Method and apparatus for transferring compartments to outer packagings provided for articles

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus (1) for transferring compartments (3) to outer packagings that comprises at least one stock of compartments (3), at least one transport path (5) for outer packagings, and a working system that is designed to remove compartments from the stock and that can insert compartments (3) removed from the stock into a respective associated outer packaging. The working system is designed for removing a plurality of compartments (3) from at least one specific stock, for moving the plurality of compartments (3) in the direction of the at least one transport path (5) in a temporally overlapping manner, and for inserting the plurality of compartments (3) into a respective outer packaging of the at least one transport path (5).

Claims

1. An apparatus (1) for transferring compartments (3) to outer packagings provided for articles, comprising: at least one stock (8) of compartments (3), at least one transport path (5) for outer packagings; and a working system that removes at least two compartments (3) from the at least one stock (8), that moves the at least two compartments (3) from the at least one stock (8) in a temporally overlapping manner in a direction of the at least one transport path (5), and that inserts each of the at least two compartments (3) removed from the at least one stock (8) simultaneously into immediately succeeding or immediately adjacent outer packagings.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one stock (8) holds the at least two compartments (3) in an upright orientation.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the working system comprises: at least one working arm (11) that receives and moves at least one first compartment (3a) from the at least one stock (8) into a waiting position, and wherein the working system moves, in a temporally overlapping manner with the movement of the at least one first compartment, at least one second compartment (3b) in a direction of the outer packagings and inserts the at least one first compartment (3a) and the at least one second compartment (3b) into respective outer packagings.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one working arm (11) pivots about a perpendicularly oriented axis.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the working system comprises a first suction or gripping instrument (20a) and a second suction or gripping instrument (20b), wherein the first suction or gripping instrument (20a) removes a first compartment (3a) from the at least one stock (8), wherein the second suction or gripping instrument (20b) removes a second compartment from the at least one stock (8), and wherein the first suction or gripping instrument (20a) and the second suction or gripping instrument (20b), together with the removed first and second compartments (3a, 3b), in a temporally overlapping manner, move in a direction of the outer packagings and insert the first and second compartments (3a, 3b) into respective outer packagings.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the working system further comprises a third suction or gripping instrument (20c), wherein the third suction or gripping instrument (20c) removes a third compartment (3c) from the at least one stock (8), and wherein the third suction or gripping instrument (20c), the second suction or gripping instrument (20b), and the first suction or gripping instrument (20a), together with the removed first, second and third compartments (3a, 3b, 3c), in a temporally overlapping manner, move in the direction of the outer packagings and insert the first, second and third compartments (3a, 3b, 3c) into respective outer packagings.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second suction and/or gripping instrument (20b) and the third suction or gripping instrument (20c) remove the second and third compartments (3b, 3c) in a time-synchronous manner.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first suction or gripping instrument (20a) and the third suction or gripping instrument (20c) remove the first and third compartments (3a, 3c) simultaneously.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one stock (8) comprises at least a lower provision and an upper provision.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the working system comprises a first suction or gripping instrument (20a), a second suction or gripping instrument (20b), and a third suction or gripping instrument (20c), wherein the first suction or gripping instrument (20a) removes a first compartment (3a) from the lower provision, the third suction or gripping instrument (20c) removes a third compartment (3c) from the upper provision, and the second suction or gripping instrument (20b) removes a second compartment from the lower or upper provision, and wherein the third suction or gripping instrument (20c), the second suction or gripping instrument (20b), and the first suction or gripping instrument (20a), together with the removed first, second and third compartments (3a, 3b, 3c), in a temporally overlapping manner, move in a direction of the outer packagings and insert the first, second and third compartments (3a, 3b, 3c) into respective outer packagings.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, in successive clocking cycles, the second suction or gripping instrument (20b) alternately removes the second compartment (3b) from the lower provision and upper provision.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) In the following, embodiments of the invention and their advantages will be explained in more detail using the enclosed figures. The proportions of the individual elements to each other in the figures do not always correspond to the real proportions, since some forms are simplified and other forms are enlarged in relation to other elements for better illustration.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of an inventive apparatus;

(3) FIGS. 2 to 4 each show a schematic perspective view of the embodiment of an apparatus from FIG. 1 and illustrate individual steps as they can be provided for a conceivable embodiment of the inventive method;

(4) FIG. 5 shows a schematic top view of the embodiment of an apparatus from FIGS. 1 to 4;

(5) FIG. 6 shows a schematic top view of a second embodiment of an inventive apparatus;

(6) FIG. 7 shows a schematic top view of a third embodiment of an inventive apparatus;

(7) FIG. 8 shows a schematic perspective view of a fourth embodiment of an inventive apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) Identical reference signs are used for identical or functionally equivalent elements of the invention. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, only the reference signs required for the description of the respective figure are shown in the individual figures. The embodiments shown are only examples of how the invention can be designed and do not represent a final limitation.

(9) FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of an inventive apparatus 1. The apparatus is designed for transferring compartments 3 to outer packagings intended for articles, wherein the outer packagings are not shown in the figures of this patent application for reasons of clarity. The outer packagings are transported on two parallel transport paths 5, which transport paths 5 are not shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, but are shown in FIG. 5. The outer packagings may, for example, be in the form of a cardboard box or beverage crate, into which a respective compartment 3 for forming pockets intended for beverage receptacles can be inserted by the apparatus 1.

(10) The apparatus 1 comprises a provision 9, which presents a plurality of compartments 3 in upright and stacked orientation. Furthermore, two working arms 11 are visible, which can be swiveled about a perpendicular axis in relation to the provision 9 and which each have a broadside surface 13 in order to receive compartments 3 from the stock 8 of the provision 9 and to transfer them into a waiting position described below. It is conceivable, for example, that the compartments 3 can be secured by applying a vacuum or by mechanical gripping on the respective broadside surface 13 of a respective working arm 11. In the embodiment from FIG. 1, the working arms 11 can be swiveled by a respective servo motor.

(11) FIGS. 2 to 4 each show a schematic perspective view of the embodiment of an apparatus 1 from FIG. 1 and illustrate individual steps as they can be provided in a conceivable embodiment of the inventive method. For example, a look at FIGS. 1 and 2 together shows that the left-hand working arm 11 was swiveled about a perpendicular axis in the direction of provision 9 and/or stock 8 of compartments 3 by an angle of 180°. The broadside surface 13 of the working arm 11 shown on the left, which can still be seen in FIG. 1, is in abutment with a frontmost compartment 3 of the stock 8 in FIG. 2. In addition, the working arm 11 has secured the frontmost compartment 3 on its broadside surface 13. It is conceivable, for example, that a vacuum is created between the working arm 11 and the frontmost compartment 3 in order to secure the frontmost compartment 3 of the provision 9 and/or the stock 8 on the working arm 11.

(12) It may also be the case that the frontmost compartment 3 of the provision 9 and/or stock 8 is seized, for example clampingly or mechanically by the working arm 11, and/or temporarily received.

(13) The working arm 11 shown on the right has already initiated a swiveling movement in FIG. 2 and/or has already been rotated from the position according to FIG. 1 in the direction of provision 9 and/or stock 8, but has not yet reached provision 9 and/or stock 8. A coordinated swivel movement of both working arms 11 can be specified by a control unit if necessary.

(14) In FIG. 3, it can now be seen that the working arm 11 shown on the left, starting from the position from FIG. 2, together with its received compartment 3 and/or a received first compartment 3a, has carried out a swiveling movement of 180° in the opposite direction and is in a waiting position in FIG. 3. The position and/or waiting position of the working arm 11 shown on the left from FIG. 3 therefore corresponds to its position and/or orientation according to FIG. 1.

(15) Furthermore, the working arm 11 shown on the right has continued its swivel movement already initiated in FIG. 2 and is now in abutment with its broadside surface 13 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) with a frontmost compartment 3 of the stock 8. The frontmost compartment 3 is secured pneumatically or mechanically on the working arm 11 shown on the right side when the working arm 11 shown on the right side is positioned according to FIG. 3. To achieve the position shown in FIG. 3 starting from the position shown in FIG. 1, the working arm 11 shown on the right was swiveled by a 180° angle of rotation.

(16) FIG. 4 shows that the working arm 11 shown on the right was swiveled back by a 180° angle of rotation to the position shown in FIG. 1 after receiving the compartment 3 and/or another first compartment 3a. During the swivel-back movement, the working arm 11 shown on the left together with the received first compartment 3a remains stationary in its waiting position already occupied in FIG. 3. The working arm 11 shown on the right has reached an end position in FIG. 4, wherein the first compartments 3a and a further compartment 3b, which is still formed as part of the stock 8 and/or is arranged in the stock 8, are oriented parallel to one another. By the apparatus 1 according to FIGS. 1 to 4 and/or by the steps described according to FIGS. 1 to 4, it is possible to simultaneously present three compartments 3 with a specific orientation by a provision 9 and/or via a stock 8. The compartments 3 and/or the first two compartments 3a and the second compartment 3b can be received starting from the position shown in FIG. 4 by a respective working tool, which is not shown, moved synchronously in the direction of a respective outer packaging and inserted into the respective outer packaging. In particular, the three compartments 3 presented in accordance with FIG. 4 can be placed in immediately successive outer packagings of a transport path 5 (see FIG. 5) by the working tools not shown. As an overall view of FIGS. 1 to 4 additionally shows as a whole, the swivel axes for the two working arms 11 and/or for the working arm 11 shown on the right and left are oriented perpendicularly and parallel to each other.

(17) FIG. 5 shows a schematic top view of the embodiment of an apparatus from FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 5 shows for the first time the transport paths 5, which move outer packagings in parallel directions and are formed by horizontal conveyor devices arranged parallel to each other.

(18) Furthermore, FIG. 5 shows the provision 9 already shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 respectively as well as the working arms 11 with their broadside surfaces 13. In the area of the apparatus 1, there is also an operator 50, who can manually eliminate malfunctions of the apparatus 1, if necessary, and who controls the operation of the apparatus 1 via a control unit not shown.

(19) FIG. 5 also illustrates that, after receipt, the compartments 3 (see FIGS. 1 to 4) must be moved obliquely and, in particular, perpendicularly to the direction of flow of the outer packagings in order to be introduced into their respective outer packagings moved via the transport paths 5. By such an orientation of the transport paths 5, the space requirement for the apparatus 1 can be kept small.

(20) FIG. 6 shows a schematic top view of a second embodiment of an inventive apparatus 1. According to the embodiment from FIG. 5, the apparatus 1 of the embodiment from FIG. 6 has two parallel transport paths 5 for outer packagings.

(21) In addition, the embodiment from FIG. 6 includes two provisions 9 for a respective stock 8 (see FIGS. 1 to 4) of compartments 3. The provisions 9 are arranged adjacent to each other, wherein only the lower provision 9 of the provisions 9 has a working arm 11 with a broadside surface 13, which can receive compartments 3 from the stock 8 of the lower provision 9 and transfer them into a waiting position via a swiveling movement as described for FIGS. 1 to 4. By the two provisions 9 and the receipt and transfer of a compartment 3 into a waiting position by the working arm 11, three compartments 3 can be presented for one clocking cycle by only two provisions 9 and/or two stocks 8 and placed in three outer packagings.

(22) FIG. 7 shows a schematic top view of a third embodiment of an inventive apparatus 1. According to the embodiment of an apparatus 1 from FIG. 6, the embodiment of an apparatus 1 from FIG. 7 has two transport paths 5 oriented parallel to each other. Furthermore, two provisions 9 and/or two specific provisions 9 can be seen, by which in each instance a stock 8 of compartments 3 (see FIGS. 1 to 4) can be presented. Each of the provisions 9 is assigned a working arm 11 with a respective broadside area 13, which respective working arm 11 can receive compartments 3 of the respective provision 9 and transfer them into a waiting position according to the previous description of the FIGS. 1 to 4.

(23) Since the compartment 3 in the previous embodiment from FIG. 6 for a respective clock cycle is received by the lower provision 9 with double the number as compared to the upper provision 9, in the embodiment from FIG. 6 an exchange of the stock 8 for the lower provision 9 often has to be carried out in order to be able to present a sufficient number of compartments 3 throughout.

(24) Advantageously, in the embodiment from FIG. 7, a respective compartment 3 is transferred alternately for successive clock cycles via the working arm 11 of the upper provision 9 and the working arm 11 of the lower provision to a respective waiting position in accordance with the previous description of FIGS. 1 to 4. If new stocks 8 of compartments 3 brought into the provisions 9 have an identical number of compartments 3, these are used up at the same time and then replaced. An alternating swiveling of the working arms 11 can be specified by a control unit not shown in the figures of this patent application, which control unit controls respective servo motors connected to the working arms 11. A working tool, which is not shown in FIG. 7, can be controlled via the control unit for the alternating receipt of a respective compartment 3 via the two working arms 11.

(25) FIG. 8 shows a schematic perspective view of a fourth embodiment of an inventive apparatus 1. The embodiment from FIG. 8 includes two provisions 9, each of which has received a stock 8 of compartments 3 (see FIGS. 1 to 4).

(26) Furthermore, the apparatus 1 from the embodiment from FIG. 8 comprises a first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a, a second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b and a third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c. The first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a, the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b and the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c are carried by a joint suspension or working system 30 and/or are fastened to a joint suspension 30 and can be moved back and forth between the provisions 9 and the transport paths 5 not shown in FIG. 8 via the suspension 30.

(27) In the embodiment from FIG. 8, the suspension 30, together with the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a, the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b and the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c, is moved in the direction of the provisions 9 until the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b comes into abutment with a frontmost compartment 3 of the stock 8 of the lower provision 9 and pneumatically grips the frontmost compartment 3 of the lower provision 9. The second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b can be moved relative to the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a and relative to the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c. On removal or contact of the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b with the frontmost compartment 3 of the lower provision 9, the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b has an orientation in which the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b aligns at least partially with the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a.

(28) Temporally after removal of a frontmost compartment 3 and/or second compartment 3b of the lower provision 9 via the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b, the entire suspension 30 together with the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a, the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b and the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c is moved away from the provisions 9.

(29) In addition, the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b is moved along the suspension 30 relative to the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a and relative to the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c until the second suction and/or gripping instrument is located at least approximately centrally between the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a and the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c as shown in FIG. 8.

(30) Subsequent in time, the suspension 30, together with the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a, the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b and the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c, moves again in the direction of the provisions 9, wherein the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a comes into abutment with a frontmost compartment 3 of the lower provision 9 and the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c comes into abutment with a frontmost compartment 3 of the upper provision 9. The frontmost compartments 3 and/or the first compartment 3a and the third compartment 3c are then pneumatically gripped by the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a and the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c, whereupon the suspension 30 together with the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a, the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b and the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c are moved away from the provisions 9 and in the direction of the transport paths 5 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, which transport paths 5 transport a plurality of outer packagings.

(31) The first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a, the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b and the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c unfold the removed first compartment 3a, the removed second compartment 3b and the removed third compartment 3c temporally during their movement in the direction of the transport paths 5. Subsequently, the first compartment 3a, the second compartment 3b and the third compartment 3c are inserted by the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a, the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b and the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c into respectively associated outer packagings, which are moved along the transport paths 5. For this purpose, the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a, the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b and the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c can be lowered in a perpendicular direction relative to the suspension 30.

(32) Since from the lower provision 9 and/or from the stock 8 (see FIGS. 1 to 4) of the lower provision 9 two compartments 3 arranged frontmost were taken for one clocking, whereas for this respective clocking only one compartment 3 arranged frontmost was taken from the upper provision 9 and/or the upper stock 8, the stock 8 of compartments 3 of the lower provision 9 would be exhausted at an earlier time for continuous clocking. To avoid this problem, it is therefore provided that the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b alternately removes compartments 3 from the stock 8 of the lower provision 9 and from the stock 8 of the upper provision 9 in successive clocking cycles.

(33) For reasons of completeness, it should also be mentioned that the compartments 3 are each presented standing and/or in an upright orientation via the upper provision 9 and the lower provision 9. The compartments 3 can therefore be removed via the first suction and/or gripping instrument 20a, the second suction and/or gripping instrument 20b or the third suction and/or gripping instrument 20c and then inserted directly into the respective outer packagings, wherein it is not necessary to rotate or align the removed compartments 3 until they are completely inserted into their respective outer packaging. Furthermore, practice has shown that compartments 3 can bend in a horizontal arrangement in the respective provision 9, which may lead to problems with the removal of compartments 3. Such problems can be counteracted by the upright or standing orientation according to the embodiment described.

(34) The invention was described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, it is conceivable for an expert that modifications or alterations of the invention can be made without leaving the scope of protection of the following claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(35) 1 Apparatus

(36) 3 Compartment

(37) 3a First compartment

(38) 3b Second compartment

(39) 5 Transport path

(40) 7 Working arm

(41) 8 Stock

(42) 9 Provision

(43) 11 Working arm

(44) 13 Broadside surface

(45) 20a First suction and/or gripping instrument

(46) 20b Second suction and/or gripping instrument

(47) 20c Third suction and/or gripping instrument

(48) 30 Suspension or working system

(49) 50 Operator