CAP ORIENTATION

• US 20180086616A1
• Filed: 05/03/2016
• Published: 03/29/2018
• 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, Hkan
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,351 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 for applying a cap to a container, the method comprising:

arranging a first cap in relation to a neck portion of a first container, such that threaded portion of the first cap faces a complementary threaded neck portion of the first container and such that a symmetry axis of the first cap and a symmetry axis of the neck portion of the first container are aligned;

rotating the first cap around its symmetry axis to a pre-recorded initial angular position;

applying the first cap 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;

recording a path length of the first cap 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; and

adjusting a relative angular position of a second cap in relation to the initial angular position to a new relative angular position if the recorded path length of the first cap deviates from a threshold value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the relative angular position of the second cap to the new relative angular position is adjusted by a predefined value away from the initial angular position of the first cap.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment of the relative angular position of the second cap is performed after a predefined number of caps after the first cap have been applied to a neck portion of a corresponding container.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising adjusting the relative angular position of a plurality of caps subsequent to the first cap in predefined incremental rotational angle steps.

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 1, wherein the threshold value is a standard deviation for the recorded path length.

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

60°

from the initial angular position of a previous cap and more preferably +/−

45°

.

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

a holder configured for arranging a first cap in relation to a 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, and such that a symmetry axis of the holder and a symmetry axis of the neck portion of the first container are aligned;

a drive unit configured for rotating the holder and thus the first cap around its symmetry axis to a prerecorded initial angular position, the drive unit being further configured to apply the first cap to the threaded neck portion of the first container by instructing the holder to move the first cap in a direction of engagement with the threaded neck part; and

a processing unit configured for recording a path length of the first cap in relation to its initial angular position after which the first cap has completely engaged the threaded neck portion of the first container and reached a bottom part of the neck portion, wherein the processing unit is further configured to instruct the drive unit to adjust the relative angular position of the holder for a second cap to a new relative angular position if the recorded path length of the first cap deviates from a predefined threshold value.

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

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

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a feeding unit configured for feeding the first cap into the holder when the 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 feeder unit carrying the first cap.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit is further configured for registering the angular position of the holder and thus the cap during engagement with the feeder as the initial angular position.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit is further configured to instruct the drive unit to rotate the holder around the symmetry axis to adjust the relative angular position of a second cap to a new initial position if the path length of the first cap deviates from the predefined threshold value.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the processing unit is further configured to instruct the drive unit to adjust the relative angular position of the second cap by a predefined angular value away from the initial angular position of the first cap.