Abstract:
A transfer device ( 26 ) intended to move an object ( 8 ) between a support zone ( 28 ) and a cap ( 12 ), includes: a frame ( 30 ); at least one holding arm ( 32 ) which is able to carry the object ( 8 ) to be moved; and drive elements ( 36 ) which are carried by the frame ( 30 ), and able to move the holding arm ( 32 ). The drive elements ( 36 ) are able to move the holding arm ( 32 ) so that the opening ( 19 ) of the object is moved firstly along an initial trajectory portion which includes a component in accordance with a direction perpendicular to the support zone ( 28 ), then along a curve which extends through a point ( 119 ) of the trajectory ( 118 ) of the base ( 17 ) of the object, after the base ( 17 ) of the object has passed through that point.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a transfer device of the type intended to move an object between a support zone and a cap, the object comprising a base and an opening, the cap comprising a bottom which extends in a plane perpendicular to the support zone and a peripheral rim having a shape complementary to the shape of the base of the object, the device comprising: 
         [0002]    a frame; 
         [0003]    at least one holding arm which is carried by the frame, the holding arm being able to carry the object to be moved; and 
         [0004]    drive means which are carried by the frame. 
         [0005]    In particular, the invention relates to a transfer device which is intended to move objects having an elliptical or cylindrical cross-section in order to carry out printing thereof on a printing press comprising a rotating plate having a vertical axis of rotation. 
       BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    There is known a transfer device comprising a lifting arm which is provided with holding clips and which is mounted so as to pivot at one of the ends thereof about an axis of rotation which extends in a horizontal plane which is defined in the depositing plane of the object. The arm is capable of pivoting about the axis of rotation between a loading position, in which the arm extends in a vertical direction, and an unloading position, in which the arm extends in a horizontal direction. 
         [0007]    However, this transfer device does not allow the object to be printed to be arranged in a device for retaining and rotating the object in order to print it, comprising a cap which comprises a vertical bottom and a rim having a shape complementary to the shape of the base of the object. 
         [0008]    Since the device pivots the object through a right-angle about an axis belonging to the depositing plane of the object, the object cannot be introduced and positioned against the bottom of the cap so as to cooperate with the rim. 
         [0009]    The problem addressed by the invention is to provide a transfer device allowing the object to be printed to be positioned in a device for retaining and rotating the object. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    To that end, the invention relates to a transfer device of the above-mentioned type, characterised in that the drive means are able to move the holding arm so that the opening of the object is moved firstly along an initial trajectory portion which comprises a component, in a direction perpendicular to the support zone, which is orientated in the opposite direction to the support zone, then along a curve which extends through a point of the trajectory of the base of the object, after the base of the object has passed through that point. 
         [0011]    According to specific embodiments, the transfer device comprises one or more of the features set out in the dependent claims. 
         [0012]    The invention also relates to a printing press comprising: 
         [0013]    a chassis; 
         [0014]    a plate which rotates about a vertical axis of rotation and which is carried by the chassis; 
         [0015]    at least one device for retaining and driving the object to be printed that is carried by the rotating plate, the retention and drive device comprising a cap; and 
         [0016]    at least one printing station which is carried by the chassis in alignment with the rotating plate; 
         [0017]    characterised in that it further comprises a transfer device according to the invention which is able to take the object to be printed from a support zone and to position it inside the cap of the device for retaining and driving the object. 
         [0018]    According to specific embodiments, the printing press comprises one or more of the features set out in the dependent claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0019]    The invention will be better understood from a reading of the description below, given purely by way of example and with reference to the drawings, in which: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective front view of a loading conveyor for an object to be printed and a printing press according to the invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a perspective rear view of a portion of a transfer device according to the invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a perspective front view of the transfer device of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a side view of a portion of the drive means and the holding arm of the transfer device of  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a perspective rear view of a portion of the drive means and the holding arm of the transfer device; 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a rear view of a portion of the drive means and the holding arm in a position when the object is being taken; 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is a view similar to the view of  FIG. 6  during the transfer of the object; 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  is a view similar to the view of  FIG. 6  during the approach towards the cap; 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  is a view similar to the view of  FIG. 6  at the end of approach travel towards the cap; 
           [0029]      FIG. 10  is a front view of the object to be printed, illustrated in three transfer positions of the object and in a position at the end of approach travel towards the cap; and 
           [0030]      FIG. 11  is a front view drawn to an enlarged scale partially illustrating the object to be printed in a position at the end of approach travel towards the cap. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0031]    The printing press  2  according to the invention comprises a chassis which is not illustrated, a rotating plate  4  which is carried by the chassis, at least one device  6  for retaining and driving the objects which is carried by the rotating plate  4 , and stations for processing the objects which are not illustrated and which are arranged around the rotating plate  4 . 
         [0032]    The rotating plate  4  is able to be rotated about a vertical axis of rotation by drive means  5  in order to move the objects to be printed from one processing station to another. 
         [0033]    The drive means  5  comprise a global cam indexer which is driven via a step-down gear by an asynchronous motor or a servo motor. 
         [0034]    The processing stations comprise, for example, a loading station, illustrated in  FIG. 1 , and, for example, a bleaching station, one or more stations for printing by means of serigraphy or marking in the hot state, a drying station, a varnishing station and an unloading station which is identical to the loading station. 
         [0035]    The retention and drive assembly  6  comprises a cap  12  and an end-piece  18  for retaining the opening  19  of the object, which end-piece is arranged opposite the cap  12 . In this instance, the objects  8  are bottles whose neck forms the opening  19 . 
         [0036]    The cap  12  is constituted by a vertical bottom  14  which is parallel with the plane defined by directions X and Z illustrated in  FIG. 1  and a rim  16  which delimits an indentation having a shape complementary to the shape of the base  17  of the bottle  8 . 
         [0037]    The end-piece  18  can be moved in translation in the direction Y towards and away from the cap  12  in order to grip the bottle  8  axially between the cap  12  and the end-piece  18 . To that end, the end-piece  18  is mounted so as to be movable in terms of translation along two runner supports  20 . The cap  12  can be driven axially in rotation by drive means  22 . Unlike the end-piece, the cap  12  is fixed in terms of translation in the direction Y. 
         [0038]    On the retention and drive assembly  6 , the objects  8  to be printed are arranged with their axis of revolution arranged horizontally in accordance with the normal N 2  relative to the plane of the bottom  17  of the cap. 
         [0039]    The printing press  2  further comprises a charging conveyor  24  for the bottles  8  to be printed and a transfer device  26  which is carried by the chassis and which is adapted to move the bottles  8  from the charging conveyor  24  to the retention and drive assembly  6 . 
         [0040]    The printing press  2  further comprises a discharging conveyor for the printed objects (not illustrated) and a transfer device (not illustrated) which brings about the unloading of the printed objects  8  from the retention and drive assembly  6  to the discharging conveyor. 
         [0041]    The charging conveyor  24  comprises a transport belt  28  which is closed in a loop and held between two parallel return cylinders, one of which is motor-driven. On that conveyor, the bottles  8  are successively arranged in alignment, with the axis of revolution thereof arranged in the vertical direction Z parallel with a normal N 1  relative to the transport belt  28 . 
         [0042]    The transport belt  28  constitutes a support zone for the objects. 
         [0043]    The transfer device  26  is able to take a bottle whose base  17  is supported on the support zone  28 , transfer it towards the retention and drive device  6 , pivoting it through an angle of 90° about an axis parallel with the direction X, and introduce its base  17  into the cap  12 . 
         [0044]    The transfer device  26  comprises a frame  30 , a holding arm  32  which is carried by the frame  30  and a motor  34  for driving the drive means  36  of the holding arm  32  in terms of movement. 
         [0045]    The frame  30  comprises a support plate  38  and a plate  40  which forms the base of the frame  30 , the plate  40  being fixed to the support plate  38  by one of the longitudinal sides  41  thereof so that the main face of the plate  40  extends perpendicularly relative to the main face of the support plate  38 . 
         [0046]    The support plate  38  is generally of rectangular shape and has a vertical extension  44  which is arranged remote from the plate  40 . 
         [0047]    The support plate  38  separates a front edge  45  and a rear edge  47  of the transfer device  26 . 
         [0048]    In the remainder of the description, the orientations “front” and “rear” will be defined in relation to the support plate  38 . 
         [0049]    The frame  30  further comprises a beam  46  which extends in the direction Y and which is fixed at the edge of the rear face  47  of the support plate  38 , and two cross-members  48  and  50  which are each fixed to an end of the beam  46  and to a side  42  of the plate  40  opposite those ends. 
         [0050]    The frame  30  further comprises a hollow retention beam  54  which is fixed to the rear face  47  of the extension  44  and the beam  46 . The retention beam  54  extends in the direction Z above the beam  46 . 
         [0051]    The holding arm  32 , which is illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , comprises a bracket  56 , two support bars  58 ,  60  which are fixed along the longitudinal edges of the bracket  56  and two pairs  62 ,  64  of holding clips which are mounted so as to slide along the support bars  58  and  60 . 
         [0052]    The bracket  56  is generally of parallelepipedal shape having a main face, to which the support bars  58  and  60  are fixed, and an opposing main face, on which a device  68  for actuating the pairs of clips is mounted. 
         [0053]    The holding arm  32  further comprises a cross-member  72  of triangular shape, one side of which is fixed to the lateral side of the bracket  56 . 
         [0054]    The motor  34  is able to drive a carriage  74 , which is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4 , in translation in the direction Y. 
         [0055]    The drive means  36  comprise two guide rails  76 ,  78  of the carriage  74  extending in the direction Y, a toothed wheel  80  and a rack  82 , with which the toothed wheel  80  is engaged. 
         [0056]    The guide rails  76  and  78 , which are illustrated in  FIG. 2 , are fixed in alignment with each other, one to the beam  46  and the other to the plate  40 . 
         [0057]    The toothed wheel  80  has an axis of rotation A-A. 
         [0058]    The rack  82  is fixed to the plate  40  parallel with the rails  76  and  78 . 
         [0059]    The drive means  36  further comprise a plate  84  which supports a channel  86 , and a roller  88  which has a shape adapted to cooperate with the channel  86 . 
         [0060]    The plate  84  is fixedly joined to the rear face of the toothed wheel  80 . 
         [0061]    The channel  86  comprises a first guide portion  90  which is eccentric relative to the axis of rotation A-A of the wheel  80  and a second guide portion  92  which is near the axis of rotation of the wheel  80 . 
         [0062]    The first guide portion  90  has a profile which is obtained by means of engineering drawing so that the holding arm  32  has an arced trajectory which is tangential to the normal N 2  relative to the plane of the bottom  14  of the cap. The second portion  92  has a profile corresponding to a cycloidal movement. 
         [0063]    The second channel portion  92  has a length of from ⅓ to ½ of the total length of the channel  86 . 
         [0064]    The roller  88 , which is illustrated in  FIGS. 5 to 9 , is fixed to the front face of the cross-member  48  facing the rear face of the toothed wheel  80 . 
         [0065]    The rack  82  extends over a length equal to the perimeter of the toothed wheel  80 , from which the length of the second portion  92  of the channel is subtracted. 
         [0066]    The drive means  36  further comprise a shaft  94 , one end of which is fixed to the centre of the toothed wheel  80  parallel with the axis of rotation A-A, and a rotating support  96  which is fixedly joined to the other end of the shaft  94 . 
         [0067]    The shaft  94  is able to be driven in terms of rotation by the carriage  74  when the carriage  74  is moved along the guide rails  76  and  78 . To that end, the carriage  74  comprises a bearing  97 , through which the shaft  94  extends. 
         [0068]    The rotating support  96  extends in a plane parallel with the plane of the toothed wheel  80 . It is capable of pivoting about the axis of rotation A-A of the toothed wheel  80 . 
         [0069]    The drive means  36  finally comprise a connecting rod  98 , one end  100  of which is connected to a front face  104  of the rotating support  96 , a slide  104  which is connected to the other end  106  of the connecting rod and a slide rail  110  for guiding the slide  104 . 
         [0070]    The slide rail  110  is fixed to the front face  45  of the support plate  38 . It extends over the extension  44  in the direction Z. 
         [0071]    The slide rail  110  extends over a length substantially equal to the diameter of the toothed wheel  80 , plus the length of the connecting rod  98 . 
         [0072]    The end  100  of the connecting rod is fixed to the rotating support  96  at a distance from the axis of rotation A-A equal to the primitive radius of the toothed wheel  80 . 
         [0073]    The connecting rod  98  is fixed, over a portion of its length, to a side of the cross-member  72  of the holding arm  32  in order to drive it in terms of movement. 
         [0074]    The connecting rod  98  has a length equal to the perimeter of the toothed wheel  80 , plus the length of the first channel portion  90 , divided by √{square root over (2)}. 
         [0075]    An assembly of power supply and control cables generally having a J-like shape ( FIG. 3 ) is fixed to the front face  45  of the support plate  38 . 
         [0076]    Curtains  114  for protection against dust are mounted in longitudinal rails at the front face  45  of the frame. 
         [0077]    The printing press  2  further comprises a control unit  115  which is able to control the means  5  for driving the rotating plate and the motor  34  for driving the holding arm  32 . 
         [0078]    The control unit  115  is able to control in terms of time the movement of the rotating plate  4  and the actuation of the motor  34  so that the movement of the holding arm  32  is synchronised with the rotation movement of the rotating plate  4 . 
         [0079]    To that end, the control unit  115  is able to control the motor  34  and the drive means  5  so that the holding arm  32  arrives at the end of travel for depositing the object on the retention and drive device  6  when the retention and drive device  6  is located in alignment with the support zone  28 . 
         [0080]    The control unit is also able to control the actuation device  68  of the holding clips  62 ,  64  in order to control the opening and closing of each pair of clips  62 ,  64  each time the holding arm  32  is at the end of travel in order to grip the object arranged on the support zone and to release the object in the retention and drive device  6 . 
         [0081]    During operation, during an initial step, the rotating plate  4  is able to pivot about its axis of rotation in order to arrange the retention and drive device  6  which is carried thereby opposite the charging conveyor  24 . The transport belt  28  moves in order to bring the bottle  8  to the end of the charging conveyor  24 . 
         [0082]    The means for driving the transfer device, as arranged during the initial step, are illustrated in  FIG. 6 . The carriage  74 , the toothed wheel  80  and the first end  100  of the connecting rod are arranged at an end of the frame  30  that is adjacent to the cross-member  50  and the motor  34 . The other end  106  of the connecting rod is in a lower position near the plate  40 . The support bars  58 ,  60  of the holding clips  62 ,  64  are arranged in a vertical state near the bottle  8 . The actuation device  68  is actuated so that the pairs of clips  62 ,  64  grip the bottle  8 . 
         [0083]    During a transfer step, illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the drive carriage  74  is moved towards the other end of the frame  30  in the direction towards the cross-member  48 . The toothed wheel  80  is rotated in the counter-clockwise direction on the rack  82  so that the end  100  of the connecting rod is rotated about the axis A-A. Urged by the movement of the rotating support  96  transmitted by the connecting rod  98 , the slide  104  moves on the slide rail  110  in the direction Z. 
         [0084]    The end  100  of the connecting rod is driven in accordance with a cycloidal movement. The end  106  of the connecting rod is driven in terms of movement in accordance with a vertical translation movement. The holding arm  32  is driven in terms of movement in accordance with a complex movement resulting from the combination of the movements of the ends  100  and  106  of the connecting rod which are carried out simultaneously. In particular, the bottle  8  is first lifted in order to become disengaged from the conveyor  24 , then the bottle is pivoted in order to bring its axis of revolution in accordance with the horizontal direction Y. 
         [0085]    As is visible in  FIG. 10 , the neck  19  is raised in order to move the bottle  8  away from the support zone  28  at the start of the trajectory  116  of the neck  19 . At the same time, the base  17  of the bottle pivots from the very beginning of the trajectory  118  of the base  17 . 
         [0086]    The trajectory  116  of the neck  19  of the bottle and the trajectory  118  of its base  17  intersect as is visible in  FIGS. 1 and 10 . In particular, the base  17  passes through the intersection point  119  before the neck  19 . 
         [0087]    During a step for approaching the cap, illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the roller  88  is introduced into the second portion  92  of the channel  86  in the region of the axis of rotation A-A and is guided by the channel  86 . The slide  104  moves on the slide rail  110  in the opposite direction to direction Z. The end  100  is moved in accordance with a movement imposed by the second portion  92  of the channel, which has a profile corresponding to the cycloidal movement imposed during the transfer step by the toothed wheel  80  and the rack  82 . 
         [0088]    During a step at the end of the approach towards the cap, illustrated in  FIGS. 9 ,  10  and  11 , the end  100  of the connecting rod is moved in accordance with a movement imposed by the first portion  90  of the channel. The toothed wheel  80  is no longer carried by the rack  82 . The slide  104  moves on the slide rail  110  in a direction opposite the direction Z. The movement of the end  100  of the connecting rod is thereby deviated in order to impose on the holding arm  32  trajectories  116 ,  118  which allow the base  17  of the bottle to be introduced into the cap. 
         [0089]    Specifically, the trajectory of the base  17  of the object has a curved portion having an inflection point  120  in its portion  121  approaching the cap  12 , and at the same time comprises a component in accordance with the normal N 1  relative to the support zone  28  and a component in accordance with the normal N 2  relative to the bottom  14  of the cap. At the end of travel of the portion  121  approaching the cap  12 , the trajectory  118  of the base  17  has an arced portion  122  which is tangential to the normal N 2  in order to introduce the base  17  into the cap. 
         [0090]    It should be noted that the rotating plate of the printing press can be positioned at the same height as the transport belt of the conveyor or at any other selected height, irrespective of the length of the object to be printed. This is advantageous over the known arrangement, set out above, in which the transfer device comprises a pivoting lifting arm whose length is a function of the length of the object to be printed. In such an arrangement, the rotating plate which carries retention and drive devices for the objects is positioned at a substantial height, which necessitates a chassis having a substantial weight and makes it difficult to carry out maintenance operations on the printing stations arranged above the rotating plate.