Gripping device as well as transport device for gripping, holding and guiding in particular bottle-like containers

Abstract

A gripper arm for a gripping device for gripping, holding and guiding in particular bottle-like containers includes a base body, a gripping section as well as at least one actuating roller arranged on the base body and rotatably mounted for interacting with a control cam of the gripping device. The at least one actuating roller is arranged on the base body so as to be replaceable.

Claims

1. A gripper arm for a gripping device for gripping, holding and guiding bottle-like containers, comprising: a base body; a gripping section arranged on the base body; and at least one actuating roller arranged on the base body and rotatably mounted for interacting with a control cam of the gripping device, wherein the at least one actuating roller is arranged on the base body so as to be replaceable, wherein the base body further comprises a pin-like seating for the at least one actuating roller, and wherein the pin-like seating exhibits a bore hole for accommodating an opening means or a closing means.

2. The gripper arm according to claim 1, wherein the at least one actuating roller is replaceably mounted on the pin-like seating.

3. The gripper arm according to claim 1, wherein the at least one actuating roller is arranged on an upper side of the base body.

4. The gripper arm according to claim 1, wherein the at least one actuating roller is arranged on the base body so as to be exposed.

5. The gripper arm according to claim 1, wherein the base body includes a groove-like recess in which the at least one actuating roller is arranged so as to be replaceable.

6. The gripper arm according to claim 1, wherein the at least one actuating roller is arranged between a bearing bore of the base body for accommodating a bearing pin and the gripping section.

7. The gripper arm according to claim 1, wherein the at least one actuating roller is made of plastic.

8. The gripper arm according to claim 1, wherein a sliding bearing is provided on the base body or on the at least one actuating roller for the rotatable bearing of the at least one actuating roller.

9. A gripping device for gripping, holding and guiding bottle-like containers, the gripping device comprising: at least one gripper arm pair of a first gripper arm and a second gripper arm of complementary form to the first gripper arm of claim 1; at least one bearing unit for supporting of the gripper arm pair; at least one closing means for closing the gripper arm pair from an open position into a gripping position; and at least one opening means for opening the gripper arm pair from the gripping position into the open position.

10. A transport device for gripping, holding and guiding bottle-like containers, wherein the gripping device of claim 9, is arranged in a circumferential direction of the transport device such that the at least one gripper arm pair of the gripping device is directed radially outwardly.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Example embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail below on the basis of the figures. These show, to some extent in highly simplified representations:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inventive gripper arm for a gripping device,

(3) FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a gripping device,

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the gripping device in the assembled state,

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an inventive transport device according to a first embodiment, as well as

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an inventive transport device according to a second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) In the figures, components rendering the same effect are always depicted with the same reference numerals.

(8) The gripper arm 2 for a gripping device 4 depicted in FIG. 1 (cf. FIG. 2) for the gripping, holding and guiding of in particular bottle-like containers (not shown) comprises a base body 6 and a gripping section 8 arranged on the base body 6. In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the gripping section 8 is integrally formed; i.e. monolithic, and made of plastic. The gripping section 8 is further-more designed like a fork having two gripper fingers 10 in order to grasp the in particular bottle-like containers.

(9) The gripper arm 2 furthermore comprises an actuating roller 12 arranged on the base body 6 which is also rotatably mounted. Alternatively, a plurality of actuating rollers 12 can also be arranged on the base body 6. The actuating roller 12 serves in the interacting with a control cam 14 (cf. FIG. 2) of the gripping device 4. The actuating roller 12 is arranged on the base body 6 so as to be replaceable and, in particular, replaceable without tools in order to ensure the actuating roller 12 can be quickly and easily replaced. The actuating roller 12 additionally comprises a plastic and is in particular entirely made of plastic. This increases the mechanical durability of the actuating roller 12 which is in (frictional) contact with the control cam 14 when mounted and when the gripping device 4 is in operation (cf. FIGS. 2 and 3). Alternatively, the actuating roller 12 comprises a metal, same being optionally provided with a plastic casing.

(10) In order for the actuating roller 12 to be arranged on the base body 6 so as to in particular be rotatable, the base body 6 comprises a pin-like seating 16 onto which the actuating roller 12 is removably fit. Alternatively or additionally, a (not depicted) sliding bearing is provided which is arranged either on the pin-like seating 16 or on the actuating roller 12 and optimizes the rotatability of the actuating roller 12. For the optional arrangement of an opening means or a closing means 26, the pin-like seating 16 has a bore hole 17 designed to receive an opening means or a closing means 26.

(11) Furthermore, the actuating roller 12 is in particular arranged on an upper side 18 of the base body 6 so as to be exposed in order to enable easy accessibility for replacement. The exposed arrangement is thereby to be understood as meaning the actuating roller 12 not being covered or concealed by other components of the gripper arm 2, particularly when the gripper arm 2 is mounted.

(12) In the example embodiment according to FIG. 1, the base body 6 exhibits a groove-like recess 20 in which actuating roller 12 sits. The pin-like seating 16 is likewise arranged in recess 20 to that end. Thus when mounted, the actuating roller 12 is in substantially flush arrangement with the upper side 18 of the base body and consequently ensures that the gripper arm 2 as a whole is of compact structure.

(13) In the gripper arm 2 shown in FIG. 1, the actuating roller 12 is arranged between a bearing bore 22 and the gripping section 8. The bearing bore 22 serves in accommodating a bearing pin 24 as illustrated in FIG. 2.

(14) In order to arrange an opening means or a closing means 26 on the gripper arm 2, the base body 6 exhibits a fixing means 28 in the form of a bore hole as only implied in FIG. 1.

(15) The gripping device 4 depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 exhibits a gripper arm pair comprising a first gripper arm 2a and a second gripper arm 2b. The gripping device 4 furthermore exhibits a bearing unit 30 with the previously cited bearing pin 24 and a bearing body 32. In the assembled state, which is shown in FIG. 3, the two gripper arms 2a, 2b are arranged on the bearing body 32. Each of the bearing pins 24 of the bearing unit 30 sit in a respective bearing bore 22 and enable, due to the rotatable bearing, a moving of the gripper arm pair from an open position into a gripping position and vice versa. The gripping device 4 is shown in the gripping position in FIG. 3.

(16) The control cam 14 interacts with the two actuating rollers 12 of the gripper arm pair such that it serves as an opening means in the example embodiment. By rotating on its longitudinal axis, the control cam 14 thereby pushes the two actuating rollers 12 apart and thus moves the gripping device 4 from the gripping position into the open position.

(17) A closing means 26 configured as a torsion spring is provided to subsequently return the gripping device 4 from the open position into the gripping position. The legs of same are each arranged on a respective fixing means 28 of the base body 6 configured as a pin.

(18) Furthermore, bearing components 34 are also provided in the embodiment example according to FIGS. 2 and 3, these serving in the rotatable bearing of the control cam 14.

(19) FIG. 4 shows a transport device 36 with a plurality of gripping devices 4 pursuant to a first embodiment arranged on said transport device 36. The gripping devices 4 are thereby arranged on the transport device 36 in a circumferential direction U and particularly screwed onto the transport device 36 by the bearing body 32. The gripper arm pairs of the gripping devices 4 are thereby arranged radially outwardly. According to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the gripping devices 4 each exhibit a closing means 26 configured as a spring and particularly as a torsion spring.

(20) FIG. 5 depicts a transport device 36 pursuant to a second embodiment. The transport device 36 of the second embodiment essentially corresponds to the transport device 36 according to the first embodiment (cf. FIG. 4). What differs is the closing means 26 of the gripping devices 4 being configured as a pair of magnets according to the second embodiment of the transport device 36.

(21) The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above. Rather, one skilled in the art can also derive other variants of the invention therefrom without departing from the subject matter of the invention. In particular, all the individual features described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments can also be combined in other ways without departing from the subject matter of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(22) 2 gripper arm 4 gripping device 6 base body 8 gripping section 10 gripper finger 12 actuating roller 14 control cam 16 pin-like seating 17 bore hole within pin-like seating 18 upper side 20 recess 22 bearing bore 24 bearing pin 26 closing means 28 fixing means 30 bearing unit 32 bearing body 34 bearing component 36 transport device U circumferential direction