Abstract:
A packaging machine with a carousel with horizontal axes, particularly suitable for packaging rolls of paper or packs of paper serviettes or other solid products of variable size, of the type that comprises a plurality of identical seats on the same carousel, angularly equidistant from each other, radially open towards both the outside and the inside and each formed by a longitudinal wall fastened perpendicularly to said carousel and by a parallel and opposite wall, the distance of which from said fixed longitudinal wall can be adjusted to ensure that, with a movement parallel to the axis of the carousel, a product of variable size with its wrapping sheet can be inserted between these walls, and wherein the same seats comprise, between said longitudinal walls, two transverse walls designed to cooperate with the ends of said product with the wrapping sheet inserted in the same seats, which for this must have an adjustable reciprocal distance, whereby at least one of these transverse walls is connected to means for adjusting the distance from the other transverse wall, characterized in that said adjustment means comprise, for each said wall, respective internal threads and respective slides sliding on respective rectilinear guide means, directly or indirectly supported by the table of the carousel and parallel to the movement of the associated walls, with two sets of screws being provided parallel to these guide means that cooperate with said internal threads, which are also rotationally supported, directly or indirectly, by said table, these screws being kinematically connected to each other by associated means to ensure that by acting on one of the components of these connection means, the adjustment of the dimensions in length and in width of all the seats is performed in a centralized, rapid and precise manner to adapt them to the different sizes of the products to be packaged.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to PCT International Application No. PCT/IB2015/058272 filed on Oct. 27, 2015, which application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. BO2014A000606 filed Oct. 31, 2014, the entirety of the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The invention concerns a packaging machine with a horizontal-axis carousel, which falls within International Classification B65B11/28, particularly suitable for packaging rolls of paper, or stacks or packs of paper serviettes, or other solid products of variable size, the machine being equipped for this purpose with means to enable rapid and simplified adjustment of the dimensions of the seats of the carousel, to adapt them to the variable sizes of the products to be packaged. 
         [0004]    It should be noted that in the definition of the seat of the carousel, the term ‘longitudinal walls’ will be use to referred to the walls opposite to each other and parallel to the axis of the carousel, designed to support the product laterally and the distance between which varies with the diameter or height of the product, while the term ‘transverse walls’ will be use to referred to those perpendicular to the axis of the carousel, usually positioned between said longitudinal walls, designed to cooperate with the ends of the product and the distance between which varies with the length of the product. 
         [0005]    Patent EP 165.204 is cited as known state of the art. This patent describes a carousel provided with seats with one of the longitudinal walls fixed and the other oscillating on an axis parallel to that of the carousel and therefore easily adaptable to products of variable width, and provided with opposite transverse walls, of which the inner ones (closer to) the carousel, are supported by a secondary carousel internally facing the main one and mounted on a shaft coaxial with and inside that of the main carousel and which can be made to slide axially upon command, while the outer transverse walls are supported by telescopic arms that longitudinally carry a pinion mechanism with two opposed racks. One of these racks is integral at the end of said telescopic arm with the outer transverse wall, while the other rack is connected to said secondary carousel. To reduce the distance between said two transverse walls of the seats, it is necessary to axially move the secondary carousel away from the main one for the inner transverse wall to approach the outer one, which is automatically moved towards the inner transverse wall by said rack and pinion mechanism, with an equal and self-centring displacement. In this solution, the machine&#39;s zero reference is constituted by the transverse centre-line plane of the seats of the carousel, with respect to which the centre line of the reel from which the packaging material is unwound must be kept longitudinally aligned, and so the support means of the reel must also be equipped with systems for the self-centring positioning of the reel. 
         [0006]    Packaging machines are also known of the type described, for example, in British Patent GB 527 982, in which the transverse walls of the seats that are internal and close to the carousel are kept fixed, while as the length of the product to be packaged varies, the distance between said inner transverse walls and the outside ones is varied, the latter being associated with common support means for this purpose, for example a secondary carousel, such that by modifying its axial distance from the main carousel that supports the longitudinal walls and the fixed, inner transverse ones of the seats, it is possible to adapt the internal dimensions of the seats to the changes in length of the products to be packaged. In this last case, the machine&#39;s zero reference is constituted by said inner transverse walls of the seats, with respect to which the side of the reel of packaging material facing the main carousel is kept fixed. 
         [0007]    The publications of patent applications JP 2003/128005 A and EP 0 888 968 A are also cited as known state of the art. 
         [0008]    All of the known solutions considered above have strengths and weaknesses, but all have drawbacks of limited accessibility to the seats from the inside and from the other side of the main carousel, are constructively complex and do not have seats than can be adjusted in a simple, rapid, precise and centralized manner, nor modular characteristics that, as well as rendering production of the machine more economic, allow them to be easily set up for clockwise or anticlockwise rotation of the carousel, with product unloading to the right or to the left of the carousel, according to the user&#39;s lay-out requirements. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0009]    The invention intends to overcome the limits of the known art with a horizontal-axis carousel packer, particularly for packaging rolls or packs or stacks of paper serviettes or other products of variable size, as set forth in appended claim  1  and the successive dependent claims, the characteristics and advantages of which will become clear from the following description of a preferred embodiment, shown by way of non-limitative example in the figures of the seven accompanying sheets of drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIGS. 1 and 2  schematically show the machine, seen in front elevation and in plan, respectively, in the version with clockwise carousel rotation, for loading the product from the left and unloading the packaged product on the right; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  shows the carousel of the machine in the preceding figures, from a front perspective seen from the seat from which the packaged product is unloaded; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  shows, from a lateral-internal perspective, one of the modular seats of the carousel, in particular the seat that is shown in  FIG. 3  in the phase of loading a product; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  shows the head-on front elevation of the carousel in the preceding figures; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  shows other details of the carousel in  FIG. 5  sectioned along line VI-VI; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a head-on front view of the carousel, in the anticlockwise-rotation version, with product loading from the right and unloading of the packaged product on the left; and 
           [0016]      FIGS. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14  are schematic head-on views of the product during successive steps of the packaging cycle performed by the carousel machine according to the invention in the version with product loading from the left and unloading on the right of the carousel. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    From  FIGS. 1 and 2  it can be noted that the packaging machine comprises a box-shaped base structure  1 , of mainly vertical extension, which on one side supports a cantilever-mounted carousel  2  with the possibility of intermittently rotating in the desired direction, in this case in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow F. The carousel  2  has a horizontal axis  102 , perpendicular to the vertical extension of the base  1  and receives the necessary rotation from an index drive and/or other suitable known means of intermittent drive capable of operating at high working speeds and housed in the base  1 . The product P to be packaged, for example in the form of rolls of paper or stacks of paper serviettes, is fed to the left side of the carousel  2  by a conveyor  3  on which the products P travel in a single file (see below) parallel to the axis  102  of the carousel, so that the product at the head of the queue can be stopped against an end stop  4 , in a correct and predetermined position with respect to the carousel  2 , such that this product at the head of the queue can be inserted at the right moment by a known side pusher  5  onto the seat S of the carousel that is waiting on the left of the carousel  2  and which is at a suitable height to receive the product P. If the product P is constituted by rolls of paper, these are positioned with their axes parallel to the direction of travel of the conveyor  3 . Alternatively to that described above, conveyor  3  could be of the bucket type, which advances the products separated from one-another and has feed-pitch operation, with the front wall of the seats forming and replacing said end stop  4 . 
         [0018]    The reel  6  of flexible packaging material, usually a heat-sealable film of width related to the length of the products P, is arranged to the left of the conveyor  3  with its axis parallel to that of the carousel  2 . The reel  6  has its left side Z is in a fixed position closely correlated to that of end stop  4  or equivalent feed means of the product P and the table of the carousel  2 , which, taken together, form the ‘zero’ reference of the packaging machine. The film  106  unwound from the reel  6  is conveyed, by known means schematically indicated by R in  FIG. 1 , along a downward path between the product at the head of the conveyor  3  and the seat S of the carousel  2  horizontally aligned with it, such that as the product is inserted into the seat S, the same product P is laterally wrapped, for 180° ( FIG. 8 ), by a length  106 ′ of the film  106 , which is separated from the film upstream by known cutting means Y. 
         [0019]    From  FIGS. 1 and 2 , it can be noted that the seats S are each formed by a pair of longitudinal walls  7 ,  7 ′ that cooperate with opposite lateral portions of the product P and comprise two transverse walls  8 ,  8 ′ that cooperate with the opposite ends of the product P. It follows that when a product P is inserted by the pusher  5  into the seat S aligned with it, leading portions A of the sheet  106 ′ are folded over on the ends of the product P, as schematically shown in  FIG. 8 , due to interference of the sheet  106 ′ with the transverse walls  8 ,  8 ′ of the seat. 
         [0020]    From  FIGS. 1 and 2 , it can be noted that the carousel  2  according to the invention is equipped, for example (see below), with four angularly equidistant seats S and is activated with cyclic rotations, for example, of ninety degrees in the clockwise direction F, so that two seats S are cyclically in opposite horizontal positions, one in the already considered left-hand position for loading the product and the other in the opposite right-hand position for unloading the already partially wrapped product, as detailed below. After each ninety degree rotation, a seat S passes from the left-hand position corresponding to the nine o&#39;clock position, to the raised position corresponding to the twelve o&#39;clock position, while another seat S passes from the unloading position corresponding to the three o&#39;clock position, to the low position corresponding to the six o&#39;clock position. While a seat S is in the nine o&#39;clock position and while it passes to the twelve o&#39;clock position, known types of folders K 1  and K 2  first raise side flap X 1  of the wrapping  106 ′, as in  FIG. 9 , and then lower the side flap X 2  of the wrapping  106 ′ so that when the seat S with the product reaches the upper station at twelve o&#39;clock, the product with the wrapping sheet is in the position schematized in  FIG. 10 , with flaps X 1  and X 2  of the wrapping reciprocally overlapping, facing upwards and in a suitable position for being reciprocally sealed by a known means of longitudinal heat sealing  11 , which is lowered and then raised at the right moment, as indicated by the double-headed arrow  111 . Then, when the seat passes from the upper station to the right-hand horizontal one, the one corresponding to the three o&#39;clock position, the product with the wrapping are arranged as in the diagram in  FIG. 11 , with sealed flaps X 1  X 2  of the wrapping on the right and with folded flap A of the wrapping on the left. In this station, located in the three o&#39;clock position, a known type of pusher  12  that operates inside the carousel is operated at the right moment to expel the product with the wrapping from the seat S and transfer it to a known type of final transfer and conditioning apparatus T equipped with its own lower-level transfer means  13  that, with its own fixed and lateral folders  14 ,  14 ′, folds the front flaps B of the wrapping over the ends of the product P, as in  FIG. 12 , and then, with its own inclined paths first descending  15  and then ascending  16 , folds the top end flaps C and then the bottom ones D of the wrapping over the ends of the product P, as in the sequence from  FIGS. 13 and 14 , and which finally, using its own pair of lateral, synchronized and heated conveyors  17 , performs reciprocal pressure heat sealing on the flaps of wrapping A, B, C and D, folded and reciprocally overlapping on opposite ends of the product P. The packaged product is then collected and removed by a conveyor  18 . Obviously, the apparatus T first considered is equipped with known means for ensuring that as the length of the product to be packaged changes, it is possible to adjust the distance between the parallel operational components of the apparatus T, keeping the components closest to the side with the base  1  of the machine and which are aligned with the zero line Z of the machine fixed (see below). 
         [0021]    Since the height of the feed conveyor  3  should preferably remain unchanged, to simplify adjustment of the size of the seats S as the size of the product P to be packaged varies, provision has been made such that walls  7  of the seats are fixed and walls  7 ′ are adjustable in their distance from walls  7 , so that when wall  7  of a seat laterally reaches conveyor  3 , it is always aligned to be coplanar with the active surface of the conveyor, whatever the size of the products P to be packaged. Since the discharge conveyor  18  of packaged products must also preferably remain with a fixed height position as the size of the products varies and because the seats S reach the corresponding station at the three o&#39;clock position, with the lower wall  7 ′ varying its height as the size of the product changes, provision has been made that the longitudinal structure  19  of the final folding and sealing device T is mounted with the possibility of oscillating its end next to the discharge conveyor  18  about a transverse axis  20  and is connected to raising and lowering means  21 , controllable manually or in a semi-automatic or automatic manner, to be able to align the active surface of the transfer means  13  of the apparatus T each time to be coplanar with wall  7 ′ of the seat S in the unloading step. 
         [0022]    For the above reasons regarding the zero reference Z of the machine, as the length of the products P varies, the position of the transverse walls  8 ′ of the seats S, those closest to the platform of the carousel  2 , does not change, while it must be possible to adjust the distance of these from the opposite transverse walls  8 . 
         [0023]    In the description that follows, it is illustrated how by acting on two different points of any of the four seats S of the carousel, located in a convenient position for the operator, it is possible to perform said adjustments of the distance between walls  7 ,  7 ′ and between walls  8 ,  8 ′ of all the seats S of the carousel  2  in a centralized, rapid and precise manner to adapt them to the variations in size of the products P. 
         [0024]    In  FIGS. 3 to 6 , reference numeral  22  indicates the platform or table of the carousel  2 , which is fitted by means of the spoked rear structure  122  onto the axially rotating shaft  222  connected to the intermittent rotation means M located in the base structure  1  in  FIG. 2 . The fixed walls  7  of the seats S are supported on the outer face by the leg of respective brackets  23  fixed to the table  22  by their foot  123  and which, on their same ribbed leg parallel to the carousel&#39;s axis of rotation, carry longitudinal slots  24  engaged by the heads of screws  25  fastened to wall  7  and carry a longitudinal slot  26  through which a stud  27  perpendicularly fastened to wall  7  passes and on which a lock nut  127  can be fastened. When the seats S of the carousel are set up for feeding the product from the left-hand side of the carousel, as in the example in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , the screws  25  and said lock nut  127  are positioned on the ends of the associated slots  24  and  26  that are closest to the carousel  2 . The function of the slots  24  and  26  will be explained further on in the description. 
         [0025]    A small bracket  28 , fastened with screws to the outer face of the wall  7  that is closest to the carousel&#39;s axis, which is parallel to axis  102  and not far from the table  22  of the carousel  2 , projects towards the inner space of the seat S and carries, on the protruding part, a perpendicularly fastened appendage  29  that enters the seat S and which supports the fixed inner transverse wall  8 ′ of the seat S, provided with an internal projection  108 ′ to correctly halt the product P inserted into the seat S. The transverse wall  8  of the seat S, the distance of which from said fixed transverse wall  8 ′ must be adjustable as the length of the product P varies, and which is also provided with an internal projection  108  aligned with internal projection  108 ′ for correctly halting the product P inserted into the seat S, is fixed on the appendage  30  of a small bracket  31  next to previously mentioned bracket  28 , but which unlike the latter carries a slide  32  on its foot that is parallel to the axis  102  of the carousel  2  and which slides on a small rectilinear guide  33  fastened with screws on the outer face of the fixed wall  7  of the seat S. Bracket  31  carries a short appendage  34 , fixed laterally and extending towards the carousel&#39;s axis, which supports an internal thread  35  cooperating with a screw  36 , also parallel to the axis  102  of the carousel and rotationally supported at one end by a support  37  fastened on the neutral zone of the end facing wall  7 , where the screw  36  has a head  136  for rotation, while the other end of the same screw  36  passes through a bushing  38  supported, for example, by the carousel table  22  or by another component described further on, and emerges at the back of the table  22  with a segment on which a pinion  39  is fitted. It is clear from  FIG. 5  how, by connecting the pinions  39 ,  39 ′,  39 ″ and  39 ′″ of the four screws  36 ,  36 ′,  36 ″ and  36 ′″ of the four seats S of the carousel together with a chain  40  that circumscribes all four of said pinions and that is also positioned on the rear face of the table  22 , where it is kept in tension by suitable means (not shown), it is possible to perform adjustment of the distance of the movable transverse wall  8  from the fixed one  8 ′ of all the seats S of the carousel by acting on just one of the heads  136  of the adjustment screws  36 , the one in the most accessible and convenient position for the operator. By turning one of the screws  36 ,  36 ′,  36 ″ and  36 ′″ in the clockwise or anticlockwise direction, all four screws  36 ,  36 ′,  36 ″ and  36 ′″ of the four seats S turn simultaneously in the clockwise or anticlockwise direction and shift the movable transverse walls  8  of all the seats S of the carousel by the same amount and in the same direction, forwards or backwards. It is understood that it is possible to use equivalent means, such as toothed pulleys and toothed belts, or other known means useful for the purpose, instead of said pinions  39 - 39 ′ and said chain  40 . 
         [0026]    It is understood that the scope of the invention also covers the implementational variant whereby the screws  36 ,  36 ′,  36 ″ and  36 ′″ can each be equipped with two segments having reverse threads, one of which is reserved for the movement of transverse walls  8 , while the other can be assigned to the self-centring movement of transverse wall  8 ′ should this also be made movable with internal thread and guide/slide means similar to those serving said movable transverse wall  8 . In this case, it is clear that as the length of the products P changes, the position of the end stop  4  (indicated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) must be adjusted and that both the packaging film feed means  106  and the final unit T for completing and sealing of the ends of the product&#39;s packaging must be provided with self-centring adjustment means. 
         [0027]    It can be noted in  FIGS. 3 to 6  that the movable longitudinal walls  7 ′ of the seats are fastened, with the same means  24 - 27  and  127  previously described for the fixed wall  7 , to the ribbed leg  241  of a respective bracket  41 , the foot  141  of which is fixed to a plate  42 , in turn fastened on a pair of slides  43 ,  43 ′ that are parallel to each other, perpendicular to wall  7 ′ and slide on respective rectilinear guides  44 ,  44 ′ fastened on the table  22  of the carousel  2 . A body  45  is fastened on the foot of each bracket  41  and projects from the inner side of the foot, with a portion that carries an internal thread  46  parallel to said guides  44 ,  44 ′ and which cooperates with a screw  47  that, as shown in the details of  FIGS. 4 and 5  in particular, is rotationally supported at the ends by a pair of transfer units or boxes  48 ,  48 ′ with bevel gearing, with 90° drive transfer output, which, with further screws  47 ′,  47 ″ identical to screws  47 , are connected to another two transfer boxes with bevel gearing  48 ″ and  48 ′″ connected to each other by a further screw  47 ′″ identical to the previous ones, these transfer boxes  48 - 48 ′ being placed in the corners of an ideal square having its centre on the axis  102  of the carousel  2 , being fastened on the table  22  of the carousel and being arranged to support the previously mentioned bushings  38  for screws  36 ,  36 ′,  36 ″ and  36 ″, these also arranged in the corners of an ideal square having its centre on the axis  102  of the carousel  2 . 
         [0028]    The transfer boxes  48 ,  48 ′,  48 ″,  48 ′″ are placed on the inner side of the foot  123  of each fixed bracket  23  that carries the fixed longitudinal wall  7  of each of the four seats S, this foot  123  also carrying a rotatably mounted control rod  49  that has an outwardly pointing head, with a recessed hexagonal shape for example, and is connected to a drive output of the respective bevel gearbox  48 ,  48 ′,  48 ″,  48 ″, all so that by acting on any head of the four control rods  49 ,  49 ′,  49 ″,  49 ′″ that is in the most convenient position for the operator, the operator can simultaneously and rapidly adjust the distance between the movable wall  7 ′ and the associated fixed longitudinal wall  7  of all four seats S of the carousel  2  with precision and by the same amount. 
         [0029]    By observing the various drawings in  FIGS. 3 to 6 , it can be appreciated how all four seats S of the carousel and the associated adjustment means are perfectly identical to each other, are modular in nature and can therefore be manufactured with low costs. 
         [0030]    As mentioned at the beginning of this description, one of the objects of the invention is to ensure that the carousel can be set up for loading from the left, with unloading on the right, or, having the carousel always pointing with its face with the seats S in the same direction in space, ensure that the same carousel can be set up for loading from the right and unloading on the left, as shown in  FIG. 7 , and not only when the machine is manufactured, but at any time during the life of the machine. While it is possible to achieve an almost similar result with the current state of the art by rotating the machine by 180° about a vertical axis, but with the problem of having to then reverse the origin of the products on the feed line  3 , or, by maintaining the direction of origin of the product, of having to modify the position of the end stop  4  when the length of the product changes, with the carousel machine according to the invention, when the machine is first installed, or at any other time during the life of the machine, it is possible to set it up for feeding from the left, as in  FIGS. 1 to 6 , or for feeding from the right, as in  FIG. 7 , without having to change anything on the discharge unit T and the feed line  3 . To achieve these objectives, cyclic rotation means have been used for the carousel  2 , which can turn the carousel clockwise F as in  FIG. 5  or anticlockwise F′ as in  FIG. 7 . The table  22  of the carousel  2  is provided with four threaded holes to carry the pairs of guides  44 ,  44 ′ and the fixed brackets  23 , with the different set-ups in  FIGS. 5 and 7 , while the fixed longitudinal walls  7  and the movable ones  7 ′ of the seats S are set up to be able to rotate 180° about a transverse axis. To facilitate this correct and different assembly on the associated brackets, the slots  24  and  26  first mentioned with reference to  FIG. 4  come in useful, as for the solution in  FIG. 7 , provision will be made for the screws  25  and  27 ,  127  to be on the opposite end of said slots, the one furthest away from the carousel. The fixed walls  7  will be provided with additional holes to support guide  33  and support  37  with a different layout. The movable bracket  41  will also be provided with additional holes on its foot to support the body  45  with the internal thread  46  in opposite positions. The placement of the first kinematic chain  39 - 39 ′ and  40  and the second kinematic chain  47 - 47 ′,  48 - 48 ′,  49 - 49 ′ does not change as they are concentric with the axis  102  of rotation of the carousel  2 . 
         [0031]    It is understood that carousel machines with a number of seats other than four and that use the innovative solutions set forth herein also fall within the scope of the invention. Finally, it is understood that the description refers to a preferred embodiment of the invention, to which numerous variants and constructional changes may be applied, all without departing from the guiding principle of the invention, as described, illustrated and hereinafter claimed. In the claims, the references specified in parentheses are purely indicative and not limitative regarding the scope of the claims.