Device for transporting bottles

The device relates to a device for transporting bottles with a carrying ring in the neck region, particularly PET bottles, along a specified path of motion through processing stations of a processing installation, particularly a bottle-filling installation.

The invention is concerned with the problem of creating a transporting device of the type mentioned which, with simple means, ensures that the bottles are transported reliably along the path of motion and guarantees an exact positioning of the bottles on their path through the processing stations.

The inventive transporting device makes possible a rapid and reliable transfer from a group of bottles, forming a row of bottles, to the carrying strips, in which the bottles of a row are supported at a variable distance from one another, so that the bottles, after being transferred to the carrying strips, can be aligned accurately, in order to be able to assume the positions required in the processing stations. The guiding strips moreover form extremely simple positioning means, which can fulfill their positioning tasks reliably, even when the transporting output is high. Moreover, the guiding strips also secure the bottles against unintended detached from their transport openings during the transport.

Further details and effects arise out of the following description and the drawing, in which two examples of the invention are illustrated in greater detail diagrammatically.

FIG. 1 shows a truncated side view of the inlet region of a processing installation with a first version of an inventive transporting device,

FIG. 2 shows a side view, similar to that of FIG. 1, of the end region of the processing installation of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a simplified plan view of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 shows a simplified plan view of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 shows a detail V of FIG. 3 as an enlargement,

FIG. 6 shows a detail V of FIG. 4 as an enlargement,

FIG. 7 shows a section along the line VII—VII of FIG. 2,

FIG. 8 shows a truncated side view, similar to that of FIG. 1, of the inlet region of a processing installation with a second version of an inventive transporting device,

FIG. 9 shows a side view, similar to that of FIG. 2, of the processing installation of FIG. 8,

FIG. 10 shows a simplified plan view of FIG. 8,

FIG. 11 shows a simplified plan view of FIG. 9,

FIG. 12 shows a detail XII of FIG. 11 on an enlarged scale,

FIG. 13 shows a detail XIII of FIG. 11 on an enlarged scale,

FIG. 14 shows a representation of the installation in section along line XIV—XIV of FIG. 9,

FIG. 15 shows a representation of the installation in section along the line XV—XV of FIG. 9, and

FIG. 16 shows a plan view of two carrying strips with modified individual openings.

The processing installation for bottles, illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7 , is used, for example, for sterilizing and filling the bottles. It may, however, comprise any processing station or combination of processing stations, as may be desirable in a particular case. The processing station shown comprises a tightly closed bottle feeding station 1 , sterilization and drying stations 2 , 3 , a filling station, which is not shown, a station 4 for adding liquid carbon dioxide or similar liquid or gaseous additives, a lid placement station 5 , a closing station 6 and a bottle delivery station 7 . All stations are tightly closed and the shutting-off parts of the housing enclose a conveying channel, in which there is a sterile atmosphere at least sectionally.

An endless conveyor 10 with external conveying chains 11 or similar driving elements, which revolve around chain wheels 12 or similar guiding wheels, transport the bottles 8 , which are to be processed and of which in each case at least a majority are combined into a group 9 . Carriers, which are in the shape of cellular board-like flat carrying strips 13 and are aligned at right angles to the direction of motion, extend between the conveying chains 11 . The carrying strips 13 are connected over connecting pieces 14 with the conveying chains 11 and, in the working compartment of the conveyor 10 , run in a horizontal movement plane 15 , located somewhat below the plane of the chain, from the bottle feeding station 1 to the bottle delivery station 7 . Over their whole length, the bottle conveying chains 11 are equipped with carrying strips, which extend at the same distance from one another.

For the constructions of FIGS. 1 to 7 , the carrying strips 13 have a longitudinal slot 16 , which extends essentially over their whole length and is closed at one end 17 and open at the other 18 . An adjustable stop 17 ′, which forms the boundary for the position of the first bottle 8 of a row 9 of bottles, conveyed into the supporting strip, is assigned to the closed end 17 . This longitudinal slot forms a continuous opening 16 for jointly taking up the bottles 8 of a row or group of bottles 9 , so that each bottle is supported suspended with its neck in the opening 16 of the supporting strip 13 , the carrying ring 24 , provided at the neck 25 of the bottle 8 , overlapping the edge of the opening 16 in the carrying strip 13 (FIGS. 5 and 6 ). The bottles 8 , suspended in this manner in the supporting strips 13 , protrude with their neck part 25 , adjoining the filler opening, above the supporting strip 13 .

Bottles 8 are supplied in each case in two groups 8 to the bottle loading station with the help of conveyors 19 , which are constructed as conveyor belts, but may also have any other suitable configuration. The adjoining, consecutively transported bottles 8 are threaded into the two carrying strips, which are stationary in the bottle feeding station 1 , whereupon the endless conveyor 10 is set in motion in the direction of motion 20 (FIG. 3 ). For this purpose, suitable driving motors are provided, which act on chain wheels 12 and the details of which are not shown.

Above the plane of motion 15 of the supporting strips 13 , on the their way between the bottle feeding station and the bottle discharging station 1 to 7 , a number of guiding strips 21 , 22 are provided, which in each case extend in pairs to one another and parallel to the plane of motion 15 and, between themselves, form the boundaries for the guiding paths 23 for the neck parts 25 of the bottles 8 , which protrude over the supporting strips 13 and extend between the guiding strips 21 , 22 . A separate pair of guiding strips 21 , 22 is provided for each bottle 8 of a series of bottles 9 . At their ends adjacent to the bottle feeding station 1 , the guiding paths are opposite to the necks 25 of adjoining bottles 8 disposed next to one another in the row. In the region 26 adjoining their inlet ends, the guiding paths 23 then change over in an arched course to greater distances from one another, which subsequently remain constant and correspond to those, which the bottles are to assume during their processing in the subsequent processing stations, in order to ensure satisfactory processing.

In the same way, the guiding paths 23 are brought together in the region 27 directly before the ends of the guiding strips 21 , 22 , adjoining the bottle delivery station 7 , by an arched course, so that the bottles 8 of a row 9 assume an adjoining position once again during the delivery.

By a movement of each supporting strip 13 , the bottles 8 correspondingly are moved apart in this supporting strip 13 and, after passing the last processing station, brought together once again, as is desirable for further handling. In each phase of the processing, the bottles 8 not only assume a precise position within the row 9 , they are also secured against an unintentional detachment from the supporting strips 13 by the interaction of the edges of the opening 16 in the supporting strips 13 and the guiding strips 21 , 22 .

After the bottles are brought together in the region adjoining the bottle delivery station 7 , the bottles 8 with their necks 25 are moved out of the guiding paths 23 and, in the discharging position shown in FIG. 4, the bottles 8 are above the conveyors 29 , for example, belt conveyors, which transport the bottles 8 , after they have been raised slightly, out of the longitudinal slots 16 of the two supporting strips above them.

The processing installation, shown in FIGS. 8 to 15 , corresponds essentially to that of FIGS. 1 to 7 , so that corresponding components have been given the same reference numbers. The construction of the supporting strips 13 is different; they have individual openings 30 for accommodating in each case a single bottle. Correspondingly, the supporting strips 13 have a number of, for example 10 individual openings 30 , corresponding to the number of bottles 8 in a row. In the version of FIG. 10, the individual openings 30 are L-shaped in plan view. Each individual opening 30 has a first leg 31 , which is aligned parallel to the direction of motion 20 of the supporting strips 13 and adjoining a longitudinal edge 13 ′ of the supporting strip 12 , as inlet and outlet part and a second leg 32 , extending transversely to the direction of motion 20 of the supporting strips 13 , as end accommodating part. The open end of the first leg 31 of the L-shaped individual openings 30 , faces the edge 13 ′ of the supporting strips 13 , which is the leading edge in the direction of motion 20 .

The bottles 8 are supplied parallel to the direction of motion 20 of the endless conveyor 10 in its working compartment of the bottle feeding station 1 , and the two in each case first rows 9 of bottles are lifted by means of transfer gripper 35 from the conveying paths 34 and supplied to the two supporting strips 13 in the bottle feeding station 1 , which are to be supplied, at the side of their edge 13 ′ facing in the direction of motion 20 , as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10. With the help of the transfer gripper 35 , the bottles are introduced with their necks 25 into the first leg 31 of the respective individual openings 30 . With this, the transfer process is ended.

Upon movement of the supporting strips 13 , so supplied, in the direction of the next processing station, the neck parts 25 of the bottles, protruding upward overt the supporting strips 13 , once again reach the inlet ends of the guiding paths 23 which, in the region 26 adjoining the inlet ends, transfer the bottles to the processing distance, the neck parts 25 of the bottles being pressed into the second leg 32 of the individual openings 30 (FIG. 13 ). At the end of the processing segment, the bottles 8 the bottles 8 are then transferred by the guiding paths 23 in their region 27 once again into an adjoining position, the necks 25 of the bottles once again reaching a position in alignment with the first leg 31 (FIG. 12 ).

In the bottle delivery station 7 , the bottles 8 of a row 9 are pushed jointly by a ram or a slider onto a carrier 39 out of the leg 31 of the individual opening 30 and transferred, the leg being transferred by means of an eccentric drive 40 from an upper receiving station into a lower delivery station, indicated by a broken line in FIG. 9, where the bottles are transferred once again by a ram or slider, the details of which are not shown, onto a conveyor 41 , with which the bottles 8 of the transferred row 9 are transferred out of the equipment in the transverse direction.

In the case of this construction with individual openings 30 for in each case one bottle 8 of a row 9 , it is also ensured by interaction with the guiding strips 21 , 22 and the edges of the individual openings 30 that the bottles not only take up a position at an exact distance from one another as they pass through the processing station or stations, but are also secured against being unintentionally released from the carrying strip 13 . This installation also can be operated safely at a high conveying speed and loaded and unloaded simply with bottles.

For the construction of the modified carrying strips 13 , shown in FIG. 16, the individual openings 45 and 46 , provided in these carrying strips 13 have an inlet part 47 and an end part 48 for holding the neck parts 25 of the bottles 8 during their transport. The end part 48 is constructed as an approximately semicircular transporting seat, the closed side 49 of which in each case is facing the front ends 50 , 51 of the supporting strip 13 . The individual openings 45 and 46 belong in each case to one of two groups 52 , 53 , which are aligned in mirror image fashion to one another and within which the closed sides 49 of the end parts 48 in each case face one or the other front end 50 or 51 .

The inlet and outlet part 47 of the individual openings 45 , 46 is bounded by opening edges 54 , 55 , which form an arched slot and lead in each case from the end part 48 to the longitudinal edge 13 ″ facing in the direction of motion 20 of the supporting strips 13 during the transport. At the same time, the one inner opening edge 54 , starting out on the side of the closed longitudinal edge 13 ″ of the carrying strip 13 from the end part 48 of the individual openings 45 , 46 , is taken in an extended arched line to the open longitudinal edge 13 ′ of the carrying strip 13 . Upon reaching the open longitudinal edge 13 ′ of the carrying strip 13 , this extended arched line of the inner opening edge 54 goes over into an oppositely oriented arched line 56 , which runs towards the outer opening edge 55 of the inlet and outlet part 47 of the adjacent individual opening 45 or 45 and, in the vicinity of the end part 48 , goes over into the outer opening edge 55 .

This special configurational shape of the carrying strips 13 with their individual openings 45 , 46 makes is possible not only to introduce the bottles 8 with their neck part 25 by a simple swiveling motion, indicated by the movement arch 57 , into the supporting strip, but also to transfer it as far as into the end part 48 and, with that, into the end position, so that it is possible, in principle, to provide guiding strips, which fix the neck parts 25 of the bottles 8 during the transport into their end position in the end part 48 of the carrying strips. The division of the individual openings 45 , 46 into mirror image groups 52 , 53 in the carrying strip 13 makes it possible to support the carrying strips 13 on a continuous, firm support 58 , such as a supporting rail, during the passage through the processing segment, it being possible to hold the distance of the support 58 of neighboring bottles 8 unchanged and equal to the distance of the remaining bottles 8 from one another.

For the slot opening 16 for the construction of FIGS. 1 to 7 and the individual openings 30 in the case of the construction of FIGS. 8 to 15 , the bottles 8 , during their transport, can be aligned, that is, pulled apart and pushed together again by the carrying strips 13 in the direction at right angles to the direction of motion 20 of the carrying strip 13 . On the other hand, the construction of FIG. 16 offers the possibility of inserting the bottles 8 with a single swiveling motion into the carrying strips 13 and of transferring them into an end position, which remains unchanged during the further transport. The removal of the bottles at the end of the treatment segment from the carrying strips 13 is also exceedingly simple and can be carried out with an appropriate swiveling motion in the opposite direction.