Handling Apparatus and Method for Transporting and Handling Containers

Abstract

The invention relates to a handling apparatus for containers (I), in particular for beverage containers, having a transporting carousel, which can be driven in rotation about a central axis of rotation (D), and container mounts, which are arranged on the transporting carousel and are designed to transport containers (I) along a transporting route (T), which extends over a circumferential portion of the transporting carousel, wherein the container mounts can be driven in rotation at least along part of the transporting route (T), and wherein the container mounts are each assigned a braking device (IO). According to the invention, the respective braking device (IO) is designed to brake the rotation of the container mounts variably in a braking portion (B), which extends at least along part of the transporting route (T).

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. An apparatus comprising a handler for containers, said handler comprising a carousel rotates about a central axis, container mounts arranged on said carousel to transport said containers along a transport route that extends along a portion of a circumference of said carousel, said container mounts being rotatable while traversing said portion of said circumference, and brakes, each of which applies a variable braking force that variably brakes rotation of a corresponding one of said mounts along a braking portion of said transport route.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said braking portion extends along at least ten percent of said transport route.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said braking portion extends along at least fifteen percent of said transport route.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said braking portion extends between fifteen percent of said transport route and thirty percent of said transport route.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said braking portion extends between ten percent of said transport route and forty percent of said transport route.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of said brakes is configured to cause said variable braking force to increase monotonically along said braking portion.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said handler further comprises a brake-control curve that actuates said brakes.

23. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said handler further comprises a brake-control curve whose distance from said central axis increases along said braking portion.

24. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said handler further comprises an actuator guided along a brake-control curve whose distance from said central axis increases along said braking portion.

25. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said handler further comprises drives, each of which is assigned to a container mount to cause rotation of said container mount.

26. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said handler comprises a drive actuator that is guided along a drive-control curve that is arranged along a section of said transport route.

27. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said handler is configured to rotate said container mounts along said transport route by between 340 and 740.

28. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of said container mounts comprises a rotating plate.

29. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said handler further comprises an applicator assigned to said carousel, said applicator being configured to apply at least one of an adhesive agent and a label.

30. A method comprising delivering containers to a handler, arranging said containers on corresponding container mounts of said handler, using a carousel to move said containers along a transport route through said handler, while using said carousel to move said containers along said transport route, rotating said container mounts, and applying a variable braking force to each of said container mounts while said container mount traverses a braking portion of said transport route.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein rotating said container mounts comprises causing each of said container mounts to rotate along said transport route by between three hundred degrees of arc and eight hundred degrees of arc.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising applying at least one of an adhesive and a dcor to said container while said container traverses said transport route through said handler.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a section from a pack-forming apparatus with a handling apparatus according to the invention,

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a view from above the apparatus shown in FIG. 1,

[0032] FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of a brake used in the apparatus of FIG. 1, the braking device in a detailed view, and

[0033] FIG. 4 is a more detailed view of the handling apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a section from a pack-forming apparatus that transports containers 1 in a production direction P along two tracks. In the illustrated embodiment, the containers 1 are metal cans. However, the apparatus is also usable with bottles, including bottles made of glass, plastic, and PET.

[0035] As the containers 1 traverses a track, they encounter an aligner 2 that aligns the containers in a predefined manner and a transport star 3 that transfers the containers 1 to a handler 4. As shown in FIG. 1, the tracks merge at ends thereof to assemble the containers 1 to form packs. For this purpose the aligner 2 aligns the containers 1 on a track in a predetermined manner. Then transport star 3 then transfers them to the handler 4.

[0036] FIG. 2 shows an applicator 5 that is not shown in FIG. 1. The applicator 5 applies an adhesive onto the containers 1 to form adhesive points that will later be used to join containers together. At the end of the handler 4, the containers from both tracks are fixed to one another using these adhesive points to form container packs.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there exist first and second handlers 4, one for each track. Each handler 4 comprises a central axis-of-rotation D about which a transporting carousel 6 is driven to rotate. Although the illustrated embodiment shows one handler 4 per track, in other embodiments, a single handler 4 handles both tracks.

[0038] Each carousel 6 comprises container mounts 7. In a preferred embodiment, each container mount 7 comprises a rotating plate. Each container mount 7 receives a container 1 at the beginning of the transport route T. Rotation of the carousel 6 transports the container 1 along the transport route T.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 4, a drive-control curve 8 guides rotation of the container mount 7 as the carousel 6 transports the container 1. The radial distance between the drive-control curve 8 and the central axis-of-rotation D continually decreases along the transporting route T.

[0040] A planetary gear connects the container mounts 7 to a drive actuator 9 that is guided along the drive-control curve 8. The decreasing distance to the central axis of rotation D rotates the drive actuators 9 and therefore also the container mounts 7. The planetary gear between the mounts 7 and the actuator 9 amplifies this rotational movement in such a way that each container 1 makes two complete rotations (i.e., a 720 rotation) as it travels along the transporting route T.

[0041] As a result of the foregoing configuration, these amplified imprecisions and instabilities are transferred onto the container mounts 7. This causes the containers 1 to behave irregularly. In a worst-case scenario, the container 1 may even fail to be transferred into the correct position.

[0042] Adhesive points must be applied precisely to promote correct formation of the packs from the containers 1. As a result it is useful to stabilize the movement and rotation of the container mounts 7. This is carried out by a brake 10 that applies a braking force.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows a suitable brake 10 that applies a variable braking force to a container mount 7 as the container mount 7 traverses a braking portion B that extends at least in sections along the transport route T. The brake 10 includes a brake actuator 12 that presses a brake lining 14 onto a drive shaft 13 of a container mount 7. A brake-control curve 11 provided in the handling apparatus 4 guides the action of the brake actuator 12.

[0044] The brake-control curve 11 is configured to cause the brake-actuator 12 to push a brake block that holds the brake lining 14 in the direction of the drive shaft 13, thereby causing application of a braking force that hinders rotation of the rotating plate that comprises the container mount 7. To achieve this, the brake-control curve 11 has a radius that increases radially outwards so as to cause the actuator 12 to apply an increasing force as the container mount 7 traverses the braking portion B. This results in an increasing braking force exerted by the brake lining 14 onto the drive shaft 13.

[0045] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the braking portion B does not extend along the entire transport route T. In a preferred embodiment, the braking portion B extends over at least 10% of the transporting route. Preferred embodiments include those in which the braking portion B extends at least 15%, and at the most 40%, and preferably at the most 30% of the transporting route T.

[0046] Referring back to FIG. 3, the brake 10 includes a spring 15 that ensures that when the container mount 7 traverses a portion of the transport route T in which the brake-control curve 11 is not present, the braking force is reduced to a minimum or eliminated completely. This reduces wear on the brake lining 14.

[0047] Having described the invention and a preferred embodiment thereof, what is claimed as new and secured by letters patent is: