CARTON BLANK ERECTING MECHANISM

Abstract: An apparatus (76) for separating opposed first and second panels (12, 14) of a carton blank being conveyed through a packaging machine (10), the apparatus comprising panel separating means arranged to move around a pre-determined locus such that the panel separating means comes into contact with and engages said first panel, the apparatus being operable to change the velocity of the panel separating means relative to the carton during engagement with said first panel so as to separate said first panel from said second panel.

Description: CARTON BLANK ERECTING MECHANISM This invention relates to packaging of primary articles such as cans and bottles into multiple pack cartons, and is more particularly concerned with feeding such cartons in collapsed condition from a hopper and then initiating and completing a set up operation of cartons in sequence. UK Patent 205 3133 to Bosch concerns an apparatus for removing, folding box blanks from a stationary magazine and erecting and transferring the blanks. It comprises such members which are mounted on four point linkages and arranged on a rotary carrier controlled by cams. During the rotation to facilitate the removal of the blanks from a stationary condition activation of the suction members occurs. During the transfer of the erected blanks to the transport device, suction members are moved synchronously with the transport device. WO 92/15450 to Mead Corporation, illustrates a carton set up machine having a suction device for withdrawing collapsed sleeve type cartons from a magazine. The suction device moves inwardly and outwardly on a slidable rod as it orbits about a central rotating shaft. An oscillating gripper mounted outside the orbit of the suction device pulls outwardly on an outer panel of the collapsed carton to being opening it. Both these references and the prior art refer to primary carton pick up means and seek to address common problems associated with the erection of cartons from a flat condition. The present invention addresses the difficulties associated with separating opposing panels after they have been stored in a flat condition and which can be easily modified for different carton types. The present invention can be used with a packaging machine and it is envisaged that it can be used on various other types of packaging machine. Alternatively, the erecting mechanism of the present invention can be sold as an individual module to be fitted to new equipment or to existing equipment on a retro-fit basis. In one aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for separating opposed first and second panels of a carton blank being conveyed through a packaging machine, the apparatus comprising panel separating means arranged to move around a pre-determined locus such that the panel separating means comes into contact with and engages said first panel, the apparatus being operable to change the velocity of the panel separating means relative the carton during engagement with said first panel so as to separate said first panel from said second panel. According to one optional feature of this aspect of the invention, the apparatus may further comprise second panel separating means arranged to move around a second pre-determined locus such that the panel separating means comes into contact with and engages said second panel, the apparatus being further operable to change the velocity of the second panel separating means during engagement with the second panel thereby to separate the second panel from the remaining panels of the carton. According to a further optional feature of this aspect of the invention, control means may be arranged to control the speed of the or each panel separating means. According to another optional feature of this aspect of the invention, said control means may vary the speed of the or each panel separating means to lie within the range of plus or minus 1 to 25 % of the speed of said cartons being conveyed. According to another optional feature of this aspect of the invention, the or each panel separating means may comprise a suction cup and cupholder mounted to a shaft which rotates about a fixed axis, said suction cup being connected to a vacuum supply during said carton separation. According to another aspect of the invention, there comprises a device for setting up carton blanks in a packaging machine which device comprises first and second opening wheel being oppositely disposed, said wheels each being provided with panel separating means to retain opposed portions of the blank and wherein control means is provided to accelerate said first opening wheel relative to the said second wheel and/or control means is provided to decelerate said second opening wheel relative to said first wheel characterised in that the acceleration and/or deceleration of respective first and second opening wheels causes said opposed portions of said blank to be separated. An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE la is a side view of a basket type carton supplied in a flat collapsed condition suitable for use with a machine according to the invention; FIGURE lb is a perspective view of a basket type carton suitable for use with a machine according to the invention; FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a machine according to the invention illustrating those parts of the machine required for construction of basket type carriers; FIGURES 3, 4, and 5 are perspective views of the carton supply infeed and set up stations of the machine according to the invention adapted to load basket type cartons; FIGURES 6a and 6b are perspective views of details of a first embodiment of the panel separating means of the invention; FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the panel separating means of the invention. Referring to the drawings, and in particular Figures la and lb thereof, carton 10 is a basket type carrier, shown in Figure lb, in a set up condition ready for lowering onto articles. The carton 10 includes opposed side wall panels 12, 14 and opposed end wall panels 16, 18 hingably connected one to the next. The carton 10 further includes a handle structure 20 which interconnects end wall panels 16, 18 and comprises transverse partition panels 22 interconnecting each side wall panel 12, 14. Base panels 24, 26 are hingably connected to each side wall panel 12, 14 respectively. It is envisaged that the cartons can vary depending upon the shape and/or quantity of articles to be packaged and accordingly, a machine in accordance with the present invention is adjustable in numerous respects so that it can process a wide variety of such cartons. The principal arrangements which are likely to be varied are shown in Figure la in which "H" is the overall height of the set up carton equivalent to the distance between the upper edge of the side wall and base panel, "L" is the overall length of the carton when the base panels are closed. Of course, other carton types can be processed by the present invention with suitable adjustment, for example wraparound or end loading cartons. Any reference in this specification to carton type includes different sizes of a particular carton style. Referring now to Figure 2 of the drawings, there is shown a machine 50 for processing cartons 10, 52 of the basket type outlined above. The upstream end of the machine includes a hopper 54 in which a multiplicity of cartons 10, 52 in flat collapsed condition are held ready for processing. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the cartons are removed from the hopper 54 sequentially by a rotary vacuum feeder 56. Figure 3 illustrates the path of a carton in flat collapsed condition which is removed from the hopper 54 and is rotated by the vacuum feeder 56 to the infeed end of the machine 64. The blank is placed between the nip end 66 of an infeed belt set shown generally at 68. The infeed belt set includes pairs of upper and lower receiving belts 70, 72 spaced apart so as to receive in this embodiment the handle portion 20 and base panels 24, 26 of a flat carton delivered by the rotary feeder 56. The belt sets 70, 72 maintain the position of the carton and move the carton downstream to the set up station shown generally at 74. As the carton is transferred downstream, the apparatus of the present invention is used to separate opposing panels and to assist in partly erecting the carton. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, panel separating means (or opposed opening wheel units) 76, 78 are positioned either side of the carton feed path of which the nearside panel separating means 76 is adjustable relative to the far side panel separating means 78 transversely to the machine to reflect the adjustments made according to the type of carton. The panel separating means are similar and hence only nearside means 76 is described in detail with reference to Figures 4, 6a and 6b. As shown in Figures 6a and 6b, the panel separating means 76 comprises a vacuum suction cup 79 connected via a drive rod 80 to a drive shaft 82, rotatable about a fixed axis. The drive shaft 82 is preferably powered by a servo motor 84. The shaft 82 is generally supported at its end by a suitable bearing structure but which is conventional and which is mounted to a side frame. The servo motor 84 is controlled by suitable control means which can cause the rotational velocity of the panel separating means 76 to vary and, therefore, causes the velocity of the suction cup 79 to vary. The drive rod 80 is preferably connected to a cam track by a cam follower (not shown) contained in a housing 86 or to other suitable means to provide a uniform path for the suction cups when the drive shaft 82 is rotated. Thus, the suction cups and drive rod are moved under a guided linear motion "M" towards and away from the carton during one complete rotation "R"of the drive shaft. In the present embodiment, it is envisaged that a vacuum break is provided in the housing 86 which is used in conjunction with a vacuum supply to set the vacuum connection and cut off points thereby determining when the carton is held by the panel separating means 76. Figure 7 shows an alternative embodiment of panel separating means, comprising three suction cups 79 mounted to a drive shaft 88 by drive rods 81. This embodiment is rotated in the same way as described above and is adapted for processing at higher carton throughput. It is envisaged that both embodiments illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 are compatible to be used together according to the velocity requirements of each unit and/or the carton throughput of the packaging machine. Alternatively, only one panel engaging means can be used to separate the panels, although it is envisaged that the opposing panel(s) of the carton should be held and/or supported by suitable means known in the art. Whilst the use of rotary suction cups to separate carton panels to the conveyor is preferred, it is envisaged that the present invention can be used or adapted to be used with other types of mechanism without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, a suction cup assembly could be mounted to an endless chain on a guide track, the chain being moved by a servo motor. This arrangement advantageously enables the panel separating means to adopt a different path or be in contact with the panel for a longer time period. Referring again to Figures 3, 4 and 5, the carton 52 is brought into a set up condition: the lower belt set terminates short of panel separating means 76, 78 and the carton is moved downstream by the upper belt unit only. The suction cup 79 of the far side panel separating means 78 is rotated and caused to engage the first or side panel 14 of the carton and vacuum is applied to the suction cup. The far side panel separating means 78 is caused to increase its rotational velocity by the control means so that the suction cup 79 is accelerated relative to the moving carton blank. Preferably, the suction cup is also caused to move away from the carton by the cam effect of the opening wheel so that side panel 14 and leading end panel 18 are separated and moved apart from the handle structure 20. At the same time the suction cup of the nearside panel separating means 76 is rotated and caused to engage the opposing second or side panel 12 of the carton blank. Vacuum is applied to the suction cup 79 mounted on the nearside panel separating means 76 and the electronic cam effect causes the suction cup to move away from the handle structure 20 thereby separating leading side panel 12 and trailing end panel 16 from the handle structure 20. Thus, the side panels 12, 14 are moved apart so that carton 52 is progressively brought into a set up condition (shown in Figure lb). Preferably, the nearside panel separating means 76 is caused to reduce its rotational velocity so that the suction cup decelerates relative to the velocity of the carton blank as it moves through the set up station. The preferred point of contact between the panel separating means 76, 78 and respective panels 12, 14 is in a central portion of the wall being separated. However, the position will vary according to the type of carton and in particular the dimensional variations of the side and end walls for each carton type and for different carton sizes. It is envisaged that the acceleration and/or deceleration can be altered according to the type of carton being processed through the machine and throughput times required by including manual input capability in the control means. Of course, the control means may be a dedicated processor or may be a control means for a packaging machine with which the apparatus of the invention is used. Alternatively, the control means may preferably be a known programmable servo control system. Turning again to the packaging machine shown in Figure 2, the end panels 16, 18 are maintained in a perpendicular relationship to the side panels 12, 14 by blocking lugs 92 (see Figures 4 and 5) mounted on a pair of side lug chain sets 94, 96. The base panels 24, 26 are then outwardly folded into a substantially perpendicular relationship with their respective side panels 12, 14 by guides positioned either side of the carton 10, 52. After the cartons have been set up, they are transferred to the loading station 100 shown in Figure 2. Thus, the cartons leave engagement with the upper belt set and blocking lugs 92 and engagement is gradually transferred as the cartons move downstream to a pair of side lug chain sets 102, 104 shown in Figure 2. The endless chain sets 102, 104 are downwardly inclined and transport the erected carton to the loading station 100, where it is successively loaded with articles; the carton construction is completed and resulting package is transferred to the outfeed end 106 of the packaging machine. By pre-programming the control system, the velocity and acceleration or deceleration of the suction cup 79 can be pre-set, thus reducing the amount of down time when interchanging carton types or styles. According to this invention, the speed of operation of the apparatus is improved as well as its efficiency and durability. An advantage of the present invention is the flexibility offered by the system. While the preferred embodiment described herein is for loading bottles into cartons, it will be recognised that the invention is not limited to cartons for bottles. The invention may be used with machines for packaging cans, paperboard "bricks" and other containers into cartons. Moreover, while the preferred embodiment described herein is shown as part of a machine for loading containers into vertically-loaded basket type carton, the invention is not limited to cartons of this type. As will be recognised by those skilled in the art, the invention may be used with wrap-around or end-loaded cartons. It will be understood that the carton erecting mechanism of the invention has been illustrated with reference to a specific embodiment and that numerous modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. The carton erecting mechanism is able to process cartons comprising numerous configurations of groups of articles covering a range of carton size and shape, for example, four, six, eight and twelve bottles without undue time being spent in adjusting the mechanism.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An apparatus for separating opposed first and second panels of a carton blank being conveyed through a packaging machine, the apparatus comprising panel separating means arranged to move around a pre-determined locus such that the panel separating means comes into contact with and engages said first panel, the apparatus being operable to change the velocity of the panel separating means relative the carton during engagement with said first panel so as to separate said first panel from said second panel. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising second panel separating means arranged to move around a second pre-determined locus such that the second panel separating means comes into contact with and engages said second panel, the apparatus being further operable to change the velocity of the second panel separating means during engagement with the second panel thereby to separate the second panel from the remaining panels of the carton. 3. The apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein control means are arranged to control the speed of the or each panel separating means. 4. An apparatus of claim 3 wherein said control means varies the speed of the or each panel separating means to lie within the range of plus or minus 1 to 25 % of the speed of said cartons being conveyed. 5. An apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the or each panel separating means comprises a suction cup and cupholder mounted to a shaft which rotates about a fixed axis, said suction cup being connected to a vacuum supply during said panel separation. 6. A device for setting up carton blanks in a packaging machine which device comprises first and second opening wheel being oppositely disposed, said wheels each being provided with panel separating means to retain opposed portions of the blank and wherein control means is provided to accelerate said first opening wheel relative to the said second wheel and/or control means is provided to decelerate said second opening wheel relative to said first wheel characterised in that the acceleration and/or deceleration of respective first and second opening wheels cause said opposed portions of said blank to be separated. 7. An apparatus of any of claims 1 to 5 or a device of claim 6 wherein the first and second panels, or as the case may be, the opposed portions of the blank, comprise opposite side walls of a carton blank.

Inventors: DUPERRAY PHILIPPE, DUPERRAY, PHILIPPE
Applicants: DUPERRAY PHILIPPE, MEAD CORP, DUPERRAY, PHILIPPE, THE MEAD CORPORATION
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B65B43
IPC codes: B65B21, B65B43