EP0668027B1 - Method and device for the handling of containers receiving trays with cigarettes - Google Patents

Abstract

The container (2) comprises two box stations with box exchange. After box transfer from a container to the top box station, the container is lowered to the plane of the lower box station and re-supplied with cigarette boxes. The empty container lowering takes place directly from an end position, reached by an intermittent or cyclic horizontal feed. To the lowering motion may be linked an intermittent, horizontal, resetting stroke movement of the container for the cigarette box reception. The forward and rearward stroke motions may take place during the box transfer w.r.t. two vertically aligned transfer positions.

Description

The invention relates to a method for handling Cigarette holder, with two on different Tray stations arranged at height levels in the tray exchange standing containers (see preamble of claim 1).

The invention also relates to a handling device for Cigarette holder, with on different Tray stations arranged at height levels in the tray exchange standing containers (see preamble of claim 9).

Such tray stations according to the respective preamble of claims 1 and 9 of the invention correspond to the state of the art in DE-A-3317713 (see US-A-4564329) and are usually assigned to so-called tray fillers and tray emptiers in the tobacco industry, which are those of a production machine Fill ejected cigarettes or filter cigarettes into trays, ie remove them from the immediate work process or return the cigarettes from the trays to the further processing, in particular the packaging, to the work process.
Usually, the upper station is an empty collar station and the lower station is a full collar station, whereas the upper station is designed as a full collar station and the lower station is an empty collar station for the tray filler, with all stations communicating with external tray receiving devices, here referred to as containers, for exchanging the tray.

The invention is based on the task of handling trays to make it more rational.

This object is achieved in that after the transfer of trays from a container to the upper tray station, this container is lowered to the level of the lower tray station and is loaded with trays. This procedure allows a movement sequence that is relatively narrow in terms of both time and space when handling containers and trays removed from them or returned to them.
In order to further optimize a time-saving and space-saving method of operation, the emptied container is lowered immediately from a final position reached by discontinuous or clocked horizontal feed for the delivery of slants.
According to an additional proposal, a further process step that organically follows the previous process step consists in the fact that the lowering movement is followed by a discontinuous horizontal return stroke movement of the container for the incline pickup. In this way, unnecessary positioning movements are avoided.
This sequence of movements is optimally realized in that the discontinuous horizontal feed or return stroke movements of the container during the transfer of the incline take place relative to two defined and aligned transfer positions at the incline stations, whereby according to an additional proposal the end position of the container during the horizontal advance movement the level of the upper tray station is also the starting position of the container during the horizontal return stroke movement on the level of the lower tray station.
Another particularly effective because simple tray handling takes place according to an additional proposal in that the cigarette trays are transferred from the containers to the tray stations and vice versa by suction grippers attached to a narrow end face.
If the containers containing the full slabs or empty slats are supplied or removed externally with the aid of floor conveyors not belonging to the invention, which could be equipped with their own lifting devices, the containers would be transferred both at the upper and at the lower level Pile station possible. According to a preferred proposed procedure: there is no need for a flexible height adjustment of the material handling equipment in that the containers on the upper level are taken over by a means of conveyance or given to a means of funding and that, according to a further proposal, the containers filled with slants on the lower level are placed on the Level of the upper level to be raised.

The handling device described at the outset for carrying out of the above-mentioned method is that the carriage stations one with two superimposed container stations provided base station is assigned, the upper and lower container stations over a container Vertical conveyors one after the other with the upper or lower one The cradle station is in operative connection. That way a time-saving, shortest connection between the one above the other Levels possible. A particularly effective integration or coordination of the Container supply and removal and exchange of trays with the tray stations is in accordance with preferred configurations given that the upper container station with a discontinuously or cyclically drivable, a container horizontal conveyor transferring to the vertical conveyor is provided, and that the lower container station with a can be driven discontinuously or cyclically, a container-receiving horizontal conveyor is provided.

In accordance with additional developments which facilitate the course of the process, the vertical conveyor is provided with a container gripper having two roller guides on the underside, wherein the horizontal conveyor of the lower container station is assigned two roller guides arranged offset from the roller guides of the vertical conveyor. With this design, the roller guides of the vertical conveyor can dip into the spaces between the roller guides of the lower container station and in this way can easily place the container on the horizontal conveyor of the lower container station in the course of the lowering movement of the vertical conveyor.
In order to make it unnecessary to attach special, additional coupling links or the like to the trays or to make the trays as simple as possible, for the purpose of transferring trays from the container to a tray station and vice versa, an expedient embodiment provides that defined, superimposed tray transfer positions between the tray stations and the container stations reciprocable suction pads are provided, which without further aids. can attack on a smooth front wall of the slope.
As an interface between the base station and supply and discharge means for the containers, for example in the form of floor conveyors, it is also proposed that the base station be connected to a lifting station which communicates with a material handling means by means of combined vertical / horizontal conveyors on the level of the upper container station, whose vertical / horizontal conveying means have two container platforms, at least one of which can be moved back and forth between the lower and upper container stations. In this way, it is possible to use a conventional floor conveyor which is no longer covered by the invention and which is arranged in a uniform manner, in the present case at an upper exchange level.

The advantage achieved by the invention is that movement sequence according to the invention a considerable increase in performance or one of the processing capacity of the tray filler or tray emptier easily adaptable Performance of the loading and unloading handling of the tray guaranteed and a space-saving accommodation of the Handling device allows.

The invention is illustrated below in the attached Illustrated embodiment illustrated.

Figur 1

eine einem Schragenfüller zugeordnete Handhabungseinrichtung nach der Erfindung in der Draufsicht,

Figur 2

eine perspektivische Innenansicht der Handhabungseinrichtung,

Figur 3

eine mit Containern bestückte Handhabungseinrichtung gemäß Figur 2,

Figuren 4 und 5

unterschiedliche Arbeitsstellungen eines Vertikalförderers innerhalb der Handhabungseinrichtung,

Figur 6

eine Draufsicht auf den Vertikalförderer in einer abgesenkten Arbeitsstellung und

Figur 7

einen vergrößerten Ausschnitt aus der Gesamtanordnung gemäß Figur 1 in der Draufsicht.

Here show:

Figure 1

a top view of a handling device assigned to a tray filler,

Figure 2

a perspective interior view of the handling device,

Figure 3

a handling device equipped with containers according to Figure 2,

Figures 4 and 5

different working positions of a vertical conveyor within the handling device,

Figure 6

a plan view of the vertical conveyor in a lowered working position and

Figure 7

an enlarged section of the overall arrangement of Figure 1 in plan view.

The handling device for cigarette trays shown in Figure 3 1a, 1b containing container 2 is an example Use case according to FIG. 1 a tray filler 3 assigned to an upper collar station 4 for empty collars 1a and one in the broken representation according to FIG. 7 has visible lower tray station 6 for full trays 1b. On the tray stations 4, 6 formed from conveyor belts 7 are in a known manner blank collars 1a on the top Schragenstation 4 in the direction of arrow 8 for the purpose of filling Filter cigarettes to a lowering device of the tray filler 3 transported there and 6 full racks on the lower rack station 1b transported back in the direction of arrow 9. The application shown represents one Application case, not shown, in which the handling device in mirror-image execution a tray emptier is assigned, in which the upper carriage station full carriages and the lower carriage station takes empty collars.

The handling device is composed of a base station 11 which extends parallel to the tray stations 4, 6 of the tray filler 3 and a lifting station 12 which extends at an angle of 90 °, the conveyor elements of which are accommodated in a common housing frame 13 in superimposed levels, which are two container stations Form 14 and 16 for containers 2 filled with empty collars 1a or full collars 1b.
As an interface between the base station 11 and the tray filler 3, for transferring the tray between the container stations 14, 16 of the base station 11 and the tray stations 4, 6 of the tray filler 3, there are tray transfer positions 17, 18 in the direction of the double-headed arrow 19 that are located one above the other or assigned to the above-mentioned levels Suction grippers 24 and 26, which can be moved back and forth by means of motors 22, 23, are provided along a guide carrier arrangement 21, only the motor 22 lying in alignment above the lower motor 23 being visible in FIGS. 1 and 7.

As an interface between the lifting station 12 and an im Area of the upper container station 14 for the purpose of container exchange industrial vehicles communicating with the lifting station 12 27, the lifting station 12 has two superimposed ones Container platforms 28, 29 existing combined Vertical / horizontal conveying means 31; 32, 33 on whose common Motor for vertical adjustment in Figure 1 with 34 and their separate motors for horizontal transport with 36, 37 are referred to, of which only the upper motor 36 is visible.

The base station 11 is provided in accordance with the invention with a vertical conveyor 38 which receives a container 2 and transfers it from the upper container station 14 to the lower container station 16. A vertical guide 39 and a motor 41 are provided for this. The vertical conveyor 38 has a frame-shaped container gripper 46, which can be given away about two swivel axes 42, 43 by means of an actuating cylinder 44 and is equipped with guide rollers 47 on the underside for receiving and supporting one container 2 each.
The container station 16 located vertically underneath is also provided with corresponding guide rollers 48, which are offset from the guide rollers 47 of the vertical conveyor 38.
In addition, the upper container station 14 is provided with a horizontal conveyor 49, which is occupied by drivers 51 and, for the purpose of transferring a container 2 to the vertical conveyor 38, can be driven discontinuously or intermittently with its lower strand in the direction of arrow 52. On the underside of the horizontal conveyor 49 is assigned a belt conveyor 53 which can be switched to freewheel.
Correspondingly, in alignment with the horizontal conveyor 49 on the lower container station 16 there is provided a horizontal conveyor 56 equipped with drivers 54, the upper strand of which can be driven discontinuously or intermittently in the direction of the arrow 57 and which in the same way is a belt conveyor 58 which can be driven in the direction of the lifting station 12 assigned. Motors 59 and 61 serve to drive the horizontal conveyors 49 and 56 and motors 62 and 63 serve to drive the belt conveyors 53 and 58, only the upper motors 59 and 62 being visible in FIG. 1.
In addition, two belt conveyors 66, which are coupled to one another in terms of drive and can be driven in the direction of the arrow 64, serve to transfer and deflect the containers from the lifting station 12 to the base station 11 at the level of the upper container station 14 and vice versa from the base station 11 to the lifting station 12 at the level of the lower container station 16 , 67 and a belt conveyor 68 which can be driven in the direction of the arrow 52 on the level of the upper container station 14, and a belt conveyor 69 which can be driven in the direction of the arrow 57 and two belt conveyors 72, 73 which are coupled to one another in terms of drive and can be driven in the direction of the arrow 71 on the level of the lower container station 16.
The belt conveyors 68 and 69 can be driven by motors 74 and 76, of which only the upper motor 74 is visible in FIG. 1. In each case two belt conveyors 66, 67 and 72, 73 coupled to one another can be driven by a common motor 77 and 78, of which in turn only the upper motor 77 is visible in FIG.
In addition, the belt conveyors 67 and 73 mounted on a frame 79 and 81 in the deflection zone between the base station 11 and the lifting station 12 are slightly high in height by means of a lifting drive 82 and 83, ie from a position above to a position below the transport plane the belt conveyor 68 or 69 adjustable.

The operation of the handling device is as follows:

According to FIG. 3, there are always four in normal operation Container 2 in the handling device, the Container stations 14 and 16 largely assigned conveyor elements work independently on both levels can, d. H. that, for example, one on the upper container station 14 just going through a discharge cycle Container 2 is relative to one on the lower container station 16 currently going through a loading cycle Container 2 can be in a different cycle position.

Of course, this also applies to all other transport positions of the containers 2 located on the upper container station 14 relative to the containers located on the lower container station 16 within the base station and the lifting station 12.
The four containers 2 indicated in FIG. 3 are considered below as different transport positions of a container to explain a container passage through the device.
In the position of the vertical / horizontal conveying means 31; 32, 33, a container 2 loaded with full slants 1b has just been lifted by the platform 29 within the lifting station 12 from the lower container station 16 to the upper container station 14 and transferred to the industrial conveyor 27, from which the container station 14 had previously been brought to the level of the container station 14 lowered platform 28 of the container 2 still located in the area of the lifting station 14. The vertical / horizontal conveyor 31; 32, 33 then again in the lower position, platform 28 reaching the level of container station 14 and platform 29 reaching the level of container station 16.
The picked-up empty collar container 2 is transferred in the direction of arrow 64 from the belt conveyor 66 to the belt conveyor 67 raised above the level of the belt conveyor 68. Subsequently, the belt conveyor 67 is lowered to such an extent that the container 2 is placed on the belt conveyor 68 and is advanced by this in the transverse direction 52 onto the belt conveyor 53 and below the horizontal conveyor 49 of the base station 11. As soon as a driver 51 detects the trailing rear edge of the container 2, the belt conveyor 53 is switched to freewheeling and the container 49 is moved by the horizontal conveyor 49 in cycles with its individual compartments past the transfer position 17 (FIG. 7). In each stop position, an empty collar 1a is gripped by the suction gripper 24 and transferred to the empty collar station 4 of the container filler 3, the conveyor belts 7 of which convey the transferred containers transversely in the direction of arrow 8 on request by the container filler 3. As soon as the last compartment of the container is in alignment with the transfer position 17 and is emptied, the emptied container has also reached its end position on the upper container station 14, in which it is only supported by the guide rollers 47 of the vertical conveyor 38.
Immediately out of the end position, the empty container 2 is lowered by the vertical conveyor 38 onto the lower container station 16 between two precisely positioned drivers 54 of the horizontal conveyor 56, the guide rollers 47 being immersed in the gaps between the guide rollers 48. The container gripper 46 is then opened and, according to FIG. 5, the vertical conveyor 38 is moved back to the upper container station 14 for the purpose of picking up the next container.
The tray compartment of the container, which was last emptied on the upper tray station 14, is thus on the lower container station 16 in alignment with the lower transfer position 18, in which a full tray 1b conveyed in the direction of the arrow 9 on the lower tray station 6 is transferred into the container 2 by the suction gripper 26. This is done for each tray compartment of the container 2, which is advanced in cycles in the direction of arrow 57 by the horizontal conveyor 56 to the last tray compartment on the freely moving belt conveyor 58.
The container 2 filled in this way with full slants 1b is then transferred to the receiving belt conveyor 69 of the lifting station 12 by the belt conveyor 58 switched to drive. Thereafter, the belt conveyor 73 lifts the container 2 from the belt conveyor 69 or to the level of the belt conveyor 72. The belt conveyors 72, 73 transport the container 2 in the direction of the arrow 71 onto the platform 29 of the vertical / horizontal conveying means 31, 33 which is ready according to FIG. 2 and which lifts the container to the level of the industrial conveyance 27 which is standing by before.

Claims (15)

1. A method of handling containers (2) which receive cigarette trays (1a, 1b), have two tray stations (4, 6) arranged at different horizontal levels and are engaged in tray exchange, characterised in that, after trays have been transferred from a container to the upper tray station (4), said container is lowered to the level of the lower tray station (6) and is loaded with trays.
2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the discharged container is lowered directly from an end position reached by intermittent and/or timed horizontal feed for the purpose of tray delivery.
3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the lowering movement is followed by an intermittent horizontal return stroke movement of the container for the purpose of tray receipt.
4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the intermittent horizontal feed and return stroke movements of the container during tray transfer take place relative to two defined transfer positions which are aligned one above the other at the tray stations.
5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the end position of the container when making the horizontal feed movement at the level of the upper tray station is also the starting position of the container when making the horizontal return stroke movement at the level of the lower tray station.
6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the cigarette trays are transferred by the containers to and from the tray stations by means of suction grippers which attach themselves to a narrow end face.
7. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that, at the upper level, the containers are accepted from or delivered to a conveying means.
8. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the containers filled with trays at the lower level are raised to be in line with the upper level.
9. A handling device for containers (2) which receive cigarette trays (la, 1b), have tray stations (4, 6) at different horizontal levels and are engaged in tray exchange, characterised in that there is assigned to the tray stations (4, 6) a base station (11), which is provided with two container stations (14; 16) arranged one above the other, and whose upper and lower container stations (14; 16) are, one after the other, in operative connection with the upper and lower tray station (4; 6) respectively, via a vertical conveyor (38) which receives a container (2).
10. A handling device according to claim 9, characterised in that the upper container station (14) is provided with a horizontal conveyor (49), which can be driven intermittently or in a timed manner and which transfers a container (2) to the vertical conveyor (38).
11. A handling device according to claim 9 or 10, characterised in that the lower container station (16) is provided with a horizontal conveyor (56), which can be driven intermittently or in a timed manner in the opposite direction and which receives a container (2).
12. A handling device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterised in that the vertical conveyor (38) is provided with a container gripper (46) which has two roller guides (47) on its underside.
13. A handling device according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterised in that there are assigned to the horizontal conveyor (56) of the lower container station (16) two roller guides (48) which are arranged offset so as to fill the gaps in the roller guides (47) of the vertical conveyor (38).
14. A handling device according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterised in that suction grippers (24; 26) which can be moved to and fro between the tray stations (4; 6) and the container stations (14; 16) are provided at defined tray transfer positions (17, 18), which are arranged one above the other.
15. A handling device according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterised in that, attached to the base station (11), there is a lifting station (12), which communicates with a floor conveying means (27) via combined vertical/horizontal conveying means (31; 32, 33) at the level of the upper container station (14), and whose vertical/horizontal conveying means have two container platforms (28, 29), at least one of which can be driven to and fro between the lower and upper container station (16; 14).

Images