Patent ID: 12208477

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

InFIGS.1and2, number1denotes as a whole a single use cartridge (i.e., disposable which is therefore used only once and is then replaced) of a known type for an electronic cigarette.

The cartridge1comprises a main body2having a substantially parallelepiped shape which in use is coupled to an electronic cigarette from which it receives electrical power through two electrical contacts3arranged at a smaller base of the main body2. Furthermore, the cartridge1comprises a cap4which is fitted onto the main body2to cover the area where the two electrical contacts3are arranged.

InFIG.3, number5denotes as a whole a manufacturing machine to manufacture the cartridges1for electronic cigarettes described above.

According to what is illustrated inFIG.3, the manufacturing machine5comprises a support body6(i.e., a frame) which rests on the ground by means of legs and has a vertical wall at the front on which the operating members are mounted. Furthermore, the manufacturing machine5comprises a feeding system7, which feeds the cartridges1being processed along an assembly path P1which develops between an inlet station S1(where the feeding system7receives the cartridges1) and an outlet station S2(where the feeding system7releases the cartridges1); in particular, the processing path P1is horizontal and linear, i.e., it develops substantially along a straight line arranged horizontally. The processing path P1passes through a series of processing stations S3, in which assembly operations are performed on the cartridges1in transit; in particular, each processing station S3has a series of processing devices8which perform assembly operations (mounting of components, bending, welding, sealing, checking, discarding . . . ) on the cartridges1in transit.

The feeding system7comprises a processing conveyor9and a subsequent processing conveyor10which is arranged in series with the processing conveyor9along the processing path P1; in other words, along the processing path P1the processing conveyor9is arranged upstream and receives the cartridges1in the inlet station S1while the processing conveyor10is arranged downstream and releases the cartridges1in the outlet station S2. The feeding system7comprises a transfer unit11which is interposed between the two processing conveyors9and10and cyclically transfers the cartridges1from the processing conveyor9to the processing conveyor10, picking up the cartridges1in a pick-up station S4arranged at the processing conveyor9(i.e. arranged at one end of the processing conveyor9) and releases the cartridges1to a release station S5arranged at the processing conveyor10(i.e. arranged at a beginning of the processing conveyor10).

In the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the feeding system7comprises two processing conveyors9and10between which a single transfer unit11is interposed; according to other embodiments not illustrated, the feeding system7comprises three, four or more processing conveyors9and10between which two, three or more transfer units11are interposed.

As illustrated inFIG.4, each processing conveyor9or10comprises a plate12on which seats13are formed, each of which is designed to house a cartridge1(more or less complete) or parts of the cartridge1. The number of seats13of each plate12can vary according to the characteristics of the cartridge1; moreover, the number and arrangement of the seats13in each plate12can be different between the processing conveyor9and the processing conveyor10(also the shape of the plate12can be different between the processing conveyor9and the processing conveyor10). Consequently, the processing conveyor9can have seats13which have a first distance from one another, and the processing conveyor10can have seats13which have a second distance from one another different from the first distance (therefore the transfer unit11also has the function of modifying the distance and possibly also the orientation of the cartridges1, or parts thereof, in the passage between the two processing conveyors9and10).

Each processing conveyor9or10is normally designed to cyclically move each movable plate12along the processing path P1with an intermittent movement (in a step like manner) which provides a cyclically alternating motion step, in which the processing conveyor9or10moves the movable plates12, and stop steps, in which the processing conveyor9or10keeps the movable plates12still. Each processing conveyor9or10comprises an annular guide14(i.e., closed in a loop on itself) which is arranged in a fixed position along the processing path P1; in particular, the annular guide14is formed by a single fixed track (i.e., without movement) which is arranged along the processing path P1. Furthermore, each processing conveyor9or10comprises a plurality of slides15, each of which supports a corresponding movable plate12and is coupled to the guide14so as to slide freely along the guide14. Finally, each processing conveyor9or10comprises a linear electric motor16which moves the slides15carrying the movable plates12along the processing path P1; the linear electric motor16comprises an annular stator17(i.e. a fixed primary) which is arranged in a fixed position along the guide14and a plurality of movable sliders18(i.e. movable secondaries), each of which is electro-magnetically coupled to the stator17to receive a driving force from the stator17and is rigidly connected to a corresponding slide15.

According to a different embodiment not illustrated, each processing conveyor9or10is a belt conveyor and comprises (at least) one flexible belt which supports the movable plates12and is closed in a loop around two end pulleys (at least one of which is motorized).

As illustrated inFIG.5, the transfer unit11comprises a plurality of trays19, each of which has a series of seats20each designed to house a cartridge1(more or less complete). Furthermore, the transfer unit11comprises a moving system21which cyclically moves the trays19(full, i.e., carrying respective cartridges1) between the pick-up station S4and the release station S5, a transferring device22which is arranged in the pick-up station S4so as to transfer the cartridges1from the processing conveyor9to a tray19, and a transferring device23which is arranged in the release station S5to release the cartridges1from a tray19to the processing conveyor10.

As illustrated inFIGS.5and6, the moving system21comprises a lifting device24which lifts the trays19upwards along a lifting path P2perpendicular to the processing path P1, and a lowering device25which lowers the trays19downwards along a lowering path P3perpendicular to the processing path P1and parallel to the lifting path P2. The moving system21further comprises a joining device26which is arranged between a top of the lifting device24and a top of the lowering device25and transfers the trays19from the lifting device24to the lowering device25along a horizontal joining path P4; the joining path P4is perpendicular to the paths P2and P3and joins the paths P2and P3together. In other words, the joining device26transfers the trays19from the lifting device24to the lowering device25along the horizontal joining path P4which is perpendicular to the lifting path P2and to the lowering path P3.

As illustrated inFIG.7, the moving system21comprises a transport device27which transports the trays19from the pick-up station S4to a base (inlet) of the lifting device24along a horizontal transport path P5which is perpendicular to the processing path P1and to the lifting path P2; in other words, the transport device27moves the full trays19(i.e., in which the seats20house respective cartridges1) from the pick-up station S4, in which the trays19are filled by the transferring device22, to the base of the lifting device24, in which the trays19are taken over by the lifting device24.

The moving system21comprises a transport device28which transports the trays19from a base of the lowering device25to the release station S5along a horizontal transport path P6which is parallel to the transport path P5and is perpendicular to the processing path P1and to the lowering path P3; in other words, the transport device27moves the full trays19(i.e., in which the seats20house respective cartridges1) from the base (outlet) of the lowering device25, from which the trays19are released by the lowering device25, to the release station S5, in which the trays19are emptied by the transferring device23.

The moving system21comprises a joining device29which is arranged between the transport device27and the transport device28and transfers the empty trays19(i.e., in which the seats20do not house respective cartridges1) from the release station S5to the pick-up station S4along a horizontal joining path P7; the joining path P7is perpendicular to the paths P5and P6and joins the paths P5and P6to one another. In other words, the joining device29transfers the empty trays19from the transport device28to the transport device27along the horizontal joining path P7which is perpendicular to the transport path P5and to the transport path P6.

According to a possible but non-limiting embodiment illustrated schematically inFIG.7, the moving system21comprises a store30(e.g., of the FIFO type) which is designed to store empty and full trays19and is designed to exchange empty and full trays19with the moving system21. When the processing conveyor9operates at a lower speed than the processing conveyor10, the store inserts full trays19into the moving system21and picks-up empty trays19from the moving system21(to supply a surplus of cartridges1which compensate the lack of cartridges1due to the slowing down of the processing conveyor9). When the processing conveyor9operates at a higher speed than the processing conveyor10, the store inserts empty trays19into the moving system21and stores full trays19(to absorb a surplus of cartridges1due to the slowdown of the processing conveyor10). When the processing conveyor9operates at the same speed as the processing conveyor10, the store30is normally deactivated; in this condition, the store30could cyclically put back into circulation a full tray9previously stored to simultaneously pick up a new full tray9in order to avoid that the full trays9remain waiting for too long inside the store30. The store30could exchanging the trays19with the lifting device24, with the lowering device25, with the joining device26, with the transport device27, with the transport device28, or with the joining device29.

According to a possible but non-limiting embodiment schematically illustrated inFIG.7, the moving system21comprises an orientation device31which is designed to cause each tray19to rotate (normally by 90°, 180° or 270°) around a vertical rotation axis in order to impart to the cartridges1a variation of orientation during the transit in the moving system21(i.e., between the pick-up station S4and the release station S5). In the illustrated embodiment, the orientation device31is coupled to the lifting device24; alternatively, the orientation device31could be coupled to the lowering device25, to the joining device26, to the transport device27, or to the transport device28.

According to what is illustrated inFIG.3, each transferring device22or23comprises a robotic arm32provided with a holding head33(normally of a suction type) designed to grab at least one cartridge1; each holding head33could transfer a single cartridge1at a time or it could transfer multiple cartridges1at a time.

Furthermore, according to a particular embodiment, the transferring device22can modify the orientation of the cartridges1(e.g., by rotating them by 180°) during the transfer of said cartridges1from the processing conveyor9to the tray19. Alternatively, the machine5could comprise a further transferring device, arranged downstream of the transferring device22which modifies the orientation of the cartridges1after the transferring device22has deposited them in the tray19and before said tray19is fed by the lifting device24.

Similarly, the transferring device23can change the orientation of the cartridges1(e.g., by rotating them by 180°) during the transfer of said cartridges1from the tray19to the processing conveyor10. Alternatively, the machine5could comprise a further transferring device, arranged upstream of the transferring device23which modifies the orientation of the cartridges1before they are picked up by the transferring device23.

The embodiments described herein can be combined with each other without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The manufacturing machine5described above has numerous advantages.

In particular, the manufacturing machine5described above allows to reach high hourly production rates (i.e., number of pieces produced in the time unit) while guaranteeing an excellent quality standard of the cartridges1and offering optimal accessibility to all parts of the machine by of an operator during assembly, maintenance and cleaning operations.

This result is obtained thanks to the fact that the manufacturing machine5described above uses a feeding system7which is particularly extended (i.e., it has a particularly long processing path P1) to perform all the necessary processing operations, it is able to operate at high speed, and has a reduced thickness (transverse dimensions).