Device for erecting a folded carton

Abstract

In a carton feeding device for feeding cartons to a conveyor track, comprising a replaceable pick-up head attached to the carton feeding device at an attachment, where a pick-up head comprises a plurality of vacuum cups and an erecting means pivotally suspended at the pick-up head, where the attachment for the pick-up head is arranged on a rotor arm, where the attachment is adapted to receive different pick-up heads, and that the carton feeding device comprises an actuator means comprising a first interface adapted to actuate a leading edge erecting arm and a second interface adapted to actuate a trailing edge erecting arm. The advantage of the invention is that a carton feeding device that can easily be switched between leading edge erection or trailing edge erection of flat-folded cartons blanks is provided.

Claims

1. A carton feeding device for feeding cartons to a conveyor track from a magazine, comprising: a pick-up head releasably attached to the carton feeding device at an attachment, where the pick-up head comprises a plurality of vacuum cups and an erecting arm pivotally suspended at the pick-up head, where the attachment for the pick-up head is arranged on a rotor arm, wherein the attachment is adapted to receive the pick-up head provided with the erecting arm where the erecting arm is adapted for leading edge erection of a carton or to receive the pick-up head provided with the erecting arm where the erecting arm is adapted for trailing edge erection of a carton, where the carton feeding device comprises an actuator, where the actuator comprises a first interface adapted to interact with the erecting arm adapted for leading edge erection of a carton and a second interface adapted to interact with the erecting arm adapted for trailing edge erection of a carton.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second interface is longer than the first interface.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first interface and the second interface is a groove arranged in the actuator.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second interface is at least twice as long as the first interface.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the pick-up head is attached to the attachment with a quick release.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the erecting arm comprises an actuator arm adapted to transfer a movement of the actuator to the erecting arm.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the actuator arm comprises a roller adapted to interact with the first interface or the second interface.

8. The device according to claim 6, wherein the actuator arm is adjustable such that the erection degree of the erecting arm can be set.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be described in greater detail in the following, with reference to the embodiments that are shown in the attached drawings, in which

(2) FIG. 1 shows a carton feeding device according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a view of a pick-up head adapted for leading edge carton erection according to the invention,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a side view of the pick-up head of FIG. 2,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a view of a pick-up head adapted for trailing edge carton erection according to the invention, and

(6) FIG. 5 shows a side view of the pick-up head of FIG. 4.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(7) The embodiments of the invention with further developments described in the following are to be regarded only as examples and are in no way to limit the scope of the protection provided by the patent claims.

(8) FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of a carton feeding device 1 adapted for leading edge erection of folded cartons 2. The carton feeding device 1 comprises a rotor 3 provided with a plurality of rotor arms 4. In the shown example, the rotor 3 comprises three rotor arms 4, each provided with a pick-up head 8. The movement and rotation of the rotor 3 is controlled by a first servo motor 5 and a second servo motor 6 which are controlled individually by a control system of the carton feeding device. The rotor is arranged asymmetrical on the main shaft 7 of the carton feeding device 1, such that the rotor allows a folded carton to be picked up from a magazine, to be erected and subsequently to be inserted in a conveyor track having holding teeth to hold the erected cartons.

(9) In the shown example, the rotor rotates in a clockwise direction indicated by arrow 14. At the insertion point, shown at the lowermost pick-up head in FIG. 1, the pick-up head will change direction for a short while and will move along the conveyor track for a short distance, i.e. will perform a movement to the right in the figure, along arrow 15. This movement is enabled by the two servo motors and the design of the rotary system of the carton feeding device.

(10) The sides of the carton 2 will in this description be referred to as the rear panel 25, the upper panel 26, the lower panel 27 and the rear panel 28.

(11) These references indicate the directions of the sides of a carton being conveyed in the conveyor track, with reference to the moving direction of the conveyor track. When a carton blank is erected or opened, a rectangular or square box body is obtained, into which an object such as a tube or bottle is to be inserted, before the box is closed and/or sealed. The degree of erection that a folded carton is erected when inserted into the conveyor track is selectable, and depends e.g. on the conveyor track and the way the carton is inserted into the conveyor track. In FIG. 1, the shown carton is fully erected at the insertion point.

(12) The shown carton feeding device is adapted to insert erected cartons at the infeed region of a conveyor track, where the teeth are angled away from each other, creating a larger opening into which the carton is inserted. When the teeth are parallel again, the carton will be held securely in position. The shown carton feeding device is capable of reaching an insertion rate of up to 300 insertions per minute.

(13) FIGS. 2 and 3 show a pick-up head 8 provided with a leading edge erecting arm 22. The pick-up head 8 is exchangeable and is attached to the rotor arm 4 at an attachment means 16 that comprises suitable steering means for the correct positioning of the pick-up head to the attachment means. The pick-up head 8 is fastened to the rotor arm by a quick release means, e.g. a lever or the like. In the shown example, the pick-up head is fastened to the rotor arm with a buckle 17. The pick-up head 8 is provided with a plurality of vacuum cups 9 adapted to pick up and hold a flat-folded carton blank 2 during the insertion of an erected carton in a conveyor track. The vacuum cups are provided with vacuum through a vacuum conduit running through the attachment means and through the pick-up head. The number of vacuum cups are chosen with respect to the size and weight of the folded carton. A suitable number of vacuum cups is two, three or four. In the shown example, three vacuum cups are used. The length of the pick-up head is preferably adapted to the length of a carton.

(14) In this example, the erecting means 10 of the pick-up head 8 comprises a leading edge erecting arm 22. The leading edge erecting arm 22 is arranged to pivot around an erecting axle 11 and is provided with one or more erecting fingers 12. The erecting fingers 12 comprises a bearing surface 13 that will bear on the flat-folded carton blank and that will erect the carton blank before insertion of the carton in the conveyor track.

(15) The carton feeding device 1 comprises an actuator means 18 adapted to control the erecting means 10 to erect a flat-folded carton. The actuator means 18 is controlled by a rotor disc arranged at the centre of the rotor 3 and is in one example arranged on an arm having a roller running in a steering groove of the rotor disc. The actuator means is provided with a first interface 19 adapted to actuate a leading edge erecting arm 22 and a second interface 20 adapted to actuate a trailing edge erecting arm 23. In the shown example, the first interface 19 and the second interface 20 are longitudinal grooves arranged in the actuator means 18. The first groove is relatively short since the leading edge erecting arm 22 in the shown example will always have the same position on the carton feeding device. The second groove may be longer in order to be able to allow for different positions of the trailing edge erecting arm on the carton feeding device.

(16) The first interface and the second interface may also comprise a ridge on which two rollers of an actuator arm runs. Since the actuator means moves in a straight vertical direction and the erecting means performs a rotational movement, the actuator arm of the actuator means and the erecting means will displace relative each other during an erection of a carton. For this reason, a roller running in a groove is a simple and reliable solution. Further, a roller and a groove simplifies the exchange of different pick-up heads, since the roller will be positioned in the groove without any further attachment needs.

(17) For a leading edge erection of folded cartons, the folded carton is in the shown example always held close to the bend line between the upper panel 26 and the rear panel 25, and the folded carton is always erected in the same way. This means that for a leading edge erection of folded cartons, the erecting means will be arranged at the same position regardless of the width of the carton, i.e. the width of the upper panel of the folded carton. For this reason, the first interface 19 will always cooperate with a leading edge erecting arm arranged in the same position on the carton feeding device. The groove of the first interface may thus be relatively short.

(18) The actuator means 18 will displace somewhat in a vertical direction when a carton blank is to be erected. This displacement is transferred to the erecting means by an actuator arm 21 that is attached to the erecting means in an adjustable manner. The actuator arm can be adjusted in order to control the degree of erection of a carton. The actuator arm 21 is provided with a roller 24 arranged to roll in the first groove. When the actuator means is displaced, the roller will pivot the actuator arm which in turn pivots the erecting means. The actuator means will retract when the erected carton has been inserted into the conveyor track. In the shown example, the first interface 19 will cooperate with the roller 24 of the leading edge erecting arm 22.

(19) FIGS. 4 and 5 show a pick-up head 8 provided with a trailing edge erecting arm 23. The pick-up head 8 is exchangeable and is attached to the rotor arm 4 at an attachment 16 that comprises suitable steering means for the correct positioning of the pick-up head at the attachment. The pick-up head 8 is fastened to the rotor arm by a quick release means 17, e.g. a lever or the like. In the shown example, the pick-up head is fastened to the rotor arm with a buckle. The pick-up head 8 is provided with a plurality of vacuum cups 9 adapted to pick up and hold a flat-folded carton blank 2 during the erection and insertion of an erected carton in a conveyor track. The vacuum cups are provided with vacuum through a vacuum conduit running through the attachment means and through the pick-up head. The number of vacuum cups are chosen with respect to the size and weight of the carton. A suitable number of vacuum cups is two, three or four. In the shown example, three vacuum cups are used. The length of the pick-up head is preferably adapted to the length of a carton.

(20) In this example, the erecting means 10 of the pick-up head 8 comprises a trailing edge erecting arm 23. The erecting means 10 is arranged to pivot around an erecting axle 11 and is provided with one or more erecting fingers 12. The erecting fingers 12 comprises a bearing surface 13 that will bear on the flat-folded carton blank and that will erect the carton blank before insertion of the carton in the conveyor track. The difference between a leading edge erecting arm 22 and a trailing edge erecting arm 23 is the side on which the actuator arm 21 is arranged on the erecting axle 11.

(21) In this example, the second interface 20 of the actuator means 18 will actuate the trailing edge erecting arm 23 to erect a flat-folded carton. The groove of the second interface will cooperate with the roller 24 of the trailing edge erecting arm 23.

(22) For a trailing edge erection of folded cartons, the folded carton should preferably be held close to the bend line between the upper panel 26 and the front panel 27, and since the carton feeding device will insert the cartons in the same manner in the conveyor, the width of the pick-up head must be adapted to the width of the carton, i.e. the width of the upper panel of the folded carton. In order for the pick-up head to be able to hold the folded carton close to the bend line between the upper panel 26 and the front panel 27, the width of the pick-up head must be adapted to the width of the upper panel of the carton. This means that for trailing edge erection of folded cartons, the erecting means 10 will be arranged at different position of the carton feeding device depending on the width of the carton, i.e. the width of the upper panel of the folded carton. For this reason, the second interface is adapted for the different widths of cartons. The length of the second interface is selected in dependency of the width of the folded cartons that are to be used, and may e.g. be at least twice as long as the first interface. In this way, it is easy to change the size of cartons that a carton feeding device are to handle, by only replacing the pick-up head and without having to rebuild the actuating means. In the shown example, the carton is not fully erected to a quadratic shape. The degree of erection of a carton depends on the used conveyor track and the used type of insertion of the carton. It is e.g. possible to counterfold the carton to a shape similar to the shape shown in FIG. 3.

(23) The invention is not to be regarded as being limited to the embodiments described above, a number of additional variants and modifications being possible within the scope of the subsequent patent claims. The pick-up head can be adapted to various sizes of cartons.

REFERENCE SIGNS

(24) 1: Carton feeding device 2: Carton 3: Rotor 4: Rotor arm 5: First servo motor 6: Second servo motor 7: Main axle 8: Pick-up head 9: Vacuum cup 10: Erecting means 11: Erecting shaft 12: Erecting finger 13: Bearing surface 14: Rotation direction 15: Moving direction 16: Attachment 17: Quick release means 18: Actuator means 19: First interface 20: Second interface 21: Actuator arm 22: Leading edge erecting arm 23: Trailing edge erecting arm 24: Roller 25: Rear panel 26: Upper panel 27: Front panel 28: Lower panel