METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SCREW CAPPING VESSELS, IN PARTICULAR BOTTLES

• US 20110083405A1
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Original Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Inventors: BUCHHAUSER, KLAUS, FRANKENBERGER, GÜNTER, DEWERT, ANDREAS
• Granted Patent: US 8,915,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/490
• 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 3/2033 comprising carousel co-rotating capping heads
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 3/208 Electrical means responsive to the torque applied and acting on motor control means, e.g. strain gauges or power measurement means B67B3/2093 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 3/26 Applications of control, warning, or safety devices in capping machinery

Abstract

A method and a device for screw capping vessels, in particular bottles, by measuring the power consumption of a linear drive system for lifting and lowering the closing head in a pick phase for picking up the respective closing cap and/or in a screw phase for screwing on the closing cap being, and by comparing that measured power consumption with at least one characteristic value of the power consumption to detect an imminent or occurred incorrect closure. In this manner, vessels can be closed at a low error rate and possibly incorrectly closed vessels can be discharged from a continuous product stream at a low error rate.

Claims

1. Method for screw capping vessels, in particular bottles, comprising:

screwing closing caps onto a vessel to be closed with a closing head coupled each to a motor-driven linear drive system (L) and a motor-driven rotatory drive system (R),

measuring the power consumption (I_L) of the linear drive system (L) in a pick phase (P₁) for picking up the respective closing cap and/or in a screw phase (P₂) for screwing on the closing cap, and

comparing the measured power consumption with at least one characteristic value of power consumption to detect an imminent or already occurred incorrect closure.

2. Method according to claim 1, and determining the position (y) of the closing head with respect to the linear axle (L′

) of the linear drive system (L).

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic value is an upper threshold value (I₁) of the power consumption (I_L) in the pick phase (P₁).

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic value is a lower threshold value (I₂) of the power consumption (I_L) in the pick phase (P₁).

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic value is a characteristic peak (S₁) of the power consumption (I_L) in the pick phase (P₁), and that it is verified whether the characteristic peak (S₁) occurs in the pick phase (P₁).

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic value is an upper threshold value (I₃) of the power consumption (I_L) in the screw phase (P₂).

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic value is a characteristic peak (S₂) of the power consumption (I_L) in the screw phase (P₂), and that by means of the characteristic peak (S₂), determining a starting position (y₃) of thc closing head at the beginning of the thread formed by the closing cap and the vessel mouth.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein by means of the starting position (y₃) at the thread begin, calculating a lower desired end position (y₄) of the closing head, and comparing the power consumption (I_L) with a further characteristic value of the power consumption (I_L) when the desired end position (y₄) is reached.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein the further characteristic value is a lower threshold value (I₄) of the power consumption (I_L) in the screw phase (P₂).

10. Method according to claim 1, and feeding the vessels as a continuous product stream, and discharging vessels detected as incorrectly closed from the product stream.

15. Method according to claim 7, and wherein the characteristic peak (S₂) of the power consumption (I_L) in the screw phase (P₂) is during rotation against the closing direction.

11. Device for screw capping vessels, in particular bottles, comprising:

at least one closing head for picking up and screwing on a closing cap onto a vessel;

a motor-driven linear drive system (L) for lifting and lowering the closing head along a linear axle (L′

);

a motor-driven rotatory drive system (R) for rotating the closing head about an axis of rotation (R′

);

a measuring means for measuring the power consumption (I_L) of the linear drive system (L); and

an evaluation means for comparing the power consumption (I_L) measured during picking up and/or screwing on the closing cap with a characteristic value of the power consumption (I_L) to detect an imminent incorrect closure or an incorrect closure.

12. Device according to claim 11, and a monitoring means for determining the position (y) of the closing head with respect to the linear axle (L′

).

13. Device according to claim 11, and a discharge device for discharging incorrectly closed vessels.

14. Device according to claim 11, and a control device which can control the linear drive system (L) and the rotatory drive system (R) such that only closing caps for which no imminent incorrect closure has been detected are screwed on.