Method And Device For Producing Packaging Units

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and to a device for producing packaging units in a bag forming, filling and sealing machine, products (18) combined into an amount of products being transferred from a portion container (17) into a product transfer device (10) for transferring the amount of products to a product filling device (19), the product transfer device having a product carrier (21), which is guided on a movement path, and a product guiding device (22), the product carrier, once the amount of products has been transferred from the portion container into the product guiding device, performing an accelerated movement out of a product pick-up position P1 of the product carrier so as to compress the amount of products between the product pick-up position P1 and a product transfer position P2 for transferring the amount of products into the product filling device.

Claims

1. A method for producing packaging units in a bag forming, filling and sealing machine, said method comprising: transferring products combined into an amount of products from a portion container of a device defining a product mass into a product transfer device, the product transfer device having a product carrier, which is guided on a movement path, and a product guiding device, in such a manner that the product guiding device and the product carrier form a product space for receiving the amount of products, the product space being closed by the product carrier opposite the direction of movement of the product carrier; accelerating the product carrier, once the amount of products has been transferred from the portion container into the product guiding device, out of a product pick-up position P1 of the product carrier so as to compress the amount of products between the product pick-up position P1 and a product transfer position P2 for transferring the amount of products into a product filling device; continuously moving the amount of product on the movement path between the product pick-up position P1 and the product transfer position P2 of the product carrier; and transferring the amount of products into the product filling device in a direction of the acceleration of the product carrier accelerated starting from the product pick-up position P1.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which the movement path of the product carrier is as a circulating path in such a manner that the product carrier is moved on the circulating path in a conveying direction, the product carrier performing a first acceleration followed by a deceleration on a product conveying stretch of the circulating path between the product pick-up position P1 and the product transfer position P2 and a second acceleration followed by a deceleration on a return conveying stretch between the product transfer position P2 and the product pick-up position P1.

3. The method according to claim 1, in which the product carrier is moved together with the product guiding device along the circulating path.

4. The method according to claim 1, in which the product guiding device extends between the product pick-up position P1 and the product transfer position P2 of the product carrier along the product conveying stretch and is stationary between the portion container and the product filling device, and the product carrier is moved through the product guiding device on its movement path.

5. The method according to claim 4, in which a product space limiter is associated with the product carrier, the product space limiter being arranged ahead of the product carrier in the direction of movement and being moved through the product guiding device together with the product carrier in such a manner that a product space for receiving the amount of products is formed within the product guiding device, the product space being closed both opposite a direction of movement and in the direction of movement of the product carrier.

6. The method according to claim 5, in which the product carrier and the product space limiter are moved on different circulating paths arranged parallel to each other.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the product carrier and the product space limiter are moved synchronously within the product guiding device.

8. The method according to claim 5, in which the product space limiter is accelerated out of the product pick-up position P1 together with the product carrier in a first movement phase along the product conveying stretch from a speed smaller than the product discharge speed of the amount of products discharged from the portion container to a speed greater than the product discharge speed, and the product space limiter is subsequently decelerated together with the product carrier in a second movement phase to a product transfer speed at which the amount of products is transferred to the product filling device, and the product limiter is subsequently accelerated in relation to the product carrier starting from the product transfer position P2 in a third movement phase.

9. The method according to claim 1, in which the product guiding device vibrates during guiding of the amount of products.

10. The method according to claim 1, in which the product filling device or a filling end of the product filling device adjacent to the product guiding device vibrates during filling of the amount of products.

11. A device for producing packaging units in a bag forming, filling and sealing machine, said device comprising: a product transfer device having a product carrier, which is guided on a movement path, and a product guiding device, the product guiding device and the product carrier forming a product space which is closed by the product carrier opposite the direction of movement of the product carrier; and a drive device urging the product carrier along the movement path in such a manner that the product carrier is accelerated from a product pick-up position P1, where an amount of products is transferred from a portion container of a device defining the product mass into the product guiding device, into a product transfer position P2, where the amount of products is transferred into a product filling device serving to fill the amount of products into packaging, the drive device being provided with a decelerating device cooperating with the product carrier in such a manner that the accelerated product carrier is decelerated far enough before reaching the product transfer position P2 for the speed of the amount of products to be greater than the speed of the product carrier.

12. The device according to claim 11, in which the movement path of the product carrier is realized as a circulating path and the product carrier and the product guiding device are realized as a structural unit, the circulating path having a first accelerating stretch along a product conveying stretch of the circulating path, the product conveying stretch connecting the product pick-up position P1 with the product transfer position P2, and a second accelerating stretch along a return conveying stretch of the circulating path, the return conveying stretch connecting the product transfer position P2 with the product pick-up position P1.

13. The device according to claim 12, in which the product carrier and the product guiding device are cup vessels, the product carrier being formed by a cup bottom and the product guiding device being formed by a cup wall.

14. The device according to claim 12, in which the product conveying stretch has a first vertical conveying section, which is arranged above the product filling device and is substantially vertical, and the return conveying stretch has a second vertical conveying section, which is arranged below the portion container and is substantially vertical, the first vertical conveying section and the second vertical conveying section being horizontally offset from each other.

15. The device according to claim 14, in which the product filling device is provided with a recess in such a manner that the cup vessel can be moved through the recess when transitioning from the product transfer position P2 into a horizontal conveying section.

16. The device according to claim 14, in which the cup vessel is accelerated out of the product transfer position P2 on a horizontal movement path.

17. The device according to claim 11, in which the movement path of the product carrier is realized as a circulating path and the product guiding device is arranged along a product conveying stretch of the circulating path between the portion container and the product filling device, and the product carrier is moved through the product guiding device on its movement path.

18. The device according to claim 17, in which a product space limiter is associated with the product carrier, the product space limiter being arranged ahead of the product carrier in the direction of movement and being movable through the product guiding device together with the product carrier, the product carrier and the product space limiter forming a product space for receiving the amount of products together with a wall of the product guiding device within the product guiding device, the product space being closed both opposite a direction of movement and in the direction of movement.

19. The device according to claim 18, in which the product carrier and the product space limiter are driven by mutually independent drive devices.

20. The device according to claim 19, in which the drive devices are circulating conveyors.

21. The device according to claim 20, in which the circulating conveyors are belt conveyors having conveyor belts running parallel to each other.

Description

[0032] In the drawing:

[0033] FIG. 1: shows a first embodiment of a device for producing packaging units;

[0034] FIG. 2: shows a second embodiment of a device for producing packaging units;

[0035] FIG. 3: shows a third embodiment of a device for producing packaging units;

[0036] FIG. 4: shows a fourth embodiment of a device for producing packaging units;

[0037] FIG. 5: shows a fifth embodiment of a device for producing packaging units;

[0038] FIG. 6: shows an isometric illustration of a multiple arrangement of the device illustrated in FIG. 5; and

[0039] FIG. 7: shows a sixth embodiment of a device for producing packaging units.

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a product transfer device 10 having two cup vessels 11, 12 that are moved along a circulating path formed by a belt conveyor 13 in the case at hand. To this end, the cup vessels 11, 12 are connected to a belt 14 of the belt conveyor 13 via a connecting element (not illustrated) in the illustrated embodiment example, the belt 14 being driven by a drive device (not illustrated) and guided over four deflection rollers 15 to define the circulating path. To realize the drive device, one of the deflection rollers 15 can be a drive roller, for example.

[0041] The product transfer device 10 forms a component of a bag forming, filling and sealing machine serving to produce packaging units in which products 18 combined into an amount of products 16 are portioned and packaged into tubular bags. The product transfer device 10 is located between a portion container 17 of a device defining the product mass, which may be a multi-head sub-quantity scale, for example, and a product filling device 19 for filling the products 18 into a product tube 20, which is also often called a forming tube and over which a film or foil used to produce the tubular bag is guided so as to form the tubular bag.

[0042] In the embodiment example illustrated in FIG. 1, the cup vessels 11, 12 serve to form a product carrier 21 and to form a product guiding device 22, the product carrier 21 being substantially formed by the cup bottom and the product guiding device 22 being substantially formed by a cup wall of the cup vessels 11, 12. The circulating path defined by the belt conveyor 13 has a product conveying stretch 23, which extends between a product pick-up position P1, in which the first cup vessel 11 is located in FIG. 1, and a product transfer position P2, in which the second cup vessel 12 is located in FIG. 1, and a return conveying stretch 24, which extends from the product transfer position P2 to the product pick-up position P1, the product conveying stretch 23 and the return conveying stretch 24 being oriented vertically in the case at hand and connected to each other via upper and lower horizontal conveying stretches 25, 26. The product conveying stretch 23 has a horizontal conveying section 25 in the conveying direction of the circulating path starting from the portion container 17, the horizontal conveying section 25 ending in a vertical conveying section 26 extending toward the product filling device 19. The return conveying stretch 24 has a horizontal conveying section 36 in the conveying direction of the circulating path starting from the product filling device 19, the horizontal conveying section 36 ending in a vertical conveying section 37 extending toward the portion container 17.

[0043] As can be seen from the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, in the product pick-up position P1, the cup vessel 11 is arranged immediately below the portion container 17 in the upper end area of the vertical conveying section 37 of the return conveying stretch 24. In this position, a defined amount 16 of products 18 is transferred from the portion container 17 into the cup vessel 11. The products 18 illustrated are products that are especially prone to swarm formation due to their large surface in relation to their mass, meaning products that, in free fall after being discharged from the portion container 17, will form a product swarm 27 with a more or less large amount of free space between the individual products 18. Potato chips are a typical product prone to swam formation of this kind.

[0044] During transfer of the product swarm 27 into the cup vessel 11, the cup vessel 11 is in an idle position or is moving at low speed, leaving enough time for the entire product swarm 27 to enter the cup vessel 11. The amount of products 16 will settle or arrange itself on the cup bottom, the cup wall forming a guiding device containing the amount of products 16, the cup bottom subsequently serving as a product carrier 21 and the cup wall serving as a product guiding device 22 as described above.

[0045] Starting from the product pick-up position P1, the cup vessel 11 is moved along the product conveying stretch 23 into the product transfer position P2, and the cup vessel 12 is simultaneously moved along the return conveying stretch 24 from the product transfer position P2 into the product pick-up position P1. First, the cup vessel 11 is accelerated along the product conveying stretch 23 and is subsequently decelerated through corresponding control of the drive device before reaching the product transfer position P2, the deceleration potentially taking place until the cup vessel 11 stands still in the product transfer position P2 or until the speed of the cup vessel 11 is reduced far enough in the product transfer position P2 for enough time to remain in which the amount of products 16 can be transferred from the cup vessel 11 into the product filling device 19.

[0046] Owing to the acceleration of the cup vessel 11 taking place in the course between the product pick-up position P1 and the product transfer position P2, the amount of products 16 conveyed by the product carrier 21 in the product guiding device 22 along the circulating path is compressed. Owing to the mass inertia of the products 18 held in the cup vessel 11, the products 18 substantially maintain the speed acquired during acceleration of the coup vessel 11 when the cup vessel 11 is decelerated, potentially to standstill, in the product transfer position P2, said speed being at least greater than the speed of the product carrier 21 decelerated in the product transfer position P2, the products 18 thus leaving the product carrier 21 and the product guiding device 22 as a compressed amount of products 16 and entering the product filling device 19.

[0047] Once the transfer of the amount of products 16 to the product filling device 19 is complete, the cup vessels 11, 12 are accelerated again and, as described above, decelerated potentially to standstill before reaching the product pick-up position P1 and the product transfer position P2, respectively.

[0048] FIG. 2 shows the product device 10 already described in detail with reference to FIG. 1, wherein, unlike in FIG. 1, a product filling device 28 arranged below the product transfer position P2 is provided with a recess 29, the cup vessels 11, 12 being moved through the recess 29 during their transition from the product transfer position P2 into the horizontal conveying section 36 of the return conveying stretch 24, a drop distance F1 formed between the product carrier 21 and the product tube 20 thus being smaller than a drop distance F between the product carrier 21 and the product tube 20 illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0049] Moreover, as indicated by the double-headed arrow of movement in FIGS. 1 and 2, the product filling devices 19 and 28, respectively, can be adjusted together with the product tube 20 in the direction toward the product carrier 21 in a vertical lifting motion at the moment of transfer, i.e. when the product carrier 21 is located in the product transfer position P2, so as to further shorten the drop distances F and F1, respectively, and to thus further reduce the risk of a product swarm 27 forming anew.

[0050] FIG. 3 shows a product transfer device 30 which, unlike the product transfer device 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, is not deflected by a deflection roller 15 in the area of the product transfer position P2, but has a translation conveying stretch 31 comprising a horizontal conveying section 32 and a vertical conveying section 33. A translation conveying stretch of this kind can be realized by means of a suitable design of a connecting element connecting the cup vessels 11, 12 with the belt 14 of the belt conveyor 13, for example.

[0051] The horizontal conveying section 32 of the translation conveyor 31 is adjacent to the conveying section 26 of the belt conveyor 13 and ends in the vertical conveying section 33, which connects to the lower horizontal conveying section 36. Owing to the immediate change of direction of the cup vessels 11, 12 from a vertical movement along the vertical conveying section 26 into a horizontal movement along the horizontal conveying section 32 of the translation conveying stretch 31, a drop distance F2 between the product carrier 21 and the product tube 20 can be significantly shortened without needing to provide a product filling device 28 as the one described with reference to FIG. 2, which is provided with a recess 29. Instead, it is also possible to use the product filling device 19 described with reference to FIG. 1, which does not have a recess, and still arrive at drop distance F2, which is shorter than drop distance F1.

[0052] If the product transfer device 30 illustrated in FIG. 3 is combined with a product filling device 28 having a recess 29, as illustrated in the embodiment according to FIG. 4, a drop distance F4 can be realized that is reduced even further compared to drop distance F.

[0053] FIG. 5 shows a product transfer device 40 that is provided with a circulating path formed by a belt conveyor 44 in the case of the illustrated embodiment example. In contrast to the product transfer devices 10 and 30 described above, where the product carrier 21 and the product guiding device 22 are formed in combination with each other, specifically in such a manner that the product carrier 21 is formed by a cup bottom and the product guiding device 22 is formed by a cup wall of a cup vessel 11, 12, product transfer device 40 has a product carrier 41 and a product guiding device 42 which are formed independently of each other. As FIG. 5 shows, the product guiding device 42 extends between the pick-up position P1 and the transfer position P2. A plurality of product carriers 41 is driven along the circulating path via a shared carrier belt 43 of the belt conveyor 44. In the case of the embodiment example at hand, the product guiding device 42 is realized as a guiding channel formed by a guiding tube 45, the product carriers 41 extending into and being moved through said guiding channel.

[0054] In correspondence with belt conveyor 13, belt conveyor 44 forming the circulating path has a product conveying stretch 46 and a return conveying stretch 47, the product conveying stretch 46 being formed solely by a vertical conveying section 48 and the return conveying stretch 47 being formed by a vertical conveying section 35 and two horizontal conveying sections 49, 50 adjacent thereto in the case at hand.

[0055] As can be seen in particular from a combined view of FIGS. 5 and 6, the belt conveyor 44 comprises the carrier belt 43, which serves to drive the product carriers 41, and a second carrier belt 51, on which as many product space limiters 52 are arranged as there are product carriers 41 on the carrier belt 43. Like the product carriers 41, the product space limiters 52 are moved through the guide tube 45 of the product guiding device 42 and form a product space 54 in cooperation with the product carriers 41 and a tube wall 53 during their longitudinal movement through the guide tube 45 of the product guiding device 42, the products 18 being arranged in said product space 54.

[0056] As can be seen in particular in FIG. 5, the product guiding device 42 extends from the pick-up position P1, in which a product carrier 41 is located at the upper end of the vertical conveying section 48 in the area of a portion container 56, into a transfer position P2, in which a product carrier 41 is located at the lower end of the vertical conveying section 48 in the area of the product filling device 55. In the product pick-up position P1, an amount of products 16 forming a product swarm 27 is discharged from the portion container 56 into the product guiding device 42 onto a product space limiter 52 arranged in the product guiding device 42.

[0057] In the product pick-up position P1, the product space limiter 52 stands still or is moving at a speed smaller than the drop speed of the amount of products 16 discharged from the portion container 56. Once the entire amount of products 16 has been discharged from the portion container 56, a product carrier 41 associated with the product space limiter 52 is pivoted into the vertical conveying section 48 via the carrier belt 43 so that the product space limiter 52 and the product carrier 51 form the product space 54 in cooperation with the tube wall 53 as described above, the product space 54 moving in the vertical direction downward in the direction toward the product transfer position P2 in a manner comparable to a transport cabin moving through an elevator shaft. The product space limiter 52 and the product carrier 41 are synchronously accelerated so that the products 18 held in the product space 54 are compressed against the product carrier 41 during movement on the vertical conveying stretch.

[0058] Before reaching the product transfer position P2, the product space limiter 52 and the product carrier 41 are decelerated until they reach a product transfer speed at which the products 18 are transferred to the product filling device 55. The product space limiter 52 can be accelerated to hurry ahead of the product carrier 41 so as to not hinder a transfer of the products 18 into the product filling device 55. Subsequent to the transfer of the products, the product carrier 41, too, is accelerated again so as to arrive at the position of the product carrier 41 illustrated in FIG. 5, which corresponds to the product pick-up position P1.

[0059] FIG. 7 shows a product transfer device 60 in which, in contrast to the product transfer device 40 illustrated in FIG. 5, there are no product space limiters and instead product carriers 41 only are provided for accelerated transport of the products 18 within the product guiding device 42. It is substantial in this case that immediately after discharge of the amount of products 16 from the portion container 56 into the product guiding device 42, the product carriers 41 are pivoted into the vertical conveying stretch 48 and accelerated to a speed greater than the drop speed of the products 18 so as to achieve compression of the product swarm 27 formed by the amount of products 16. Before arriving at the product transfer position P2, the product carriers 41 are decelerated to a speed smaller than the product speed reached over the course of the product guiding device 42 so that the products 18 break contact with the product carrier 41 because of their mass inertia and enter the product filling device 55.

[0060] In contrast to the illustrations in FIGS. 5 to 7, a vertical orientation of the product guiding device and of the product conveying stretch between the product pick-up position P1 and the product transfer position P2 may be advantageous, but an arrangement of the product transfer devices 40 and 60, respectively, in which the product conveying stretch 46 and the product guiding device 42 are oriented in a vertically inclined manner toward each other is possible as well.