BLOW LABELER

Abstract

The invention relates to a blow labeler for applying labels to packages, comprising a blower head having a base platform, which has an air connection device that comprises a plurality of ports having a compressed air port and at least one suction air port, and a holding platform having a label contact surface that is passed through by a plurality of blow-off openings in fluid communication with the compressed air port and by a plurality of suction openings in fluid communication with the at least one suction air port, wherein the holding platform is rotatably supported at the base platform, wherein the base platform has a drive comprising an electric motor, and wherein the drive is adapted to rotatably drive the holding platform in order to rotate a label held at the label contact surface.

Claims

1. A blow labeler for applying labels to packages, comprising a blower head having a base platform, which has an air connection device that comprises a plurality of ports having a compressed air port and at least one suction air port, and a holding platform having a label contact surface that is passed through by a plurality of blow-off openings in fluid communication with the compressed air port and by a plurality of suction openings in fluid communication with the at least one suction air port, wherein the holding platform is rotatably supported at the base platform, wherein the base platform has a drive comprising an electric motor, and wherein the drive is adapted to rotatably drive the holding platform in order to rotate a label held at the label contact surface.

2. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 1, wherein the holding platform is rotatable in both directions of rotation and/or is rotatable without restriction.

3. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 1, wherein the air connection device has a multi-passage rotary union to realize a sealed transition for the compressed air and the suction air between the base platform and the holding platform that is rotatable relative to the base platform, with provision in particular being made that the rotary union comprises an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder that is rotatable relative to the outer cylinder by the drive, with the holding platform being rotationally and axially fixedly held at the inner cylinder.

4. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 3, wherein a number of ring passages sealed off from one another corresponding to the number of ports is formed between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder, with one of the ports being connected to each ring passage in a radial direction via an associated opening in the outer cylinder and an associated compressed air or suction air passage being connected to each ring passage in an axial direction via an associated opening in the inner cylinder, with a compressed air passage and at least one suction air passage being provided that, within the inner cylinder, extend next to one another and towards the same axial end of the inner cylinder.

5. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 3, wherein the holding platform comprises a compressed air and suction air line system that connects the blow-off openings and the suction openings to the rotary union, in particular to the compressed air passage and to the at least one suction air passage.

6. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 5, wherein the holding platform has an air connection stub that projects in the direction of the base platform, that forms a common interface of the compressed air and suction air line system to the rotary union, and that, on a rotation of the inner cylinder, is taken along by a coupling section that is formed in a counter-shape and that is molded to an end of the inner cylinder facing the holding platform, with provision in particular being made that the coupling section has a receiver that engages over the air connection stub.

7. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 3, wherein the drive comprises a belt drive that is connected downstream of the electric motor and that has a drive pulley and a driven pulley, with the rotatable inner cylinder being rotationally fixedly connected to the driven pulley.

8. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 1, wherein the label contact surface comprises a first contact region and a second contact region that is linearly displaceable with respect to the first contact region in a plane of the label contact surface, with the suction openings at least being formed in the second contact region, and with the base platform having a further electric motor that is part of a further drive that is adapted to drive the second contact region in a linearly displaceable manner in order to linearly move a label held at the second contact region.

9. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 8, wherein only suction openings are formed in the second contact region and/or both suction openings and blow-off openings are formed in the first contact region.

10. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 8, wherein the suction openings are formed both in the second contact region and in the first contact region, with the blow labeler being adapted to apply suction air only to the suction openings of the second contact region on a displacement of the second contact region.

11. The blow labeler in accordance claim 8, wherein the blow labeler is adapted to displace the second contact region from a starting position into a takeover position during operation in order to take over a label in the takeover position, to displace the second contact region with the taken-over label from the takeover position back into the starting position, with only the suction openings of the second contact region being acted on by suction air during the displacement back, and, after the displacement back, to apply suction air only to the suction openings of the first contact region and subsequently to blow off the label.

12. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 8, wherein the at least one suction air port comprises a first suction air port and a second suction air port, with the suction openings of the first contact region being in fluid communication with the first suction air port and the suction openings of the second contact region being in fluid communication with the second suction air port.

13. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 8, wherein the first contact region and the second contact region are each formed by a plurality of contact strips that are all directed the same, with the contact strips of the first contact region and the contact strips of the second contact region being arranged alternately next to one another, with provision in particular being made that the contact strips of the second contact region are shorter than the contact strips of the first contact region.

14. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 8, wherein the holding platform comprises a base body having the first contact region and a slide arrangement having the second contact region, with the slide arrangement being linearly drivable via a drive shaft that is rotatably supported at the base body and that is part of the further drive, with provision in particular being made that the base body comprises two retaining brackets which project in the direction of the base platform and at which the slide arrangement is supported.

15. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 14, wherein the slide arrangement comprises two slides that can be displaced in parallel with and synchronously to one another, with each slide supporting one of two parts of the second contact region.

16. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 15, wherein the holding platform comprises two threaded spindles, with the two slides each being configured as a spindle nut and each being threaded on one of the two threaded spindles, with a rotation of the two threaded spindles causing a displacement of the two slides.

17. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 15, wherein the holding platform has, for each slide, at least one guide rod which is in particular supported at the two retaining brackets and along which the respective slide is displaceably guided.

18. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 16, wherein the holding platform has a multi-drive belt drive that is part of the further drive, with the two threaded spindles being drive-effectively connected to the drive shaft via the multi-drive belt drive.

19. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 8, wherein the air connection device has a multi-passage rotary union to realize a sealed transition for the compressed air and the suction air between the base platform and the holding platform that is rotatable relative to the base platform, with provision being made that the rotary union comprises an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder that is rotatable relative to the outer cylinder by the drive, with the holding platform being rotationally and axially fixedly held at the inner cylinder, and the base platform comprises a further belt drive that is connected downstream of the further electric motor and that has a further drive pulley and a further driven pulley, which further belt drive is part of the further drive, with the further driven pulley being supported at the rotatable inner cylinder, in particular via a ball bearing.

20. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 19, wherein the holding platform comprises a base body having the first contact region and a slide arrangement having the second contact region, with the slide arrangement being linearly drivable via a drive shaft that is rotatably supported at the base body and that is part of the further drive, and the further drive has a bevel gear that is connected downstream of the further belt drive and that has a ring gear and a pinion, with the ring gear being supported, in particular slidingly supported, at the rotatable inner cylinder and being rotationally fixedly connected to the further driven pulley, and with the pinion being rotatably supported at the base body and being rotationally fixedly connected to the drive shaft.

21. The blow labeler in accordance with claim 8, wherein the blow labeler is adapted to control the further electric motor such that a displacement of the second contact region caused by a rotation of the inner cylinder is compensated.

22. A price labeling system for automatically weighing and labeling packages comprising a blow labeler for applying labels to packages and a transport apparatus including a weighing belt to weigh the packages and to guide them past the blow labeler, the blow labeler comprising a blower head having a base platform, which has an air connection device that comprises a plurality of ports having a compressed air port and at least one suction air port, and a holding platform having a label contact surface that is passed through by a plurality of blow-off openings in fluid communication with the compressed air port and by a plurality of suction openings in fluid communication with the at least one suction air port, wherein the holding platform is rotatably supported at the base platform, wherein the base platform has a drive comprising an electric motor, and wherein the drive is adapted to rotatably drive the holding platform in order to rotate a label held at the label contact surface.

23. The price labeling system in accordance with claim 22, wherein the price labeling system comprises a camera, which is arranged upstream of the blow labeler in a transport direction, to detect a rotational position of a respective package, and a control unit that is connected to the camera and the blow labeler and that is adapted to control the electric motor of the drive of the blow labeler in dependence on the detected rotational position of the respective package.

Description

[0032] The invention will be described in the following by way of example with reference to the drawing. There are shown

[0033] FIG. 1 a perspective front view of a blower head of a blow labeler in accordance with the invention comprising a base platform having a rotary union and a holding platform having a base body;

[0034] FIG. 2 a perspective rear view of the blower head of FIG. 1;

[0035] FIG. 3 the blower head of FIG. 1 in a view from below;

[0036] FIG. 4 the rotary union in accordance with FIG. 1 in an individual representation;

[0037] FIG. 5 the rotary union of FIG. 4 in an exploded representation;

[0038] FIG. 6 an inner cylinder of the rotary union of FIG. 4 from below; and

[0039] FIG. 7 the holding platform of FIG. 1 in a perspective view.

[0040] In FIGS. 1 and 2, a blower head 11 of a blow labeler in accordance with the invention for applying labels to packages is shown. The blow labeler is part of a price labeling system for the automatic weighing and labeling of packages. In addition to the blow labeler, the price labeling system comprises a transport apparatus, including a weighing belt to weigh the packages and to guide them past the blow labeler.

[0041] The blower head 11 comprises a base platform 13 and a holding platform 15. The base platform 13 comprises an air connection device having a compressed air port 17 (in FIG. 1, middle left) as well as a first suction air port 17 (in FIG. 1, top right) and a second suction air port 17 (in FIG. 1, bottom right). The compressed air port 17 is connected to a compressed air generator and the two suction air ports 17 are connected to a suction air generator or vacuum generator, wherein the two suction air ports can be acted on by suction air or vacuum independently of one another. At the lower side of the holding platform, a label contact surface 23 is formed at which the labels can first be held via suction air and can then be blown off onto a package via compressed air. For this purpose, a plurality of blow-off openings 25 in fluid communication with the compressed air port 17 and a plurality of suction openings 27 in fluid communication with the two suction air ports 17 are provided in the label contact surface 23, as can be seen in FIG. 3. All the blow-off openings 25 are provided with a reference numeral. For reasons of clarity, only some of the suction openings 27 are provided with a reference numeral, however. The effective surface of the suction openings 27 is increased by grooves 95 and circular recesses 97 formed in the label contact surface 23. No further blow-off or suction openings are provided.

[0042] To be able to rotate the labels after their takeover by a label feed device of the blow labeler, the holding platform 15 is rotatably supported at the base platform 13. This makes it possible to orient the labels relative to the packages in the direction of rotation. For this purpose, the base platform 13 has a drive comprising an electric motor 29. To be able to forward the compressed air and suction air available at the compressed air port 17 and at the two suction air ports 17 from the stationary base platform 13 to the rotatable holding platform 15 comprising the blow-off and suction openings 25, 27, the air connection device has a multi-passage rotary union 31 (cf. FIGS. 4 to 6). The rotary union 31 comprises a stationary outer cylinder 33 and a rotatable inner cylinder 35 at whose lower end the holding platform 15 is fastened. At its upper end, the inner cylinder 35 is coupled to a driven pulley 39 that belongs to a toothed belt drive that is connected downstream of the electric motor 29 and whose drive pulley 37 is driven by the motor shaft of the electric motor 29. The belt of the toothed belt drive is not shown for the sake of a better recognizability of the other components.

[0043] Three ring passages 41 sealed off with respect to one another are formed between the outer cylinder 33 and the inner cylinder 35 and a compressed air passage 45 associated with the compressed air port 17, a first suction air passage 45 associated with the first suction air port 17, and a second suction air passage 45 associated with the second suction air port 17 are formed within the inner cylinder 35. The ring passages 41 are fluidly connected in the radial direction to one of the three ports 17, in each case via an associated opening 43 formed in the outer cylinder 33, and are fluidically connected in the axial direction to one of the three passages 45, in each case via an associated opening 47 which is formed in the inner cylinder 35 and of which only two are visible. The passages 45 are disposed next to one another and extend towards the lower end of the inner cylinder 35. Due to this design of the rotary union 31, the holding platform 15 is rotatable in both directions of rotation and without restriction, i.e. without an abutment.

[0044] To connect the blow-off openings 25 to the compressed air passage 45 and the suction openings 27 to the two suction air passages 45, the holding platform 15 comprises an air connection stub 49 (cf. FIG. 7) that projects in the direction of the base platform 13 and that forms a common interface of a compressed air and suction air line system 51 of the holding platform 15 to the rotary union 31. At its lower end, the inner cylinder 35 has a molded-on coupling section 53 comprising a receiver 55 that is formed in a counter-shape to the air connection stub 49, that engages over the air connection stub 49, and that takes along the air connection stub 49 on a rotation of the inner cylinder 35 so that the holding platform 15 is rotated accordingly. The passages 45 in this respect dip into receiving openings 89 which are formed in the air connection stub 49 and from which the compressed air and suction air line system 51 extends to the blow-off and suction openings 25, 27. The compressed air and suction air line system 51 is designed such that the lines associated with the compressed air passage 45, the lines associated with the first suction air passage 45, and the lines associated with the second suction air passage 45 extend separately from one another.

[0045] As can be seen from FIG. 3, the label contact surface 23 is divided into a first contact region 57 and a second contact region 59, with the second contact region 59 being linearly displaceable with respect to the first contact region 57 in the plane of the label contact surface 23, as will be explained in further detail below, in order to linearly move a label held at the second contact region 59. The position of the labels on the packages can hereby be adapted. Furthermore, the labels can be picked up from the label feed device by the displaceable second contact region 59.

[0046] Both the first contact region 57 and the second contact region 59 of the label contact surface 23 are each formed by a plurality of contact strips 61, 63. All of the contact strips 61, 63 are directed the same, with the contact strips 61, 63 of the first and second contact regions 57, 59 being arranged alternately next to one another. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the contact strips 63 of the second contact region 59 are shorter than the contact strips 61 of the first contact region 57. Both suction openings 27 and blow-off openings 25 are formed in the first contact region 57; only suction openings 27 are formed in the second contact region 59. In this respect, the suction openings 27 of the first contact region 57 are connected to the first suction air port 17 and the suction openings 27 of the second contact region 59 are connected to the second suction air port 17. Provision is in particular made that only the suction openings 27 of the second contact region 59 are acted on by suction air when the second contact region 59 is displaced.

[0047] This enables an operation of the blow labeler in which the contact strips 63 of the second contact region 59 are moved from the starting position shown in FIG. 3 into a takeover position, not shown, in which they end flush with the contact strips 61 of the first contact region 57 in order to take over a label from the label feed device. Subsequently, the contact strips 63 of the second contact region 59 are displaced back into the starting position, wherein only the suction openings 27 of the second contact region 59 are acted on by suction air during the displacement back. After the displacement back, the second contact region 59 transfers the label to the first contact region 57 by deactivating the suction openings 27 of the second contact region 59 and activating the suction openings 27 of the first contact region 57. The label can then be blown off through the blow-off openings 25 of the first contact region 57. The transfer of the label from the second contact region 59 to the first contact region 57 makes it possible that the second contact region 59 can already be displaced back into the takeover position to pick up the next label, while the holding platform 15 is still rotated into the correct orientation for the current label.

[0048] To displace the second contact region 59, the base platform 13 has a further drive comprising a further electric motor 65. A further toothed belt drive comprising a further drive pulley 67 and a further driven pulley 69, which are supported at the rotatable inner cylinder 35 via a ball bearing, is connected downstream of the further electric motor 65. The belt of the further toothed belt drive is not shown for the sake of a better recognizability of the remaining components and the further drive pulley 67 is toothed contrary to the representation. A bevel gear comprising a ring gear 71 and a pinion 73 is in turn connected downstream of the further toothed belt drive. The ring gear 71 is rotationally fixedly connected to the further driven pulley 69 and is slidingly supported at the rotatable inner cylinder 35 and the pinion 73 and a drive shaft 77 rotationally fixedly connected to the pinion 73 are each rotatably supported at a base body 75 of the holding platform 15.

[0049] The first contact region 57 is formed at the lower side of the base body 75. To connect the suction openings 27 of the contact strips 61 of the first contact region 57 to the compressed air passage 45 and the first suction air passage 45, the compressed air and suction air line system 51 is partly configured as tubes 19 integrated in the base body 75 of the holding platform 15 and partly as pipeline sections 21 arranged at the upper side on the base body 75.

[0050] Furthermore, the base body 75 has two retaining brackets 79 which project in the direction of the base platform 13 and at which a slide arrangement is supported that can be driven by the drive shaft 77, wherein the second contact region 59 is formed at the lower side of the slide arrangement. The slide arrangement is formed by two slides 81 that can be displaced in parallel with and synchronously to one another. Each of the two slides 81 supports two of the contact strips 63 of the second contact region 59.

[0051] The two slides 81 are each configured as a spindle nut and are each threaded on a threaded spindle 83. The two threaded spindles 83 are driven by the drive shaft 77 via a multi-drive belt drive 85. A rotation of the two threaded spindles 83 results in a displacement of the two slides 81 and thus of the second contact region 59. The two slides 81 are in this respect each guided along two guide rods 87 that are supported by the two retaining brackets 79.

[0052] To connect the suction openings 27 of the contact strips 63 of the slides 81 to the second suction air passage 45 or the second suction air port 17, the compressed air and suction air line system 51 has an outlet 91 that laterally leads off from the air connection stub 49 and that is connected to a respective inlet 93 of the two slides 81 via a pipeline hose, not shown, branched in a T shape.

[0053] Since the pinion 73 moves with respect to the ring gear 71 on a rotation of the holding platform 15, the second contact region 59 would also be automatically displaced on a rotation of the holding platform 15. This is prevented in that the further electric motor 65 is controlled such that a displacement of the second contact region 59 caused by a rotation of the inner cylinder 35 is compensated. If the holding platform 15 is to be rotated and the second contact region 59 is to be displaced at the same time, this is taken into account accordingly.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

[0054] 11 blower head [0055] 13 base platform [0056] 15 holding platform [0057] 17 compressed air port or suction air port [0058] 19 tube [0059] 21 pipeline section [0060] 23 label contact surface [0061] 25 blow-off opening [0062] 27 suction opening [0063] 29 electric motor [0064] 31 rotary union [0065] 33 outer cylinder [0066] 35 inner cylinder [0067] 37 drive pulley [0068] 39 driven pulley [0069] 41 ring passage [0070] 43 opening [0071] 45 compressed air or suction air passage [0072] 47 opening [0073] 49 air connection stub [0074] 51 compressed air and suction air line system [0075] 53 coupling section [0076] 55 receiver [0077] 57 first contact region [0078] 59 second contact region [0079] 61 contact strip [0080] 63 contact strip [0081] 65 further electric motor [0082] 67 further drive pulley [0083] 69 further driven pulley [0084] 71 ring gear [0085] 73 pinion [0086] 75 base body [0087] 77 drive shaft [0088] 79 retaining bracket [0089] 81 slide [0090] 83 threaded spindle [0091] 85 multi-drive belt drive [0092] 87 guide rod [0093] 89 reception opening [0094] 91 outlet [0095] 93 inlet [0096] 95 groove [0097] 97 recess