EP1378452A1 - Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Förderung - Google Patents

Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Förderung Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1378452A1
EP1378452A1 EP03019708A EP03019708A EP1378452A1 EP 1378452 A1 EP1378452 A1 EP 1378452A1 EP 03019708 A EP03019708 A EP 03019708A EP 03019708 A EP03019708 A EP 03019708A EP 1378452 A1 EP1378452 A1 EP 1378452A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
gear
conveyors
gears
drive member
indexing
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP03019708A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Timothy Howard Drury
Kenneth Paul Mcdonald
Barry Charles Owen
John Allen Weber
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Elopak Systems AG
Original Assignee
Elopak Systems AG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US09/102,782 external-priority patent/US6129204A/en
Application filed by Elopak Systems AG filed Critical Elopak Systems AG
Publication of EP1378452A1 publication Critical patent/EP1378452A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B65/00—Details peculiar to packaging machines and not otherwise provided for; Arrangements of such details
    • B65B65/02—Driving gear
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B43/00—Forming, feeding, opening or setting-up containers or receptacles in association with packaging
    • B65B43/42—Feeding or positioning bags, boxes, or cartons in the distended, opened, or set-up state; Feeding preformed rigid containers, e.g. tins, capsules, glass tubes, glasses, to the packaging position; Locating containers or receptacles at the filling position; Supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation
    • B65B43/52—Feeding or positioning bags, boxes, or cartons in the distended, opened, or set-up state; Feeding preformed rigid containers, e.g. tins, capsules, glass tubes, glasses, to the packaging position; Locating containers or receptacles at the filling position; Supporting containers or receptacles during the filling operation using roller-ways or endless conveyors

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to an indexing conveying method and apparatus.
  • the invention relates more particularly to conveying apparatus including a single power source arrangement for asynchronously operating dual indexing conveyors of the apparatus.
  • the invention also relates more particularly to a conveying method and apparatus for moving open-topped liquid-filled containers through a series of processing steps while minimizing liquid slosh in the containers - both during conveyor indexing period dwell portions at processing positions where the processing steps are carried out and during indexing period move portions between processing positions.
  • Machines for filling a plurality of containers with liquid products often include conveying apparatus configured to support and successively move containers through various stages of a filling and sealing operation.
  • a conveying apparatus of this type includes a drive system that indexes, i.e., intermittently moves, a conveyor to advance or successively move the containers first to a filling station where they are filled with the liquid, and then to other stations including top-forming,-heating and -sealing stations where open tops of the containers are closed and sealed.
  • the conveying apparatus then transports the filled, closed and sealed containers to a location where they are off-loaded for shipping or storage.
  • US-A-2,628,010 discloses a machine for alternately moving a pair of conveyors, including an air cylinder for alternately actuating a pair of ratchets adapted to rotate respective shafts each carrying a gear operatively connected to a series of gears and further shafts carrying end sprockets for engagement with chains of the pair of conveyors.
  • US-A-2,857,787 discloses a common drive mechanism for a pair of asynchronously intermittent, rotating turrets, wherein a portion of the kinetic energy of one turret undergoing deceleration is transferred to the other turret undergoing acceleration.
  • a drive shaft is connected to the two turrets by a pair of cams.
  • a motor is connected to a first speed reduction unit which, in turn, is connected to a second worm gear speed reduction unit, the output of which is connected by a chain to the drive shaft.
  • US-A-4,354,086 discloses a drive motor driving two separate cam drive gears for driving first and second transport devices via respective sprocket wheels.
  • US-A-4,790,123 discloses a method and machine for driving a pair of conveyors asynchronously.
  • the machine includes a motor, an indexing gear box operatively connected to the motor to convert the continuous rotation of the motor to an indexing movement and to transfer the movement to a driving shaft located centrally in the machine and which, in turn, drives two parallel conveyors.
  • a constant speed drive motor is operatively connected to a cam having cam profile characteristics that cause the conveyor to advance intermittently according to a predetermined motion profile.
  • a conveyor apparatus of this type is disclosed in US-A-3,486,423.
  • an electronic control is programmed to cause the conveyor to move according to the predetermined motion profile.
  • the electronic control accomplishes this by controlling a servo drive motor that is operatively connected to the conveyor. Examples of such systems are disclosed in US-A-5,419,099, US-A-5,385,003 and US-A-5,826,406.
  • apparatus for asynchronously driving a pair of indexing conveyors comprising an actuating source operatively connected to two gear means mounted on respective shaft means for asynchronously driving the pair of conveyors, and one-way clutch means operatively connected to each gear means, characterized in that control means is operatively connected to said actuating source for controlling the acceleration and deceleration of each of the conveyors from and towards each of its dwell positions.
  • apparatus comprising first and second indexing conveyors, a continually reversing drive member, and first and second connecting means connecting said drive member to the respective conveyors in a manner which does not drive the conveyors backwards, characterized in that the apparatus further includes control means arranged to control the speed of said drive member in one sense and an opposite sense throughout substantially the whole of each decelerating movement and each accelerating movement of said drive member into and out of each dwell position of said drive member.
  • apparatus comprising first and second indexing conveyors, a continually reversing drive member, and first and second connecting means connecting said drive member to the respective conveyors in a manner which does not drive the conveyors backwards, characterized in that said first and second connecting means include first and second toothed elements, respectively, and said drive member comprises a third toothed element in driving connection with said first and second toothed elements.
  • a method comprising providing first and second indexing conveyors, a drive member, and first and second connecting means connecting said drive member to the respective conveyors, continually reversing said drive member so as to drive the conveyors alternately through said first and second connecting means in a manner which does not drive the conveyors backwards, characterized by controlling the speed of said drive member in one sense and an opposite sense throughout substantially the whole of each decelerating movement and each accelerating movement of said drive member into and out of each dwell position of the drive member.
  • a preferred embodiment of the invention is a machine including an intermittently actuating single power source operatively connected to two gear devices, which may be respective single gears or respective sets of gears, having one-way clutches connected thereto, and being mounted on shafts which asynchronously drive a pair of indexing conveyors carrying open-topped cartons through filling and top-forming and-sealing stations.
  • the apparatus may be a container conveying apparatus for moving liquid-filled open-topped containers and each indexing conveyor be configured to engage the containers releasably.
  • the drive system operatively connected to each indexing conveyor may be configured to schedule conveyor motion according to a predetermined motion profile comprising at least one indexing period, the or each indexing period comprising a move portion and a dwell portion, the drive system being configured to accelerate the conveyor discontinuously during the or each indexing period move portion, and the discontinuous acceleration of the conveyor being describable by an acceleration curve that includes generally instantaneous acceleration changes of a finite value. It is thereby possible to minimize slosh while allowing higher through-put.
  • the drive system 16 includes a reversible servo unit 18 driving a gear 20, which drives two gear devices 80 and 82 which drive the respective conveyors 12 and 14.
  • the device 80 comprises gears 22, 26 and 30, whilst the device 82 comprises gears 23, 28 and 32.
  • the gear devices 80 and 82 have respective shaft arrangements 84 and 86, of which the arrangement 84 comprises shafts 24 and 34 and the arrangement 86 comprises shafts 25 and 35.
  • the gears 26 and 30 and the gears 28 and 32 are respective pairs of intermeshing gears 88.
  • the two gears 22 and 23 mesh with the gear 20 and are mounted on the respective shafts 24 and 25.
  • the gears 26 and 28 are also mounted on the respective shafts 24 and 25 ( Figure 2).
  • the gears 26 and 28 mesh with the respective further gears 30 and 32 mounted on the respective shafts 34 and 35.
  • the shafts 24/34 and 25/35 rotate respective pulleys or sprockets 36 and 37 for driving two sides of the respective conveyors 12 and 14.
  • a one-way clutch 38 is operatively connected between each of the gears 22 and 23 and its associated shaft 24 or 25, to drive the conveyors 12 and 14 asynchronously via the shafts 24/34 and 25/35 in one direction, depending upon the direction of rotation of the reversible servo unit 18.
  • the apparatus 10 may have the gear 20 mesh directly with each of the gears 26 and 28, as shown in Figure 2A, with a clutch 38 operatively connected to each of the gears 26,30,28 and 32 and their respective shafts.
  • the gear device 80 comprises the pair 88 of intermeshing gears 26 and 30 and the gear device 82 comprises the pair 88 of intermeshing gears 28 and 32.
  • a servo unit such as the reversible servo unit 18, typically may be variably accelerated and decelerated by virtue of an associated reversible servo unit controller, represented as 18' in Figure 1, programmed to use a parabolic curve or cam emulation.
  • an associated reversible servo unit controller represented as 18' in Figure 1
  • the approach toward and departure from each dwell position of each of the conveyors 12 and 14 assumes a controlled motion, serving to minimize "slosh" of the product within the liquid-carrying containers C during the intermittent conveying thereof.
  • the apparatus 10A includes (1) the pair of side-by-side indexing conveyors 12A and 14A, also adapted to receive and convey containers C; and (2) a drive system 40 adapted to asynchronously drive the indexing conveyors 12A and 14A during the processing of the containers.
  • the system 40 includes a uni-directionally rotating driver unit 42, which may be electrical, such as a step motor or a servo motor.
  • a crank arm 44 is connected to the driver unit 42 for rotation therewith.
  • a link 46 is pivotally connected between the distal end of the crank arm 44 and a two-sided toothed rack 48 and is adapted to move the rack 48 longitudinally back and forth.
  • the toothed rack 48 meshes at one side thereof with a gear 50 of the gear device 80 and at the other side thereof with a gear 52 of the gear device 82.
  • a one-way clutch which may be a ratchet-and-pawl, represented as 54, is operatively connected to each of the gears 50 and 52.
  • the gear device 80 comprises the gear 50 and gears 55 and 56, whilst the gear device 82 comprises the gear 52 and gears 64, 66 and 68.
  • the shaft arrangement 84 comprises the shafts 58 and 60, whilst the shaft arrangement 86 comprises the shafts 62, 67 and 69.
  • the gear device 80 includes the pair 88 of intermeshing gears 55 and 56 and the gear device 82 includes the pair 88 of intermeshing gears 66 and 68.
  • a servo controller represented as 40', is programmed to use a parabolic curve or cam emulation to control acceleration and deceleration, and, thereby, minimize liquid product slosh in the containers as they are being transferred from station to station.
  • the toothed rack 48 may be driven mechanically, such as by a cam, an indexer, or a geneva mechanism, represented as 48', machined to produce the required motion and driven by a constant speed drive motor.
  • the gears 50 and 55 are mounted on the same shaft 58.
  • the gear 55 meshes with the gear 56 mounted on the shaft 60.
  • the gears 55 and 56 rotate pulleys or sprockets 61 mounted on the respective shafts 58 and 60 for driving the two sides of the conveyor 12A carrying containers C therebetween on the pull stroke of the rack 48.
  • the gear 52 is mounted on the shaft 62.
  • the gear 64 is also mounted on the shaft 62 and meshes with the gear 66.
  • the latter gear 66 is mounted on the shaft 67 and meshes with the gear 68 mounted on the shaft 69.
  • the gears 66 and 68 rotate pulleys or sprockets 70 mounted on the respective shafts 67 and 69 for driving the two sides of the conveyor 14A, also carrying containers C therebetween, on the push stroke of the rack 48.
  • the one-way clutches 54 operatively connected between the gears 50 and 52 and their respective associated shafts 58 and 62 serve to drive the conveyors 12A and 14A asynchronously via the shafts 58/60 and 67/69 in one direction, depending upon the direction of movement of the rack 48.
  • the apparatus 10A may have the rack 48 mesh directly with each of the gears 55 and 64, with clutches 54 operatively connected between the gears 55,56,66 and 68 and their respective shafts 48,60,67 and 69.
  • the gear device 80 comprises the pair 88 of intermeshing gears 55 and 56, whilst the gear device 82 comprises the pair 88 of intermeshing gears 66 and 68 and the third gear 64.
  • the shaft arrangement 84 comprises the shafts 58 and 60, whilst the shaft arrangement 86 comprises the shafts 62,67 and 69.
  • the container-conveying apparatus 10,10A each comprise two conveyors 12,14; 12A, 14A.
  • other embodiments may include only a single conveyor. Therefore, for the sake of simplicity, the remainder of this description will refer only to conveyor 12 relative to the embodiments of Figures 1,2 and 2A and only to conveyor 12A relative to the embodiments of Figures 3,4 and 4A. Except where stated otherwise, all description relating to elements of the embodiments of Figures 1,2 and 2A is intended to apply equally to corresponding elements of the embodiments of Figures 3,4 and 4A.
  • the conveyor 12, 12A is configured to engage releasably a plurality of the containers C and the drive system 16,40 is operatively connected to the conveyor 12,12A.
  • the drive system 16,40 is configured to schedule conveyor motion and the motion of any containers C engaged by the conveyor 12,12A according to a predetermined motion profile shown in Figures 6 and 7.
  • the drive system 16,40 successively moves the containers C in an open-topped condition first to a filling station schematically shown at 120,120A in Figures 1 and 3, respectively, where they are filled with liquid.
  • the drive system 16,40 then moves the containers C to other stations including a top-sealing station schematically shown at 122,122A in Figures 1 and 3, respectively, where the open tops of the containers C are closed and sealed.
  • discontinuous acceleration curves such as the constant acceleration curve shown in Figure 7 are preferable to some of the standard continuous acceleration curves such as the modified sine curve shown in Figure 8 because the discontinuous acceleration curves deliver lower maximum slosh angles 6 during the dwell and move portions of each indexing period.
  • One explanation for this phenomenon is that, for a given amount of force applied over the move portion of an indexing period, the maximum or peak acceleration of a discontinuous acceleration curve is generally lower than that of a continuous acceleration curve because the maximum acceleration value of the corresponding motion profile is reached almost instantaneously.
  • acceleration remains constant at the maximum value until the end of the move portion of the indexing period.
  • acceptable results can be obtained with any number of other discontinuous acceleration curves to include those corresponding to position profiles described by one or more 7 th order polynomial equations.
  • the drive system 16,40 may comprise a uni-directionally rotating driver unit 48' in Figure 3 in the form of a cam operatively connected to a constant speed drive motor, the cam having cam profile characteristics that cause the conveyor 12 to advance intermittently according to a predetermined optimum motion profile.
  • the cam may be specially machined as part of an otherwise commercially available indexer.
  • the operating speed of the apparatus 10 is the cycle rate at which indexing periods 124 are repeated as can be expressed in cycles per minute, or cam rotations per minute.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Specific Conveyance Elements (AREA)
  • Filling Of Jars Or Cans And Processes For Cleaning And Sealing Jars (AREA)
  • Basic Packing Technique (AREA)
EP03019708A 1998-06-23 1999-06-23 Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Förderung Withdrawn EP1378452A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US09/102,782 US6129204A (en) 1998-06-23 1998-06-23 Machine for asynchronously operating dual indexing conveyors
US102782 1998-06-23
US19963098A 1998-11-25 1998-11-25
US199630 1998-11-25
EP19990304923 EP0967150B1 (de) 1998-06-23 1999-06-23 Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Fördern

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19990304923 Division EP0967150B1 (de) 1998-06-23 1999-06-23 Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Fördern

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1378452A1 true EP1378452A1 (de) 2004-01-07

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EP19990304923 Expired - Lifetime EP0967150B1 (de) 1998-06-23 1999-06-23 Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Fördern
EP03019708A Withdrawn EP1378452A1 (de) 1998-06-23 1999-06-23 Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Förderung

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EP19990304923 Expired - Lifetime EP0967150B1 (de) 1998-06-23 1999-06-23 Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Fördern

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EP (2) EP0967150B1 (de)
JP (1) JP2000025925A (de)
DE (1) DE69913250T2 (de)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE10356073A1 (de) * 2003-12-01 2005-07-07 Sig Technology Ltd. Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum discontinuierlichen Befüllen von taktweise hintereinander transportierten oben offenen Behältern

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102014214696A1 (de) 2014-07-25 2016-01-28 Robert Bosch Gmbh Vorrichtung zum Transport eines Behältnisses relativ zu einer Füllstation
CN116788870B (zh) * 2023-08-16 2023-11-07 常州峰和智能环保装备有限公司 用于脱硝加工的输送装置

Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2628010A (en) 1948-01-02 1953-02-10 Ray Carlo Apparatus for automatically continuously and alternately supplying a flowable commodity to alternately movable cartons carried in parallel lines
US2857787A (en) 1955-05-26 1958-10-28 Rca Corp Plural turret machine
US3295664A (en) * 1962-08-10 1967-01-03 Fmc Corp Conveyor drive mechanism
US3486423A (en) 1966-06-03 1969-12-30 Illinois Creamery Supply Co Machine for automatically forming,filling,closing and sealing plastic coated gable top cartons of paperboard or the like
US4354086A (en) 1977-06-10 1982-10-12 Paul Opprecht Automated can resistance welder
EP0217282A1 (de) * 1985-10-03 1987-04-08 AB Tetra Pak Verfahren und Maschine zur Herstellung von Verpackungsbehältern
US5385003A (en) 1993-09-08 1995-01-31 Mahaffy & Harder Engineering Co. Method and apparatus for moving and closing packaging trays
US5419099A (en) 1993-06-11 1995-05-30 Osgood Industries, Inc. Servo-drive container conveying system
US5826406A (en) 1997-05-01 1998-10-27 Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance, S.A. Servo-controlled conveyor system for carrying liquid filled containers

Patent Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2628010A (en) 1948-01-02 1953-02-10 Ray Carlo Apparatus for automatically continuously and alternately supplying a flowable commodity to alternately movable cartons carried in parallel lines
US2857787A (en) 1955-05-26 1958-10-28 Rca Corp Plural turret machine
US3295664A (en) * 1962-08-10 1967-01-03 Fmc Corp Conveyor drive mechanism
US3486423A (en) 1966-06-03 1969-12-30 Illinois Creamery Supply Co Machine for automatically forming,filling,closing and sealing plastic coated gable top cartons of paperboard or the like
US4354086A (en) 1977-06-10 1982-10-12 Paul Opprecht Automated can resistance welder
EP0217282A1 (de) * 1985-10-03 1987-04-08 AB Tetra Pak Verfahren und Maschine zur Herstellung von Verpackungsbehältern
US4790123A (en) 1985-10-03 1988-12-13 Ab Tetra Pak Method and a machine for the manufacturing of packing containers
US5419099A (en) 1993-06-11 1995-05-30 Osgood Industries, Inc. Servo-drive container conveying system
US5385003A (en) 1993-09-08 1995-01-31 Mahaffy & Harder Engineering Co. Method and apparatus for moving and closing packaging trays
US5826406A (en) 1997-05-01 1998-10-27 Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance, S.A. Servo-controlled conveyor system for carrying liquid filled containers

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE10356073A1 (de) * 2003-12-01 2005-07-07 Sig Technology Ltd. Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum discontinuierlichen Befüllen von taktweise hintereinander transportierten oben offenen Behältern
DE10356073B4 (de) * 2003-12-01 2007-02-15 Sig Technology Ltd. Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Befüllen von oben offenen Getränkebehältern

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69913250D1 (de) 2004-01-15
EP0967150B1 (de) 2003-12-03
DE69913250T2 (de) 2004-09-09
EP0967150A1 (de) 1999-12-29
JP2000025925A (ja) 2000-01-25

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