DEVICE FOR MANUFACTURING A POUCH ACCOMMODATED IN A WRAPPING

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for manufacturing a pouch containing a brewable material accommodated in a wrapping, comprising a pouch manufacturing device adapted to manufacture a pouch containing brewable material, and a sealing station with jaw elements forming opposing sealing surfaces acting on the wrapping from opposite sides for sealing the pouch. The device according to the invention allows a more economical production of a packaging unit comprising a pouch in the wrapping and has a trough-shaped recess in which a helically laid heating conductor is accommodated.

Claims

1. A device for manufacturing a pouch containing a brewable material accommodated in a wrapping, comprising a pouch manufacturing device adapted to manufacture a pouch containing brewable material, and a sealing station with jaw elements forming opposing sealing surfaces acting on the wrapping from opposite sides for sealing the pouch, wherein at least one of the jaw elements forms a trough-shaped recess below the sealing surface, in which a helically laid heating conductor is accommodated.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the jaw element and the trough-shaped recess are L-shaped with a longitudinal leg and a transverse leg, and in that the heating conductor forms a longitudinal helix and a transverse helix which are arranged at right angles to one another and directly adjoin one another.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein two transverse helices are arranged next to each other in the trough-shaped recess.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least two thermocouples are introduced into the trough-shaped recess.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the trough-shaped recess is cast with a solder compound.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the bottom of the trough-shaped recess has a concave depression formed to match the curvature of the helically laid heating conductor.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the jaw element is made of a steel with good thermal conductivity.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the heating conductor is formed by a coaxial sheath heating conductor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Further details and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment in conjunction with the drawing. Therein:

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a side view of essential parts of an embodiment of a device for manufacturing a wrapped pouch;

[0021] FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the pouch manufacturing device shown in FIG. 1 as the pouch and film are pushed out;

[0022] FIG. 3 shows a perspective top view of the sealing station of the embodiment according to FIG. 1 with the sealing jaws open;

[0023] FIG. 4 shows a top perspective view of the lower side of an embodiment of a jaw element;

[0024] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view along the line V-V according to FIG. 4;

[0025] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view along line VI-VI according to FIG. 4; and

[0026] FIG. 7 shows a top view of a packaging unit consisting of a pouch and a film.

[0027] The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has a pouch manufacturing device identified by reference sign 2 and a sealing station identified by reference sign 100.

[0028] The pouch manufacturing device 2 comprises a carousel with several receptacles 4 rotating about an axis for accommodating a water-permeable wrapping, which is formed to form the pouch containing a brewable material and is usually connected to a thread and a label. With regard to the individual stations and their configuration, reference can be made to the prior art, for example EP 2 231 479 B1 or WO 01/62600 A1. Reference signs I to VI in FIG. 1 identify various positions in which the receptacle 4 can be located in order to receive and process the various components of the finished pouch or the to-be-finished pouch. Elements acting in this process are not shown for the sake of clear representation. In position VI, the pouch is finished.

[0029] FIGS. 1 and 2 show elements of a pouch handling device identified by reference sign 10 and a wrapping material handling device identified by reference sign 20. The wrapping material of the embodiment shown is an aroma-tight film. Thus, in the description below, reference will be made to a film handling device 20. The pouch handling device 10 comprises two approximately parallel extending arms 12, 13, which are hingedly connected to each other and coupled to a common drive device 30 via coupling rods 14. This common drive device 30 has different cam discs 32 which are non-rotatably fixed on a common drive shaft 33 of the drive device 30 and are coupled to pick-ups 34 in which the outer circumferential surfaces of the cam discs 32 roll in each case, wherein the pick-ups 34 are each mounted pivotally on a common bearing axis 36 and are provided with a lever 37 which is hingedly connected to the associated coupling rod 14. The coupling rods 14 act on the arms 12, 13 via levers.

[0030] The drive device 30 actuates both the individual components of the pouch handling device 10 and the components of the film handling device 20. Thus, both handling devices 10, 20 are provided with a common drive and are forcibly synchronized.

[0031] As can be seen from FIG. 2, a film 40 shown schematically in FIG. 1 together with a pouch 42 are pushed out of the pouch manufacturing device 2 and towards a transport wheel 50, wherein a fold 45 formed by folding the material of the film 40 and formed between two legs 44 of the film 40 runs ahead and the pouch 42 runs behind. The film handling device 20 engages the edge of the film 40. The pouch 42 is pushed out from behind by actuating a clamping shoe 15 with a clamping spring 16 by moving the clamping shoe 15 together with the clamping spring 16 together with the front ends of the front and rear pouch handling arms 12, 13 radially away from the pouch manufacturing device 2. At the end of this movement, the pouch 42 is placed in the wrapped film 40 and clamped between clamping arms 52 of the transport wheel 50.

[0032] The sealing station 100 has sealing jaws identified by reference signs 102 and 108, wherein the sealing jaw 102 shown at the bottom in FIG. 3 is formed from a first sealing jaw element 104 and a second sealing jaw element 106. Similarly, the upper sealing jaw 108 shown thereabove is formed of two jaw elements which are hereinafter referred to as counter jaw elements 110 and 112. As shown in particular in FIG. 3, each sealing jaw element 104, 106 is L-shaped in the top view and has a longitudinal leg 204 and a transverse leg 206 extending at right angles thereto. The longitudinal legs 204 each form a longitudinal seal by which the opposite legs 44 are joined at their longitudinal side. The two transverse legs 206 together form a sealing surface of each of the sealing jaws 102, 108, which is adapted to form a transverse seal and produce it on the film 40 so as to seal the transverse side of the film material opposite the fold 45. The longitudinal seals and the transverse seals allow the interior of the film package to be hermetically sealed. The fourth side is sealed by the fold 45. Each of the jaw elements 104, 106, 110, 112 forms a raised L-shaped sealing surface 113, 114.

[0033] The sealing jaw element 104 and the counter jaw element 110 are driven by a common drive 115 in the form of a servomotor. For this purpose, connecting rods are provided eccentrically to a drive shaft 116 of the drive 115, of which the connecting rod provided adjacent to the drive 115 is associated with the counter jaw element 110 and is accordingly hereinafter designated as the counter jaw connecting rod 118, and the other connecting rod, which is provided on the side of the counter jaw connecting rod 118 opposite to the drive 115, is designated and identified as the sealing jaw connecting rod 120. The sealing jaw connecting rod 120 is associated with the sealing jaw element 104.

[0034] This sealing jaw connecting rod 120 is freely rotatable and eccentrically mounted on the drive shaft 116. The other end of the sealing jaw connecting rod 120 is hingedly attached at a pivot point identified by reference sign 122 to a sealing jaw pivot arm 124, which carries the sealing jaw element 104 at one end and is pivotally mounted at its other end about a pivot axis 126, hereinafter identified as the sealing jaw pivot axis, which is connected to an independent drive (not shown).

[0035] In a corresponding manner, the counter jaw connecting rod 118 is pivotally connected to a counter jaw pivot arm 128 which supports the counter jaw element 110 and is pivotally mounted at its opposite end on a counter jaw pivot axis 130.

[0036] As is apparent from the foregoing description, toggle levers are provided for each of the first and second pairs of jaw elements 104, 110; 106, 112, wherein the toggle lever comprises the sealing jaw connecting rod 120 in addition to the jaw element 104 and the toggle lever comprises the counter jaw connecting rod 118 in addition to the counter jaw element 110. In this context, the two connecting rods 118, 120 are rotatably mounted about and supported by the common drive shaft 116. They are mounted eccentrically to this drive shaft 116. However, the eccentrics are angularly offset from each other. Said toggle levers force a pivoting movement on the jaw or counter-jaw elements 104; 110 during a rotational movement of the associated drives 115, within the framework of which the L-shaped jaw elements 104, 106 or the counter-jaw elements 110, 112 approach each other to form a U-shaped sealing surface, formed by the two L-shaped sealing surfaces 113, 114, and clamp the film 40 between them to form a U-shaped weld seam.

[0037] FIG. 4 shows a perspective top view of a not yet filled jaw element 200 corresponding to the jaw element 104 according to FIG. 3 with a trough-shaped recess 202, which is L-shaped and forms a longitudinal leg 204 and a transverse leg 206. Thus, an L-shaped basic shape of the trough-shaped recesses 202 is obtained.

[0038] Reference sign 208 identifies a heating conductor which is configured as a coaxial sheath heating conductor and is inserted helically into the trough-shaped recess 202. In the region of the longitudinal leg 204, only one helix is arranged, which extends essentially over the entire length of the longitudinal leg 204, wherein the end of the heating conductor 208 projecting from the free end of this longitudinal helix 210 is led back into the corner region of the L-shaped jaw element 200 via a conductor section 212 extending in a straight line and is led out there to form a first connection element 214. Directly adjacent to this is a second connection element 216, which is formed by the other end of the heating conductor 208 and initially merges into a first transverse helix 220, which is laid up to the free inner end of the transverse leg 206 and there merges into a second transverse helix 222, which is led up to the corner region of the jaw element 200. There, the central longitudinal axis of the longitudinal helix 210 intersects with turns of the second transverse helix 220. The second transverse helix 220 extends with its last turn approximately up to the outer circumferential surface of the longitudinal helix 210. In other words, the last turn is lying next to the conductor section 212 extending in a straight line. Thus, the last turn of the second transverse helix 220 extends up to an inner surface defining the trough-shaped recess 202 on the outer side thereof, the inner side being directed towards the a transverse leg 206.

[0039] Near the corner area and directly adjacent to the two connection elements 214, 216, two thermocouples 224, 226 are provided, of which the thermocouple identified by reference sign 224 extends to the bottom of the trough-shaped recess 202 in order to determine the actual temperature at the sealing surface 113, and the other thermocouple 226 is arranged between the two transverse helices 220, 222 and ends at the height of the same. This second thermocouple 226 serves to check the actual temperature of the heating conductor 208.

[0040] The thermocouples 224, 226 and the two connecting elements 214, 216 are each passed through ceramic sleeves 228 which, after the helically laid heating conductor 208 has been inserted, are surrounded by and materially bonded to a solder compound which is filled in molten form into the trough-shaped recess 202 to improve heat conduction between the heating conductor 208 and the jaw element 200.

[0041] FIGS. 5 and 6 show the configuration of the bottom of the trough-shaped recess 202. There, the bottom is formed as a trough-shaped depression 230, the concave curvature of which is adapted to the radius of the helices of the heating conductor 208. The longitudinal leg 204 has a single corresponding depression 230. The transverse leg 206 has two such depressions for receiving one of the transverse helices 220, 222, respectively.

[0042] FIG. 7 illustrates the package manufactured in the manner described above, consisting of a wrapping identified by reference sign 150, which as a circumferential wrapping accommodates the pouch 42 illustrated in dots with thread and label therein and encloses it in an aroma-tight manner. The wrapping 150 has a first broad side which is closed by the fold 45. Longitudinal seals L extend at right angles from this fold 45. At the end of these longitudinal seals L is a transverse seal Q which runs parallel to the fold 45. The longitudinal and transverse seals L, Q merge or penetrate each other.

REFERENCE SIGN LIST

[0043] 2 pouch manufacturing device [0044] 4 receptacle [0045] 10 pouch handling device [0046] 12 front pouch handling arm [0047] 13 rear pouch handling arm [0048] 14 coupling rod [0049] 15 clamping shoe [0050] 16 clamping spring [0051] 20 film handling device [0052] 30 drive device [0053] 32 cam disc [0054] 33 drive shaft [0055] 34 pick-up [0056] 36 bearing axis [0057] 37 lever [0058] 40 film [0059] 42 pouch [0060] 44 leg [0061] 45 fold [0062] 50 transport wheel [0063] 52 clamping arm [0064] 100 sealing station [0065] 102 lower sealing jaw [0066] 104 jaw element [0067] 106 jaw element [0068] 108 upper sealing jaw [0069] 110 counter jaw element [0070] 112 counter jaw element [0071] 113 L-shaped sealing surface [0072] 114 L-shaped sealing surface [0073] 115 drive [0074] 116 drive shaft [0075] 118 counter jaw connecting rod [0076] 120 sealing jaw connecting rod [0077] 122 pivot point [0078] 124 sealing jaw pivot arm [0079] 126 sealing jaw pivot axis [0080] 128 counter jaw pivot arm [0081] 130 counter jaw pivot axis [0082] 150 wrapping [0083] 200 jaw element [0084] 202 recess [0085] 204 longitudinal leg [0086] 206 transverse leg [0087] 208 heating conductor [0088] 210 longitudinal helix [0089] 212 conductor section extending in a straight line [0090] 214 first connection element [0091] 216 second connection element [0092] 220 first transverse helix [0093] 222 second transverse helix [0094] 224 thermocouple [0095] 226 thermocouple [0096] 228 ceramic sleeve [0097] 230 depression [0098] L longitudinal seal [0099] Q transverse seal [0100] I-VI position of the receptacle 4 [0101] L longitudinal seal [0102] Q transverse seal [0103] I-VI position of the receptacle 4