Device and method for the controlled orientation and/or controlled rotation of containers

• US 10,035,620 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KHS GmbH (Salzgitter AG)
• Original Assignee: KHS GmbH (Salzgitter AG)
• Inventors: Pau, Norman, Nitsch, Thomas, Lelie, Thomas, Dupper, Josef
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Douglas A
• Application Number:
  US15/314,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20170190455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 19837701, 1983771, 198394, 198411, 156567
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 17/02 Joining articles, e.g. cans, directly to each other for convenience of storage, transport, or handling
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 21/00 Packaging or unpacking of bottles bundling bottles B65B27/04
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/26 by rotary conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/58 Turning articles by positively-acting means, e.g. to present labelled portions in uppermost position
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/04 having means for rotating the articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/06 Devices for presenting articles in predetermined attitude or position at labelling station
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/067 for orienting articles having irregularities, e.g. holes, spots or markings, e.g. labels or imprints, the irregularities or markings being detected
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0244 Bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/244 by turning them about an axis substantially perpendicular to the conveying plane
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/80 Turntables carrying articles or materials to be transferred, e.g. combined with ploughs or scrapers

Abstract

A container-orienting device includes container-holder groups, each having rotatable container-holders separated from each other by at least one rotatable container-holder from another container-holder group such that no two rotatable container-holders from a particular container-holder group are next to each other. The device also has a plurality of drives, each of which rotates only container holders from a corresponding container-holder group. The container holders are organized into container-holder sequences, each of which comprises equal numbers of container holders from different container-holder groups arranged in a particular order. These sequences following one another along the conveying direction.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a device for controlled orientation and/or controlled rotation of containers, said device comprising a conveying element for moving the containers on an orientation and conveying section between a container intake point and a container discharge point in a direction of conveyance, a plurality of container holders that succeed one another in the direction of conveyance and that are rotation-controlled by drives so as to orient the containers by rotating or pivoting them about their container axes, wherein the container holders form at least two groups of container holders, wherein each group of container holders comprises at least two container holders wherein the container holders form at least two identical sequences that succeed one another in the direction of conveyance and in which container holders of different groups are interleaved with each other, and wherein a separate actuator or rotary drive by which container holders of the group concerned are rotated together under control is provided for each group of container holders.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the orientation and conveying section or a part of the orientation and conveying section forms an orientation segment, and wherein a length that the orientation segment extends in the direction of conveyance is equal or approximately equal to the length that the sequences of container holders each extend in the direction of conveyance and/or equal or approximately equal to the sum of the pitch distances of the container holders of a sequence of container holders.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the orientation and conveying section or a part of the orientation and conveying section forms an orientation segment, and wherein a length that the orientation segment extends in the direction of conveyance is at most equal to the length that the sequences of container holders each comprise in the direction of conveyance and/or at most equal to the sum of the pitch distances of the container holders of a sequence of container holders.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the length that the orientation segment extends in the direction of conveyance is less than the length that the sequences of container holders each extend in the direction of conveyance, and/or is less than the sum of the pitch distances of the container holders of a sequence of container holders.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each group of container holders is provided with a separate servo motor that is connected, for driving purposes, to the container holders of the group concerned by a band drive, chain drive or belt drive that is associated with the group concerned alone and/or by a gear mechanism that is associated with the group concerned alone.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the actuator or servo motor comprises, for each group of container holders, a separate drive wheel arranged coaxially with a machine axis for a band element, belt element or chain element of the belt or chain drive, and/or comprises, for each group of container holders a separate ring gear of the gear mechanism that is arranged coaxially with the machine axis.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container holders are container carriers for a suspended holding of the containers.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor for detecting the rotational position of the container holders and/or of the containers for the controlling of the rotary motion of the container.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conveying element is a rotor that can be driven to rotate about a vertical machine axis and on whose periphery the container holders are provided staggered at equal angular or pitch distances about the machine axis.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a system with which adhesive coatings are applied to regions of the containers that assume a given orientation so as to combine a plurality of containers into a pack by way of the adhesive coatings, wherein said device is a constituent of said system.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said groups comprise a first group and a second group, wherein a container holder from said first group is adjacent to at least two containers holders of said second group.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said container holders are turntables forming support surfaces for said containers.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each group of container holders is provided with a separate actuator that is connected to the container holders of the group concerned by a drive selected from the group consisting of a band drive, chain drive, and a belt drive, wherein said drive is associated with the group concerned alone.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each group of container holders is provided with a separate actuator that is connected to the container holders of the group concerned by a gear mechanism that is associated with the group concerned alone.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container holders comprise transport pockets.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a unit for orienting containers and for transferring said containers in a given orientation to a downstream device, wherein said device is a constituent of said unit.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a labeling machine having a labeling unit, wherein said device is a constituent of said labeling machine.

18. A method comprising placing first containers on container holders in a first group of container holders, placing second containers on container holders in a second group of container holders, using a first rotary drive, causing controlled rotation of the container holders in the first group of container holders as the container holders traverse an orientation segment, using a second rotary drive that is separate from said first rotary drive, causing controlled rotations of the containers in the second group of container holders as the container holders traverse the orientation segment, wherein said container holders in said first group extend along a direction of conveyance, wherein said container holders in said second group extend along said direction of conveyance, wherein each of said containers in said second group is adjacent to a container in said first group.