FEEDING DEVICE FOR SEALER

Abstract

A feeding device for a sealer for guiding a lid to a container includes a movement device arranged such that the lid is able to be moved by the movement device, and a lid guide arranged at the movement device for guiding the lid to the container. The lid guide includes a first guide surface and a second guide surface, and the lid can be arranged between the first guide surface and the second guide surface such that the lid is capable of being guided to the container by relative movement of the movement device to the first and second guide surfaces.

Claims

1. A feeding device for a sealer for guiding a lid to a container, comprising; a movement device arranged in a movable manner in such a way that the lid is capable of being moved by the movement device; and a lid guide arranged at the movement device and configured to guide the lid to the container, the lid guide comprising a first guide surface and a second guide surface, the lid capable of being arranged between the first guide surface and the second guide surface in such a way that the lid is capable of being guided to the container by relative movement of the movement device to the first guide surface and the second guide surface.

2. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the lid guide is stationarily arranged in such a way that the lid is capable of being to the container by the movement of the movement device along the lid guide.

3. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the movement device comprises a carrier, the carrier is attached to the movement device in such a way that the lid is capable of being received by the carrier and moved by the carrier in the lid guide.

4. The feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the carrier is arranged in a movable manner between the first guide surface and the second guide surface.

5. The feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the carrier is one of a plurality of carriers of the movement device, so that a plurality of the lids is capable of being received by the plurality of carriers and moved by the lid guide.

6. The feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of carriers is arranged distributed along a circumference of the movement device.

7. The feeding device according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of carriers is arranged circularly along the circumference of the movement device.

8. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the movement device is arranged rotatably about an axis by a shaft, so that the lid is capable of being moved by a rotation of the movement device.

9. The feeding device according to claim 8, wherein the movement device has a shape of a disk and the shaft is arranged at a center point of the movement device.

10. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the lid guide comprises a first rail and a second rail running parallel to the first rail and the first rail comprises the first guide surface and the second rail comprises the second guide surface in such a way that the lid is capable of being guided to the container by the first and the second rails.

11. The feeding device according to claim 10, wherein the first or the second rail is formed by a plurality of rail elements.

12. The feeding device according to claim 10, wherein a recess is disposed between the first rail and the second rail in such a way that the movement device is capable of being moved through the recess for moving the lid.

13. The feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a hold-down device arranged at the lid guide so as to be able to restrict movability of the lid a spatial direction.

14. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the lid guide comprises a first rail with the first guide surface and a second rail with the second guide surface, and the feeding device further comprises a hold-down device arranged between the first and second rails so as to be able to restrict movability of the lid in a spatial direction.

15. A sealer, comprising: a carousel with a plurality of sealing devices; a container feeder for feeding the container to the carousel; a feeding device according to claim land configured to guide the lid to the container; and an outlet for the container that has been sealed from the carousel.

16. A method for sealing a container with a lid, comprising: providing a feeding device according to claim 1; and transporting the lid to the container by the feeding device; and placing the lid on an opening of the container; and sealing the container with the lid.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the sealing of the container comprises positioning the container on a lifting element; and seaming the lid to the container by at least one seaming roller and a seaming head.

18. A sealer, comprising: a carousel with a plurality of sealing devices; a container feeder for feeding the container filled with a product to the carousel; a feeding device according to claim land configured to guide the lid to the container; and an outlet for the container that has been sealed from the carousel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] In the following, the disclosure and the state of the art are explained in more detail based on embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0061] FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of a can sealer of the state of the art;

[0062] FIG. 2 illustrates a gassing rotor of the state of the art;

[0063] FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of a can sealer according to the disclosure;

[0064] FIG. 4A illustrates a plan view of a feeding device according to the disclosure;

[0065] FIG. 4B illustrates a perspective view of a feeding device according to the disclosure;

[0066] FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a feeding device according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 have already been described above in the representation of the state of the art.

[0068] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a can sealer 1000 according to the disclosure. In principle, the sealing process is performed in the analogous way to the state of the art, i.e., in the analogous way as described in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0069] The can sealer 1000 according to FIG. 3 comprises two lid providing devices 11 for providing a lid 101 to a feeding device I according to the disclosure, which transports the lids 101 to the can 100.

[0070] The feeding device 1 comprises a movement device 10, which is arranged in a moveable manner in such a way that the lid 101 can be moved to the can 100 by the movement device 10. For this purpose, the movement device 10 is attached to a shaft and arranged in a rotatable manner about an axis X by this shaft, so that the lid 101 can be moved by a rotation of the movement device 10.

[0071] In addition, the feeding device 1 comprises a lid guide 15A, 15B arranged at the movement device 10 for guiding the lid 101 to the can 100. For this purpose, the lid guide 15A, 15B has a first rail 15A and a second rail 15B running parallel to the first rail, wherein the lid 101 is arranged between the rails 15A, 15B in such a way that the lid 101 is guided by the movement of the carrier 19 between the rails 15A, 15B to point B, where the lid 101 is united with the can 100 entering along A.

[0072] The carriers 19 arranged at the movement device 10 are distributed and arranged on a surface of the movement device 10 in such a way that they can set the lids 101 arranged on the lid guide 15A, 15B in motion.

[0073] In addition, the sealer 1000 comprises a seaming process/carousel having seaming stations 14 for sealing the can 100 with the lid 101. The seaming process 14 is arranged in a working space 2 of the can sealer 1000 surrounded by a housing 3.

[0074] The lid 101 is introduced by the lid providing device 11 into the working space 2 of the can sealer 1000 along the arrow C and guided to the can 100 by the lid guide.

[0075] In doing so, the lids 101 are deposited on the rails 15A, 15B. The lids 101 are transported further by rotation of the movement device.

[0076] Then, the cans 100 with lids 101 are guided further to the seaming process 14 and sealed there.

[0077] The cans 100 with lids 101 are clamped and sealed by the seaming process 14. The sealed can is conveyed by a further rotor into a can outlet 18.

[0078] FIG. 4A shows a plan view of the feeding device 1 according to the disclosure, FIG. 4B shows a perspective view of the feeding device 1 according to the disclosure and FIG. 5 shows a side view of the feeding device I according to the disclosure.

[0079] The movement device 10 is designed in a star-shaped manner, wherein a carrier 19 is attached to each star tip for receiving and moving a lid.

[0080] The lid guides 15A, 15B comprises the first rail 15A and the second rail 15B, which runs parallel to the first rail 15A in sections. For this purpose, the first rail 15A is semi-annular and the second rail 15B is annular and arranged above the movement device 10.

[0081] Here, the first rail 15A comprises the first guide surface 22A the second rail 15B comprises the second guide surface 22B in such a way that the lid can be guided to the container by the first and the second rails 15A, 15B.

[0082] In addition, the first rail 15A comprises the first support surface 23A and the second rail 15B comprises the second support surface 23B in such a way that the lid can be guided to the container via the first and the second rails 15A, 15B, i.e., deposited on the support surfaces 23A, 23B and moved to the container via them.

[0083] The movement device 10 is arranged with upwardly-directed carriers 19 under the first and second rails 15A, 15B. Here, the carriers 19 can be moved in a recess 24 between the first and the second rails 15A, 15B.

[0084] In addition, the first and second rails 15A, 15B are formed by a plurality of rail elements.

[0085] The first and the second rails 15A, 15B are designed with the guide surfaces and support surfaces 22A, 22B, 23A, 23B such that they are open at the top. In this way, a cleaning medium can clean the lid support (i.e., the guide and/or support surfaces) without hindrance.

[0086] Furthermore, the lid guides 15A, 15B comprises a gassing device 5. This gassing device 5 is arranged on a side of the first rail 15A facing the seaming process 14.

[0087] While the first and the second rails 15A, 15B are shaped in such a way that the lid 101 is guided radially and thus preferably moves co-radially to the movement device 10, the gassing device 5 is shaped in such a way that the lid 101 is guided linearly in a gassing area of the gassing device 5. This has the advantage that the gassing values can be improved and the transfer to the container can be optimized.

[0088] During gassing by the gassing device 5, a gas such as an inert gas is conveyed to an underside of the lid 101. In this way, it can be ensured that a residual volume of the container 100 in which no foodstuff is arranged is substantially filled with the gas before sealing, whereby the air originally present in the residual volume is displaced as completely as possible by the gas. In this way, it can be possible to achieve a longer shelf life for the foodstuff arranged in the container 100.

[0089] However, before the lids are placed on the lid guides 15A, 15B, a de-stacking process takes place, in which the lids 101 are separated from the stack individually. Then, the lid 101 rests between lateral lid guides, i.e., the rails 15A, 15B, as described above. Then, the lid 101 is transported further to a defined point (point B) by the movement device 10, which is shaped as a lid star 10, with the aid of the radially attached lid carriers 19 between the lateral lid guides 15A, 15B. The lateral lid guides 15A, 15B together form the lid travel path.

[0090] Here, the rail 15B is an inner lid guide 15B. The first and second rail 15A, 15B are each formed by a plurality of rail elements. The rail element of the second rail 15B, which is located directly under the de-stacking device, does not have to be replaced in the case of a format change. In this way, changeover times and downtimes are reduced.

[0091] The lid 101 is guided from the de-stacking device to the point B completely resting between the rails 15A, 15B, and is not deposited on the lid star 10.

[0092] In addition, a hold-down device 4 is arranged above the rails 15A, 15B in such a way that a movability of the lid 101 upwards is restricted. In this way, the lid 101 is secured against falling out.

[0093] The rails 15A, 15B comprise a quick-change system 6, 7 in the form of quick-change spacer bolts 6 and 7. In this way, the rails 15A, 15B can be replaced with repeat accuracy. This saves having to readjust the format part after a tool change, which of course has a positive effect on tool change times.

[0094] The disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by persons skilled in the art in practicing a claimed disclosure from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the dependent claims. In the claims, the word comprising does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article a or an does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are repeated in mutually different dependent claims does not mean that a combination of these measures cannot be advantageously used. Any reference signs in the claims should not be interpreted as limiting the scope.

[0095] Particularly preferred embodiments of the disclosure comprise a combination of the rails with guide surfaces and support surfaces and the rotatably arranged movement device.