Patent Publication Number: US-2016229566-A1

Title: Apparatus for manufacturing packaging units

Description:
The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing packaging units in a tubular bag forming, filling and sealing machine, having a horizontal conveyor installation for transferring separated products to a portioning appliance for manufacturing portion units with a defined arrangement and number of products, and having a vertical conveyor installation for conveying the portion units, which are enveloped by a film web, to a separating appliance for separating the packaging units, wherein the vertical conveyor installation has two parallel strap conveyors, defining, with conveying sides arranged so as to be opposed to each other and pertaining to circulating conveying straps, a conveying channel for conveying the portion units, which are enveloped by the film web, wherein the strap conveyors each have a multiplicity of support appliances arranged in the conveying direction for supporting the conveying straps along the conveying channel. 
     Apparatuses of the type mentioned at the beginning allow for arranging a vertical conveying device after a portioning appliance in the vertical sense, wherein, in the region of the vertical conveyor installation, as the portion units manufactured in the portioning appliance are being continuously conveyed, they are simultaneously enveloped in a film web and normally film edges of the film web are also sealed for realizing a film tube receiving the portion units. For finishing portion packages receiving individual portion units, the only thing then left is to partition the film tube at points corresponding to the portion units carried along in the same. 
     Normally, manufacturing packaging units with which the film envelope rests against the products realizing the respective portion unit as tightly as possible is desirable. Moreover, the operations of enveloping the portion units and conveying the portion units are desired to be performed in a fashion as gentle on the product as possible. 
     The invention is therefore based on the task of proposing an apparatus for manufacturing packaging units allowing for manufacturing a clinging product package while conveying the packaged products in a fashion that is gentle on the products. 
     This task is solved by the apparatus having the features of claim  1 . 
     The apparatus in accordance with the invention has a vertical conveyor installation having support appliances, which have a pivoting lever which is borne at a framework of the strap conveyor and exposed to a pretensioning force with the help of an elastic element against the conveying direction, and which is provided, at its free lever end, with a contact appliance for resting against a rear side of the conveying straps in a supporting fashion. 
     Owing to the fact that the support appliance is realized as a pivoting lever pretensioned with the help of an elastic element, it is achieved that each support appliance individually acts on the product conveyed through the conveying channel. Hereby, an adaptation of the conveying sides of the conveying straps to the product contours in contact with the conveying straps becomes possible, peripheral differences in the conveying direction existing at the products themselves or also between successive products of a portion unit being compensated during said adaptation. The result is that the conveying straps and hence also the film envelope arranged between the conveying straps and the portion units tightly comes to rest against the contour of the products or portion units and that cavities can mostly be prevented from developing between the film envelope and the products or the portion units. 
     It is particularly advantageous if the contact appliance of the pivoting to lever has a contact roller borne at the lever end, such that undesired frictional effects can mostly be prevented between the contact appliance and the conveying straps, resulting in the contact appliance being able to better follow the contour of the product conveyed past the contact appliance in the conveying channel, which means that in particular no delays occur of the pivoting movements of the support appliance due to frictional effects between the contact appliance and the conveying strap. 
     If in each instance two contact rollers arranged in a common horizontal plane on opposite sides of the conveying channel form a contact roller pair having a left contact roller and a right contact roller, wherein the contact rollers define a front conveying gap in a front conveying channel cross-section, said gap being offset to the side relative to a rear conveying gap defined in a rear conveying channel cross-section, the support appliance does not only make it possible to adapt the conveying channel contour to the products and portion units conveyed, but also in particular to adapt the conveying channel contour in a transverse direction to the conveying direction, such that a conveying gap is defined in a rear conveying channel cross-section, being offset with respect to a conveying gap in a front conveying channel cross-section. 
     Such a transverse shift to the conveying direction can particularly simply be achieved if the contact rollers are realized as flanged rollers, having a first roller section having a diameter d 1  and a second roller section having a diameter d 2 , wherein d 1  is smaller than d 2 . 
     If, in addition, contact roller pairs arranged so as to be adjacent in the conveying direction have an alternating arrangement of the right and of the left contact roller, in such a manner that the conveying gap, both in a front conveying channel plane and in a rear conveying channel plane, in the transition from one pair of contact rollers to the adjacent pair of rollers, has an alternating lateral conveying gap shift, a particularly good adaptation of the conveying channel contour to products or portion units having, in the conveying direction, a diameter changing greatly can be achieved, as it is, for instance, the case with round disk-shaped products, when the disk-shaped product is arranged so as to be parallel to the conveying direction. 
     A particularly simple and reliable constructive design of the support appliance, which in addition makes it possible to design the support appliance in a particularly compact fashion, is achieved if the elastic element is realized as a swivel pin spring and is arranged on a swing shaft so as to be coaxial with respect to the longitudinal axis of the swing shaft of the pivoting lever. 
     If, for setting the conveying channel width, the distance between the frameworks of the strap conveyors is adjustable, products or portion units deviating to a large extent with respect to the product diameter or to the diameter of the portion unit can be conveyed with the same vertical conveyor installation, such that the spring path of the elastic element required for the function of the support appliances is not restricted by the product dimensions and that the advantageous characteristics of the support appliance can be utilized in the same manner with products or with portion units having a relatively small diameter and with products or portion units having a relatively large diameter. This means that, by adjusting the distance between the frameworks of the strap conveyors, the conveying channel width can receive a normal setting, such that the advantageous effects discussed hereinbefore, of the support appliances, can set in based on this normal setting. 
    
    
     
       In the following, preferred embodiments of the apparatus will be explained in more detail with the aid of the drawings. 
       In the figures: 
         FIG. 1  shows an apparatus for manufacturing packaging units, comprising a transport unit having a vertical conveyor installation and a film take-off appliance; 
         FIG. 2  shows the vertical conveyor installation of the transport unit on its own; 
         FIG. 3  shows the transport unit illustrated in  FIG. 1  in an isometric illustration; 
         FIG. 4  shows an enlarged partial illustration of the vertical conveyor installation; 
         FIG. 5  shows a cross-sectional illustration of the vertical conveyor installation illustrated in  FIG. 3  in accordance with the run of the line of intersection V-V; 
         FIG. 6  shows an individual illustration of a left support appliance; 
         FIG. 7  shows an individual illustration of a right support appliance; 
         FIG. 8  shows an isometric illustration corresponding to  FIG. 3 , of the vertical conveyor installation, with portion units, each of which comprises two products in a stack arrangement; 
         FIG. 9  shows a sectional illustration of the vertical conveyor installation illustrated in  FIG. 8 , in accordance with the run of the line of intersection IX-IX; 
         FIG. 10  shows vertical conveyor installation illustrated in  FIG. 3 , with portion units, which comprise two products arranged in a row; 
         FIG. 11  shows a sectional illustration of the vertical conveyor installation illustrated in  FIG. 10 , in accordance with the run of the line of intersection XI-XI. 
     
    
    
       FIG. 1  shows a packaging apparatus  10 , which serves to manufacture packaging units not illustrated in more detail and comprising a portion unit  12 , which is enveloped into a film web  11 . The packaging apparatus  10 , in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 , comprises a product conveying appliance  13 , by means of which individual products  14  are conveyed to a portioning appliance  15 , which, in the present case, has a circulating conveyor  16  having portion stops  18 ,  19 , which are moved independently of each other in the conveying direction  17 , and which are kinematically controlled in such a fashion that, in a transfer region between the product conveying appliance  13  and the portioning appliance  15 , individual products  14 , following one after another, are stacked on a front portion stop  18 . Said front portion stop  18 , during stacking, is moved forward in timed intervals in the conveying direction  17  of the circulating conveyor  16  until finally, after a defined stacking height has been attained, the rear portion stop  19  is advanced against the stacked portion unit  12 , such that the portion unit  12  is received between the portion stops  18 ,  19  in a defined fashion. 
     For being transferred to a vertical conveyor installation  22  which is arranged below a transfer region  21 , and which is only schematically illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the portion unit  12  passes a film web deflecting appliance  26 , which has an inlet opening  28  arranged on a vertical enveloping axis  27 , on the upper end of the film web deflecting appliance, and a film edge guide slot  29  on its lower end laterally offset with respect to the enveloping axis  27 . 
     As  FIG. 1  shows, the film web deflecting appliance  26  serves to divert the film web  11  from a horizontal conveying track portion  30  into a vertical conveying track portion  31 , wherein a film envelope  24  of the portion unit  12  is simultaneously realized by means of molding shoulders  32 ,  33  of the film web deflecting appliance  26 , which shoulders delimit the inlet opening  28 , and by means of the film edge guide slot  29 . 
     As  FIG. 1  shows in a schematic illustration, a film take-off appliance  36  is arranged so as to be parallel to the vertical conveyor installation  22 . Said installation has two strap conveyors  34 ,  35  (see also  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) which receive the portion unit  12  together with the film envelope  24  for enveloping the portion unit  12  between themselves. The film take-off appliance  36  has two pairs  37 ,  38  of take-off rollers which are arranged one above the other in the conveying direction  17 , and which realize one draw-in gap  39  ( FIG. 2 ) in each instance, through which a film edge  40  is transported in the conveying direction  17 . 
     The vertical conveyor installation  22 , together with the film take-off appliance  36 , forms a transport unit  41 , which makes sure that the film envelope  24  is synchronously conveyed together with the portion units  12  received therein. 
       FIG. 2  shows the transport unit  41  in a detailed illustration, with the vertical conveyor installation  22  and the film take-off appliance  36  arranged so as to be parallel to the vertical conveyor installation  22 . A base frame  42  embodied as a mounting plate by way of example in  FIG. 2  serves to arrange the vertical conveyor installation  22  and the film take-off appliance  36  relative to each other, and also serves to connect the transport unit  41  to a machine frame not illustrated in more detail here and pertaining to the packaging apparatus  10 . 
     For explaining the function and the construction of the vertical conveyor installation  22 , reference initially is to be made to  FIG. 3 , which shows the vertical conveyor installation  22  on its own and before being linked to the base frame  42 . The vertical conveyor installation  22  comprises, as it has already been remarked in the passages making reference to  FIG. 1 , two strap conveyors  34 ,  35  which are arranged so as to be parallel to each other, and each of which has one framework  43  as well as deflecting appliances  44 ,  45  arranged at the framework  43  for guiding strap arrangements  46 , each of which, in the present case, comprises two conveying straps  47 ,  48  which are guided in a parallel fashion, and which are realized as toothed belts in the present case. The conveying straps  47 ,  48  are driven via a driving wheel  49  which is borne at the framework  43 , and which, via a driving shaft  50 , is connected to a drive motor  52  arranged at the end of a shaft housing  51 . 
     For an exemplary design of a conveying channel setting appliance, which serves to set the distance b of conveying sides  61 ,  62  arranged so as to be opposed to each other and pertaining to the conveying straps  34 ,  35 , the driving shafts  50  or the shaft housings  51  of the driving shafts  50 , as it is illustrated in particular in  FIG. 3 , are received in regulating housings  54 , which are arranged in a guide framework  55  on cross guides  56  and are therefore slidable on an infeed axis  23  running parallel to the base frame  42  ( FIG. 2 ), in a transverse sense to driving axles  53  defined by the driving shafts  50  and pertaining to the strap conveyors  34 ,  35 . An actuator  57  is linked to the guide framework  55 , having a driving shaft  59  which is guided in a shaft housing  58 , and which is driven by a drive motor  60  arranged at the end of the shaft housing  58 . The driving shaft  59  acts, via a deflecting gear not illustrated in more detail here and arranged in the guide framework  55 , on the actuating housings  54 , which are synchronously advanced in opposite directions depending on the rotational direction of the driving shaft  59 , such that the distance a 1  between the driving axles  53  of the strap conveyors  34 ,  35  is either amplified or diminished. 
     As  FIG. 3  shows, by way of the distance b of the conveying sides  61 ,  62  pertaining to the strap conveyors  34 ,  35  and facing each other, the width b of a conveying channel  63  realized between the strap conveyors is defined. Portion units  12  realized, for instance, as a product stack here are conveyed in the conveying channel  63 , wherein, in the present case, for reasons of a simplified illustration, the film envelope  24  was not to illustrated here. In any event, starting from the illustration in  FIG. 3 , it becomes clear that, by way of an adjustment in the distance a 1  between the driving axles  53  of the strap conveyors  34 ,  35 , as a consequence of a corresponding actuation of the actuator  57 , it is made possible in a simple manner to adapt the width b of the conveying channel  63  to the respective dimensions of the products  14  intended for being conveyed in the conveying channel  63 . 
     As it is illustrated in  FIG. 3 , linking faces  64 ,  65  of the guide framework  55  are provided with connection means  66 ,  67 , which serve to link the guide framework  55  of the vertical conveyor installation  22  to the base frame  42 , in such a manner that—as it is illustrated in  FIG. 2 —the guide framework  55  is connected to a rear side  68  of the base frame  42  realized as a mounting plate here. Here, the regulating housings  54  having the shaft housings  51  received therein are arranged in window openings  69  of the base frame  42 . 
     As shown by  FIG. 2  in particular, the vertical conveyor installation  22 , in the transport unit  41 , is combined with the film take-off appliance  36 , which has two pairs  37 ,  38  of take-off rollers in each instance, which form the draw-in gap  39 , into which—as it is illustrated in  FIG. 1 —the film edge  40  is drawn in such that the film envelope  24  is conveyed in the conveying direction  17 , synchronously to the vertical conveyance of the portion units  12  in the conveying channel  63 . Each of the individual take-off rollers  70  of the film take-off appliance  36  is driven via a driving shaft  71 , wherein the two driving shafts  71  of a take-off roller pair  37 ,  38  are driven by a common drive motor  72  via a power divider  73 . Each of the driving shafts  71  is situated in a shaft housing  74 , which has been guided through a window opening  75  in the base frame  42  and is connected to a regulating frame  76 , at which the drive motor  72  and the power divider  73  is arranged and which can be advanced in a parallel fashion relative to the base frame  42 . 
     As shown by  FIG. 4  in particular, there are support appliances  100 ,  101  for guiding or supporting the conveying straps  47 ,  48 , said appliances being arranged at the framework  43  like the deflecting appliances  44  and supporting the conveying straps  47 ,  48  in the region of the conveying channel  63 . As  FIG. 5  shows, the support appliances  100 ,  101  have pivoting levers  104 , which are arranged on a swing shaft  102  in each instance and can be pivoted about a swivel axis  103 , and which are provided with a contact appliance  105  at their free end, said contact appliances having contact rollers  107 ,  108  arranged on a roller axis  106 . 
       FIG. 5  shows, in a fashion corresponding to the run of the line of intersection V-V, a contact roller pair  132  having two contact rollers  107 ,  108  arranged in a common horizontal plane  114 . The contact rollers  107 ,  108  are realized as flanged rollers and have a ledge  109 , which divides the contact rollers  107 ,  108  into a roller section  110  having a diameter d 1  and a roller section  111  having a diameter d 2 . The contact rollers  107 ,  108 , with their larger roller section  111  with respect to the diameter in each instance, rest against a rear side  112  of the conveying straps  47 ,  48 . By contrast, a gap  113  is realized between the rear side  112  of the conveying straps  47 ,  48  and the roller section  110  of the contact rollers whose diameter is smaller. With the conveying sides  61 ,  62 , the conveying straps  47 ,  48  rest against the periphery of the product  14  illustrated in  FIG. 5 , such that the conveying channel width b corresponds to the product diameter p. As it has already been mentioned hereinbefore, in the illustrations of the vertical conveyor installation  22 , which show the products  14  in the conveying channel  63 , it was chosen, for reasons of clarity, not to illustrate the film envelope  24 , which is situated between the conveying sides  61 ,  62  of the conveying straps  47 ,  48  and the periphery of the product  14 . 
     Owing to the roller sections  110 ,  111  provided with different diameters d 1 , d 2 , a front conveying gap  116  is realized between the contact rollers  107 ,  108  in a front conveying channel cross-section  115 , said gap being offset with respect to a rear conveying gap  117 , which is realized in a rear conveying channel cross-section  118 . 
     In  FIGS. 6 and 7 , a support appliance  101  as well as a support appliance  100  are illustrated, which are realized in conformity, with the exception of the contact rollers  107 ,  108  designed differently and therefore, apart from that, have identical parts, such that, for explaining the construction of the support appliances  100 ,  101 , hereinafter reference is only made to  FIG. 6 , illustrating support appliance  101 . As  FIG. 6  shows, the swing shaft  102  of support appliance  100  is provided with an elastic element realized as a swivel pin spring  119 . The swivel pin spring  119  is situated coaxially on the swing shaft  102 , wherein one swivel pin  120  is fixed at the swing shaft  102  and the other swivel pin  121  is supported at a stop  122 , which is arranged at the framework  43  ( FIG. 4 ) of the strap conveyor  34 ,  35 . In the case of the contact roller  108  being loaded with a force F, a moment of load generated by the pivoting lever acts on the swivel pin spring  119 , which is compressed as a consequence of an evasive movement about the swivel axis  103 , such that a moment of support is generated, having a supporting force S counteracting force F. 
     As  FIG. 4  shows, contact roller pairs  132  arranged so as to be adjacent in the conveying direction  17  have an alternating arrangement of the right and of the left contact rollers  107 ,  108 , in such a manner that the front conveying gap  116  illustrated in  FIG. 5  and realized between the roller sections  110  and  111  and the rear conveying gap  117 , both in a front conveying channel plane  133 , which is defined by the front conveying straps  47 , and in a rear conveying channel plane  134 , which is defined by the rear conveying straps  48 , in the transition from one pair  132  of contact rollers to the adjacent pair  132  of contact rollers, have an alternating lateral conveying gap shift. Since each of the conveying straps is able to perform evasive movements into the gap  113 , which is realized between the roller sections  110  having a smaller diameter d 1  and the rear sides of the conveying straps  47 ,  48 , the conveying channel to contour can be adapted particularly well to the products  14  or to the portion units  12 , superposed by the evasive movements of the support appliances  100 ,  101 , said products or portion units having a diameter changing greatly in the conveying direction, as it is, for instance, the case with round disk-shaped products, when the disk-shaped product is arranged so as to be parallel to the conveying direction. 
     In  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the vertical conveyor installation  22  is illustrated with portion units  130  which are arranged in the conveying channel  63 , and each of which has two products  14  arranged in a stack arrangement so as to be transverse to the conveying direction  17 . Here, too, increased compliances of the conveying straps  47 ,  48  result, as it can be taken from  FIG. 9  in particular, in the region of the gaps  113  realized between the rear sides  112  of the conveying straps  47 ,  48  and the roller sections  110  of the contact rollers  107 ,  108 . 
       FIG. 10  shows the vertical conveyor installation  22  with portion units  131  which are arranged in the conveying channel  63 , and each of which has two products  14  arranged in a row in the conveying direction  17 . As it becomes clear from a combined view of  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the alternating arrangement in the conveying direction  17 , of the support appliances  100 ,  101  provided with different contact rollers  107 ,  108 , makes it possible that an increased compliance of the conveying straps  47 ,  48  is also realized with portion units  131 , owing to the gaps  113  between the rear side  112  of the conveying straps  47 ,  48  and the roller sections  110  of the contact rollers  107 ,  108 , such that a particularly good adaptation to the curve contour of the products  14  becomes possible.