Cap orientation

• US 10,640,351 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2016
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance SA (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Original Assignee: Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance SA (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Inventors: Virgili, Magnus, Berg, Hakan
• Primary Examiner(s): Stinson, Chelsea E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Song, Himchan "Aiden"
• Application Number:
  US15/571,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20180086616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 53490, 53317, 533315, 53 75, 53 76
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 3/20 by applying and rotating preformed threaded caps forming threads in situ by resilient deforming means B67B3/16, by rotary capping heads B67B3/18
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 3/264 positioning of the caps

Abstract

A method and apparatus for applying a cap to a container may include arranging a first cap in relation to the neck portion of a first container, such that a threaded portion of the first cap faces a complementary threaded neck portion of the first container. Further, a symmetry axis of the first cap and a symmetry axis of the neck portion of the first container may be aligned. The first cap may be rotated around its symmetry axis to a pre-recorded initial angular position. The first cap may be applied to the neck portion by moving the cap towards the threaded neck portion or vice versa along their symmetry axes and by rotating the first cap in a direction of engagement with the threaded neck part. A path length of the first cap may be recorded in relation to its initial angular position after which it has completely engaged the complementary threaded neck portion and reached a bottom part of the neck portion. If the recorded path length for the first cap deviates from a predefined value, the initial angular position of a second cap may be adjusted to a new initial angular position.

Claims

1. A method of applying a cap to a container, the method comprising:

arranging a first cap in relation to a neck of a first container such that a threaded portion of the first cap faces a complementary threaded portion of the neck of the first container and such that a first axis extending through a center of the first cap aligns with a second axis extending through a center of the neck of the first container;

rotating the first cap around the first axis to a first angular position;

applying the first cap to the neck by moving the threaded portion of the first cap towards the complementary threaded portion of the neck of the first container or by moving the complementary threaded portion of the neck of the first container towards the threaded portion of the first cap along the aligned first and second axes and by rotating the threaded portion of the first cap about the first axis in a direction of engagement with the complementary threaded portion of the neck of the first container;

recording, with a processing unit, a path length of the first cap with respect to the first angular position, the path length representative of an angular rotation of the first cap about the first axis from the first angular position to a final angular position, wherein, at the final angular position, the threaded portion of the first cap completely engages the complementary threaded portion of the neck of the first container and the first cap reaches a bottom part of the neck of the first container;

comparing, with the processing unit, the recorded path length of the first cap with a threshold value; and

determining a second angular position of a second cap with respect to the first angular position of the first cap and rotating the second cap through an angle increment to a third angular position when the recorded path length of the first cap deviates from the threshold value, wherein the step of determining the second angular position of the second cap is performed by the processing unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the angle increment is 60°

.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rotation of the second cap is performed after a plurality of caps after the first cap have been applied to a neck of a corresponding container.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising adjusting angular positions of the plurality of caps with respect to the first angular position of the first cap in predefined incremental rotational angle steps subsequent to the step of recording the path length of the first cap.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the predefined incremental rotational angle steps comprise steps of 10 degrees from a relative angular position of a previous cap.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

recording a plurality of path lengths of the plurality of caps after application to the neck of the corresponding container;

determining a standard deviation of the plurality of path lengths; and

comparing the standard deviation with the threshold value.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the threshold value is +/−

60°

.

16. The method according to claim 6, wherein the threshold value is +/−

45°

.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the angle increment is 10°

.

8. An apparatus for applying a cap to a container, the apparatus comprising:

a cap holder configured to arrange a first cap in relation to a neck of a first container such that a threaded portion of the first cap faces a complementary threaded portion of the neck of the first container and such that a first axis extending through a center of the cap holder aligns with a second axis extending through a center of the neck of the first container;

a drive unit configured to rotate the cap holder and the first cap around the first axis to a first angular position, the drive unit further configured to apply the first cap to the threaded portion of the neck of the first container by instructing the cap holder to move the first cap in a direction of engagement with the threaded portion of the neck of the first container; and

a processing unit configured to;

record a path length of the first cap with respect to the first angular position, said path length representative of an angular rotation of the first cap about the first axis from the first angular position to a final angular position, wherein, at the final angular position, the threaded portion of the first cap completely engages the threaded portion of the neck of the first container and the first cap reaches a bottom part of the neck of the first container;

compare the recorded path length of the first cap with a threshold value; and

determine a second angular position of the cap holder for a second cap with respect to the first angular position and instruct the cap holder to rotate the second cap through an angle increment to a third angular position when the recorded path length of the first cap deviates from the threshold value.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the drive unit is further configured to move the cap holder from a cap feeding position to a cap application position.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the cap application position is a position where the first axis of the cap holder and the second axis of the neck of the first container are aligned.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a cap application unit configured to provide the first cap to the cap holder when the cap holder is in the cap feeding position.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the drive unit is further configured to rotate the first cap until engagement with a cap application unit carrying the first cap.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processing unit is further configured to register the first angular position of the cap holder and thus the first cap during engagement with the cap application unit.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the angle increment is 60°

.

15. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the angle increment is 10°

.