Patent Publication Number: US-2023150779-A1

Title: Conveyor for the transport of assembled or semi-assembled cartridges for electronic cigarettes

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a conveyor for transporting assembled or semi-assembled cartridges for electronic cigarettes, in particular for a machine for assembling cartridges. 
     In particular, the present invention relates to a conveyor of the type comprising at least one rail extending along a path, preferably closed in a ring-like fashion, and at least one carriage movable on the rail, which has a housing unit for the cartridges. 
     A conveyor of the type indicated above is described, for example, in patent application IT102019000008817 owned by the Applicant. 
     OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention aims to provide a conveyor of the type indicated above which is improved with respect to the prior art, in particular, which is capable of operating reliably and efficiently even with cartridges that do not have a conventional cylindrical shape or in any case a shape with a constant cross-section. 
     This object is achieved by means of a conveyor having the features subject of claim  1 . 
     The claims form an integral part of the disclosure provided here. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the solution described here, the first and second lever comprise respective end portions intended to come into contact with the cartridge received in the seat, and each having a respective contact surface having a shape corresponding to the shape of the relative portion of the cartridge with which the contact surface is intended to be placed in contact, so that, in their closed position, the two levers form a shape coupling with the cartridge. 
     Furthermore, preferably, the end portion of the first or second lever is adjustable in position to vary its distance with respect to the end portion of the second or first lever, in the reciprocal closed position of the first and second lever. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become evident from the description that follows, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein: 
         FIG.  1    represents an example of a machine for assembling cartridges for electronic cigarettes in which the conveyor described here can be used; 
         FIG.  2    represents an axonometric view of a carriage used in the conveyor described here; 
         FIG.  3    represents a side view of the carriage of  FIG.  2   ; 
         FIG.  4    represents the carriage of  FIG.  1    at an actuator device configured to actuate means of the carriage for retaining the cartridges; and 
         FIGS.  5 A and  5 B  both represent a cross-sectional view of a detail of the carriage of  FIG.  2   , for two different operating conditions of the retaining means of the carriage. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description various specific details are illustrated aimed at a thorough understanding of the embodiments. The embodiments may be implemented without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, or materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of the embodiment. 
     The references used here are only for convenience and do not therefore define the field of protection or the scope of the embodiments. 
     In  FIG.  1   , the reference number  4  indicates as a whole a machine for producing cartridges  100  for electronic cigarettes. 
     The machine  4  comprises an assembly section in which the materials forming the cartridges  100  are assembled to prepare the cartridges  100 , and a feeding section, in which the materials forming the cartridges  100  are received and sorted towards the assembly section. 
     According to the example shown in  FIG.  1   , the assembly section of the machine  4  comprises an initial part A, an intermediate part B, and a final part C. 
     The machine  4  comprises a support frame  5 , which rests on the ground by means of a plurality of legs, and presents a vertical wall at the front on which the operating members of the three parts A, B and C are mounted. The intermediate part B of the machine  4  comprises a conveyor  20  to transport the semi-assembled cartridges  100  (i.e. still lacking some element) along a processing path P, which extends between an inlet station S 1  and an outlet station S 2 . 
     The processing path P comprises a straight operating section extending from the inlet station S 1  (which constitutes the end of the initial part A and the beginning of the intermediate part B), in which the semi-assembled cartridges  100  are cyclically delivered to the conveyor  20 , to an outlet station S 2  (which constitutes the end of the intermediate part B and the beginning of the final part C), in which the cartridges  100  (to which new elements have been added crossing the intermediate part B) leave the conveyor  20 . Furthermore, as illustrated in  FIG.  1   , the path P comprises a straight return section parallel and opposite to the straight operating section and two semicircular connector sections, which connect the operating section and the return section to each other. Still according to the example illustrated in  FIG.  1   , along the path P (i.e. between the inlet station S 1  and the outlet station S 2 ) are arranged in succession (i.e. one after the other) processing stations S 3 -S 6  in which processing operations are performed (for example, adding elements, welding, weighing, optical or electrical checks, bending, etc.) on the cartridges  100  transported by the conveyor  20 . 
     With reference now to  FIGS.  2 - 5 B , the conveyor  20  comprises a rail  21  extending along the path P and a plurality of carriages  22  movable on the rail  21 . 
     In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, each carriage  22  comprises a base  23 , which has an inverted U-shaped cross-section, so as to receive the rail  21  inside it. On its inner side, the base  23  comprises a plurality of rotatable wheels  24 , by means of which the carriage engages the rail  21  and can slide on this by effect of the rolling of the wheels  24  on the rail itself. 
     Again in a manner known per se, the base  23  carries on itself a movable module  33  of a linear electric motor, which also includes a fixed module associated with the rail  21  and extending along the entire path P. 
     The carriage  22  also has a unit  25  for housing the cartridges  100 . 
     In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the housing unit  25  comprises one or more seats  26  on which to receive a cartridge  100 , in each seat, and a first and a second lever  27 A,  27 B positioned on opposite sides of the single seat  26 , and mutually rotatable between an open position ( FIG.  5 A ), to allow the arrangement and/or picking-up of a cartridge  100  on/from the seat  26 , and a closed position ( FIG.  5 B ), to retain the cartridge  100  in its receiving position on the seat  26 . 
     In the example illustrated, the housing unit  25  comprises two seats  26  side-by-side, to simultaneously receive two cartridges  100 , and is provided with a pair of levers  27 A,  27 B on opposite sides of each seat  26 . 
     In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the seat  26  is defined by the upper side  26 B of a block  26 A fixedly mounted on the carriage  22 . The block  26 A is designed to set in position the cartridge  100  which rests on the upper side  26 B of the block. In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the block  26 A may have one or more cavities  26 ′ designed to receive corresponding protrusions of the cartridge  100 . 
     The two levers  27 A,  27 B are rotatably mounted about respective rotation axes I 1 , I 2  parallel to each other, which preferably lie on a same horizontal plane. 
     Each lever  27 A,  27 B comprises a first part  27 I, which extends along a first axis Y 1 , transverse to the rotation axis I 1 , I 2 , until it protrudes above the upper side  26 B of the block  26 A. 
     The part  27 I ends with an end portion  27 II arranged to engage one side of the cartridge  100 , when the two levers  27 A,  27 B are in the closed position. 
     The end portions  27 II operate on the cartridge  100  to retain it laterally in a predetermined position, for example, according to an orientation in which the longitudinal axis L of the cartridge  100  is substantially vertical. 
     In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the end portions  27 II have a contact surface  27 II′, which has a shape corresponding to that of the region of the side surface of the cartridge  100  with which it is intended to come into contact. In this way, the two levers  27 A,  27 B in their closed position create, by means of their end portions  27 II, a shape coupling with the cartridge  100 . 
     According to an important characteristic of the solution described here, the first and second levers  27 A,  27 B are connected in rotation by means of a gear mechanism, so as to be able to rotate simultaneously and, preferably, according to a same law of motion. 
     In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, each lever  27 A,  27 B comprises a second part  27 III extending along a second axis Y 2 , perpendicular to the rotation axis I 1 , I 2  and transverse to the first axis Y 1 , in a direction directed towards the other lever  27 B,  27 A. 
     The end portions of the parts  27 III of the two levers have respective toothed profiles  27 V, which are in mutual engagement, forming the aforesaid gear mechanism. 
     In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the lever  27 B has a third part  27 VI, which extends along a third axis Y 3 , perpendicular to the rotation axis I 2  and, preferably, parallel or aligned with the axis Y 2  of the second part  27 III, in a direction opposite to that of the axis Y 2 . On the end of the third part  27 VI, a sliding contact member  27 VII is mounted, for example, a rotatable roller, which is intended to be engaged by a cam  42 . 
     The third part  27 VI of the lever  27 A,  27 B is intended to operate as a follower member in collaboration with the cam  42 . In an alternative embodiment, the follower member may be an element separate from the lever  27 B, for example being arranged in a position spaced apart from it, and in this case the follower member may be connected to the lever  27 B through mechanical-type connection means, for example, by means of an additional lever or a cable. 
     The cam  42  is part of an external drive device  40 , which is arranged in a predetermined position of the path P of the rail  21 . In particular, the cam  42 , which in the illustrated example is rotatable around a rotation axis X, is arranged to exert a thrust action on the part  27 VI of the lever  27 B, so as to bring the latter into rotation around the axis I 2 . Thanks to the gear mechanism defined by the two toothed profiles  27 V, the rotation thus induced of the lever  27 B causes a simultaneous and corresponding rotation of the other lever  27 A. 
     In this way, the two levers  27 A,  27 B move to their open position to allow extraction of the cartridge  100  or to receive a new cartridge. Preferably, the cam  42  has a first cam profile configured to drive the rotation of the levers  27 A,  27 B from the closed position to the open position, and a second cam profile configured to exert a control action on the return movement of the levers  27 A,  27 B from the open position to the closed position. 
     An actuation device  40  is provided along the rail  21  in the positions in which it is necessary to actuate the levers  27 A,  237 B as indicated above, to bring them from the closed position to the open position. For example, a first actuation device  40  may be provided at the inlet station Si to allow a new cartridge  100  to be arranged in the seat  26  of a carriage  22  that has reached this station. Furthermore, a second actuation device  40  may, on the other hand, be provided at the outlet station S 2  to allow the cartridge  100  positioned in the seat  26  of the carriage  22  that has reached this station, to be picked up and transferred to the final part C of the production machine  4 . 
     In one or more preferred embodiments, each lever  27 A,  27 B is also engaged by an elastic element  28 , which is arranged to exert an action on it which tends to keep it in the closed position. In an alternative embodiment, on the other hand, a single elastic element  28  associated with one of the two levers  27 A,  27 B may be provided, taking into account that these are connected to each other by means of the aforesaid gear mechanism. 
     In view of the above, it can be noted that the two levers  27 A,  27 B are capable of making a shape coupling even with cartridges of particular, non-cylindrical shapes, thanks to their simultaneous actuation between the open position and the closed position. 
     In this regard, in the example illustrated the cartridge  100  has an approximately conical side surface with an interior angle facing downwards. The end portions  27 II have contact surfaces  27 II′, which assume the same conical shape of the region of the cartridge  100  with which they are intended to come into contact. 
     With reference to the open position illustrated in  FIG.  5 A , the two levers  27 A,  27 B both assume a rearward position with respect to the seat  26  so as to completely free the passage for the cartridge  100 . On the other hand, with reference to the closed position illustrated in  FIG.  5 B , the two levers  27 A,  27 B press on the cartridge  100  from opposite sides, keeping it in an equilibrium position corresponding to a predetermined position. 
     In one or more preferred embodiments, such as the one illustrated, the housing unit  25  comprises an abutment element  29  configured to stop the lever  27 B in a predetermined reference position, in the rotation of the lever from the open position to the closed position. Furthermore, the end portion  2711  of the lever  27 A is defined by an additional body  31  adjustable in position to vary its distance from the end portion  27 II of the lever  27 B, in the closed position of the two levers. For example, the body  31  is adjustable by means of an eccentric controlled by a screw. By means of the abutment element  29  and the adjustable body  31 , the operator can easily search for the equilibrium position of the cartridge  100  corresponding to the predetermined position. 
     As mentioned in the introductory part of the present discussion, the present invention finds advantageous application with cartridges that do not have a conventional cylindrical shape or—in any case—do not have a shape with a constant cross-section. For example, the cartridge  100  may have a flared shape, that is, an end which is received by the seat  26  that is more extended than the opposite end which is contacted by the first lever and the second lever  27 B,  27 A. 
     Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary, even significantly, with respect to those illustrated here, purely by way of non-limiting example, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the attached claims.