Patent Publication Number: US-2021188471-A1

Title: Packaging machine with reject pouch conveyor

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 62/950,422 filed on Dec. 19, 2019. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a flexible pouch fill and seal machine and more particularly to a machine with an inspection station. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is known to fill and seal flexible pouches on turret type machines. The turret has pairs of grippers which holds the pouches by side edges. Pouches are loaded into the grippers of the turret at first bag loading station and then conveyed by the turret through a number of stations. The turret moves the pouch to stations where the pouch is marked with a date and tracking information the pouch is opened, filled with product and sealed. The pouches are conveyed to an unloading station where the pouch is dropped on to a conveyor to carry the pouches away from the turret. The pouches are then inspected for proper marking and sealing. If improperly marked or sealed, the pouch is removed from the conveyor before delivered into a carton for shipping. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A fill seal machine for a flexible pouch having at least one gripper for holding the pouch. The machine has a turret for moving the at least one gripper and pouch through a plurality of stations. The machine has an inspection station with a camera for providing a video image of the pouch. The video image is delivered to a control module for comparing the video image of the pouch to at least one parameter to determine whether the pouch is to be “accepted” or “rejected”. The control module is operable to generate a signal to open the at least one gripper if the pouch is “rejected” after inspection. A conveyor may be positioned beneath the gripper to receive the rejected pouch if rejected. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of a fill/seal machine in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of an inspection station of the machine; and 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of a pouch after it has been marked. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a multi-station turret packaging machine  10  for filling and filing a flexible pouch  12  includes an automated inspection station  14  and a conveyor  16  for carrying “rejected” pouches from the machine  10 . The improved packaging machine  10  eliminates the need for additional inspection and sorting downstream from the machine thereby reducing the overall footprint of the process. This allows properly filled and sealed pouches to be routed directly from the machine into shipping cartons from the machine. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the pouch is pre-formed from panels  17  of flexible material the pouch has an open top  18  and a pair of side seals  20 . If the pouch is a “sand up pouch”, the pouch is provided with a bottom gusset. The pouch is loaded into a pair of grippers which grasp side seals  20  at a top  18  of the pouch  12 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the pouch  12  is then moved sequentially through a series stations. The machine  10  is a fill and seal machine with ten stations for filling food product into stand up pouches with gussets. However, the machine  10  may have less or more stations depending on the style of the pouch and the contents to be packaged in the pouch  12 . The machine  10  includes a base  26  supporting a rotating turret  28 . The turret  28  is rotated and indexed to move the pouch  12  sequentially through each of the stations. The turret  28  has at least one pair at grippers  22  of each station. The pouch  12  is loaded into the pair of grippers  22  from a cassette  30  at a loading station  32 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the pouch  12  is then moved by the turret  28  to a marking station  34 . The pouch is marked with information, such as the date that the pouch is filled and tracking information. The tracking information may be codes that relate to the product batch or machine. The pouch may be marked by an inkjet printer  36  or a stamp. 
     The pouch  12  is then moved to an opening station  36 . As is known in the art, suction cups are moved and affixed to the front and back panels  17  of the pouch  12  and then moved apart to open the pouch  12 . In the case that the pouch  12  is provided with an interlocking zipper, opening fingers extend downwardly to separate the zipper at the pouch top  18 . 
     At a bottom opening station  38 , the bottom gusset of the pouch is pushed downwardly into position by an air blower or a plunger  40 . At a filling station  42 , product is loaded from a reservoir  44  above the turret through a funnel or diving wand into the pouch  12 . At a degassing station  46 , oxygen is removed from the pouch in a nitrogen bath prior to sealing. If a food product is being filled. At a closing station  48 , the top of the panels  17  are pressed together. At a sealing station  50 , seal bars  52  are positioned across the top of the pouch to heat and melt the adhesive layers of the film to form a seal  21  at the top  18  of the pouch ( FIG. 3 ). 
     At the inspection station  14 , as shown in  FIGS. 2,3 , the seal  21  is cooled and the pouch  12  is inspected with a video camera  56  to ensure the marked information  24  is complete, readable and has been properly placed and that the seal has been properly applied. A video image  58  from the camera is delivered to a control module  60 . The video image  58  is compared to selected parameters which are stored in the control module  60 . The selected parameters can include the existence, completeness legibility and alignment of the marked information  24  if desired the parameters can include the proper position and alignment of the top seal  21 . If the comparison of the video image with selected parameters reveals that all of the selected parameters are within tolerance, the pouch is “accepted”. However, if the video image of the pouch does not meet the selected parameters, the pouch is “rejected”. If “rejected”, the control module  60  sends a signal  70  to a gripper controller to open the pair of grippers  22 . When the pairs of grippers  22  open, the pouch  12  is released from the grippers. The pouch drops onto a conveyor such as a ramp  64  or a belt. The ramp  64  extends downwardly and outwardly to the side of the base collection bin. Alternatively, a bin can be located below the grippers to directly receive the pouches after “rejection.” The turret then moves an “accepted” pouch to a discharge station  66  where the “accepted” pouch is discharged into a carton or conveyor  68  for packaging into cartons. 
     This is disclosed a novel packaging machine with an inspection station where pouches are imaged by camera and inspected for quality. “Rejected” pouches are dropped from the turret. The arrangement provides for a compact machine and simplifies the rejection process.