Patent ID: 11891206
Assignee: G.D S.P.A.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  A | IPC A  B

Claim 0:
1. A system for assembling and filling two groups of electronic cigarettes, comprising:
a first working station and a second working station configured to perform assembly and/or inspection operations on a first group of electronic cigarettes; the first working station and the second working station being disposed upstream and downstream of a first conveying path, respectively;
a third working station and a fourth working station configured to perform assembly and/or inspection operations on a second group of electronic cigarettes; the third working station and the fourth working station being disposed upstream and downstream of a second conveying path, respectively;
a single filling station configured for filling the first group of electronic cigarettes and the second group of electronic cigarettes, the filling station including housings,
a plurality of support containers for supporting the electronic cigarettes of the first group of electronic cigarettes and of the second group of electronic cigarettes while the electronic cigarettes of the first group of electronic cigarettes and of the second group of electronic cigarettes are being filled in the filling station, the support containers configured for being received by the housings of the filling station;
a first pickup system, for picking up the first group of electronic cigarettes and the second group of electronic cigarettes leaving the first working station and the third working station, respectively, and for placing in the support containers the first group of electronic cigarettes and the second group of electronic cigarettes leaving the first working station and the third working station;
the single filling station being configured to receive in the housings, at a first loading zone, the support containers containing the first group of electronic cigarettes from the first working station and, at a second loading zone, the support containers containing the second group of electronic cigarettes from the third working station; to fill the first group of electronic cigarettes and the second group of electronic cigarettes with at least one filling product while the electronic cigarettes are disposed in the support containers at the housings; and to release the first group of filled electronic cigarettes at a first unloading zone and the second group of filled electronic cigarettes at a second unloading zone towards the second working station and towards the fourth working station, respectively;
a second pickup system, for picking up the first group of electronic cigarettes and the second group of electronic cigarettes from the support containers leaving the filling station;
a first auxiliary path which connects the first unloading zone to the first loading zone, outside of the filling station;
a second auxiliary path which connects the second unloading zone to the second loading zone, outside of the filling station; the support containers being conveyed along the first auxiliary path and along the second auxiliary path after the first group of electronic cigarettes and the second group of electronic cigarettes have been picked up from the support containers;
wherein, at the first and second loading zones, said system includes first transfer devices positioned between said first pick up system and the filling station, said first transfer devices being configured to transfer the electronic cigarettes along with the respective support containers into the housings;
wherein, at the first and second unloading zones, said system includes second transfer devices positioned between the filling station and said second pick up system, said second transfer devices being configured to disengage the electronic cigarettes along with the respective support containers from the housings;
wherein said first transfer devices have a star wheel configuration and said first transfer devices are positioned downstream of the first pick up system so that said first transfer devices receive the electronic cigarettes along with the respective container and release the electronic cigarettes along with the respective container to the filling station;
wherein said second transfer devices have a star wheel configuration and said second transfer devices are positioned upstream of the second pick up system so that said second transfer devices receive the electronic cigarettes along with the respective container from the filling station and release the electronic cigarettes along with the respective container;
wherein said first transfer devices are configured to remove the electronic cigarettes along with the respective container respectively from the first auxiliary path and the second auxiliary path and to release the electronic cigarettes along with the respective container to the filling station; and
wherein said second transfer devices are configured to receive the electronic cigarettes along with the respective container from the filling station and to feed the electronic cigarettes along with the respective container respectively to the first auxiliary path and the second auxiliary path.