EP1453732A1

EP1453732A1 - Machine for packaging a product with a pamphlet

Info

Publication number: EP1453732A1
Application number: EP03718734A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dieter Plüschow
Original assignee: IWK Verpackungstechnik GmbH
Current assignee: IWK Verpackungstechnik GmbH
Priority date: 2002-05-24
Filing date: 2003-04-04
Publication date: 2004-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 2023-04-04
Also published as: DE10223066A1; DE50301084D1; CA2451194A1; JP2005526673A; DK1453732T3; ATE303305T1; US6931815B2; ES2249712T3; AU2003222798A1; WO2003099662A1; US20050115199A1; EP1453732B1

Abstract

A packaging machine comprises a transfer device for inserting a product into a package and a circulating leaflet supply device comprising a plurality of tong-like holders which are sequentially disposed, each for receiving one leaflet and for bringing that leaflet into a region of the transfer device between the product and the package such that it can be inserted together with the product into the package. An opening unit with several stops, which can be actuated independently of each other, is disposed in the transport path of the holders for opening the holders to release the leaflet. The stops can be brought into an inoperative position in which the holders pass by the stops without releasing the leaflet. In this connection, the leaflet supply device comprises first holders to be opened by a first stop, and second holders to be opened by a second stop, and successive, sequential holders cooperate with and can be opened by different stops.

Description

MACHINE FOR PACKAGING A PRODUCT WITH A BROCHURE

The invention relates to a packaging machine with a transfer device, by means of which a product can be introduced into a package, and with a rotating brochure-conveying device, which has a plurality of pliers-like holders arranged in a row for receiving a prospectus and with which the prospectus in Area of the transfer device can be brought between the product and the packaging, so that it can be inserted into the packaging together with the product, an opening unit with a plurality of independently operable stops being arranged in the transport path of the holder, by means of which the holder can be used to release the brochure are open and the stops can be brought into a non-functional division in which the holders pass the stops without approval of the prospectus.

A packaging machine of the type mentioned usually has a 1st rotating conveyor device for the packaging, for example a so-called folding box chain, and a 2nd rotating conveyor device for the products, for example a so-called product chain. The two Chains are synchronized in their movements in such a way that the product can be inserted laterally into the folding box using a plunger. For certain products, for example medication, ^"it is also necessary to include a brochure or package insert in the packaging. A further rotating conveyor device is therefore provided, which carries several pliers-like holders, each of which can hold a brochure and hold it by clamping A brochure to be inserted into the packaging is moved in the conveying device between the product and the folding box and is taken along by the product by the lateral insertion movement and inserted into the folding box. As soon as the product comes into contact with the brochure, the pincer-like holder must be opened For this purpose, an opening unit, for example in the form of a stop wedge, is provided in the area of the transfer device, onto which the pliers-like holder runs during its conveying movement, as a result of which the tong arms open and the prospectus is released.

During the operation of the packaging machine there can be minor irregularities, which means that the feeding of folding boxes to the folding box chain or the feeding of products to the product chain is discontinuous, so that either the folding box chain does not have a folding box in one or more sections or the Product chain is not assigned a product in one or more sections. The absence of a folding box or a product is detected by means of sensors, whereupon the insertion of the product is omitted or the plunger is not activated.

The stop is permanently installed in older packaging machines. This leads to the plier-like holder also then opens when no product is lifted into a folding box. It has been shown that the self ^'case released prospectus may uncontrollably kung machine move through the packaging, which zeitweili- malfunction of the packaging machine and possibly to their' like can cause a standstill and must be corrected manually usually what time consuming and is expensive. According to DE 199 18 527 AI is provided to remedy this problem, the stop wedge if necessary out of the transport path of the pliers-like holder in a non-functional

Position. In this way it is achieved that the pincer-like holder only opens and releases the prospectus if there is actually a folding box in the folding box chain and a product is present in the product chain. If there is no folding box or no product, the stop is moved out of the transport path of the pliers-like holder, so that the plier-like holder with the brochure runs past the stop and is not opened by it. The stop then returns to its functional position in order to open the next tong-like holder, provided the conditions necessary for this are met.

The cycle times that are available for a work cycle in a modern packaging machine are only a few milliseconds. During this time, the conditions necessary for the adjustment of the stop must be detected and evaluated, at least with regard to the product and the packaging, and the actuating device for adjusting the stop must be activated. In order to ensure a safe removal of the prospectus from the pincer-like holder during the insertion of the product, the pincer-like holder must remain open for a sufficient period of time by means of the stop. Usually this necessary period is longer than one working day. working cycle of a fast working packaging machine. For this reason, according to DE 199 18 527 A1, it is provided that the stop consists of a plurality of stop elements which are located one behind the other in the transport direction of the pliers-like holder and which are independent of one another between the

Functional position and the non-functional position are adjustable. The dimension of each stop element in the transport direction of the pliers-like holder is smaller than the mutual distance or the grid in succession - the holder, so that each stop element can return to its functional position as soon as a holder that cannot be opened has passed it and before the next holder comes in the area of the stop element. However, it has been shown that the cycle times, i.e. the sequence of the pliers-like holders and thus the brochures is too short for fast-working packaging machines to make the decision about opening or not opening the pliers and thus the adjustment of the stops or the stop elements and, in addition, the adjustment Execute positioning movements of the stops with sufficient precision if necessary.

The invention has for its object to provide a packaging machine of the type mentioned, in which a sufficient period of time is available for a precise adjustment movement of the stops.

This object is achieved according to the invention in a packaging machine of the type mentioned in that the brochure conveying device has 1st holder which can only be opened from a 1st stop and 2nd holder which can only be opened from a 2nd stop, and that successive holders in the row interact with different stops and can be opened. In the present case, it is initially assumed that the prospectus conveying device carries tongs-like holders in two different versions, namely 1st holder and 2nd holder. A 1st adjustable stop is assigned to the 1st holder, through which the 1st holder can be opened when the 1st stop is in its functional position and a 1st holder runs onto the 1st stop. A 2nd adjustable stop is provided for the 2nd holder, which opens the 2nd holder when it is in its functional position and a 2nd holder runs onto it. It is essential according to the invention that the 1st and 2nd holders on the prospectus conveyor are arranged in an alternating order. In this way, for example, the 1st holders occupy the 1st, 3rd, 5th (etc.) position in the row of holders of the prospectus conveyor, while the 2nd holders occupy the 2nd, 4th, 6th ( etc.) occupy position. Each stop therefore only has to be active in every second working cycle / so that there is a sufficiently long period of time to ensure, on the one hand, that the brochure is safely removed from the pliers-like holder during the insertion of the product and, on the other hand, that the stop can be adjusted precisely if necessary to achieve.

In the described configuration with 1st and 2nd holders, two working cycles are available for the acquisition and processing of the relevant status data and for the adjustment of the stops. If this time is not sufficient, in particular if the duration of a working cycle is shortened even further, it can be provided in a further development of the invention that the prospectus conveying device additionally has 3rd holders which can only be opened with a 3rd stop. With this configuration, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd holders would be placed in this order and in a recurring arrangement on the brochure conveyor. adorns, so that every 3rd holder of the series has a similar design and is available for the acquisition and processing of the relevant status data as well as for the initiation and implementation of the adjustment movement of the stops, the period of three work cycles.

The stops are preferably designed in the form of stop parts or stop strips known per se, which are arranged one above the other and lie next to the prospectus conveying device and extend in the longitudinal direction thereof.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided that the stops are each in their non-functional position under spring preload, so that activation of a controllable actuating device is required in order to bring a stop against its spring preload into the functional position or to hold it in this position, as long as the conditions necessary for opening the pliers-like holder and releasing the brochure are met. The actuating device can be a pneumatic or hydraulic adjusting cylinder. In particular, it is provided that the stops are adjustable and in particular displaceable substantially perpendicular to the direction of transport of the brochure conveying device.

In order to open a plier-like holder, it must come into contact with a stop part with the associated stop. Since the transport speed in a fast-working packaging machine is relatively high, relatively high dynamic forces occur when the stop part of the holder runs up against the assigned stop. In order to keep the resulting internal stresses as low as possible, a further development of the invention provides that at least one roller is provided as the stop part of the holder, which comes into contact with the stop and comes on this rolls off. In this way, excessive frictional forces are avoided. In practice it has proven useful to assign at least two rollers lying parallel to one another to each stop part, so that a larger area is available when the holder hits the stop, which leads to lower stresses.

When operating a packaging machine, the plunger, by means of which the product is introduced into the packaging, is only activated if a product is available, if a brochure is present and it bears the correct code and if a packaging or folding box is present. The corresponding queries or recordings are carried out in the packaging machine and the corresponding data are available in a data memory, the so-called shift register, and can be called up from this. This data also forms the basis for deciding whether the pincer-type holder is opened or closed to release the prospectus. In order to keep the data processing effort as low as possible, the initiation of the opening movement of a tong-like holder is not accessed directly from the data mentioned in the shift register, but is only used indirectly by providing a first detector device in a further development of the invention by means of which the insertion movement of the product into the packaging is detected and a corresponding insertion signal is emitted to a control device. A pushing-in movement of the product only occurs when the plunger is initiated, which in turn depends on compliance with the above-mentioned conditions. If the first detector device detects that the plunger is moved or the product is inserted, the above-mentioned conditions must all be met. The insert signal therefore indicates whether the prospectus has been opened by opening the orderly pliers-like holder is to be released or not.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a second detector device is also provided, by means of which the position and type of the next holder to be opened can be detected and which emits a corresponding holder signal to the control device. The second detector device thus determines that a holder has reached a predetermined position and whether it is a holder of the 1st type (1st holder), which can be opened with the 1st stop, by a holder of the 2nd Type (2nd holder) which can be opened with the 2nd stop or, if applicable, a holder of the 3rd type (3rd holder) which can be opened with the 3rd stop.

The control device evaluates whether the tong-like holder is to be opened or kept closed on the basis of the received insertion signal, and which of the stops has to be brought into the functional position by activation of the respective actuating device or has to be held in this position by the second detector device determined holder to open. If the actuating device of the associated stop is not activated, the pincer-like holder runs past the opening unit without being opened. The prospectus is then removed from another at another point of the prospectus conveying device, for example by means of a further stop, and removed or stored in a suitable manner.

In order to be able to use and adapt the packaging machine for products of different dimensions, it is preferably provided that the 1st detector device, the 2nd detector device and the opening unit are adjustable as a unit with all stops in the transport direction of the prospectus conveyor.

Further details and features of the invention are apparent from the following description of an embodiment with reference to the drawing. Show it:

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a transfer device in a packaging machine and

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of an opening unit.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a transfer device 10 of a packaging machine which has a folding box chain 28 running in the direction of the arrow FK, shown only schematically, for receiving folding boxes or packaging V and a product chain 29 running parallel to it in the direction of the arrow PK, on which Products P to be packaged are included. To simplify the illustration, only one package V and one product P are shown in FIG. 1. The movements of the folding box chain 28 and the product chain 29 are synchronized in such a way that the product ^' P can be pushed into the opened package V transversely to the direction of movement of the chains 28, 29 by means of a plunger 11 in the transfer device 10. The plunger 11 follows an insertion curve EK.

Between the folding box chain 28 and the product chain 29 • runs underneath and parallel to this a circumferential brochure tongs chain 27 (transport path PZK), which carries a plurality of pliers-like holders 15, 16 at regular intervals, a brochure 22, 23 between each jaw (see Fig 2) can be clamped in an upright orientation. The prospectus 22, 23 is such that it lies in the area of the transfer device 10 between the packaging V and the product P and when the product P is inserted laterally into the packaging V, it is carried by the latter and inserted into the packaging V. When inserting the prospectus 22, 23 into the packaging V, the holder 15, 16 which clamps the prospectus 22, 23 must be opened. For this purpose, an opening unit 12 is provided in the transfer device 10. The opening unit 12 comprises two independent opening devices, each of which is designed as an adjustable stop 13 and 14, the stops being arranged one above the other and extending parallel to the transport path PZK of the brochure tongs chain 27 or the tongs-like holders 15, 16. Each stop 13, 14 is assigned an actuating device 24 or 25, by means of which the stops 13, 14 can be adjusted between a functional position and a retracted non-functional position substantially perpendicular to the transport path PZK of the pliers-like holder 15, 16. Each stop 13, 14 is biased into its non-functional position by means of a spring, not shown.

Pliers-like holders of different types are attached to the brochure pliers chain 27. All holders have clamping jaws or pliers in a known manner in order to clamp the prospectus 22 or 23. In addition, each holder has an axis 30 running transversely to the transport path PZK, on which two rollers 17a and 18a are rotatably mounted, which form a stop part of the holder 15 and 16, respectively. However, the holders 15, 16 differ with regard to the arrangement and alignment of their stop parts 17, 18 or their rollers 17a, 18a. In the case of a plier-like holder of the 1st type (1st holder 15), the stop part 17 is aligned with the rollers 17a in such a way that it comes into contact with the stop 13 (1st stop) when the radio position. The second stop 14 is ineffective for the first holder 15. Correspondingly, in the case of a holder of the second type (second holder 16), the stop part 18 is aligned with the rollers 18a there so that these come into contact with the second stop 14 when passing the opening unit 12 when the latter is in its functional position , The 1st stop 13 is ineffective for the 2nd holder 16. The 1st and 2nd holders 15 and 16 are arranged alternately on the brochure pliers chain 27, ie every second holder is a holder of the 1st type, while a holder of the 2nd type is provided between them.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tappet 11 is assigned a first detector device 19, by means of which it can be determined whether the tappet 11 is displaced and thus the product P is inserted. The first detector device 19 sends a corresponding insertion signal to a control device 26 via a data line L. In addition, a second detector device 20 is provided near the brochure tongs chain 27 in front of the opening unit 12, by means of which it is determined that the next tongs-like holder to be opened has reached a predetermined position and what type of construction this holder has, ie whether it can be opened by the 1st stop 13 or the 2nd stop 14 of the opening unit 12. The second detector device 20 emits a corresponding holder signal to the control device 26. The signals are processed in the control device. If the 1st detector device 19 has determined that the product P is inserted, this means that all the necessary conditions for the release of the brochure 22 or 23 from the pincer-like holder 15, 16 are met. The control device 26 controls the actuating device 24, 25 of the stop 13, 14 which is assigned to the next pincer-shaped holder 15 to be opened and was determined by the second detector device 20. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the stop part 17 of the first holder 15 comes into contact with the first stop 13 via the rollers 17a when the latter is in its functional position. Due to the abutment of the stop part 17 on the first stop 13, the tongs-like holder 15 is opened so that the prospectus can be taken along by the product P when it is inserted and inserted into the packaging V. The pincer-like holder 15 can remain open for a relatively long time, since the next holder to be opened has a different design and interacts with the other stop. As shown in FIG. 2, the stop part 18 of the tong-like holder 16 with the associated stop 14 is still in contact when the stop part 17 of the next tong-like holder 15 already comes into contact with the other stop 13.

If the 1st detector device 19 detects that the product P is not inserted, this means that not all conditions necessary for a correct delivery of the product are fulfilled. The corresponding insertion signal indicates to the control device 26 that the stop assigned to the next pliers-like holder is to be brought into the non-functional position so that the holder does not run into the stop and is accordingly not opened. The prospectus thus remains in the tongs-like holder and is removed from the prospect plier chain at another point and derived.

Claims

claims

1. Packaging machine with a transfer device, by means of which a product (P) can be introduced into a packaging (V), and with a circumferential brochure conveying device (27), which has a plurality of pliers-like holders (15, 16) arranged in a row for receiving a prospectus (22, 23) and with which the prospectus (22, 23) can be brought between the product (P) and the packaging (V) in the area of the transfer device, so that it can be taken together with the product (P) Can be inserted into the packaging (V), an opening unit (12) with a plurality of stops (13, 14) which can be actuated independently of one another being arranged in the transport path of the holders (15, 16), by means of which the holders (15, 16) for releasing the leaflet (22, 23) are open, and wherein the stops (13, 14) in .a non-functional position can be brought, in which the holder (15, 16) without a release ^'of the leaflet (22, 23) run past the stops (13, 14), characterized in that the leaflet conveying device (27) 1. holder (15) with a first arrival can be opened (13), and has a second holder (16) which can be opened with a second stop (14), and that successive holders (15, 16) with different stops (13, 14) in the row interact and open.

2. Packaging machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the prospectus conveyor (27) additionally has 3rd holder which can be opened with a 3rd stop.

3. Packaging machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the stops (13, 14) are formed in a strip shape and are arranged one above the other.

4. Packaging machine according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the stops (13, 14) are each spring-loaded in their non-functional position and that each stop (13, 14) has a controllable actuating device (24, 25) is assigned with which the stop (13, 14) can be brought into the functional position against the spring bias.

5. Packaging machine according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that each holder (15, 16) a stop member (17, 18), the th with the supplied arrange ^¬ stop (13, 14) be brought into contact.

6. Packaging machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the stop part (17, 18) has at least one roll '(17a, 18a) on the stop (13, 14).

7. Packaging machine according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by a 1st detector device (19), by means of which the 'insertion movement of the product (P) into the packaging (V) can be detected and which a corresponding insertion signal to a control device ( 26) issues.

8. Packaging machine according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by a second detector device (20), by means of which the position and the type of the next holder (15, 16) to be opened can be detected and which a corresponding holder signal to the control device (26 ) issues.

9. Packaging machine according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the stops (13, 14) can be brought into the functional position by means of the actuating device (24, 25) as a function of the insertion signal and the holder signal.

10. Packaging machine according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the 1st detector device (19), the ^' 2nd detector device (20) and the opening unit (12) as a unit in the transport direction (PZK) of the brochure conveyor device (27th ) are adjustable.