BRISTLE GOODS MANUFACTURING MACHINE

Abstract

A bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) is provided having a suction device (2) for suctioning off transport holders (3) for bristle filaments (4) and/or bristle goods (21). The suction device (2) includes a suction housing (5) in which a dirt sink (6) is formed.

Claims

1. A bristle goods manufacturing machine (1), comprising: a suction device (2) for suctioning off transport holders (3) for at least one of bristle filaments (4) or bristle goods (21), and the suction device (2) includes a suction housing (5) having a dirt sink (6).

2. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 1, wherein the dirt sink (6) is formed in a flow path between a suction opening (7) and a suction connection opening (8) of the suction housing (5).

3. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 1, wherein the suction device (2) comprises a drawer (9) which is arranged in the dirt sink (6) and that is removable from a dirt trap position within the suction housing (5).

4. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 1, wherein the suction housing (5) has an inner contour (10) which is inclined towards the dirt sink (6) in a direction of a flow path through the suction housing (5).

5. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 2, wherein the suction housing (5) has a contour maximum (11) on an inner contour (10) between the suction opening (7) and the dirt sink (6), and the inner contour (10) is inclined from the contour maximum (11) in one direction towards the suction opening (7) and in another direction towards the dirt sink (6).

6. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 2, wherein the suction opening (7) is oriented downwards in a direction of gravity.

7. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 2, wherein a first normal (12) is aligned with the suction opening (7) and a second normal (13) is aligned with the suction connection opening (8) of the suction housing (5), and the first and second normals extend transversely or at right angles to one another.

8. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 2, wherein the suction device (2) has a handling device (14) which is set up to move transport holders (3) for suction into a suction position (15) in front of the suction opening (7).

9. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 8, wherein the suction device (2) has a cleaning element (16) which is movable from an initial position (17) into a cleaning position (18) for cleaning a side of a transport holder (3) located in the suction position (15) at the suction opening (7) that faces away from the suction opening (7).

10. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 9, wherein the suction position (15) is arranged between the suction opening (7) and the cleaning position (18) of the cleaning element (16).

11. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 2, wherein the suction device (2) comprises a vacuum source (19) which is connected to the suction housing (5) via the suction connection opening (8).

12. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a removal station (20) for finished bristle goods (21) or a product deposit surface (22) for the finished bristle goods (21).

13. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 1, further comprising a filament sensor (23) for detecting bristle filaments (4) remaining on the transport holders (3).

14. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 13, wherein the filament sensor (23) is mounted upstream of the suction device (2) and comprises at least one of an optical line sensor, a throughbeam photoelectric sensor, a throughbeam laser photoelectric sensor, or a reflector photoelectric sensor.

15. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 13, wherein at least one of a) the filament sensor (23) is aligned with a longitudinal extent thereof extending transversely or at right angles to a transport direction (100) of the transport holders (3), or b) the filament sensor (23) has a longitudinal extent which is greater than a dimension of the transport holders (3) which are adapted to be measured transversely to the transport direction (100).

16. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 13, further comprising a reject area (24) for defective bristle goods.

17. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 13, further comprising a product deposit surface (22) for the finished bristle goods (21), wherein the product deposit surface (22) is a conveyor belt movable in two opposite directions.

18. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 17, wherein the bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) is configured such that, upon detection of a defective bristle good (21), to reject the defective bristle goods (21), via a control unit (25), from the conveyor belt into the reject area (24).

19. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 18, wherein the control unit (25) is connected to the filament sensor (23) for detecting bristle filaments (4) remaining on the transport holders (3) and is set up to effect a rejection of bristle goods (21) tested as defective by activating the conveyor belt forming the product deposit surface (22).

20. The bristle goods manufacturing machine (1) according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor (29) for quality control of finished bristle goods (21).

21. A method for indirect testing of finished bristle goods (21), the method comprising: providing a filament sensor (23) for transport holders (3) of a bristle goods manufacturing machine (1), testing the for transport holders (3) for adhering bristle filaments (4) with the filament sensor (23) after removal of the finished bristle goods (21), and classifying the bristle goods (21) removed from the transport holders (3) as defective if the bristle filaments (4) are detected on the transport holders (3).

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the filament sensor (23) comprises at least one of a line sensor, a throughbeam photoelectric sensor, a throughbeam laser photoelectric sensor, or a reflector photoelectric sensor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment, but is not limited to this exemplary embodiment. Further exemplary embodiments are obtained by combining the features of individual or several claims with one another and/or by combining individual or several features of the exemplary embodiment. The drawings show:

[0049] FIG. 1: a perspective view of a bristle goods manufacturing machine with a suction device for transport holders, which is located downstream of a removal station of the bristle goods manufacturing machine in the transport direction of the transport holders,

[0050] FIG. 2: the bristle goods manufacturing machine shown in FIG. 1 with a transport holder in the suction position on a suction opening of a suction housing of the suction device,

[0051] FIG. 3: the bristle goods manufacturing machine shown in FIG. 2 with partially sectional suction housing to illustrate a dirt sink inside the suction housing,

[0052] FIG. 4: the bristle goods manufacturing machine shown in the previous figures after the transport holder has been suctioned off,

[0053] FIG. 5: the bristle goods manufacturing machine shown in the previous figures with a drawer pulled out of its dirt trap position in the dirt sink of the suction housing, and

[0054] FIG. 6: the bristle goods manufacturing machine shown in the previous figures with a transport holder on its way to the suction device, wherein the transport holder is arranged in the detection area of a sensor designed as a line sensor for detecting bristle filaments remaining on the transport holder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The figures show at least parts of a bristle goods manufacturing machine designated 1 as a whole. The bristle goods manufacturing machine 1 comprises a suction device 2 for suctioning off transport holders 3 for bristle filaments 4. The suction device 2 has a suction housing 5 in which a dirt sink 6 is formed. The dirt sink 6 within the suction housing 5 is clearly recognizable, particularly in the partially sectional representation of the suction housing 5 as shown in FIG. 3.

[0056] The dirt sink 6 is arranged in the flow path between a suction opening 7 and a suction connection opening 8 of the suction housing 5. The suction opening 7 is the part of the suction housing 5 to which transport holders 3 can be held for suction. The suction housing 5 has an edge 30 surrounding the suction opening 7 without interruption, against which a transport holder 3 to be suctioned can be placed as closely as possible.

[0057] The suction device 2 comprises a drawer 9, which is arranged in the dirt trap position in the dirt sink 6. The drawer 9 in the dirt trap position can be seen in FIG. 3, for example. To remove soiling that has accumulated inside the dirt sink 6 and in the drawer 9, the drawer 9 can be pulled out of its dirt trap position shown in FIG. 3 into the position shown in FIG. 5, for example.

[0058] The suction housing 5 has an inner contour 10 which, as shown in the sectional view in FIG. 3, is inclined in the direction of a flow path of the suction through the suction housing 5 towards the dirt sink 6. Between the suction opening 7 and the dirt sink 6, the inner contour 10 also has a contour maximum 11. The inner contour 10 of the suction housing 5 is inclined in one direction from the contour maximum 11 towards the suction opening 7. In the other, i.e. opposite direction, the inner contour 10 is inclined towards the dirt sink 6, as already mentioned above.

[0059] The suction opening 7 is oriented downwards in the direction of gravity as shown in the figures. A normal 12 on the suction opening 7 and a normal 13 on the suction connection opening 8 of the suction housing 5 are aligned at right angles to each other. As a result, the suction flow channelled through the suction housing 5 is deflected by 90 on its way from the suction opening 7 to the suction connection opening 8. The deflection of the suction flow can favour the deposition of dirt in the dirt sink 6.

[0060] The figures also show that the suction device 2 has a handling device 14. The handling device 14 is designed to move the transport holder 3 for suction into a suction position 15 in front of the suction opening 7.

[0061] FIG. 1 shows how the handling device 14 in the form of a gripper has grasped a transport holder 3 to be suctioned off. In FIG. 2, the handling device 14 has moved the gripped transport holder 3 into its suction position 15 in front of the suction opening 7. After the transport holder 3 has been vacuumed, the handling device 4 can place the transport holder 3 back on a transport carriage 26 of the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1, as shown in FIG. 4. The transport holder 3 cleaned in this way can then be used again for the production of bristle goods 21.

[0062] The suction device 2 is also equipped with a mechanical cleaning element 16. The cleaning element 16 is designed as a cleaning slide and is set up for cleaning a side of a transport holder 3 located in the suction position 15 at the suction opening 7 that faces away from the suction opening 7. For this purpose, the cleaning element 16 can be moved from an initial position, which it assumes in FIGS. 1 and 2, into its cleaning position 18 shown in FIG. 3. In doing so, the cleaning element 16 is guided along the side of the transport holder 3 to be cleaned that faces away from the suction opening 7. As a result, dirt on this side of the transport holder 3 can be loosened and fed to a suction flow caused by the suction device 2.

[0063] FIG. 3 shows that the suction position 15 of the transport holder 3 is located between the suction opening 7 and the cleaning position 18 of the cleaning element 16.

[0064] The suction device 2 comprises a vacuum source 19, which is connected to the suction housing 5 via the suction connection opening 8. When the vacuum source 19 is activated, a suction flow is generated through the suction housing 5.

[0065] The figures illustrate that the transport holders 3 have transport holders 27 for bristle filaments 4 combined into bristle bundles. The transport holders 27 are through-holes that pass completely through the transport holders 3. In this way, when the suction device 2 is activated and the transport holder 3 is in the suction position, it is possible to generate a suction flow that leads from the outside through the transport holders 27 into the suction housing 5 of the suction device 2. As a result, dirt in and on the transport holders 27 can be reliably removed and vacuumed off.

[0066] The bristle goods manufacturing machine 1 has a removal station 20 for finished bristle goods 21. This removal station 20 also has a product deposit surface 22 for finished bristle goods 21. The removal station 20 is located upstream of the suction device 2 in the transport direction 100 of the transport holders 3 through the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1. The transport holders 3 with the finished bristle goods 21 thus first reach the removal station 20 before the transport holders 3 are then fed to the suction device 2 for cleaning after removal of the bristle goods 21.

[0067] Within the removal station 20, the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1 has a removal gripper 28 with which four finished bristle goods 21-in the exemplary embodiment shown, these are toothbrushes-can be simultaneously removed from the transport holders 3 and fed to the product deposit surface 22.

[0068] The removal of finished bristle goods 21 from a plate-shaped transport holder 3 with the removal gripper 28 is shown in FIG. 2. By means of a swivelling movement, the removal gripper 28 can then feed the four bristle goods 28 removed from the transport holders 3 in FIG. 2 to the product deposit surface 22, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0069] Via the position shown in FIG. 5, the removal gripper 28 can then be swivelled back into its receiving position in FIG. 6 in order to remove further finished bristle goods 21 from the next transport holder 3.

[0070] The bristle goods manufacturing machine 1 also has a filament sensor 23. The filament sensor 23 is arranged between the removal station 20 and the suction device 2 and is also designed as an optical line sensor and also as a throughbeam laser light barrier or as a reflector light barrier. The filament sensor 23 is set up and designed to detect bristle filaments 4 remaining on transport holders 3. If bristle filaments 4 can be detected on the transport holders 3 after bristle goods 21 have been removed from the transport holders 3, this indicates that the bristle goods 21 are faulty, for example because individual bristle filaments 4 have not been connected to a bristle carrier of at least one of the bristle goods 21.

[0071] The sensor signal of the filament sensor 23, which is output when a bristle filament 4 remaining on a transport holder 3 has been detected, can be used as an indication that at least one of the bristle goods 28 removed from this transport holder 3 is faulty.

[0072] In addition to the filament sensor 23, the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1 can have a sensor, for example a reflector light barrier, which is set up and intended to check the transport holders 3 for bristle goods 21 remaining on the transport holders 3 after the bristle goods 21 have been removed. If the sensor, which is not shown in the figures, can still detect bristle goods 21 on a transport holder 3 after the bristle goods 21 have been removed, this indicates a malfunction of the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1 and the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1 is preferably stopped automatically.

[0073] The previously described inspection of the transport holders 3 for bristle goods 21 that remain on the transport holders 3 after the bristle goods 21 have actually been removed can also be carried out using the filament sensor 23 if necessary.

[0074] The product deposit surface 22 is a conveyor belt that can be moved in two opposite directions. When a defective bristle goods 21 is detected, the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1 is set up by a control unit 25 to separate out the defective bristle goods 21 into a reject area 25 of the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1 by correspondingly controlling the product deposit surface 22, namely the conveyor belt.

[0075] For this purpose, the control unit 25 is connected to the filament sensor 23 for detecting bristle filaments 4 remaining on transport holders 3 and is set up to separate out bristle goods 21 that have been tested as faulty. In the exemplary embodiment of the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1 shown, the bristle goods 21 are rejected by activating the product deposit surface 22, which is designed as a conveyor belt. In this case, bristle goods 21 can already be classified as faulty as soon as a bristle filament 4 remaining on a transport holder 3 can be detected.

[0076] The bristle goods 21 deposited on the conveyor belt can then be separated out into the reject area 25 of the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1-in the example shown in the form of a box-by correspondingly controlling the product deposit surface 22.

[0077] The figures illustrate that the filament sensor 23 has a sensor-effective longitudinal extent that is greater than a plate thickness of the transport holders 3. In addition, the longitudinal extent of the filament sensor 23 is aligned transversely to the transport direction 100 of the transport holders 3. In this way, transport holders 3 that pass through the filament sensor 23 can be inspected for remaining bristle filaments 4 on both the top and bottom sides as they pass through.

[0078] The filament sensor 23, which is designed as a line sensor, is thus used for indirect testing of finished bristle goods 21. In this process, transport holders 3 are checked for adhering bristle filaments 4 with the filament sensor 23 after bristle goods 27 have been removed, and the bristle goods 21 removed from the transport holders 3 are classified as faulty if bristle filaments 4 are detected on the transport holder 3 and sorted out into the reject area 25 of the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1.

[0079] In addition, the bristle goods manufacturing machine 1 also has a sensor 29, for example a camera, for the preferably optical quality control of finished bristle goods 21.

[0080] If faulty bristles 21 are detected by the sensor 29, the faulty bristles 21 can also be ejected into the reject area 25.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0081] 1 bristle goods manufacturing machine [0082] 2 suction device [0083] 3 transport holder [0084] 4 bristle filaments [0085] 5 suction housing [0086] 6 dirt sink [0087] 7 suction opening [0088] 8 suction connection opening [0089] 9 drawer [0090] 10 inner contour [0091] 11 contour maximum [0092] 12 normal to 7 [0093] 13 normal to 8 [0094] 14 handling device [0095] 15 suction position [0096] 16 cleaning element [0097] 17 starting position [0098] 18 cleaning position [0099] 19 vacuum source [0100] 20 removal station [0101] 21 bristle good [0102] 22 product deposit surface [0103] 23 filament sensor [0104] 24 reject area [0105] 25 control unit [0106] 26 transport carriage [0107] 27 transport holders [0108] 28 removal gripper [0109] 29 sensor [0110] 30 edge of 7 [0111] 100 transport direction