Feeding device for sealer

Abstract

A feeding device for gassing a container and a lid in a gassing area during feeding to a sealer includes a container feeder for feeding the container through the gassing area along a first feed path, and a lid feeder arranged on the container feeder such that a lid can be moved through the gassing area along a second feed path to the container and can be placed on the container at one end of the gassing area, and a gassing device arranged stationary at the gassing area for gassing the container and the lid in the gassing area.

Claims

1. A feeding device for gassing a container and a lid in a gassing area during feeding to a sealer, comprising: a container feeder configured to feed the container through the gassing area along a first feed path; a lid feeder arranged on the container feeder in such a way that a lid is capable of being moved through the gassing area along a second feed path to the container and placed on the container at one end of the gassing area; and a gassing device arranged stationary at the gassing area configured to gas the container and the lid in the gassing area the gassing device extending over the first feed path and the second feed path in such a way that the lid and the container are capable of being gassed until the lid is brought together with the container, and the gassing device including a plurality of gassing channels which extend from the first feed path to the second feed path and are configured to simultaneously gas the container and the lid.

2. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of gassing channels extend together and parallel to each other from the first feed path to the second feed path.

3. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the container feeder comprises a transport belt on which the container is capable of being moved along the first feed path to the sealer.

4. The feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the gassing device is arranged on the transport belt in such a way that the container is capable of being gassed when moved along the transport belt.

5. The feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the transport belt is arranged and designed in such a way that the first feed path runs linearly.

6. The feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the gassing device is arranged above the transport belt in such a way that the container is capable of being gassed when moved along the transport belt.

7. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the lid feeder comprises a lid moving device which is movably arranged in such a way that the lid is capable of being moved by the lid moving device, and the lid feeder further comprises a lid guide arranged on the lid moving device, the lid guide configured to guide the lid to the container when being moved by the lid moving device.

8. The feeding device according to claim 7, wherein the gassing device is arranged on the lid guide in such a way that the lid is capable of being gassed when being moved by the lid moving device.

9. The feeding device according to claim 7, wherein the lid guide is designed in such a way that the second feed path comprises a first section in which the lid is capable of being guided radially and comprises a second section in which the lid is capable of being guided linearly.

10. The feeding device according to claim 7, wherein the lid guide comprises a first guide surface and a second guide surface, the lid is 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 lid moving device to the first guide surface and the second guide surface.

11. The feeding device according to claim 7, wherein the lid moving device comprises a lid carrier, the lid carrier arranged on the lid moving device in such a way that the lid is capable of being received by the lid carrier and moved by the lid carrier in the lid guide.

12. The feeding device according to claim 7, wherein the lid guide is designed in such a way that the second feed path comprises a first section in which the lid is capable of being guided radially and comprises a second section in which the lid is capable of being guided above the container.

13. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the container feeder comprises a moving device configured to receive and transport the container over a transport belt.

14. A sealer, comprising: a feeding device according to claim 1.

15. The sealer according to claim 14, comprising an arrangement arranged in a working space of the sealer and having a plurality of sealing stations, the feeding device configured to feed the containers with lids arranged on the arrangement; and an outlet for sealed containers from the arrangement.

16. A method of gassing a container and a lid comprising: providing a feeding device according to claim 1; transporting the container by the container feeder; transporting the lid by the lid feeder to the container; gassing the container and/or the lid during the transport with the gassing device; and placing the lid on an opening of the container.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the gassing of the container and/or lid comprises: gassing a head space of the container and/or gassing a lid space and/or gassing an area between container and lid.

18. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of gassing channels are opened downwards in the direction of the first feed path to the second feed path.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The disclosure will be explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates atop view of a can sealer from the state of the art;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a detail of a can sealer from the state of the art;

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a can sealer according to the disclosure;

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of a feeding device according to the disclosure;

(6) FIG. 5A illustrates a top view of a lid feeder according to the disclosure;

(7) FIG. 5B illustrates a side view of a lid feeder according to the disclosure;

(8) FIG. 6A illustrates a side view of a gassing device according to the disclosure with a headspace gassing element;

(9) FIG. 6B illustrates a side view of a gassing device according to the disclosure with a lifting gassing element;

(10) FIG. 6C illustrates a schematic view of a can with a headspace and a lid;

(11) FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a gassing device with a lid gassing element;

(12) FIG. 8A illustrates a top view of a gassing device according to the disclosure with gassing channels; and

(13) FIG. 8B illustrates a perspective view of a gassing device according to the disclosure with gassing channels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(14) FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 have already been described above in the representation of the state of the art.

(15) FIG. 3 shows a top 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, but the gassing is no longer carried out via a gassing star on which the lids are placed and with which the cans are moved.

(16) The can sealer 1000 according to FIG. 3 comprises two lid providing devices 11 for providing a lid 101 to a lid feeder 10 according to the disclosure, which transports the lids 101 to the can 100.

(17) The lid feeder 10 comprises a lid moving device 4 which is movably arranged in such a way that the lid 101 can be moved to the can 100 along a second feed path S2 by the lid moving device 4. For this purpose, the lid moving device 4 is attached to a shaft and arranged to be rotatable about an axis X by this shaft, so that the lid 101 can be moved by a rotation of the lid moving device 4.

(18) In addition, the lid feeder 10 comprises a lid guide 15A, 15B arranged on the lid moving device 4 for guiding the lid 101 to the can 100. For this purpose, the lid guide 151, 15B has a first rail 15A and a second rail 15B extending parallel to the first rail 15A, 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 lid carrier 19 between the rails 15A, 15B in direction point Z where the lid 101 is united with the can 100 entering along a first feed path S1 in direction A from a container feeder 12.

(19) Lid carriers 19 arranged on the lid moving device 4 are distributed and arranged on a surface of the lid moving device 4 in such a way that they can set the lids 101 arranged on the lid guide 15A, 15B in motion.

(20) In addition, the sealer 1000 comprises a seaming process/arrangement 14 having sealing stations in the form of seaming stations 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.

(21) The lid 101 is introduced into the working space 2 of the can sealer 1000 along C by the lid providing device 11 and is guided to the can 100 by the lid guide 15A, 13B.

(22) In this process, the lids 101 are placed on the rails 15A, 15B. The lids 101 are transported further by rotation of the lid moving device 4.

(23) Then, the cans 100 with lid 101 are guided to the seaming process 14. When being fed to the seaming process 14, the can 100 and the lid 101 are gassed by a gassing device 5 arranged stationary at the lid feeder 10 and the container feeder 12. Then, the can 100 with the lid 101 is clamped and sealed by the seaming process 14. The sealed can is conveyed by a further rotor into a can outlet 18.

(24) FIG. 4 shows a top view of a feeding device 1 according to the disclosure. The feeding device 1 comprises the container feeder 12 for feeding the container to the arrangement 14 having a plurality of sealing stations 26.

(25) In addition, the feeding device 1 comprises a lid feeder 10 arranged on the container feeder 12 in such a way that the lid can be moved to the container and can be placed onto the container in a gassing area B.

(26) The gassing takes place in the gassing area B, wherein at least the container is gassed in area 131 and at least the lid is gassed in area B2. For this purpose, the gassing device extends over the first feed path and the second feed path.

(27) In addition, the feeding device 1 comprises the gassing device which is arranged stationary in the gassing area B for gassing the container and the lid. Here, the gassing device is also arranged at an area of the feeding device 1 where the container feeder 12 and the lid feeder 10 converge.

(28) The lid feeder 10 comprises a lid rotor 4 as the lid moving device 4. The lid rotor 4 comprises a rotary element 4B rotatable about an axis in a circumferential direction. Thereby, a plurality of moving, segments 4A is detachably arranged along a circumference of the rotary element 4B. For receiving and moving the lids, the moving segments 4A comprise the lid carriers 19.

(29) FIG. 5A shows a top view of the lid feeder 10 according to the disclosure and FIG. 5B shows a side view of the lid feeder 10 according to the disclosure.

(30) The lid moving device 4 is designed in the shape of a star, wherein a lid carrier 19 is attached on each star tip for receiving and moving a lid.

(31) The lid guide 15A, 158 comprises the first rail 15A and the second rail 158 extending parallel to the first rail 15A in sections. For this purpose, the first rail 15A and the second rail are arranged in the shape of a partial ring and above the lid moving device 4.

(32) Here, the first rail 15A comprises the first guide surface 22A and 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 rail 15A, 15B.

(33) In addition, the first rail 15A comprises the first support surface 23A and the second rail 15B comprises the second rail 23B in such a way that the lid can be guided to the container via the first and the second rail 15A, 15B, i.e., can be placed on the support surfaces 23A, 23B and can be moved via them to the container.

(34) The lid moving device 4 is arranged with upwardly directed lid carriers 19 under the first and second rail 15A, 15b. Here, the lid carriers 19 can be moved in a recess 24 between the first and second rail 15A, 15B.

(35) In addition, the first and the second rail 15A, 15B are formed by a plurality of rail elements.

(36) The first and the second rail 15A, 15B are designed with the guide and support surfaces 22A, 228, 23A, 238 such that they are open at the top. In doing so, a cleaning medium can clean the lid support (i.e., the guide and/or support surfaces) without hindrance.

(37) Furthermore, the gassing device 5 is arranged at one end of the lid guide 15A, 15B. Here, the gassing device 5 is arranged on the side of the first (outer) rail 15A facing the arrangement 14.

(38) While the first and second rail 15A, 15B are shaped in such a way that the lid is guided radially and thus preferably moves co-radially to the lid moving device 4, the gassing device 5 is shaped in such a way that the lid is guided linearly with the container in the 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.

(39) However, before the lids are placed on the lid guides 15A, 15B, a de-stacking process takes place in which the lids are separated individually from a stack. Subsequently, the lid rests between lateral lid guides, i.e., the rails 15A, 15B, as described above. Then, the lid is transported further to a defined point (the point Z) by the lid moving device 4 formed as a lid star 4, with the aid of the radially arranged lid carriers 19 between the lateral lid guides 15A, 15B. The lateral lid guides 15A, 158 together form the lid track.

(40) The lid is guided from the de-stacking device to the point Z completely resting between the rails 15A, 15B and is not placed on the lid star 4.

(41) In addition, a hold-down device 40 is arranged above the rails 15A, 15B in such a ways that an upward movement of the lid is restricted. In this way, the lid is secured against falling out.

(42) The rails 15A, 15B have the quick-change pins 6, 7 for an exchange during a format change.

(43) FIG. 6A shows a side view of a headspace gassing element 51 of the gassing device 5, FIG. 6B shows a side view of a lifting gassing element 52 of the gassing device 5 and FIG. 6c shows a schematic view of a can 100 with a headspace 111.

(44) The disclosure relates to the gassing of the can and the lid 101 with a gas 50. The aim of gassing is to ensure that there is no oxygen in the headspace 111 of the sealed can. The residual oxygen in the headspace 111 is decisive for the shelf life and flavor change of the beverage. The gassing area extends up to the combining of can 100 and lid 101.

(45) In the state of the art, the gassing nozzles are located on the gassing rotor below the lids placed on the gassing rotor. As a result, lids and gassing nozzles have no relative speed to each other. However, the gassing device 5 is arranged stationary in the gassing area and thus arranged stationary at the container feeder and the lid feeder. As a result, the can 100 is moved past the stationary gassing device 5 by a moving device comprising a carrier (not represented here) and has a relative speed to the gassing device 5.

(46) The gassing device 5 according to FIG. 6A comprises the headspace gassing element 51, along which the container 100 is first guided and which is arranged along a section of the transport belt 8 and above the transport belt 8 in such a way that the can 100 can be gassed during movement over the transport belt 8. In addition, a can guide 21 is arranged along the transport belt 8.

(47) The headspace gassing element 51 is oriented in the direction of the transport belt 8 (or in the direction of the passing can 100) in such a way that the headspace 111 of the passing can 100 can be gassed.

(48) The gassing device 5 according to FIG. 6B comprises a lifting gassing element 52, which is arranged along a lifting path of the can 100, in particular parallel to the lifting path of the can 100, in such a way that an area between lid 101 and can 100 can be gassed during a lifting movement or during an (upward) movement by the lifting station 9.

(49) The lid 101 is guided resting between the gassing device 5 and the second (inner) rail 15.

(50) The cans 100 pass from the transport belt 8 of the container feeder, by which they are fed to the sealer, to one of the respective lifting stations 9, which are part of a respective sealing station of the arrangement of the sealer. There, can 100 and lid 101 are guided together, but not yet united.

(51) Thus, the cans 100 pass from an area of the gassing device 5 in which they are gassed by the headspace gassing element 51 to an area in which they are gassed by the lifting gassing element 52. Thus, the headspace gassing element 51 and the lifting gassing element 52 gas in the area B1 according to FIG. 4, However, the headspace iii is to be exchanged by the headspace gassing element 51, whereas the lid 101 is gassed and the headspace 111 is kept constant by the lifting gassing element 52.

(52) On one revolution of the arrangement, the lifting stations 9 perform the cam-controlled lifting movement along the lifting path to feed the cans 100 from below to the lids 101.

(53) The headspace gassing element 51 and the lifting gassing element 52 are two separate/independent slot nozzles 51, 52, which are oriented differently as described above. As an alternative, the headspace gassing element 51 and the lifting gassing element 52 can also be designed as one continuous slot nozzle, whereby the part of the slot nozzle which is used as lifting gassing element 52 is oriented parallel to the lift.

(54) As represented in FIGS. 3 and 4, the container feeder 12 is a linear container feeder 12 so that the transport belt 8 and thus die movement of the can 100 run linearly. As a result, the headspace gassing element 51 also runs linearly and the can 100 is gassed linearly.

(55) In this linear gassing, the gassing is not carried out via a movable gassing device, but via the fix-mounted, static slot nozzle 51.

(56) The slot nozzle 51 preferably starts about 400 mm before the can 100 and lid 101 are brought together. Due to this long gassing path, the gassing can take place at a low speed and there is still enough time to exchange the headspace 111.

(57) FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the gassing device 5 with a lid gassing element 53.

(58) The lid gassing element 53 is arranged along a section of the lid moving device 4 or along a section of the rail 15B of the lid guide, respectively, in such a way that the lid can be gassed in the area. B2 before being placed on the can.

(59) The lid gassing element 53 is designed as a plurality of nozzles arranged side by side, whereby the lid can be gassed even better.

(60) In all the gassing elements 51, 52, 53 described above, the mass flow rate can be defined separately for the headspace 111 and for the lid 101 with the aid of a valve.

(61) Since, in contrast to the state of the art, a rotary feedthrough is not required and a complex gassing rotor is no longer necessary, hygiene is improved, and a simpler format change is made possible. In addition, the lid no longer has to be placed on the gassing rotor, which enables an improved lid guidance and a reduction in interfering contours when rising with the lifting station 9. Due to the targeted gassing by the different gassing elements and gassing areas, a lower gas consumption is possible, and the gassing can be optimized for different products.

(62) FIGS. 8A and 813 show a preferred embodiment for a gassing device 5 according to FIG. 3 or 5A. The gassing device 5 comprises an area for gassing via the headspace gassing element 51 via fix-mounted, static nozzles. However, the main gassing is carried out via a plurality of gassing channels 54 which extend over the transport belt 8 and the outer rail 15A of the lid guide 15A, 15B and are separated from each other by webs 55. In principle, the plurality of gassing channels 54 can be designed as a single nozzle with a common gas inlet. The various gassing channels 54 are adapted in length to the radial guide of the lid.

(63) Thus, the headspace of the can can at first only be gassed indirectly by flowing over the can and reflecting it over the lid. When the can rises, it moves into the gas flow of the gassing channels 54 and is thus additionally gassed.

(64) The headspace gassing element 51 is optionally and preferably designed as a slot nozzle oriented in the direction of the headspace.

(65) 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.