) carries at least one first magnetic element (20) suitable to magnetically interact with the end-stop wall (21) in order to determine a suspension condition of the ejector member (16, 16′), the magnetic interaction between the first magnetic element (20) and the end-stop wall (21) being such that the suspension condition is determined only when said ejector member (16, 16′) is brought in close proximity of or in contact with the end-stop wall (21), whereby a weight of the ejector member is not discharged on the cap (50).

2. The gripping assembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first magnetic element (20) is at least one permanent magnet embedded in an outer wall of the ejector member (16) and projecting from that wall.

3. The gripping assembly (10) according to claim 2, wherein the end-stop wall (21) is at least an inner wall portion of the hollow body (11).

4. The gripping assembly (10) according to claim 3, wherein the ejector member (16) is rigidly connected to a circumferential flange (17) mounted in a slidable manner along the axis outside the hollow body (11), at least one second magnetic element (22) being embedded in the flange (17) and projecting from an upper surface of the flange (17).

5. The gripping assembly (10) according to claim 4, wherein the at least one second magnetic element (22) comprises an annular magnet or a plurality of magnets with the same axial polarity placed according to an annular arrangement.

6. The gripping assembly (10) according to claim 2, wherein the ejector member (16) is rigidly connected to a circumferential flange (17) mounted in a slidable manner along the axis outside the hollow body (11), at least one second magnetic element (22) being embedded in the flange (17) and projecting from an upper surface of the flange (17).

7. The gripping assembly (10) according to claim 6, wherein the at least one second magnetic element (22) comprises an annular magnet or a plurality of magnets with the same axial polarity placed according to an annular arrangement.

8. The gripping assembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first magnetic element (20) is a permanent magnet placed above the ejector member (16′) and rigidly connected thereto.

9. A capping head (30) for the application of caps on containers or bottles, comprising a gripping assembly (10) of a cap (50) according to claim 1 that is connected at its upper side to a moving assembly (31) of the gripping assembly (10).

10. The capping head (30) according to claim 9, wherein the moving assembly (31) internally comprises a rod (26) that is vertically slidable along the axis (A) and that carries, at its lower end, at least one magnetic element (25) having the same axial polarity as the at least one first magnetic element (20).

11. A capping assembly (100) comprising a movable support structure for moving at least one capping head (30) for the application of caps (50) on containers or bottles along a conveying path of containers to be capped, comprising at least one capping head (30) for the application of caps on containers or bottles according to claim 9.

12. The capping assembly (100) according to claim 11, wherein at least one second magnetic element (22) cooperates with at least one third magnetic element (23) having the same axial polarity, mounted on at least one wall (24) located along a perimeter of the movable support structure and projecting from a lower surface of the at least one wall (24) located along the perimeter of the movable support structure.

13. The capping assembly (100) according to claim 12, wherein the at least one wall (24) placed along the perimeter of the support structure has an inclination with respect to the horizontal and extends from a higher position to a lower position with reference to a forward movement direction of the support structure.

14. The gripping assembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the end-stop wall (21) is at least an inner wall portion of the hollow body (11).

15. The gripping assembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the ejector member (16) is rigidly connected to a circumferential flange (17) mounted in a slidable manner along the axis outside the hollow body (11), at least one second magnetic element (22) being embedded in the flange (17) and projecting from an upper surface of the flange (17).

16. The gripping assembly (10) according to claim 15, wherein the at least one second magnetic element (22) comprises an annular magnet or a plurality of magnets with the same axial polarity placed according to an annular arrangement.

Description

IN THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a first side elevational view, partly in section, of a first embodiment of a gripping assembly according to the present invention, during the step of cap introduction into the receiving seat of the gripping assembly;

(2) FIG. 2 is a second side elevational view, partly in section, of the gripping assembly shown in FIG. 1, at the beginning of the ejection step;

(3) FIG. 3 is a partial second side elevational view, partly in section, of the gripping assembly shown in FIG. 1, at the end of the ejection step;

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the gripping assembly shown in FIG. 1 in a step of approaching the abutment walls with which the gripping assembly cooperates for performing cap ejection;

(5) FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a capping assembly including a plurality of capping heads equipped with the gripping assembly shown in FIG. 1 and the abutment walls shown in FIG. 4;

(6) FIG. 6 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a second embodiment of a gripping assembly according to the present invention, mounted on a capping head.

(7) In the following description, for explaining the Figures, the same reference numerals are used to denote constructive elements having the same functions. Moreover, for the sake of clarity of the illustration, it is possible that some reference numerals are not shown in all Figures.

(8) Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown a preferred embodiment of a gripping assembly for a capping head for the application of caps on containers or bottles, denoted in the whole by reference numeral 10.

(9) Gripping assembly 10 is carried at the bottom end of a capping head 30 and is moved by means of a moving assembly 31 located in capping head 30 axially above gripping assembly 10.

(10) Moving assembly 31 is suitable to impart a rotary and/or translatory movement to the gripping assembly and it can be made in any manner known in the art. Similarly, also the structure of the capping assembly on which the capping head is mounted can be made in any manner known in the art.

(11) In general terms, capping assemblies 100 typically have a carousel structure with a plurality of capping heads circumferentially moving along the carousel synchronously with respective supports for the containers, also mounted on a carrousel 101. Such a capping assembly 100 is schematically shown by way of example in FIG. 5.

(12) At each turn of the carousel, each capping head 30 is axially displaced and is possibly made to rotate to perform the coupling (by insertion or by screwing) of a cap 50 on the mouth of a container (not shown).

(13) During each operation cycle, each capping head 30 takes a respective cap 50 (in known manner) from a cap charger 102, it is lowered in order to apply cap 50 on the container mouth and then it is lifted again to an upper dead-point position where it is again ready to take a new cap 50.

(14) According to a feature known per se, gripping assembly 10 includes a tubular hollow body 11 internally defining a receiving and retaining seat 12 for cap 50. To this end, body 11 has a mouth 13 provided with means suitable to retain cap 50 by positive or non-positive coupling (e.g. resiliently). In the example shown in the Figures, such retaining means include a plurality of balls 14 and a resilient ring 15 surrounding them and extending around tubular body 11. Balls 14 project through openings of the internal surface of seat 12 so that they are pressed against the side wall of cap 50 by resilient ring 15.

(15) When capping head 30 is lowered on cap 50 carried by charger 102 in order to take the cap, cap 50 enters seat 12 by overcoming the action of resilient ring 15, and it is retained in such a seat due to the effect of the elastic reaction of ring 15 pushing balls 14 against the side wall of cap 50,

(16) An ejector member 16, which in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 has a cylindrical shape, is slidably mounted inside tubular body 11 of gripping assembly 10. Ejector member 16 is housed or confined within receiving and retaining seat 12 for cap 50 so as to be free to axially translate along axis A of tubular body 11.

(17) Ejector member 16 is rigidly connected to a circumferential flange 17 mounted in an axially slidable manner outside tubular body 11. Flange 17 is rigidly connected to internal ejector member 16 through a diametrical pin 18 engaging with a pair of longitudinal slots 19 formed in the side wall of tubular body 11.

(18) Referring to FIG. 3, when receiving and retaining seat 12 for cap 50 is empty, ejector member 16 is maintained by gravity in its lower end stop position, closer to end mouth 13 of gripping assembly 10.

(19) According to the present invention, ejector member 16 carries at its upper side a first magnetic element 20. Moreover, a wall 21 orthogonal to axis A is provided in tubular body 11, which wall is arranged above ejector member 16 and acts as an upper end stop for the sliding movement of the same ejector member 16. Upper end-stop wall 21 is made of magnetisable material.

(20) In this manner, when a cap 50 is introduced into receiving and retaining seat 12, ejector member 16 moves back to the position shown in FIG. 1.

(21) In such a position, magnetic element 20 is in contact with upper end-stop wall 21, so as to magnetically interact with that wall and to generate a sufficient attraction force to maintain a suspension configuration, whereby ejector member 16 does not discharge its weight on cap 50.

(22) In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a plurality of second magnetic elements 22 are embedded in the rim of flange 17 and project from the upper surface of flange 17.

(23) The plurality of second magnetic elements 22 cooperate with third magnetic elements 23 having the same axial polarity, which are mounted on a pair of horizontal walls 24 located along the circumferential path of carousel capping assembly 100 immediately upstream, with reference to the movement direction of the carousel, the zone where a new cap 50 is taken at cap charger 102.

(24) The third magnets 23 project from the lower surface of horizontal walls 24. When the second magnetic elements 22 are in proximity of the third magnetic elements 23, magnetic repulsion prevents circumferential flange 17 from approaching beyond a given limit distance from, and hence arriving in contact with, the pair of horizontal walls 24, by overcoming the attraction force between the first magnetic element 20 and stop end wall 21.

(25) Thus, a lifting of capping head 30 relative to the horizontal walls makes ejector member 16 remain at the same height, since flange 17 remains at a distance from said walls 24. This results in a downward movement of ejector member 16 relative to the tubular body carried by capping head 30, which movement determines a downward thrust against cap 50 and thus the ejection thereof.

(26) FIG. 6 shows a capping head 30 including, in its upper portion, a moving assembly 31 for gripping assembly 10, connected at its bottom end to gripping assembly 10 made in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

(27) Also gripping assembly 10 shown in FIG. 6 includes a tubular body 11 in which there is slidably mounted an ejector member 16′ housed or confined within receiving and retaining seat 12 for cap 50 so as to be free to axially translate along axis A of tubular body 11.

(28) Ejector member 16′ is rigidly connected to a diametrical pin 18 engaging with a pair of longitudinal slots 19 formed in the side wall of tubular body 11 and guiding the axial translatory movement of ejector member 16′.

(29) According to the present invention, a first magnetic element 20 is rigidly connected to the upper side of ejector member 16′. Moreover, a wall 21 orthogonal to axis A and arranged above the first magnetic element 20 is provided in tubular body 11. Such a wall 21 acts as an upper end stop for the sliding movement of the same element 20, besides providing a hermetic separation between the aseptic lower part and the operating upper part of capping head 30. Partition wall 21 is made of magnetisable material.

(30) In this manner, when a cap 50 is introduced into receiving and retaining seat 12, as shown in FIG. 6, ejector member 16′ moves back to the position shown. In such a position, the first magnetic element 20 is in contact with partition wall 21, so as to magnetically interact with that wall and to generate an attraction force sufficient to maintain a suspension configuration, whereby ejector member 16 does not discharge its weight on cap 50.

(31) Moreover, a rod 26 vertically slidable along axis A is provided inside moving assembly 31 of gripping assembly 10, which rod carries at its lower end a magnetic element 25 having the same axial polarity as the at least one first magnetic element 20.

(32) When rod 26 is translated so as to approach the first magnetic element 20, magnetic repulsion between the first magnetic element 20 and magnetic element 25 having the same axial polarity causes ejector member 16′ to be lowered, thereby determining a downward thrust action against cap 50 and consequently the ejection thereof.

(33) The features of the gripping assembly for a capping head for the application of caps on containers or bottles, as well as of the corresponding capping head and the corresponding capping assembly according to the present invention, are clearly apparent from the above description, as are clearly apparent the relevant advantages.

(34) Further variants of the embodiments described above are possible without departing from the teaching of the invention.

(35) Lastly, it is clear that a gripping assembly for a capping head for the application of caps on containers or bottles as conceived is susceptible of several changes and modifications, all lying within the scope of the invention. Moreover all details can be replaced by technically equivalent elements. In the practice, any material, as well any size, can be employed depending on the technical requirements.