Abstract:
Apparatus for handling and filling flexible pouches in which a feeder mechanism  300  delivers a chain of interlinked flexible pouches  200  to a selector mechanism  600  comprising a linear actuator  602  and selector head  604  operable to detach the leading pouch  200  from the chain of pouches and move the selected pouch  200  to a station for removing a cap from the pouch  200 , filling the pouch  200  with liquid, re-attaching the cap and releasing the pouch for dispense.

Description:
This invention relates to pouch handling mechanisms, and more particularly to mechanisms for handling and filling flexible pouches. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is known in the art that flowable products, for example beverages, shampoos, cosmetics etc can be conveniently packaged in flexible pouches. Usually these products are manufactured in large quantities of similar product and on a production line known as a form fill seal line. In this process the pouch is formed in a first part of the machine, filled at the next and then sealed, thus achieving a highly automated system. This system is very effective and is well suited to producing high volume runs of products. However, it is less effective when greater flexibility is needed, i.e. when more runs of lower volume are required, as the changeover time of the system from filling one product to another is very high. Thus a more flexible solution is needed whereby the pouches can be manufactured and sealed in one location and then filled in smaller batches at a second location. Such a system is provided in the CMF series of filling machines manufactured by Hensen Packaging Concept GmbH. This system goes some way to providing a solution by providing a machine that fills ready formed bags. This design loads empty bags with spouts already inserted onto a holding rail by way a linear array. Holding rails are loaded onto the machine and are vibrated to cause the pouches to feed along the holding rail towards the point of use. One major problem associated with these machines is that they do not have a high degree of automation as it is a relatively labour and time intensive operation to load the bags on the rails and to load the rails onto the machine in such a way that the machine can easily select the pouch to be filled. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system for handling and filling flexible pouches 
     According to the present invention there is provided a pouch handling apparatus for selecting a flexible pouch from a chain of flexible pouches, and filling the flexible pouch, the apparatus comprising:
         a presentation means for presenting at least one chain of flexible pouches into a feeder mechanism through which said chain of pouches passes, said flexible pouches being interlinked via their spouts,   a means operable to engage with the spout of the end pouch of said interlinked chain, and to convey said end pouch from the feeder mechanism towards a filling position,   a means to pull, via the interlinked spouts, the remainder of the pouches towards the feeder mechanism;   a means of separating a flexible pouch from the end of the chain of interlinked pouches;   a means of filling a flexible pouch via the spout thereof in the filling position;   a means of closing the spout; and   a means of releasing the pouch from the pouch handling apparatus.       

     In one preferred arrangement the means operable to engage with the spout comprises the feeder mechanism. 
     In a preferred arrangement the pouch is filled at the filling position prior to being detached from the chain. In an alternative arrangement the pouch is detached from the chain prior to being filled at the filling position. 
     Preferably the said means operable to engage with the spout and said means of separating a flexible pouch from the end of the chain comprise one and the same means. 
     Preferably the spouts of the chain of pouches are provided with caps to maintain them internally clean, and the apparatus further comprises a means for removing the cap prior to filling. 
     In a preferred arrangement the cap is removed at the filling position, In an alternative preferred arrangement the cap is removed at a cap removal point remote from the filling position. 
     Preferably the means of closing the spout comprises the step of replacing the cap after the pouch has been filled. 
     Preferably the feeder mechanism comprises: a sprung loaded ratchet arm movable in a first direction, along the chain of pouches, in which direction of movement the ratchet arm will pivot away from the pouches thereby passing by the chain of interlinked pouches without engaging them, and movable in a second opposite direction in which the ratchet arm engages with the chain of interlinked pouches and moves them therewith into the feeder mechanism. 
     In one preferred arrangement the ratchet arm is arranged for linear movement. In an alternative arrangement the ratchet arm arranged for rotary movement. 
     Preferably the feeder mechanism further comprises a sprung retainer arm in a fixed position whereby when the pouches are moved into the feeder mechanism the retainer arm pivots to allow the chain of spouts to pass and whereby movement of the pouches in the opposite direction is prevented by engagement of the retainer arm with the chain of spouts. 
     Preferably, when said means operable to engage with the spout and said means of separating a flexible pouch from the end of the chain comprise one and the same means, said one and the same means comprises a linearly movable selector means arranged for movement substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the chain of interlinked pouches and wherein the perpendicular movement of the selector means detaches the selected pouch from the chain. 
     Preferably the selector means comprises a ridge, for location in a groove of the spout, and a pin, extendable through a cavity in the spout. 
     Preferably the pouch handling mechanism comprises: a plurality of presentation means, each presentation means having an associated feeder mechanism; means of filling a flexible pouch; means of closing the spout; means of separating a flexible pouch from the end of the chain of interlinked pouches; and a means of releasing the pouch from the pouch handling apparatus. 
     Preferably the pouch handling mechanism further comprises a combined capping and filling mechanism for removing a cap from a pouch, filling the pouch with liquid and re-attaching a cap to the pouch to close the spout, said mechanism movable in a horizontal and a vertical direction to present either a capper or a filling nozzle to the spout of a flexible pouch. Preferably the combined capping and filling mechanism further comprises a filling head arranged to receive and retain an array of nozzles from a plurality of liquid supplies and the filling head is indexable to present a selected one of said nozzles to the spout to fill the pouch therethrough. Preferably the pouch handling mechanism further comprises a refrigeration cowling surrounding the filling head to enable refrigerated air to circulate around said filling head to maintain it in a refrigerated condition. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, in relation to the drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective image of the pouch handling apparatus according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows the spout of a flexible pouch for use with the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of a feeder mechanism of the invention having pouches therein; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of a feeder mechanism of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of a feeder mechanism of the invention having pouches therein; 
         FIGS. 6   a  to  6   d  are perspective views of the action of the separator mechanism separating a pouch form the chain of pouches; 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  are perspective views of the capping and filling mechanism according to the invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a capping and filling mechanism according to the invention having a refrigeration cowling. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  a pouch handling mechanism  100  is shown comprising a cabinet  102  having an upper area  104  for containing fluid reservoirs and pumping means (omitted for clarity) and a lower area  106  containing the pouch handling mechanism  108 , two bandoliers  110 ,  112  each containing an interlinked chain of flexible pouches  114  and presentation means  116 ,  118  comprising guides for the chains of pouches  114  so as to present the pouches ready for feeding into, and filling in, the pouch handling mechanism. 
     The pouch handling mechanism will be described in more detail in relation to  FIGS. 2 to 9 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 to 5  the presentation means  116 ,  118  (shown only in  FIG. 1 ) presents two chains of interlinked pouches  200  in parallel into a feeder mechanism  300  having two parallel channels  402 ,  404 . Each channel  402 ,  404  has a pair of lips  406 ,  408  running along it, orientated such that as the pouches  200  pass into the feeder mechanism  300  two flanges  202 ,  204  attached to each spout  206  of a pouch  200  pass either side of the lips  406 ,  408  thereby locating the chain of pouches in each channel  402 ,  404 . Parallel to each channel  402 ,  404  is an actuator  302 ,  304  having a linearly movable end  306 ,  308  arranged for movement as indicated by arrows Y, Z parallel to the channels  402 ,  404 . Attached to each linearly movable end  306 ,  308  is a pivotally mounted ratchet arm  310 ,  312  pivotal about pivot point  314 ,  316  from an end position (shown), in which it is substantially perpendicular the channels  402 ,  404 , in the direction X towards a position in which it is substantially horizontal the channels  402 ,  404 . In use an actuator  302 ,  304  extends the linearly movable end  306 ,  308  in the direction Y as depicted in  FIG. 3 . As it does so the ratchet arm  310 ,  312  pivots in direction X allowing it to pass by the spout  206  of the bag  200  in the direction in which it is travelling without engaging therewith. Once past the spout  206 , the ratchet arm  310 ,  312  is sprung by a spring means (not shown) back to its end position substantially perpendicular the channels  402 ,  404  and in a position as depicted in 
       FIG. 3  wherein the ratchet arm  310 ,  312  extends at least partially between two adjacent spouts. Subsequent actuation of the actuator,  302 ,  304  moves the linearly movable end  306 ,  308 , and hence the ratchet arm attached thereto, in direction Z such that the ratchet arm  310 ,  312  engages with a spout  206  of a flexible pouch  200  of the chain, moving the chain therewith to feed it through the feeder mechanism  300 . As the pouches  200  are interlinked by their spouts  206  movement will translate down the chain via the interlinked spouts  206  to pull the chain of pouches  200  towards the feeder mechanism  300 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIGS. 6   a  to  6   d  the feeder mechanism  300  is shown in combination with a selector mechanism  600 . The selector mechanism  600  comprises a linear actuator  602  having a selector head  604  movable substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the pouches  200  as they are fed through the feeder mechanism  300 . The selector head comprises a lip  608  and a retention pin  610  extending therefrom. In use the feeder mechanism  300  operates as described above in relation to  FIGS. 2 to 5  to move one chain of interlinked pouches through the feeder mechanism  300  so that the end pouch  200  of the chain protrudes from the feeder mechanism  300  ( FIG. 6   b ). The selector mechanism  600  then actuates to move the selector head  604  towards the protruding pouch such that the retention pin  610  passes through an opening in the spout  206  and the lip  608  engages between the two flanges  202 ,  204  of the pouch ( FIG. 6   c ). Continued movement of the selector head  604  separates the pouch  200  with which it is engaged from the chain of pouches and moves it to its filling position ( FIG. 6   d ) wherein the flanges  202 ,  204  on the side of the spout  206  of the pouch  200  facing away from the selector head  604  engage with a fixed retaining lip  612  thereby locating the spout  206  of the pouch  200  in substantially fixed position. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8  the mechanism  700  for removing and replacing caps from the flexible pouches  702  and for filling the flexible pouches  702  is shown. The mechanism comprises a platform  704  which is movable in a horizontal axis by means of a first actuator  706  and a vertical axis by means of actuator  708 . The actuators  706 ,  708  are guided linear actuators with their stroke lengths matched to the required motion of the platform in the two directions. Motion in the horizontal direction presents either the capping mechanism  710 , or the filling head above the filling position (See  FIG. 6   d ). The capping mechanism  710  comprises a rotary actuator and a cap retainer (not shown). Motion in the vertical direction brings either the capping mechanism or the filling nozzle  714  into position respective the flexible pouch. In use, once a pouch has been brought into the filling position (see  FIGS. 6   a - d ) the platform  704  is moved to position the capping mechanism  710  above the filling position by means of horizontal actuator  706  and then the platform is moved in the vertical direction by vertical actuator  708  to bring the cap retainer (not shown) into contact with the cap of a pouch  702 . The capping mechanism  710  is then activated to unscrew the cap by means of rotary motion and the platform  704  is then raised in the vertical direction to move the cap clear of the pouch  702 . The horizontal actuator  706  is then actuated to move the platform  704  in the horizontal direction to position the filling head  712  above the now open top of the pouch  702 . The filling head  712  comprises an array of nozzle positions  716 ,  718 , each capable of receiving a nozzle  714  (only one shown for clarity), each nozzle connected to a source of liquid by a flexible conduit  720 . The filling head  712  can be indexed in the directions X, Y indicated in  FIG. 8  so as to present a nozzle  714  at any position in the array over the opening of the pouch  702 . In this manner different liquids can be selectively filled into subsequent pouches by selection of which nozzle the pouch is to be filled from. The filling head  712  is moved by means of actuator  726 . When the desired nozzle is positioned above the open top of the pouch  702  in its filing position the platform  704  is moved in the vertical direction to present the nozzle  714  to the opening in the pouch after which liquid can be introduce into the pouch  702  via the conduit  720  and the nozzle  714  to fill it. Once filled the vertical  708  and horizontal  706  actuators are activated in progression to remove the nozzle  714  from the pouch  702  and to reposition the cap above the pouch. The vertical actuator  708  is then actuated to position the cap back on the pouch and the capping mechanism  710  is actuated to screw the cap on. Once the cap is securely fastened, the selector head  722  is withdrawn by linear actuator  724  so as to disengage from the spout of the pouch  702  (see  FIGS. 6   a - d  for detail). Once the selector head  722  is disengaged the platform  704  is once again raised in the vertical direction, releasing the cap of the pouch  702  from the capping mechanism  710  and allowing the filled and sealed pouch to drop from the mechanism for dispense. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , the mechanism of  FIGS. 7 and 8  is shown with a refrigeration cowling  900  attached to the platform  902 . In use the refrigeration cowling  900  surrounds the flexible conduits  720  and filling head  712  ( FIG. 7 ) so that in use cooled air may be circulated about these parts via the opening  904  to maintain the liquid therein in a refrigerated condition. The refrigeration cowling  900  may be connected to the source of cooled air by a flexible conduit or may alternatively disengage temporarily while the platform  902  is in its lower position for filling and capping actions. 
     Alternative arrangements of the invention, for example push fit caps as opposed to screw fit, or having a separate cap removal position and filling position will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are intended to be covered by the scope of the invention.