METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING BRISTLE FIELDS FOR BRUSHES AND BRUSH MAKING MACHINE

Abstract

A method and device for the production of bristle fields for brushes is provided. The method for producing bristle fields includes filling bundle holders (3) of a bristle field support plate (2) with bundles of bristles using at least two different funnel plates (4, 5). The device includes at least two different funnel plates with complementary hole patterns in relation to a complete hole pattern (13) formed by inlet openings (12) of the bundle holders (3) on the bristle field support plate.

Claims

1. A method for producing a bristle field including multiple bundles of bristles for a brush, the method comprising: filling bundle holders (3) of a bristle field support plate (2) with bundles of bristles, delivering the bundles of bristles, at least for indirect filling of the bundle holders (3) of the bristle field support plate (2), from funnel holders (6) having insertion funnels (10), which are distributed on at least two arrangements (4,5) of the funnel holders (6), and a concentration of the funnel holders (6) in the at least two arrangements (4,5) is smaller in each case than a concentration of the bundle holders (3) on the bristle field support plate (2).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising forming, in the at least two arrangements (4,5) of the funnel holders (6), in each case at least one of a group of bundles or a bristle sub-field from the bundles of bristles, and introducing the at least one of the groups of bundles or the bristle sub-fields produced thereby into the bundle holders (3) of the bristle field support plate (2) in a downstream process step and combining together the at least one of the groups of bundles or the bristle sub-fields from the at least two arrangements into the bristle field to be produced.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one of providing outlet openings (7) of the funnel holders (6) of the at least two arrangements (4,5) with different hole patterns (8,9), or providing the funnel holders (6) inside one of the arrangements (4,5) of the funnel holders (6) with longitudinal axes that are parallel to one another.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising delivering the bundles of bristles from outlet openings (7) of the at least two arrangements (4,5) to the bundle holders (3) of the bristle field support plate (2), the outlet openings (7) of the at least two arrangements (4,5) form hole patterns (8,9), which are complementary in relation to a complete hole pattern (13) formed by inlet openings (12) of the bundle holders (3) on the bristle field support plate (2), or delivering the bundles of bristles from outlet openings (7) of the transport holders (6) of the at least two arrangements (4,5) to compactor holders (18), from which the bundles of bristles are delivered to the bundle holders (3) of the bristle field support plate (2).

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising in the at least two arrangements (4,5) of funnel holders (6), forming the at least one of the groups of bundles or the bristle sub-fields that are complementary to one another in relation to the bristle field to be produced from the bundles of bristles, and bringing the at least one of the groups of bundles or bristle sub-fields that are complementary to one another together in the bristle field support plate (2), one after the other, in a downstream process step in order to form the bristle field to be produced.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising introducing the bundles of bristles by at least one of a positive pressure, negative pressure, a single sliding mechanism, or sliding mechanisms for each of the at least two arrangements (4, 5) into the funnel holders (6) of the at least two arrangements (4,5).

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising introducing the bundles of bristles into either the bundle holders (3) of the bristle field support plate (2) or into compactor holders (18) by a single sliding mechanism or by one sliding mechanism for each of the at least two arrangements.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising contouring the bundles of bristles by introduction into the funnel holders (6) in order to produce a desired cross-sectional form in the bristle field to be produced.

9. A device (1) for producing bristle fields including bundles of bristles for brushes, the device (1) comprising: at least one bristle field support plate (2) with bundle holders (3), at least two arrangements (4,5) of funnel holders (6), each of the at least two arrangements has a concentration of the funnel holders (6) that is smaller than a concentration of the bundle holders (3) in the bristle field support plate (2), and the bundle holders (3) of the at least one bristle field support plate (2) are adapted to be filled at least indirectly with the bundles of bristles.

10. The device (1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least two arrangements (4,5) are formed on a common funnel plate (17), or each of the at least two arrangements (4,5) is formed in on a respective single funnel plate (15,16), and hole patterns (8,9), which are formed by outlet openings (7) of the funnel holders (6) of the at least two arrangements (4,5), differ from one another.

11. The device (1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the funnel holders (6) of one of said arrangements (4,5) of funnel holders (6) have longitudinal axes that are parallel to one another.

12. The device (1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein hole patterns (8,9) formed from outlet openings (7) of the funnel holders (6) on the at least two arrangements (4,5) are complementary to one another in relation to a complete hole pattern (13) formed by inlet openings (12) of the bundle holders (3) on the bristle field support plate (2).

13. The device (1) as claimed in claim 12, wherein a superposition of the hole patterns (8,9) formed on the bristle field support plate (2) by the outlet openings (7) on the at least two arrangements (4,5) corresponds to a complete hole pattern (13) produced by the inlet openings (12) of the bundle holders (3) on the bristle field support plate (2).

14. The device (1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein precisely one of the outlet openings (7) of the funnel holders (6) on the at least two arrangements (4, 5) is assigned to each said bundle holder (3) of the bristle field support plate (2), and the outlet openings (7) and the inlet openings (12) of the bundle holders (3) that are assigned to one another exhibit a same cross-sectional form.

15. The device (1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein, in a hole pattern (8,9) of the funnel holders of one of the at least two arrangements (4,5), only outlet openings (7) from the funnel holders (6) that are combined together are those through which the bundle holders (3) on the bristle field support plate (2) that are not directly adjacent are adapted to be filled with bundles of bristles.

16. The device (1) as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a conveyor device having at least one of a pressure source or a pressure sink for producing a gas flow by which the bundles of bristles are capable of being introduced into the funnel holders (6) of the at least two arrangements (4,5) by at least one of a positive pressure or a negative pressure.

17. The device (1) as claimed in claim 9, further comprising at least one sliding mechanism, by which bundles of bristles are adapted to be at least one of inserted into the funnel holders (6) of the at least two funnel plates (4,5) or transferred from the funnel holders (6) into the bundle holders (3) of the bristle field support plate (2).

18. The device (1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least two arrangements (4,5) of funnel holders (6) are positioned upstream in a conveying direction of the bundles of bristles from the bristle field support plate (2).

19. The device (1) as claimed in claim 9, further comprising compactor holders (18), into which the bundles of bristles for a bundle of bristles compaction are introducible from the funnel holders (6), and from which the bundles of bristles are adapted to be delivered to the bundle holders (3) of the bristle field support plate (2).

20. A brush manufacturing machine (14) comprising the device (1) for producing bristle fields as claimed in claim 9.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] The invention is now described in more detail on the basis of illustrative embodiments of the device, although it is not restricted to these illustrative embodiments. Further illustrative embodiments can be obtained by combination of the characterizing features of individual or multiple claims with one another and/or in combination of individual or multiple characterizing features of the illustrative embodiments. The following are depicted in a highly schematized representation:

[0043] FIG. 1 depicts a top view of a bristle field support plate having multiple bundle holders, of which the inlet openings form a complete hole pattern, which corresponds to a top view of a bristle field to be produced,

[0044] FIG. 2 depicts a top view of an individual funnel plate, which has all the funnel holders required for filling of all the bundle holders of the bristle field support plate represented in FIG. 1, wherein it can be appreciated on the basis of intersection regions represented with hatched lines that insertion funnels of the individual funnel holders merge into one another or overlap one another because of the high concentration of funnel holders on the funnel plate,

[0045] FIG. 3 depicts the detail marked with the circle K in FIG. 2 in an enlarged representation,

[0046] FIG. 4 depicts a top view of a device for producing bristle fields, in which the inventive technical theory is implemented, wherein a bristle field support plate, two compactor plates having in each case one arrangement of compactor holders and two funnel plates having in each case one arrangement of funnel holders can be seen from right to left, and

[0047] FIG. 5 depicts a top view of a further device for producing bristle fields in which the inventive technical theory is implemented, wherein a bristle field support plate, a compactor plate having two arrangements of compactor holders and a funnel plate having two arrangements of funnel holders can be seen from right to left.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] FIGS. 4 and 5 depict in each case a device, designated in its entirety with 1, for producing bristle fields which are formed from individual bundles of bristles. Such bristle fields are used in the case of brushes and in particularly challenging designs, above all in the case of toothbrushes. Each of the devices 1 has a bristle field support plate 2. Bundle holders 3, into which the bundles of bristles for producing the bristle fields are delivered, are formed in the bristle field support plate 2.

[0049] Apart from the bristle field support plate 2, the device 1 has two different arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6 allocated to the bristle field support plate 2. Each of the arrangements 4 and 5 has funnel holders 6 for bundles of bristles, from which bundles of bristles for filling the bundle holders 3 of the bristle field support plate 2 are delivered. The arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6 are positioned upstream of the bristle field support plate 2 in the conveying direction of the bundles of bristles through the device 1.

[0050] The arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6 in each case have a concentration of funnel holders 6, which is smaller than a concentration of bundle holders 3 in the bristle field support plate 2. The bundle holders 3 of the at least one bristle field support plate 2 are filled at least indirectly with bundles of bristles from the funnel holders 6.

[0051] In both devices 1, the two arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6 have outlet openings 7 from their funnel holders 6, which produce different hole patterns 8 and 9 on the two arrangements 4 and 5. All the funnel holders 6 of the two arrangements 4, 5 in each case have an insertion funnel 10, through which bundles of bristles are introduced into the respective funnel holders 6.

[0052] FIGS. 1 to 3 depict a funnel plate 11, in which the inventive technical theory is not implemented and the existing insertion funnels 10 overlap because of the high density of funnel holders 6 on the individual funnel plate 11. This is apparent from the regions represented with hatched lines in FIGS. 2 and 3. The overlapping of the insertion funnels 10 can result in a situation in which bundles of bristles cannot be fed cleanly to the funnel holders 6. Here individual bristle filaments can be fed unintentionally to an incorrect funnel holder 6. The devices 1 according to FIGS. 4 and 5 prevent such overlapping and the disadvantages associated therewith.

[0053] In both of the devices 1 represented in FIGS. 4 and 5, the funnel holders 6 required as a whole for filling the bundle holders 3 of the bristle field support plate 2 are distributed on the two separate arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6 in such a way that the concentration of funnel holders 6 present inside each of the arrangements 4 and 5 is smaller than the concentration of bundle holders 3 on the bristle field support plate 2. This leads to the positive effect that, for the insertion funnels 10 into the funnel holders 6 on the two arrangements 4 and 5, sufficient space is available to make the insertion funnels 10 as large as possible. According to FIGS. 4 and 5, the insertion funnels 10 are just as large as the insertion funnels 10 of the funnel plate 11 according to FIG. 2. Nevertheless, there is no overlapping of the insertion funnels 10 in the two arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6. Mis-feeding of bristle filaments caused by overlapping insertion funnels 10 can be avoided in this way.

[0054] FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate clearly that hole patterns 8 and 9 formed in each case by the outlet openings 7 of the funnel holders 6 on the two arrangements 4 and 5 in relation to a complete hole pattern 13 formed by inlet openings 12 of the bundle holders 3 on the bristle field support plate 2 are complementary to one another. This means that each of the total number of funnel holders 6 that are distributed on the two arrangements 4 and 5 is precisely allocated to a bundle holder 3 of the bristle field support plate 2, and a number of the total number of funnel holders 6 that are present in the two arrangements 4 and 5 is as large as the number of the bundle holders 3 of the bristle field support plate to be filled. The hole patterns 8, 9 differ from one another.

[0055] It is clear that a superposition of the hole patterns 8 and 9 of the two arrangements 4 and 5 formed by the outlet openings 7 on the bristle field support plate 2 corresponds to the complete hole pattern 13 of the inlet openings 7 of the bundle holders 3 produced on the bristle field support plate 2. However, at least the longitudinal axes of the funnel holders 6 and the longitudinal axes of the bundle holders 3 are congruent in the case of this superposition. In other words, the two arrangements 4, 5 of funnel holders 6 are formed in such a way that an intended superposition of patterns, which are formed by longitudinal axes of the funnel holders 6, corresponds to an overall pattern formed by longitudinal axes of the bundle holders 3 on the bristle field support plate 2. The patterns and the overall pattern intended here are dot patterns, which, on the one hand, consist of points of intersection of the longitudinal axes of the funnel holders 6 with cross-sectional planes of the two arrangements 4 and 5 and, on the other hand, consist of points of intersection of the longitudinal axes of the bundle holders 3 with a cross-sectional plane of the bristle field support plate 2.

[0056] In the illustrative embodiment of the device 1 according to FIG. 4, the device 1 has a total of two funnel plates 15 and 16, on which one of the two arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6 is formed in each case. In the illustrative embodiment of the device 1 according to FIG. 5, the two arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6 are formed on a common funnel plate 17.

[0057] Each bundle holder 3 and each inlet opening 12 into a bundle holder 3 of the bristle field support plate 2 is allocated precisely to one of the outlet openings 7 from a funnel holder 6 of the two arrangements 4, 5. In this case, outlet openings 7 and inlet openings 12 of the bundle holders 3 that are allocated to one another exhibit the same cross-sectional form, although they can have different dimensions. The funnel holders 6 inside an arrangement 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6 also have longitudinal axes that are parallel to one another.

[0058] The device 1 can have a conveyor device having at least one pressure source and/or having at least one pressure sink to produce a gas flow, in particular a flow of compressed air. With such gas flow, the bundles of bristles can be introduced by positive pressure and/or negative pressure, preferably by compressed air, into the funnel holders 6 of the at least two arrangements 4,5.

[0059] The device 1 can also comprise, preferably as a supplement thereto, at least one sliding mechanism, with the bundle of bristles inserted into the funnel holders 6 and/or from the funnel holders 6 into downstream holders, for example into the bundle holders 3 of the bristle field support plate 2, or can also be transferred into compactor holders 18 that are described in detail below.

[0060] The bristle field support plate 2 is a part of the device 1. It is also possible, however, to use hole plates of a kind which remain in the device 1 only temporarily and, after filling with bundles of bristles, are attached to a brush body and thus become part of the brush to be produced.

[0061] The device 1 is arranged on a brush manufacturing machine designated in its entirety with 14 and is represented in only a highly schematized manner in the Figures.

[0062] The following method can be performed on the previously described device 1:

[0063] It is envisaged in this case to fill the bundle holders 3 of a bristle field support plate 2 with bundles of bristles from at least two different arrangements 4, 5 of funnel holders 6. The bundles of bristles are fed to the bundle holders 3 of the bristle field support plate 2 in the depicted illustrative embodiment indirectly via the funnel holders 6 exhibiting insertion funnels 10. The funnel holders 6 are distributed on the two arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6 in such a way that a concentration of funnel holders 6 in the at least two arrangements 4 and 5 in each case is smaller than a concentration of bundle holders 3 on the bristle field support plate 2.

[0064] In the two arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6, a group of bundles and/or in each case a bristle sub-field are formed from bundles of bristles in each case. In a downstream process step, the groups of bundles and/or bristle sub-fields thereby produced are introduced one after the other into the bundle holders 3 of the bristle field support plate 2.

[0065] In the process, all the bundle holders 3 of the bristle field support plate 2 are filled with bundles of bristles by the two arrangements 4, 5. For this purpose, the arrangements 4 and 5 can be brought one after the other into a transfer position on the bristle field support plate 2, and the bristle field support plate 2 can be filled with bundles of bristles.

[0066] It is provided here, however, that the bundles of bristles are transferred from the funnel holders 6 of the at least two arrangements 4 and 5 first of all to compactor holders 18 of the device 1. The funnel holders 6 are used to impart a desired cross-sectional form to the bundles of bristles. The compactor holders 18 serve the purpose of compacting the bundles of bristles with a constant cross-sectional form while reducing their bundle cross-section. The bundles of bristles are subsequently delivered from the compactor holders 18 to the bundle holders 3 of the bristle field support plate 2. In order to facilitate the compaction of the bundles of bristles by the compactor holders 18, these have lead-in chamfers 19 which taper down to an internal cross section of the compactor holders 18. The bundles of bristles can thus be delivered more easily from the outlet openings 7 to the compactor holders 18.

[0067] In both illustrative embodiments of the device 1, the compactor holders 18 are combined together in two arrangements 21 and 22.

[0068] According to FIG. 4, the first arrangement 21 is formed on a first compactor plate 23, and the second arrangement 22 is formed on a second compactor plate 24. According to FIG. 5, the two arrangements 21 and 22 are formed jointly on a compactor plate 20. Each of the arrangements 21 and 22 in each case has a compactor hole pattern 25, 26 formed by its compactor holders 18 that are oriented parallel to one another. The compactor hole patterns 25 and 26 correspond to the hole patterns 8 and 9 of the arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6 and are in addition likewise complementary in relation to the complete hole pattern 13 of the bundle holders 3 on the bristle field support plate 2.

[0069] For filling of the bristle field support plate 2, the bundles of bristles are delivered first of all to the two arrangements 4 and 5 of funnel holders 6. The bundles of bristles then arrive at the two arrangements 21 and 22 of compactor holders 18. The arrangements 21 and 22 are subsequently brought one after the other into a transfer position on the bristle field support plate 2, and the bristle sub-fields are delivered to the bundle holders 3. It is also possible, however, to bring the bristle field support plate 2 first of all into a transfer position on the first arrangement 21 and then into a transfer position on the second arrangement 22, in order to fill the bundle holders 3 assigned to the compactor holders 18 in each case with bundles of bristles.

[0070] In the two arrangements 4, 5, bristle sub-fields that are complementary to one another in relation to the bristle field to be produced are formed from bundles of bristles. Subsequently, the bristle sub-fields that are complementary to one another are first of all delivered to the arrangements 21 and 22 of compactor holders 18 and are then combined together one after the other in the bristle field support plate 2 in order to form the bristle field to be produced.

[0071] The bundles of bristles can be introduced into the funnel holders 6 by positive pressure and/or negative pressure, preferably by compressed air, and/or by a single sliding mechanism or by one sliding mechanism in each case.

[0072] The bundles of bristles can be transferred even more effectively by a single sliding mechanism or by one sliding mechanism in each case from the funnel holders 6 into the compactor holders 18 and from there in turn into the bundle holders 3 of the bristle field support plate 2.

[0073] The bundles of bristles are introduced through the insertion funnels 10 into the funnel holders 6 of the two arrangements 4 and 5. Furthermore, the bundles of bristles are contoured in the funnel holders 6 of the funnel plates 4 and 5 according to their cross-sectional form in the bristle field to be produced.

LIST OF REFERENCE DESIGNATIONS

[0074] 1 device [0075] 2 bristle field support plate [0076] 3 bundle holder on 2 [0077] 4 first arrangement of 6 [0078] 5 second arrangement of 6 [0079] 6 funnel holder [0080] 7 outlet opening from 6 [0081] 8 hole pattern of 4 [0082] 9 hole pattern of 5 [0083] 10 insertion funnels [0084] 11 funnel plate [0085] 12 inlet openings in 3 [0086] 13 complete hole pattern [0087] 14 brush manufacturing machine [0088] 15 first funnel plate [0089] 16 second funnel plate [0090] 17 common funnel plate [0091] 18 compactor holders [0092] 19 lead-in chamfers [0093] 20 common compactor plate [0094] 21 first arrangement of 18 [0095] 22 second arrangement of 18 [0096] 23 first compactor plate [0097] 24 second compactor plate [0098] 25 compactor hole pattern [0099] 26 compactor hole pattern