METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SEPARATING AND TRANSFERRING PELLETS

• US 20180141689A1
• Filed: 01/18/2018
• Published: 05/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harro Hoefliger Verpackungsmaschinen Gmbh
• Original Assignee: Harro Hoefliger Verpackungsmaschinen Gmbh
• Inventors: Wolf, Achim, Wolf, Stefan, Seyfang, Karlheinz
• Granted Patent: US 10,556,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 37/14 by pneumatic feeders
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 37/16 Separating measured quantities from supply in container-filling machines B65B1/30, B65B3/26

Abstract

A pellet column is formed in a metering duct. The lowermost pellet is located in a connection point where an outlet duct is connected to the metering duct and leads transversely away therefrom. A first duct, which opens into the metering duct via a first duct mouth above the connection point, is impinged with negative pressure, wherein a pellet is suctioned onto the first duct mouth and is fixed thereto. This pellet acts as a block for the pellets thereabove. A second duct, which opens into the connection point via a second duct mouth, is impinged with positive pressure, wherein the pellet at the connection point is pneumatically ejected via the outlet duct and supplied to a container. After the ejection of the lowermost pellet, the negative pressure in the first duct is switched off such that the pellet held at the first duct mouth advances toward the connection point.

Claims

1. A method for separating and transferring pellets into a target container, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a supply of pellets in a storage space;

directing the pellets from the storage space into a metering duct that leads out of the storage space downward and is vertically oriented in such a manner that a column of pellets that lie on top of one another is formed in the metering duct, wherein a lowermost pellet of the column of pellets is located in a connection point, and wherein an outlet duct is connected to the metering duct at the connection point and leads transversely away from the metering duct;

impinging a first pressure differential duct, which opens into the metering duct via a first duct mouth above the connection point, with negative pressure, wherein a pellet is suctioned onto the first duct mouth and on account thereof is locationally fixed thereto, and wherein this suctioned pellet acts as a block for the pellets located thereabove;

impinging a second pressure differential duct, which opens into the connection point via a second duct mouth, with positive pressure, wherein the pellet that is located in the connection point is pneumatically ejected by way of the outlet duct and supplied to the target container; and

,

switching off the negative pressure in the first pressure differential duct after the pneumatic ejection of the lowermost pellet such that the pellet that is locationally fixed at the first duct mouth moves on toward the connection point and a new lowermost pellet is located in the connection point.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of impinging the second pressure differential duct with negative pressure so as to cause the lowermost pellet to be suctioned onto the second duct mouth prior to the pneumatic ejection.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the suctioning of the pellet that acts as a block onto the first duct mouth and the suctioning of the lowermost pellet onto the second duct mouth are performed in a temporally alternating manner.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of impinging the first pressure differential duct with positive pressure for facilitating the advancement of the pellet held at the first duct mouth.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the case of an impingement of at least one of the first pressure differential duct and the second pressure differential duct by positive pressure, a protective gas is directed into the corresponding one of the metering duct and the outlet duct.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of monitoring a pressure in at least one of the first pressure differential duct and the second pressure differential duct.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of monitoring a flow rate in at least one of the first pressure differential duct and the second pressure differential duct.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

monitoring a pressure in at least one of the first pressure differential duct and the second pressure differential duct; and

,

monitoring a flow rate in at least one of the first pressure differential duct and the second pressure differential duct.

9. A singularization device comprising:

a storage space for pellets;

a metering duct leading downward from said storage space and being vertically oriented;

an outlet duct connected to said metering duct at a connection point and leading transversely away from said metering duct;

at least one first pressure differential duct opening into said metering duct above said connection point via a first duct mouth;

a second pressure differential duct opening into said connection point via a second duct mouth;

said first pressure differential duct being configured to be impinged with negative pressure;

said second pressure differential duct being configured to be impinged with positive pressure;

a negative pressure source configured to impinge said first pressure differential duct with negative pressure so as to cause a pellet to be suctioned onto said first duct mouth and become locationally fixed thereat so as to act as a block for pellets located therabove;

a positive pressure source configured to impinge said second pressure differential duct with positive pressure so as to pneumatically eject a lowermost pellet located at said connection point via said outlet duct and to supply the pellet to a target container; and

,

said negative pressure source being configured to cease impinging said first pressure differential duct with negative pressure after the pneumatic ejection of the lowermost pellet so as to cause the pellet locationally fixed at said first duct mouth to move toward said connection point.

10. The singularization device of claim 9, wherein:

said first duct mouth and said second duct mouth are arranged at a mutual height differential (AH);

the pellets have a mean diameter (D); and

,

said mutual height differential (AH) is an integer multiple of said mean diameter (D).

11. The singularization device of claim 10, wherein said integer multiple is one.

12. The singularization device of claim 9, wherein the singularization device comprises a plurality of first pressure differential ducts each having a corresponding first duct mouth.

13. The singularization device of claim 9, wherein a plurality of singularization devices are interconnected in a modular manner.

14. The singularization device of claim 13, wherein:

each singularization device has a main body;

each main body has an external surface; and

,

at least one of said storage space, said metering duct, said outlet duct, said first pressure differential duct and said second pressure differential duct is incorporated into said external surface of said main body and is closed by a corresponding one of said main bodies of a neighboring singularization device.

15. The singularization device of claim 13, wherein the singularization devices each have a cuboid-shaped main body and are interconnected in a linear sequence.

16. The singularization device of claim 13, wherein:

the singularization devices each have main bodies;

said main bodies have a footprint shaped as circular segments; and

,

the singularization devices are interconnected in the shape of a circle or in the shape of circular segments.

17. A singularization device comprising:

a storage space for pellets;

a metering duct leading downward from said storage space and being vertically oriented;

an outlet duct connected to said metering duct at a connection point and leading transversely away from said metering duct;

at least one first pressure differential duct opening into said metering duct above said connection point via a first duct mouth;

a second pressure differential duct opening into said connection point via a second duct mouth;

said first pressure differential duct being configured to be impinged with negative pressure; and

,

said second pressure differential duct being configured to be impinged with positive pressure.