APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING CONTAINERS HAVING A MAGNETIC DRIVE

• US 20160114988A1
• Filed: 06/03/2014
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Original Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Inventors: UNTERSEHER, JOSEF
• Granted Patent: US 9,701,487 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/847 the article-engaging elements being grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 54/02 electrostatic, electric, or magnetic

Abstract

An apparatus for transporting containers, having a circumferential transport path and at least one transport element which is arranged such as to be movable relative to this circumferential transport path, wherein this transport element can be driven at least partially by means of a magnetic force, wherein the transport path has a plurality of magnetic elements and at least one magnetizable element is also arranged on the transport element, and wherein a movement of the transport element relative to the transport path can be achieved by actuating the magnetic elements of the transport path is provided. According to the invention, an electrically operated working element, which can be supplied inductive with electrical energy, is arranged on the transport element.

Claims

1. An Apparatus for transporting containers, having a transport path and at least one transport element which is arranged such as to be movable relative to this transport path, wherein this transport element can be driven at least partially by a magnetic force, wherein the transport path has a plurality of magnetic elements and at least one magnetizable element is also arranged on the transport element, and wherein a movement of the transport element relative to the transport path can be achieved by actuating the magnetic elements of the transport path, wherein

an electrically operated working element, which can be supplied inductive with electrical energy, is arranged on the transport element.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one coil element is provided on the transport element, which coil element serves for providing the electrical energy to the working element.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the magnetic elements of the transport path are electromagnets.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic elements of the transport path also serve for the electrical supply to the working element.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus has a control device which supplies the magnetic elements with a movement-generating voltage, by which a movement of the transport elements is brought about, and/or which supplies the magnetic elements with an activator voltage which supplies the working element with electrical energy.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the activator voltage has a higher frequency than the movement-generating voltage.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transport path has a plurality of coil elements for supplying the magnetic elements.

8. A method for transporting containers, wherein the containers are moved by a plurality of transport elements along a transport path, wherein the transport path has a plurality of magnetic elements, and wherein the movement of the transport elements along the transport path is generated by a magnetic force, wherein at least one magnetizable element is also arranged on the transport elements, which magnetizable element serves for the movement of the transport elements along the transport path, wherein at least one working element which can be operated by electrical energy is arranged on at least one transport element, and this at least one working element is also supplied inductive with electrical energy.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the magnetic elements are supplied with a movement-generating voltage, by which the movement of the transport elements is brought about, and with an activator voltage which supplies the drive device with electrical energy.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein a first magnetic field, which brings about the movement of the transport elements, is transmitted in a first predefined region in relation to the transport element and a second magnetic field, which supplies the drive device with electrical energy, is transmitted in a second region in relation to the transport element, and the two regions are offset relative to one another.