CONTAINER TREATMENT MACHINE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A CONTAINER TREATMENT MACHINE

Abstract

A container-treatment machine comprises first and second motors, a bearing device, a ring gear, and a gyroscope that rotates about a rotation axis and receives containers. The motors are arranged in corresponding first and second columns and couple to corresponding first and second pinions. They are fixed relative to the bearing device. The ring gear is mounted on the bearing device and includes a circular tooth arrangement that meshes with the pinions. The pinions are arranged at a distance from one another along a circumferential direction of the tooth arrangement

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. An apparatus comprising a container-treatment machine for treating containers, said container treatment machine comprising a first motor, a second motor, a bearing device, a ring gear, a gyroscope, a first column, a second column, a first pinion, and a second pinion, wherein said first motor, which is arranged in said first column, couples to said first pinion, wherein said second motor, which is arranged in said second column, coupled to said second pinion, wherein said first and second motors are fixed relative to said bearing device, wherein said gyroscope, which rotates about a rotation axis, receives said containers, wherein said ring gear, which is mounted on said bearing device, includes a circular tooth arrangement that meshes with said first and second pinions, and wherein said first and second pinions are arranged at a distance from one another along a circumferential direction of said tooth arrangement.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said first and second motors are DC motors.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said first and second motors are synchronous motors.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said first and second motors are asynchronous motors.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said first and second motors are torque motors.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said first and second motors are servomotors.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said first and second pinions are arranged on a diameter of said ring gear.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said circular tooth arrangement and said pinions connect via slewing bearing connections.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a toothed belt that connects said ring gear to one of said motors.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a toothed belt that connects said ring gear to one of said pinions

22. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a planetary gear (19), wherein said planetary gear is arranged between said first motor and said first pinion.

23. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said first motor is one of a group of two or more motors that cooperate to drive said gyroscope.

24. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said second motor is one of a group of two or more motors that cooperate to brake said gyroscope.

25. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a third motor, wherein said motors are controllable independently of each other.

26. A method for operating a container-treatment machine that comprises first and second motors, a bearing device, a ring gear, and a gyroscope that rotates about a rotation axis and receives containers, said first and second motors being arranged in corresponding first and second columns, coupling to corresponding first and second pinions and being fixed relative to said bearing device, wherein said ring gear, which is mounted on said bearing device, includes a circular tooth arrangement that meshes with said first and second pinions, and wherein said first and second pinions are arranged at a distance from one another along a circumferential direction of said tooth arrangement, said method comprising operating, after starting said first and second motors, operating said first and second motors in the same direction only until production speed has been attained.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising transitioning into a regulating mode after said production speed has been attained and, while in regulating mode, using said first motor only for accelerating said gyroscope and using said second motor only for decelerating said gyroscope.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising, after having reached said production speed, causing said second motor to operate as a generator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a container-treatment machine;

[0028] FIG. 2 is an oblique view of the container-treatment machine of FIG. 1 from below;

[0029] FIG. 3 is an oblique view of the container-treatment machine of FIG. 1 from above;

[0030] FIG. 4 shows a load characteristic of a single motor as used in the prior art; and

[0031] FIG. 5 shows load characteristics of both motors shown in the container-treatment machine of FIGS. 1-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a container-treatment machine 1 having first and second motors 4, 6. In a preferred embodiment, the first and second motors 4, 6 are servomotors. Each servomotor 4, 6 couples to a corresponding drive pinion 5, 7.

[0033] The container-treatment machine 1 includes a static lower part and a rotating upper part. The static lower part does not move relative to a standing surface. The upper part rotates about a rotation axis R relative to the standing surface.

[0034] The rotating upper part includes a gyroscope 2 that carries containers 3 to be treated. During operation, the gyroscope 2 rotates.

[0035] A circular ring gear 9 arranged at a lower end of the gyroscope 2 and concentric with the rotation axis R couples to the pinions 5, 7. The circular ring gear 9 securely connects to the gyroscope 2.

[0036] The ring gear 9 is mounted in a horizontally-extending bearing device 8 at an upper end region of the static lower device. The bearing device 8 includes a horizontally extending annular plate 16 having a central opening.

[0037] Beneath the bearing device 8 are columns 10, 11, 12. Only three columns 10, 11, 12 can be seen because of FIG. 1's perspective. A fourth column, which is hidden from view in FIG. 1, can be seen in FIG. 2.

[0038] Each column 10, 11, 12 has a height-adjustable foot 15 at its lower end. This permits the container-treatment machine 1 to be leveled on a surface upon which it stands.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first motor 4 is arranged vertically in the first column 10 and the second motor 6 is arranged vertically in the second column 11. This arrangement saves space. Both motors 4, 6 connect to the bearing 8 beneath the annular plate 16. The pinions 5, 7 are above the annular plate 16. First and second passages 13, 14 in the annular plate 16 permit coupling between the pinions 5, 7 and the motors 4, 6.

[0040] The ring gear 9 features a tooth arrangement. The pinions 5, 7 are coplanar with the ring gear 9 so that they mesh with teeth on the outer surface of the ring gear 9.

[0041] In an alternative embodiment, a third motor in a third column also couples to a third pinion, which also couples to the ring gear 9. This third motor operates in either drive mode or generator mode.

[0042] Between each pinion 5, 7 and its associated motor 4, 6 is a planetary gear 19, best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The planetary gear 19 permits the rotation of the motor 4, 6 to be adjusted to that required by the pinions 5, 7 for driving the ring gear 9.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows a view of the lower static part from above rather that from below as shown in FIG. 2. In this figure, one can clearly see the pinions 5, 7. The first and second motors 4, 6 are also shown, though they are in fact covered by the annular plate 16. The tooth arrangement of the ring gear 9 has been omitted for clarity.

[0044] As can be seen in FIG. 3, the first and second pinions 5, 7 are arranged on either side of a diameter of the ring gear 9. This means that the pinions 5, 7 are as far apart as it is possible to be.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows the load characteristic as a function of time for a prior art motor. The motor reaches its operating speed at time T, which is typically half a second after the motor starts. The torque then rises rapidly to about thirteen newton-meters. Upon reaching production speed, the motor is regulated to maintain that speed. This regulation results in a rapid fluctuations in torque over a wide range. As shown in FIG. 4, these fluctuations cause variations of about an order of magnitude, i.e., between about 2.5 newton-meters and 25 newton-meters.

[0046] The prior art motor is subjected to an average torque value of approximately fifteen newton-meters. However, because of the wide variation in instantaneous torque, it is necessary to provide a motor that is rated to accommodate the maximum value of torque. In addition, the motor is required to have enough intrinsic inertia to counteract the inertia of the rotating gyroscope. For a load curve as shown, it is typical to use a servomotor rated to approximately thirty-seven newton-meters.

[0047] For comparison, FIG. 5 shows first and second load characteristics 17, 18 corresponding to the first and second motors 4, 6 in FIGS. 1-3.

[0048] The motors 4, 6 begin operation at zero seconds. In the interval between zero seconds and T seconds, which is typically half a second, the motors operate in the same direction. As such, they supplement each other. Their torques rise rapidly to a value of about thirteen nanometers. At the end of this interval, the motors 4, 6 will have reached production speed. Up to this point, the load curves are not so different from that in FIG. 4.

[0049] Upon reaching production speed, the second motor 6 switches from operating in drive mode to operating in generator mode. This is reflected in the second load curve 18, which suddenly drops to 6 newton-meters. The second motor 6 thus begins energy recovery.

[0050] Meanwhile, the first motor 4 continues to operate in drive mode. As a result, the first load characteristic 17 fluctuates only slightly. In the illustrated embodiment, the first motor's load remains between about ten newton-meters and fourteen newton-meters. Both motors 4, 6 avoid the significant fluctuations shown in the load curve of FIG. 4.

[0051] During regulation, the first motor 4 is used only to accelerate the gyroscope 2 and the second motor 6 is used only to decelerate it. In effect, the first motor 4 becomes a driving motor and the second motor 6 becomes a braking motor. This results in each motor 4, 6 experiencing a relatively steady load without the large fluctuations shown in FIG. 4.

[0052] In an alternative embodiment, each pinion 5, 7 is assigned to its own ring gear 9. This permits the separate ring gears to be optimized for the function of the respective motors 4, 6 to which they are coupled.

[0053] In yet other embodiments, there exists a toothed belt that connects one of the pinion 5, 7 to its corresponding ring gear 9 to transmit torque between the pinion 5, 7 and the ring gear 9.

[0054] Having described the invention and a preferred embodiment thereof, what is claimed as new and secured by letters patent is: