Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor system for moving a specific load as a separate unit – System includes a rotating or endless carrier with a load...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-16
2001-04-03
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor system for moving a specific load as a separate unit
System includes a rotating or endless carrier with a load...
C198S474100, C198S476100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209710
ABSTRACT:
The invention is in the field of conveying techniques and concerns a conveying method according to the generic part of the first independent claim and a device for carrying out the method. The inventive method and the device for carrying it out are designed for conveying containers in a hanging position, which containers comprise a defined bottom upon which bottom they can stand individually and, opposite to the bottom an area with an opening, in particular shaped as a neck and head portion, whereby the cross section of the neck portion is smaller than the cross section of the head portion. Such containers are e.g. bottles made of plastic or glass as they are used in wholesale and retail trade for beverages and other liquid materials.
Filled and sealed bottles and similar containers according to the definition above are normally conveyed standing in an upright position. They are conveyed with on conveying means normally consisting of conveying elements. These conveying elements are e.g. moved along a conveying line with the help of a chain to which they are fixed. However, as the conveyed bottles stand individually and quite freely on such conveying lines it is impossible to integrate any slopes with a gradient worth mentioning into such conveying lines. Therefore, they are normally kept at about working height and lead through the production and filling areas substantially horizontally thus forming for people and vehicles, significant obstructions in the approach to the processing stations.
Although bottles conveyed with the aid of conveying means as mentioned above can be conveyed in line one after the other by guiding them laterally, it is hardly possible to keep them apart by a constant distance, which constitutes a further disadvantage of the conveying means. Especially when placing the bottles onto such a conveying means or when transferring them from one conveying means to a next one having a possibly different conveying speed, blocking and mutual interference of the bottles can occur.
The bottles touch and rub against each other when guided laterally as well as when blocking as mentioned above. In many cases this is a problem, particularly for bottles with stuck-on labels and even more particularly directly after the labels have been stuck on.
For preventing the disadvantages of conveying the containers standing on conveyors, other conveying methods have been developed in which the containers are conveyed, at least in parts of a conveying path, held in a hanging position by a gripper each. The grippers are arranged on a transport chain with regular distances between each other. For taking over the containers with the grippers, containers and grippers are conveyed in absolute synchronism. During this synchronous conveyance each gripper travels perpendicular to the conveying direction being lowered onto the container to be gripped (e.g. as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,058) or approaching the container to be gripped from one side (e.g. as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,982). At the end of the gripper travel, the gripper is in a position in which it can be closed for gripping the container.
For transferring containers from one conveying means to another one, the conveying means e.g. being linear belt conveyors and/or revolving conveyors, it is known to use revolving apparatuses equipped with grippers revolving on a substantially horizontal circle (e.g. as described in EP-0005402 or DE 19512515). The circle on which the grippers move is such arranged that it has in a taking-over and in a transfer location, a common tangent with the conveying means from which it takes the containers over and with the conveying means to which it transfers the containers. Container transfer in such a taking-over or transfer location is carried out without gripper travel as described above.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method with which containers having a defined bottom and an opening area (the opening being open or closed) substantially opposite to the bottom are taken over by individual holding means, are conveyed held in a hanging position along a conveying path having, within very wide limits a freely selectable course, and are delivered at the end of the conveying path. Taking-over of the containers by the holding means is to be flying, i.e. without interruption of the continuous conveying. Delivering the containers from the holding means is to be easily adaptable to various conditions. For the whole of the method it is to be possible independent form the course of the conveying path to maintain a container position corresponding to the standing position.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device for carrying out the method. This device is to be simple and room saving and, regarding investment and operation not more costly than the known devices as mentioned further up. Furthermore, the inventive device is to be easily adaptable to different formats of containers to be conveyed, e.g. to different sizes of bottles.
This object is achieved by the method and the device as defined in the claims.
For taking-over according to the inventive method, the containers are fed to a takeover area in form of an orientated continuous stream along a container feeding path such that they enter the takeover area at a predetermined speed and with predetermined regular distances between each other. Thereby, the containers are in a standing position and the conveying force acts on their bottom.
Furthermore, a succession of equidistant individual holding means is fed to the takeover area along a curved path joining the container feeding path tangentially at the end of the takeover area whereby the holding means are fed into the stream of containers between two containers each. At entering the takeover area, the holding means have a speed different from the container feeding speed and during feeding, their speed is decreased or increased. This means that holding means and containers are conveyed, regarding speed, asynchronously through the takeover area. Thereby, conveyance of holding means and conveyance of containers are matched to each other such that each holding means reaches the container feeding speed when it is in a position in which it encircles a container, i.e. is in an at least potential holding position relative to this container (end of takeover area).
If necessary, the containers are aligned for being fed into the takeover area and given a predetermined feeding speed, whereby the distances between the containers are at the same time equalized (container timing).
If necessary, at the end of the takeover area, parts of each holding means are moved relative to each other for securing the hold of the holding means on the container.
For conveying, the containers each held by a holding means in a hanging position are transported along a conveying path which may run in any chosen direction in space, whereby the position of the holding means is variable relative to the orientation of the conveying path such that a container position corresponding to a standing position can be maintained.
At the end of the conveying path, the containers are released by the holding means in a delivery area and holding means and containers are conveyed away with separate conveying means. For separating holding means and containers, various methods are applicable according to the design of holding means and containers. These methods will be described further below.
The method will also work for a plurality of container feeding paths running in parallel, whereby the holding means are designed for holding and conveying more than one container. It is possible also to convey more holding means than containers into the takeover area such that only each nth holding means grips a container. It is possible also to arrange a plurality of takeover areas or delivery areas along a conveying path and to feed or deliver in each takeover or delivery area a regular sequence of containers (e.g. each third container) or controlled according to demand.
The inventive device substantially comprises of the fo
Kuenzler Ernst
Mueller Thomas
Ellis Christopher P.
IPT Weinfelden AG
Rankin, Hill Porter & Clark LLP
Tran Khoi H.
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