Abstract:
The present invention relates to a line converger comprising a label dispenser and to a method for converging a row of at least three packages into a single lane and for applying a label to each package before the packages leave the line converger.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application claims priority to European Patent Application Number 13195889.4 filed Dec. 5, 2013, to Elmar Ehrmann and Guido Spix entitled “Line Converger with Label Dispenser,” currently pending, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a line converger for packages as well as to a method for operating a line converger. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     DE 10 2010 017 821 A1 discloses a line converger for converging separate packages, which are conveyed in parallel on several lanes, into a single lane of successive packages. 
     DE 41 35 106 C2 discloses a labeler that applies labels to packages conveyed in succession on a conveyor belt located below the labeler. 
     In a packaging plant comprising a line converger for converging a multi-lane format of packages from a thermoform packaging machine into a single lane as well as a labeler for labeling the packages downstream of the line converger on a single-lane conveyor belt, the line converger and the conveyor system including the labeler are arranged in succession and have, in combination, a large footprint in the conveying direction. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of the present invention to reduce the total space required for a line converger and a conveyor system including a label dispenser. 
     The line converger according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises at least one conveyor belt and at least one adjustable guide rail with a guide. The line converger may also include a control unit and a label dispenser for applying labels to a package. A sensor may be provided and connected to the control unit to detect a leading edge of each package to be labeled. According to such an embodiment, a single-lane conveyor belt provided for the label dispenser is no longer necessary and, consequently, fewer drives are required for the conveyor belts and the space required corresponds to only the footprint of a line converger. 
     The label dispenser may be adjustable in a direction transverse to the conveying direction so that it can be adapted to the various possible package positions which can be produced by one or two adjustable guide rails during transport along the label dispenser or so that the position of the label on the package itself can be influenced. 
     The label dispenser may be adjustable in a vertical direction so that it can be adapted to different heights of the packages. The vertical adjustment can be implemented such that it is executable by hand or by means of a drive, which, in turn, is adjustable to the desired position by the control unit. 
     According to one embodiment of the present invention, at least two stoppers and a single conveyor belt are provided to successively release, by means of the stoppers, individual lanes of packages. One stopper for each lane may be provided. Alternatively, two successive conveyor belts may be, provided, and the stoppers may be disposed between the two conveyor belts. The stoppers may be a structurally simple, space- and cost-saving embodiment and may be arranged below the conveying plane according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
     The stoppers can be vertically movable by means of pneumatic cylinders, or other similar devices, that may be arranged above the conveyor belt and may be adapted to be controlled individually by the control unit. 
     According to one embodiment, the control unit may control the conveyor belt and the label dispenser. The dispensing rate of the label tape can be synchronized with the conveying speed of the conveyor belt to allow precise positioning of the label on the package. 
     According to one embodiment, the control unit may be part of a machine control unit of an upstream thermoform packaging machine making a separate control for the label dispenser unnecessary and improving the synchronization of the line converger together with the label dispenser, whereby an increase in performance may be accomplished. 
     The line converger may be configured for more than three lanes of packages. 
     A method, according to one embodiment of the present invention, for operating a line converger may include that the line converger receives a row of separate packages from a thermoform packaging machine and converges them into a lane of successive packages. The method may also include that a sensor is arranged in the area of the line converger and may detect the leading edge of a package moving past said sensor, and that a label dispenser may apply a label to the package while said package is still located fully or partly on the conveyor belt of the line converger. This method may also allow for a very compact structural design and a multi-functional operation of the line converger. 
     According to one embodiment, the stoppers can each stop a package of a lane while the conveyor belt is moving and release the side-by-side neighboring packages one after the other, so that the packages leave the line converger on a single lane with a distance between two successive packages. 
     Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of the specification and is to be read in conjunction therewith in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like or similar parts in the various views: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a line converger with a label dispenser according to one embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of the line converger in  FIG. 1  according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
       Like reference numerals always designate like components in the drawings. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures. 
     The following detailed description of the invention references specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The present invention is defined by the appended claims and the description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and shall not limit the scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 
       FIG. 1  shows a line converger  1  according to one embodiment of the present invention with a label dispenser  2  which may be arranged at the end of the line converger  1  when seen in a conveying direction T. The line converger  1  may also include two movable guide rails  3  that may be converging towards one another and that can be adjusted such that a gap or opening for packages  4  is defined at the downstream end of the guide rails  3 . The width of the gap or opening may be only slightly larger than the width of the package  4 . The gap can be formed at an arbitrary position transverse to the conveying direction T. In  FIG. 1 , the gap is shown in the central area transverse to the conveying direction above and on a conveyor belt  5 . The guide rails  3  can be provided with additional guides  6  on a downstream end thereof to align the package  4  along the conveying direction T. A label  7  can then be positioned precisely on the package  4  based on its transverse position with respect to the conveying direction T. 
     A sensor  8  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ), may be provided on the label dispenser  2 . The sensor  8  can detect a leading edge V of a package  4  to be labeled while the package  4  is being conveyed along the guides  6 . The sensor  8  may be configured as a light barrier or a proximity sensor and may be connected to a control unit  9 , to which the sensor  8  may transmit a signal, such as the detection of the front edge V of the package  4 . By means of the speed and the path of the label tape  10  towards and along a dispensing edge  11 , the control unit  9  can control the movement of the label  7  to be dispensed so as to detach the label  7  from the label tape  10  and apply it to the package  4 . The speed of the label tape  10  during the operation of dispensing a label onto the package  4  may be identical to the speed of the conveyor belt  5 . Upstream, a stopping unit  12  can be arranged in front of the guide rails  3  so as to stop a row R of packages  4  while the conveyor belt  5  is moving. To this end, a stopper  13  may be provided for each package  4 , and each stopper  13  may be vertically movable by means of a pneumatic cylinder  14  between a lower position for stopping the package  4  and an upper position for releasing the package  4 . The pneumatic cylinders  14  and the stoppers  13  may be controlled by the control unit  9  separately and may be controlled with a time shift so as to release the packages  4  one after the other. 
     The sequence of converging operations to form a single lane of successive packages  4  and the sequence of label dispensing operations are explained in more detail with reference to  FIG. 2 . For the sake of clarity, only the dispensing edge  11  of the label dispenser  2  is shown in the plan view. The plan view of the line converger  1  shows how a row R of four packages  4  is transferred from a thermoform packaging machine  15 . A row R of packages  4  may be defined by a plurality of packages  4  arranged side by side in a direction transverse to the conveying direction T. A lane S of packages  4  may be defined by one or a plurality of packages  4  arranged one after the other in the conveying direction T. The thermoform packaging machine  15  may supply four lanes S, which each may comprise one package  4 , to the line converger  1 . The conveyor belt  5  of the line converger  1  may be driven by a motor  16 , and its speed may be adjusted via the control unit  9  or the motor  16  running at a constant speed. The conveyor belt  5  may be configured as a link conveyor or a belt conveyor, and rubber, silicone or polyurethane may be used as a coating. Each of the packages  4  may be stopped by a stopper  13 . The stoppers  13  may be raised separately by the control unit  9  for releasing the package  4  and lowered by said control unit  9  for stopping the next following package  4 . 
     While a row R of packages  4  numbered  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4  may be stopped by the stoppers  13 , the packages  4  of a previously supplied row R numbered  1 ′,  2 ′,  3 ′,  4 ′ may have already arrived at the converging point, such as a point downstream of the stoppers  13 . In one embodiment, the stopper  13  for package  4  with number  1 ′ was raised first, followed by stopper  13  for package  4  with number  2 ′, followed by stopper  13  for package  4  with number  3 ′ and finally by stopper  13  for package  4  with number  4 ′. In the course of this process, a distance A between two successive packages  4  is produced by providing a corresponding distance in time between the moments at which these packages  4  are released by the stoppers  13 . This distance A can be advantageous insofar as it allows the sensor  8  to detect the leading edge V of each package  4 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the guide rails  3  are adjusted to converge towards one another such that the packages  4  of each of the four lanes S leave the line converger  1  in succession in a central area of the conveyor belt  5  and are transmitted to a conveyor belt that will carry them on or to a downstream production unit  17 , such as a weighing unit. The leading edge V of each package  4  may be detected by the sensor  8  and the label  7  may be dispensed and applied according to the desired position on the package  4 . 
     In the embodiment shown in the figures, the label  7  is applied to the package  4  while part of the package  4  is still guided by the guides  6  and still rests completely on the conveyor belt  5 . 
     From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain features and sub combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Since many possible embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is also to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting. 
     The constructions and methods described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts and principles of the present invention. Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel invention. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Many changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications of the present construction will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and the scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.