FOLDING SHAFT DEVICE FOR A CLOSER, AND METHOD FOR FASTENING A CAN LID TO A CAN BODY

Abstract

A seaming shaft mechanism for a sealer for the attaching of a can lid to a can body includes a seaming shaft rotatable around a seaming axis, a seamer arranged at one end of the seaming shaft; as well as a sensor for the monitoring of the seaming process during the attachment of the can lid to the can body. The sensor is arranged at the seaming shaft such that the seaming process can be monitored by the sensor via a measurement of a displacement of the seaming shaft relative to the seaming axis or via a measurement of a torsion of the of the seaming shaft.

Claims

1. A seaming shaft mechanism for a sealer for attaching of a can lid to a can body, comprising: a seaming shaft rotatable around a seaming axis; a seamer arranged at one end of the seaming shaft, and a sensor configured to monitor a seaming process during the attachment of the can lid to the can body, the sensor is arranged at the seaming shaft that the seaming process is capable of being monitored by the sensor via measurement of a displacement of the seaming shaft relative to the seaming axis and/or via measurement of a torsion of the seaming shaft.

2. The seaming, shaft mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is arranged at a jacket of the seaming shaft.

3. The seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the seamer is detachably arranged at an end of the seaming shaft.

4. The seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is arranged at an inner lateral surface of the seaming shaft.

5. The seaming shaft mechanism according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor is arranged at an outer lateral surface of the seaming shaft.

6. The seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the seaming shaft is a seaming head shaft and the seamer is a seaming head configured to affix the can lid to the can body.

7. The seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the seaming shaft is a seaming roller shaft and the seaming is a seaming roller configured to seam the can lid to the can body.

8. The seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 6, further comprising an ejection mechanism with an ejection rod, a gliding profile and an ejection head, wherein the ejection rod is arranged movably within the seaming head and the ejection head is arranged at a second end of the ejection rod in such a way, that the ejection head is arranged between the gliding profile and the seaming head shaft to be moveable along the gliding profile.

9. The seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a force sensor or an or a strain sensor, so that the displacement and/or the torsion of the seaming shaft is determinable via a force measurement or a strain measurement at the seaming shaft.

10. The seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 9, wherein the sensor is a strain measurement strip or a piezo force sensor.

11. The seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor, a second sensor and a third sensor.

12. The seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the first sensor, the second sensor and the third sensor are arranged at different positions along a circumference of the seaming shaft.

13. The seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is arranged at the seamer.

14. The seaming station comprising: seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 1 and a lifting element, and during the process, the can body with the can lid is arranged between the lifting element and a seaming head.

15. The seaming station according to claim 14, further comprising a first seaming roller configured to attach the can lid to the can body.

16. The sealer, comprising: a carousel with a plurality of seaming shaft mechanisms, each seaming shaft mechanism of the plurality of shaft mechanisms being configured according to claim 1; a first intake configured to intake the can body to the carousel; a second intake configured to intake the can lids to the carousel; and an outlet configured to outlet the seamed can from the carousel.

17. A method for the attaching of the can lid to a can body, comprising: providing the seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 1; supplying the can lid and the can body to the seaming shaft mechanism; positioning the can lid on the can body; positioning the can body on a lifting element; seaming the can lid to the can body.

18. A sensor for the seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 1.

19. The seaming shaft mechanism according to claim 12, wherein the first sensor, the second sensor and the third sensor are arranged at a same height of the seaming axis.

20. The seaming station according to claim 15, further comprising a second seaming roller configured to attach the can lid to the can body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0039] FIG. 1 illustrates a plan-view of a sealer according to the disclosure;

[0040] FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of a seaming station:

[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-section of a seaming shaft mechanism according to the disclosure;

[0042] FIG. 4A illustrates a section of a seaming shaft mechanism according to the disclosure without a seaming means:

[0043] FIG. 4B illustrates a section of a further seaming shaft mechanism according to the disclosure without a seaming means;

[0044] FIG. 5 illustrates an ejection head for a seaming shaft mechanism according to the disclosure;

[0045] FIG. 6 illustrates a seaming shaft mechanism with ejection head according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a sealer 1000 according to the disclosure.

[0047] The sealer (closer) 1000 for the sealing of a can comprises a lid supplier 11 for the supplying of a can lid 101 to a can body 100, a gassing rotor 15 for the supplying of gas to the can body 100 and a seaming station 14 for the sealing of the can body 100 with the can lid 101.

[0048] In operating state, the can lid 101 is brought into the sealer 1000 along the arrow C by the lid supply 11. Here the can lids 101 are arranged on the gassing rotor 15. By rotation of the gassing rotor 15 the can lids 101 are transported further. Then the can bodies 100 are brought into the container receivers 17 of the gassing rotor 15 by the container supply 12. There the can body 100 is gassed with a gas such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen in area D and united with the can lid 101 at 110.

[0049] The gassing happens along the arrow B with the gas supply 16. After the gassing the can body 100 with the can lid 101 is guided onward through the container outlet 13 by the gassing rotor 15 to the seaming station 14 and sealed there.

[0050] Before the actual seaming process can lids 101 and can bodies 100 are united as previously described. The can bodies 100 are supplied linearly via the container supply 12. The can bodies get from the container supply 12 to one of the respective lifting elements 22 of the seaming station 14, which is designed as a carousel (preferably arranged in form of a master shaft). At one turn of the carousel the lifting elements 22 execute a cam-controlled lifting motion, wherein the can bodies 100 are guided to the can lids 101 from below. After a pre-determined lifting distance, the can body 100 and the can lid 101 touch and can subsequently be sealed.

[0051] A seaming process can be monitored during the sealing of the can body with the can lid and errors can be identified by a seaming shaft mechanism (forming shaft mechanism) according to the disclosure within seaming station 14.

[0052] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a seaming station 14 according to the disclosure with a can body 100 to be sealed and a can lid 101.

[0053] According to FIG. 2 the seaming station 14 comprises a clamping mechanism, which comprises the lifting element 22 and a seaming head 2, wherein the seaming head 2 is attached via the seaming head shaft 3. Additionally the seaming station 14 comprises at least one seaming roller 10 with a seaming profile 111, which is mounted rotatable over a seaming roller shaft 3A. The can lid 101 is arranged centrally over the opening of the can body 100. The can body 100 has a circumferential can flange in the area of the can opening and the can lid 101 has a circumferential can lid flange.

[0054] During the sealing process the seaming roller 10 is brought into contact with the can flange and the can lid flange over the seaming roller profile 111. Here the can flange and the can lid flange are crimped together by an essentially radially effective force via the seaming roller 10. The crimping happens there through a continuous rolling of the seaming roller 10 in circumferential direction along the circumference of the can opening.

[0055] For sealing the can body 100 is rotated by the clamping mechanism, by the seaming head 2 being rotated around the seaming axis X (corresponds to an axial direction) with the seaming head shaft 3.

[0056] A sensor according to the disclosure for the monitoring of the seaming process via a measuring of a displacement and/or a torsion of the seaming shaft can be arranged at the seaming roller shaft 3A and/or the seaming head shaft 3. Especially preferred the sensor is at least arranged at the seaming head shaft 3.

[0057] FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of a seaming shaft mechanism 1 according to the disclosure.

[0058] The seaming shaft mechanism 1 comprises the seaming head shaft 3, which is rotatable around the seaming axis X, a seaming head 2 arranged at one end of the seaming head shaft 3 and sensors 4 for the monitoring of the seaming process.

[0059] The sensors 4 are arranged at the jacket 31 of the seaming head shaft 3 in such a way, that the seaming process can be monitored via a measuring of the displacement of the seaming head shaft 3 relative to the seaming axis X by the sensors 4.

[0060] In that, the displacement of the seaming head shaft 3 is detected, preferably continuously, in operating state by the sensors 4. The sensors 4 are here preferably force sensors and/or strain sensors, which determine the displacement of the seaming head shaft via a measuring of force and/or a measuring of strain. Preferably there are at least three sensors arranged along a circumference of a seaming head shaft at a same height of the seaming axis X.

[0061] FIG. 4A shows a section of a seaming shaft mechanism 1 according to the disclosure. Three strain sensors 4 in the form of strain measuring strips 4 are evenly spread along the circumference of the seaming head shaft 3 and arranged above an attachment spot for the non-depicted seaming head. The displacement can be detected as strain of the seaming head shaft 3.

[0062] FIG. 4B shows a section of a seaming shaft mechanism 1 according to the disclosure. Here there are at least two strain sensors in the form of strain measuring strips 40, 41 along the circumference of the seaming head shaft 3 and arranged at/above the attachment spot for the non-depicted seaming head. In practice the sensors can however be arranged at an arbitrary spot at the seaming head shaft, such as for example also below and/or within the seaming head.

[0063] The sensor 40 is arranged in direction of the seaming axis, so that the displacement of the seaming head shaft 3 relative to the seaming axis can be detected. By contrast the sensor 41 is arranged in circumferential direction of the seaming head shaft 3, so that the torsion of the seaming head shaft 3 relative to the seaming axis can be detected.

[0064] So, the torsion and the displacement can be determined. The torsion can however be determined independently from the displacement by the sensors 41. Naturally a plurality of sensors 40 and/or 41 can also be used.

[0065] FIG. 5 shows an ejection head 18 for a seaming shaft mechanism according to the disclosure in operation. Such an ejection head 18 is basically known from the state of the art.

[0066] The ejection head 18 glides along a gliding profile of a seaming curve 6. To achieve both the functions of pinning down the container and ejecting the container the gliding profile 6 has two sections with an elevated level. In this one section with an elevated level of the gliding profile 6 corresponds to the function of pinning down the container, during which the container to be sealed is pinned for the sealing process and by the ejection mechanism and centered for the lid sealing and the other section with elevated level of the gliding profile 6 corresponds to the function of the container ejection, during which the sealed container is ejected from the sealing machine by the ejection mechanism. While the container is pinned and while the container is ejected the ejection head 18 is moved along the gliding profile 6 and can also rotate around the axis X.

[0067] FIG. 6 shows the seaming shaft mechanism 1 with the ejection head 18 and an ejection rod 9, with which the ejection head 18 is detachably connected.

[0068] The ejection rod 9 is movably arranged within the seaming head shaft 3 and the ejection head 18 is arranged at a second end of the ejection rod 9 in such a way that the ejection head 18 is arranged in between the seaming head shaft 3 and the gliding profile for movement along the gliding profile (not depicted here).

[0069] During operation a force can be transferred onto the ejection rod 9, and thus onto the can, via the ejection head 18.