TRANSPORT MODULE FOR TRANSPORTING A CONTAINER AND A PROCESSING DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR TRANSPORTING A CONTAINER

Abstract

A transport module for transporting a container from a container source to a container receiver, the transport module includes a transport route with a transporter, the transport route between a reception area and a transfer area. A first holder configured to receive and hold the container is arranged and configured at the transporter in such a manner, that the container is grasped by the first holder in the reception area and the container is suspendingly transported along the transport route from the reception area to the transfer area, carried by the first holder.

Claims

1. A transport module for transporting a container from a container source to a container receiver, the transport module comprising: a transporter that travels on a transport route disposed between a reception area and a transfer area; a first holder configured to receive and hold the container arranged and configured at the transporter such that the container is capable of being grasped by the first holder in the reception area and the container is capable of being suspendingly transported along the transport route from the reception area to the transfer area, carried by the first holder.

2. The transport module according to claim 1, the first holder comprises a gripper.

3. The transport module according to claim 1, wherein the first holder comprises a contact module.

4. The transport module according to claim 1, wherein the transporter comprises a transport chain driven by a drive or a transport belt driven by a drive configured to move the first holder.

5. A processing device for processing a container, comprising: a container source; a container receiver; and a transport module according to claim 1, the container capable of being transported from the container source to the container receiver by the transport module.

6. The processing device according to claim 5, wherein the container source is a container dispenser configured to provide empty containers or the container receiver is a filling station configured to fill the container with a filling material.

7. The processing device according to claim 5, wherein the container source is a filling station configured to fill the container with a filling material or the container receiver is a sealing module configured to seal the container with a lid.

8. The processing device according to claim 5, wherein the container source comprises a second holder configured to receive and hold the container or the container receiver comprises a third holder configured to receive and hold the container, the second holder or the third holder comprising a gripper, or the second holder or the third holder comprising a contact module.

9. A method for transporting the container from the container source to the container receiver by the transport module according to claim 1, the transport module comprising transporter that travels on the transport route disposed between the reception area and the transfer area between the container source and the container receiver, the method comprising: receiving and holding container by the container source in the reception area by a first holder disposed at the transporter; suspendingly transporting the container from the reception area to the transfer area, while carried by the first holder; and transferring the container to the container receiver in the transfer area.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising transferring the container from the container source to the first holder by a second holder in the reception area or transferring the container from the first holder to a third holder of the container receiver in the transfer area.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the second holder or the holder comprises a gripper or the second holder or the third holder comprises a contact module.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first holder or the second holder or the third holder comprises a gripper and the first holder or the second holder or the third holder grips the container in a form-locking manner by the gripper on a recess or on a bulge of the container.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the container source is a container dispenser and provides empty containers or a container receiver in the form of a filling station fills the container with a filling material.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the container source is a filling station for filling the container with a filling material or a container receiver in the form of a sealing module seals the container by a lid.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the container is a beverage can filled with a liquid food.

16. The transport module according to claim 1, the first holder comprises gripping tongs configured to grasp and hold the container.

17. The transport module according to claim 1, wherein the first holder comprises a vacuum assisted suction module or a magnet assisted contact module or an adhesively assisted contact module configured to grasp and hold the container.

18. The processing device according to claim 5, wherein the container source comprises a second holder configured to receive and hold the container or the container receiver comprises a third holder configured to receive and hold the container, the second holder or the third holder comprising a gripper, or the second holder or the third holder comprising a vacuum assisted suction module or a magnet assisted contact module or an adhesively assisted contact module configured to grasp and hold the container.

19. A method for transporting the container from the container source to the container receiver by the transport module according to claim 5, the transport module comprising transporter that travels on the transport route disposed between the reception area and the transfer area between the container source and the container receiver, the method comprising: receiving and holding container by the container source in the reception area by a first holder disposed at the transporter; suspendingly transporting the container from the reception area to the transfer area, while carried by the first holder; and transferring the container to the container receiver in the transfer area.

20. The method according to claim 10, wherein the second holder or the holder comprises gripping tongs configured to grasp and hold the container or the second holder or the third holder comprises a vacuum assisted suction module or a magnet assisted contact module or an adhesively assisted contact module configured to grasp and hold the container.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] The invention will be explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings.

[0051] FIG. 1 is a transport module known from the state of the art;

[0052] FIG. 2A is a sealing module before the sealing process known from the state of the art;

[0053] FIG. 2B is the sealing module according to FIG. 2A during the sealing process;

[0054] FIG. 3A is schematically an embodiment of a processing device according to the invention with transport module;

[0055] FIG. 3B is an enlarged section of the transport route according to FIG. 3A;

[0056] FIG. 3C is a container from FIG. 3B with a recess and a bulge in the upper holding area of the container;

[0057] FIG. 4A is a special embodiment of a chain guide with container on a first holding means;

[0058] FIG. 4B is a functionality of the first holding means according to FIG. 4A from the view AN.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0059] As already mentioned, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B show the state of the art, which was already explained in detail at the beginning, so that further discussion is not necessary here.

[0060] FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C schematically show a simple embodiment of a processing device 100 according to the invention with transport module 1, wherein with reference to FIG. 3B, an enlarged section of the transport route according to FIG. 3A is illustrated and FIG. 3C shows in detail a container from FIG. 3B with a recess and a bulge in the upper holding area of the container.

[0061] The transport module 1 serves to transport a container 2 from a container source 31 to a container receiver 32, wherein the transport module 1 comprises a transport route 6 with a means of transport or device for transporting (transporter) 61, which transport route is between a reception area 4 and a transfer area 5. According to the present invention, a first holding device (holder) 7, 71 for receiving and holding the container 2 is arranged and configured at the transporter 61, which here comprises a chain drive known per se, in such a manner, that the numerous containers 2 are grasped by the first holding device 7, 71 in the reception area 4 and that the containers 2 are suspendingly transported along the transport route 6 from the reception area 4 to the transfer area 5, carried by the first holding device 7, 71. As can be clearly seen from FIG. 3B, the containers 2, here beverage cans 2, are grasped by grippers 71, which are each in the form of gripping tongs, and are connected via these for transporting with the means of transport 61 in the form of a chain drive.

[0062] A container source 31, a container receiver 32 and the transport module 1 already mentioned are provided for processing the containers 2, so that the containers 2 can be transported from the container source 31 to the container receiver 32 by the transport module 1. In the present embodiment, according to FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C, the container source 31 is designed in the form of a filling station for filling the containers 2 with a filling material and the container receiver 32 is designed in the form of a sealing module for sealing the container 2 by lids 8.

[0063] In the present specific embodiment, the sealing module is a modern sealing module according to FIG. 2A or FIG. 2B, as the applicant has proposed, for example, in the PCT/EP2016/053764 already discussed at the beginning, the content of which is hereby incorporated into this application. The container receiver 32 comprises a third holding device (holder) 700 for receiving the containers 2 from the transport module 1, the third holding device 700 for grasping and holding the container 2 is designed here as a gripper 71, in the form of gripping tongs equal to or similar to the gripper 71 on the transport module 1.

[0064] As can be seen particularly well in FIG. 3C, the first holding device 7, 71 and also the third holding device 700 for grasping and holding the containers 2 are designed as grippers 71 in the form of gripping tongs, wherein the first holding device 7, 71, the third holding device 700 enclose the container in a form-locking manner and thus safely and reliably by the gripper 71 on a recess 20 or on a bulge 21 of the container 2 and thereby hold it.

[0065] In the operating state, the container source 31, which is a filling station in FIG. 3a to FIG. 3c, as said before, is supplied with empty containers 2 by a container dispenser (not shown here), these empty containers 2 are filled in the container source 31 with a filling material, for example with a beverage, then transferred to the first holding device 7, 71 in the form of a gripper 71 of the transport module 1, which transports the filled containers in the direction A to the container receiver 32 and transfers them to the third holding device 700, 71, which is also designed as a gripper 71, for sealing by the sealer of the container receiver 32. After the containers have been carefully sealed, they are ejected in the direction B for further processing, e.g. for forwarding to a packaging module for a ready to dispatch packaging of the containers.

[0066] Finally, FIG. 4A shows a special embodiment of a chain guide with container 2 on a first or third holding device 7, 71, 700 of a transport module according to the invention or of a container receiver 32 of the invention, wherein the functionality of the first or the third holding devices according to FIG. 4A from the view AN is exemplarily illustrated by FIG. 4B. It is clear, that the second holding device of the container source 31, if it is designed in the form of a gripper, in practice is usually carried out analogously and also works as the first and third holding devices 7, 71, 700 described with reference to FIG. 4A or 4B.

[0067] As can be clearly seen in FIG. 4A, the container 2 is a beverage can, which is provided with an here annular recess 20 and an here annular bulge 21 at the upper end in the area of a neck area of the container for a better and more secure grasping by the first holding device 7, 71 being designed as gripping tongs or by the second holding device (holder) 710 being designed as gripping tongs or by the third holding device 710 being designed as gripping tongs. The gripping tongs are guided at the transporter 61 in the form of a chain drive known per se, which can be guided along the transport route 6. A sensor element S is disposed at the first, third or second holding device 7, 71, 700, 710, with which an opening or a closing of the holding device 7, 71, 700, 710 is initiated, when the container 2 is transferred from the container source 31 to the transport module 1 or when the container 2 is to be passed from the transport module to the container receiver 32. For clarity, FIG. 4 shows the holding device 7, 71, 700, 710 in different positions. Namely, in the fully closed state G, in which the container 2 is completely enclosed by the holding device 7, 71, 700, 710, so that the container 2 is safely held, in the half-closed state G1 or in the half-open state O1, which corresponds to a state in which the container is about to transfer to another module or shortly after the transfer to another module. Furthermore, the holding device 7, 71, 700, 71 is still illustrated in a fully open state O, in which the container 2 is released from the holding device 7, 71, 700, 71.

[0068] It is clear, that the particular embodiments of the invention discussed are to be understood as exemplary only and that the invention is of course not limited to these alone. In particular, the person skilled in the art understands that the described embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner and that, of course, simple developments of the claimed scope of patent, that are obvious to the person skilled in the art, are also included.