METHOD OF OPERATING AN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING DRINKING STRAWS TO PACKAGING CONTAINERS AND AN APPARATUS OPERATED BY THE METHOD

• US 20170327261A1
• Filed: 11/27/2015
• Published: 11/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2014
• 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: Zarur, Ashraf, Karlsson, Bjrn
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,252 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/08 and operating to stop, or to control the speed of, the machine as a whole
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/205 for adding drinking straws to a container

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of operating an apparatus for applying drinking straws to packaging containers. The method comprises the step of moving a drinking straw carrier from an application position to the leaving position, in a packaging container moving direction, maintaining a velocity in that direction being equal to a constant velocity of a first conveyor. The invention also relates to an apparatus being operated according to the method.

Claims

1. A method of operating an apparatus for applying drinking straws to packaging containers, wherein said apparatus includes:

a drive means adapted for conveying drinking straws wrapped in protective envelopes to a picking position,

an application device further including at least one applicator arm, said applicator arm having a base end point arranged for eccentric, substantially circular rotation round a rotation point, the rotation point being connected to a drive unit adapted to provide a rotational velocity, wherein the applicator arm has a spring-loaded pivot point around which at least an outer portion of the applicator arm can rotate, said outer portion having a drinking straw carrier adapted to carry a drinking straw, wherein said at least one applicator arm is adapted to pick a drinking straw with envelope from the drive at the picking position and carry the drinking straw to an application position, where the drinking straw is adapted to come into contact with a wall of the packaging container, and further to a leaving position, where the at least one applicator arm leaves the drinking straw on the packaging container,

a first conveyor adapted for conveying packaging containers, at a substantially constant velocity, along a packaging container moving direction, wherein

the application device and the first conveyor are arranged such in relation to each other that, upon application of the drinking straw towards the wall of the packaging container, at the application position, the outer portion of the applicator arm will be forced to rotate around the spring-loaded pivot point thereby creating a force pushing the drinking straw towards the wall of the packaging container,

said method comprising;

moving the drinking straw carrier from the application position to the leaving position, in the packaging container moving direction,

maintaining a velocity in the packaging container moving direction being equal to the constant velocity of the first conveyor,

keeping the drinking straw at the same position on the wall of the packaging container, by accelerating or decelerating the rotational velocity of the drive unit to compensate for changes in velocity of the drinking straw carrier, in the packaging container moving direction, due to a changing velocity component, in the packaging container moving direction, of an eccentric rotation round the rotation point and the rotation of at least the outer portion of the applicator arm around the pivot point.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration or deceleration of the rotational velocity of the drive unit is adjusted continuously or gradually in correspondence with the variation of the velocity components, in the packaging container moving direction, of the eccentric rotation round the rotation point and the rotation of at least the outer portion of the applicator arm around the pivot point.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the drinking straw carrier is at the application position, the rotational velocity is decelerated.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the drinking straw carrier is at the leaving position, the rotational velocity is accelerated.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further includes the step of starting accelerating before the drinking straw carrier has reached the application position.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further includes the step of controlling the acceleration and the deceleration by a control device, which control device is connected to the drive unit of the application device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further includes the step of keeping a substantially constant velocity of the first conveyor during operation of the apparatus.

8. An apparatus for applying drinking straws to packaging containers, said apparatus comprises:

a drive adapted for conveying drinking straws wrapped in protective envelopes to a picking position,

an application device which comprises at least one applicator arm, said applicator arm having a base end point arranged for eccentric, substantially circular rotation round a rotation point, the rotation point being connected to a drive unit adapted to provide a rotational velocity, wherein the applicator arm comprises a spring-loaded pivot point around which at least an outer portion of the applicator arm can rotate, said outer portion comprising a drinking straw carrier adapted to carry a drinking straw, said at least one applicator arm is adapted to pick a drinking straw with envelope from the drive means at the picking position and carry the drinking straw to an application position where the drinking straw is adapted to come into contact with a wall of the packaging container, and further to a leaving position where the at least one applicator arm leaves the drinking straw on the packaging container,

a first conveyor adapted for conveying packaging containers, at a substantially constant velocity, along a packaging container moving direction, wherein,

the application device and the first conveyor are arranged such in relation to each other that, upon application of the drinking straw towards the wall of the packaging container, at the application position, the outer portion of the applicator arm will be forced to rotate around the spring-loaded pivot point thereby creating a force pushing the drinking straw towards the wall of the packaging container, wherein said apparatus is adapted to be operated according to the method of claim 1.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the base end point of the applicator arm comprises the spring-loaded pivot point.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the applicator arm comprises a first portion and a second, outer portion, and that the first portion comprises the base end point and that the first and second portions are rotatably connected at the pivot point, the base end point and the pivot point being separated.