JP2022138153A - Method and device for packing different type of article - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method and a device for packing articles of variable sizes among articles, in particular, between one article and another article.SOLUTION: The method includes a step of checking whether there is an empty position missing an article 2 in the flow of advancing articles 2 along a middle conveyor 19. If such empty position is detected, by accelerating the article 2 following the empty position against the article 2 preceding the empty position, the article to fill the empty position is filled. The middle conveyor 19 has multiple conveyor belts positioned in an order along the advancing direction F. In addition, if the number of the articles 2 per unit time that have arrived at the middle conveyor 19 is a predetermined number or greater, the manufacturing speed of a packing unit 20 is adjusted to keep the inside the middle conveyor 19 at a predetermined average filling level.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for sequentially packaging different types of articles, the dimensions of which generally vary from article to article.

The method and apparatus according to the invention are particularly suitable for use in the electronic commerce field for packaging goods ordered using the Internet, which have to be packaged before delivery to the requesting customer. there is

In the field of electronic commerce, devices are known for packaging different goods that have to be ordered and shipped by various customers.

Prior art devices comprise a packaging machine for packaging each item in a flexible packaging, eg an enclosure. Flexible packaging can be done with a web of paper which, after being unwound from a reel, interacts with an adhesive applicator that applies adhesive to the paper. The paper is then folded around the article to create a package and then subjected to a cutting operation to separate the package from the next package.

Upstream of the packaging machine, there is a supply conveyor for workers to manually load the articles to be wrapped, a rejection station for rejecting non-conforming articles, and a fixed dimensional space between one article and another. A phasing conveyor for positioning these articles in an open space is positioned in turn.

In the stream of articles entering the phasing conveyor, there may be positions where articles are missing for various reasons. This may be due, for example, to the fact that items were rejected at the rejection station, or that the operator was unable to fill all positions, or other reasons.

If there is an empty position in the stream of articles entering the phasing conveyor, that empty position is treated as corresponding to the article having the minimum length that can be processed by the machine. As a result, the packaging machine produces an empty package, which must then be rejected.

This leads to various drawbacks.

First, eliminating empty packages creates a waste of material as the packaging material from which the empty packages are made must be discarded.

Furthermore, the rejected empty packages are transported to a temporary storage area from which they must be periodically removed, requiring the machine to be stopped, resulting in reduced productivity.

Third, to eliminate empty packages, the packaging process must be set to a sufficient hourly productivity, which will be used by the control unit of the machine to calculate the linear advance speed of the packaging material. It can be difficult to determine with precision.

Prior art devices have another drawback related to the behavior of the adhesive if the operation of the device has to stop for some reason. The paper flaps to be joined by gluing must be brought into contact with each other and apply adequate pressure within a predetermined maximum time, usually several tens of seconds, from the moment the glue is applied. If this condition is not met, it is not guaranteed that the adhesive will dry and the package will remain properly closed. Therefore, if the machine is stopped for longer than the period during which the glued joint has to be closed, the packaging present in the packaging machine, which has not yet been subjected to pressure to close the glued joint, is rejected. Must. As a result, packaging materials are wasted, time is lost, and productivity is reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to improve a method and apparatus for packaging articles, in particular articles having variable dimensions between one article and the next.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the waste of packaging materials, especially paper and glue.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the number of packages that must be discarded, thereby enabling a minimum of stops to remove the packages from the device that must be discarded. .

Yet another object of the present invention is to make it easier to predict the hourly productivity of a device.

A further object of the invention is to reduce rejection of glued and unclosed packages in a reliable manner during machine shutdown.

In a first aspect of the invention,
positioning a plurality of articles having different dimensions on a supply conveyor;
sending a stream of articles coming from the supply conveyor to an intermediate conveyor;
feeding the articles coming from the intermediate conveyor to a packaging unit which, starting from the web of packaging material, produces a plurality of packages, each package containing one of said articles. in the method
The method further comprises determining whether there is an empty position missing an article in the stream of articles advancing along the intermediate conveyor, and if the empty position is detected, the A method is provided for filling an empty position by accelerating an article following the empty position relative to an article preceding the empty position.

According to a first aspect of the invention, empty positions that may exist in the stream of articles stacked on the intermediate conveyor are filled before the articles reach the packaging unit. In this way, the packaging unit can be fed by a continuous stream of articles, i.e. by a stream not missing articles, which means that all packages produced by the packaging unit have articles inside them. means that

Thus, the drawback of the prior art that any empty position in the stream of articles entering the packaging unit resulted in an empty package and had to be subsequently removed is practically eliminated.

In this way, it is possible to reduce packaging waste and minimize or even eliminate equipment stoppages associated with the need to remove empty packages to be rejected.

Furthermore, since there is no longer a need to reject many empty packages, the number of packages to reject is dramatically reduced, making it easier to accurately determine the hourly productivity of the machine.

According to one embodiment, the intermediate conveyor acts as a buffer in which multiple articles are temporarily accumulated while waiting to enter the packaging unit.

By using the intermediate conveyor as a buffer, the productivity of the packaging unit can be optimized so that it is less susceptible to variations in the number of articles loaded on the supply conveyor fed to the intermediate conveyor.

According to one embodiment, the intermediate conveyor comprises a plurality of conveyor belts arranged one after the other along the advancing direction.

According to one embodiment, if the number of articles arriving at an intermediate conveyor per unit time is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the manufacturing speed of the packaging unit is reduced so as to maintain a predetermined average filling level at that intermediate conveyor. adjusted.

This allows better control over the operation of the device.

In particular, the packaging unit is adapted to produce the packages with an adaptive productivity, i.e. with a productivity adapted to the number of articles present on the intermediate conveyor, i.e. with the filling level of the articles to be packaged on the intermediate conveyor. controllable.

According to one embodiment, the application device applies adhesive onto the web of packaging material in order to create at least one joint and close the corresponding packaging. When there are no articles on the intermediate conveyor, the packaging unit at a linear speed calculated so that the adhesive remains on the packaging material before applying pressure to at least one joint for a period of time shorter than the working life of the adhesive. is supplied with a web of packaging material.

This allows the uncoated packaging material to be coated by the coating device when the supply conveyor cannot supply the articles in a fast enough manner and consequently unclosed packaging must be rejected in a reliable manner. prevent the adhesive from drying out.

In a second aspect of the invention,
a supply conveyor for receiving a plurality of articles having different dimensions;
an intermediate conveyor positioned downstream of the supply conveyor and for receiving in a forward direction the stream of articles coming from the supply conveyor;
a packaging unit located downstream of the intermediate conveyor for producing a plurality of packages, each of the plurality of packages containing an article starting from a web of packaging material,
said intermediate conveyor sensor means being arranged to control whether there are empty positions missing articles in the stream of articles advancing along said intermediate conveyor;
The intermediate conveyor arranges a plurality of conveyor belts in sequence along the advancing direction, and when an empty position is detected, articles following the empty position are accelerated to fill the empty position. is provided.

The second aspect of the present invention provides the advantages described above in terms of reduced packaging waste and reduced equipment downtime.

The invention can be better understood and implemented with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate non-limiting examples thereof.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an apparatus for packaging products having variable dimensions; FIG. Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a first portion of the apparatus of Figure 1, with some components removed for clarity; Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a second portion of the apparatus of Figure 1, with some components removed for clarity; 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a cutting unit of the apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a side view of the cutting unit of FIG. 4; FIG.

Figure 1 shows an apparatus 1 for packaging articles 2, which are generally of different types and have different dimensions. The device 1 is designed to be used in the electronic commerce field for packaging items ordered using the Internet before shipping these items to the ordering customer. As non-limiting examples, items that the device 1 can package are books, CDs, clothing items, household or leisure time items, and many other items.

The device 1 makes it possible, for each article 2, to produce a package containing the article 2 and made of wrapping material, which in the example shown is represented by paper. However, it is also possible to use other packaging materials, such as plastic films or biofilms.

The apparatus 1 may comprise a supply conveyor 3 arranged to receive articles 2 from one or more operators who manually place the articles 2 on the supply conveyor 3 . The supply conveyor 3 is arranged to advance the articles 2 along the advancing direction F. As shown in FIG.

The supply conveyor 3 may comprise a plurality of supply belts 4 arranged one after the other along the direction of advancement F. In the illustrated example, four supply belts 4 are provided, but the number of supply belts 4 may vary.

Each supply belt 4 is provided with a plurality of positioning cutouts or markings 5 , which are more clearly visible in FIG. 2 and which can be printed on the supply belt 4 . The positioning marks 5 are positioned at predetermined constant distances along the direction of advancement F so as to provide the operator with a visual indication of where each article 2 should be positioned.

Along the feed conveyor 3 there are a plurality of work stations 6, at each work station an operator works to stack a plurality of successive articles 2 onto a feed belt 4 positioned in front of him. can be done. In the example shown there are four work stations 6, one for each supply belt 4, but this is not essential. It is possible to provide a number of work stations equal to the number of supply belts 4, for example different from four.

Each work station 6 may comprise a platform 7 on which the corresponding operator can position himself for placing articles 2 on the supply belt 4 .

Each work station 6 further comprises a support element 8 suitable for supporting a crate 9 containing the articles 2 to be packed. Above the supply conveyor 3, a loading plane 10 is provided on which a plurality of crates 9 full of articles 2 are placed. The support plane 10 can be formed by a motor-driven roller conveyor or by a motor-driven conveyor belt.

The operator manually picks up a crate 9 from the loading plane 10 and empties the previous crate 9 at the start of a work shift or after positioning all respective articles 2 on the supply conveyor 3. Crate 9 is positioned on support element 8 .

Each work station 6 further comprises a portal 11 arranged to generate a signal when the leading edge of the article 2 passes in front of the detector 12, as shown in more detail in FIG. , a detector 12, eg a photocell. Detector 12 is further configured to generate a further signal when the trailing edge of the article 2 just detected passes in front of detector 12 . Based on the time between two signals generated by the detector 12 for the same article 2 and the linear velocity of the feed conveyor 3, the length in the forward direction F of each article 2 can be measured. can.

The length of each article 2 is a parameter later used to determine the length of paper each article 2 must be wrapped with. The length of the paper is equal to the length of the corresponding article 2 measured by the detector 12 and an additional value must be added to this length so that each package can be closed. At the same time, it ensures that the consumption of packaging material, i.e. paper, can be minimized.

Each work station 6 may further include a data entry device to allow the corresponding operator to identify himself at the start of his shift.

Furthermore, each work station 6 can be equipped with a code reader 56 for reading the identification code present on each product 2 positioned on the supply conveyor 3 . The identification code can be, for example, a one-dimensional bar code, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark), or other code.

In the working station 6 located at a more forward position along the forward direction F, the width of each article 2, that is, the horizontal dimension of the article 2 perpendicular to the forward direction F, and the height of each article 2 are measured. A further detector 13 is provided for.

The width and height of each article 2 are within a range of dimensions that the dimensions of the article 2 can be processed by the device of the apparatus 1 for packaging the articles 2 located downstream of the supply conveyor 3. Mainly used to check

The apparatus 1 further comprises a rejection device 14 located downstream of the supply conveyor 3 for rejecting nonconforming articles 2 . The article rejection device 14 in particular rejects articles 2 which, after the measurements performed by the detector 12 and the further detector 13, are found to have dimensions outside the dimension range that can be processed by the device 1. is intended. The item rejection system 14 further provides that, based on the reading of the identification code of each item by the code reader 56, items known to have been misstacked on the system 1 and intended to be processed elsewhere. It is intended to exclude articles 2 that are

As shown in FIG. 2, the article rejection device 14 comprises a tiltable conveyor 15, for example of belt type, which may be positioned at the transport configuration C1 or at the rejection configuration C2. In the transport configuration C1, the tiltable conveyor 15 is substantially horizontal and can transport the articles 2 along the forward direction F. On the other hand, in the rejection configuration C2, the tiltable conveyor 15 moves the rejecting articles 2 coming from the supply conveyor 3 to the underlying removal conveyor arranged to move the rejecting articles away from the device 1. 16 is tilted downward so that it is turned up. At the discharge from the removal conveyor 16, a container 17, shown in FIG. 1, can be positioned to collect the rejected articles 2. The operator can either remove the container 17 when it is full of displaced items and replace it with an empty container, or remove the container 17 to the discharge section of the removal conveyor 16 after emptying the container 17 . position again. This operation does not require the machine 1 to be stopped and consequently does not result in a loss of productivity.

The article removal device 14 further comprises a belt-type pass-through conveyor 18 arranged between the feed conveyor 3 and the tiltable conveyor 15, which pass-through conveyor 18 is capable of tilting the articles 2 coming from the feed conveyor 3. It can be transported on conveyor 15 .

The device 1 further comprises an intermediate conveyor 19 located downstream of the supply conveyor 3 along the direction of advancement F. As shown in FIG. More precisely, the intermediate conveyor 19 is located downstream of the article rejection device 14 .

Downstream of the intermediate conveyor 19 there is a packaging unit 20 for producing packaging made of packaging material, in particular paper, which encloses the articles 2 in each case.

The intermediate conveyor 19 is intended to convey the articles 2 coming from the supply conveyor 3 along the direction of advance F towards the packaging unit 20 .

The intermediate conveyor 19 comprises a plurality of conveyor belts 21 arranged one after another along the forward direction F. As shown in FIG. Although six conveyor belts 21 are provided in the illustrated example, the number of conveyor belts 21 included in the intermediate conveyor 19 may differ from six. The conveyor belts 21 have linear velocities that vary over time and can be different between one conveyor belt 21 and the other belt so as to accelerate or decelerate the articles 2 advanced by the conveyor belts 21 for reasons described in more detail below. (i.e. the respective movement speed at which the article 2 is moved in the forward direction F).

The intermediate conveyor 19 further comprises sensor means 23 for detecting the presence of articles 2 on each of the conveyor belts 21 . The sensor means 23 comprises a plurality of sensor elements 24, eg photocells, each suitable for detecting passage of an article 2 close to the sensor element 24 of interest. A sensor element 24 can be positioned in a passing zone between two successive conveyor belts 21 . The sensor element 24 can also be located downstream of the conveyor belt 21 located at the forwardmost position along the direction of advancement F. As shown in FIG. Furthermore, the sensor element 24 can be positioned upstream of the first conveyor belt 21 , i.e. upstream of the conveyor belt 21 located at the rearmost position along the forward direction F.

The intermediate conveyor 19 receives the stream of articles 2 coming from the supply conveyor 3 after the articles 2 have passed the article rejection device 14 . In the stream of articles 2 arriving on the intermediate conveyor 19, there may be empty positions, ie positions where articles 2 are missing, contrary to expectations.

An empty position in the stream of articles 2 arriving on the intermediate conveyor 19 may, for various reasons, be the inability of the operator to stack an article 2 at the intended position, or a non-conforming article 2 may be detected by the article rejector 14 . , and the corresponding position was left empty.

A sensor means 23 for detecting the presence of articles 2 on the intermediate conveyor 19 detects when there is an empty position in the stream of articles 2 arriving on the intermediate conveyor 19 . The control unit of the device 1 then controls the vacant position with respect to the advancing direction F so as to reduce the distance between the article 2 leading the vacant position with respect to the advancing direction F and the article 2 following the vacant position with respect to the advancing direction F. One or more of the plurality of conveyor belts 21 arranged downstream of the position are accelerated. The articles 2 are compressed along the intermediate conveyor 19 and empty positions are filled with subsequent articles 2 . In this way, the stream of articles 2 leaving the intermediate conveyor 19 and entering the packaging unit 20 is a continuous stream, i.e. a stream with no empty positions missing articles 2 .

The control unit can adjust the speed of the conveyor belt 21 such that the distance between two successive articles 2 (also called "gap") is controlled as set by the control unit. Generally speaking, the distance between two successive articles 2 is not necessarily constant. The distance between two consecutive items 2 can be selected as a function of the optimization logic of the packaging process and can vary between minimum and maximum values. More specifically, the distance between two consecutive articles 2 is the height of the articles 2, the length of the articles 2, the linear speed of the packaging unit 20, the number of conveyor belts 21 of the intermediate conveyor 19 on which the articles 2 reside. , the basis weight of the paper being used at the moment in the packaging unit 20, the properties of the adhesive being used at the moment in the packaging unit 20, the state of the particular digital signals present in the work station 6, the line The selection can be made as a function of a number of parameters, such as the state of the particular digital signal received from the monitoring unit or "controller", and other parameters.

As described below after the packaging unit 20 is described, the intermediate conveyor 19 is used as a buffer, i.e. as a temporary storage system, in which one or more articles 2 are temporarily stored before being transferred to the packaging unit 20. works.

As shown in FIG. 3, the packaging unit 20 comprises a packaging conveyor 25 for conveying the articles 2 along the forward direction F, the articles 2 being wrapped in a wrapping material, shown here as paper, and each article A wrap is formed around 2 . The packaging conveyor 25 may comprise a plurality of conveyor belts arranged one after the other along the direction of advancement F. As shown in FIG. In particular, the packaging conveyor 25 comprises a first conveyor belt 33 positioned immediately downstream of the intermediate conveyor 19, a second conveyor belt 34 for supporting the articles 2 during the packaging process, and a plurality of individual products containing the products. A third conveyor belt 35 may be provided on which the packages 36 can exit the packaging unit 20 . A second conveyor belt 34 is arranged between the first conveyor belt 33 and the third conveyor belt 35 .

The packaging unit 20 further comprises a support core (not shown) for supporting the packaging material, more specifically the reel 26 of paper. Reel 26 is housed in cabinet 27 shown in FIG.

The unreeling device, not shown, first advances laterally, more particularly in an unwinding direction S, perpendicular to the advancing direction F, passing under a platform 29 arranged between the cabinet 27 and the packaging conveyor 25. is arranged to unwind a continuous web 28 of paper from a reel 26.

The continuous web of paper 28 is moved along its path from the reels 26 to the packaging conveyor 25 with the purpose of correcting the direction of travel of the continuous web of paper 28 initially coinciding with the payout direction S perpendicular to the direction of advance F. of diverting rollers. The continuous web of paper 28 has come from the intermediate conveyor 19 after interacting with the diverting rollers and the articles 2 now moved by the first conveyor belt 33 are positioned above the continuous web of paper 28. , is arranged parallel to the advancing direction F immediately above the packaging conveyor 25 (more specifically, above the second conveyor belt 34).

The packaging unit 20 comprises an applicator device 30 for applying an adhesive, in particular a pressure-sensitive adhesive, to a continuous web of paper 28 which closes the package formed with the continuous web of paper 28 . Suitable for leaving. Application device 30 may comprise one or more nozzles or application elements. The applicator 30 is configured to apply a longitudinal strip 31 of adhesive onto the continuous web of paper 28 , for example continuously extending along the longitudinal edges of the continuous web of paper 28 . When the continuous web 28 of paper is positioned on the packaging conveyor 25, the longitudinal strips 31 of adhesive are parallel to the advancing direction F. As shown in FIG. The applicator 30 is further arranged to apply two transverse bands 32 of adhesive positioned transversely, in particular at right angles to the advancing direction F, onto the continuous web 28 of paper. The transverse bands 32 may extend continuously from one longitudinal edge of the continuous web of paper 28 to the opposite longitudinal edge.

The applicator 30 can be configured to apply a single type of adhesive or two different types of adhesive onto the wrapping material. If the applicator device 30 applies two different types of adhesive to the wrapping material, the applicator device 30 can apply different locations on the wrapping material with different properties and working lifetimes (or set or open times). ).

Along the packaging conveyor 25 , in particular along the second conveyor belt 34 , two opposite sides of the continuous web of paper 28 form a tubular enclosure 38 around the articles 2 . Two deflection elements 37 are provided which have the function of folding the longitudinal flaps around the article 2 . Thus, the longitudinal edges of the continuous web of paper 28 with the longitudinal strips 31 of adhesive are formed in order to form longitudinal joins 39 extending continuously parallel to the direction of advance F of the paper continuity. It is brought above the further longitudinal edges of the web 28 . A plurality of longitudinal edges of the continuous web of paper 28 overlap each other along the longitudinal join 39 .

A pressure roller 40 is provided in particular on the second conveyor belt 34 to apply pressure to the longitudinal joint 39 so that the adhesive stably bonds the two overlapping longitudinal edges of the continuous web of paper 28 . are positioned along the packaging conveyor 25 above the .

The packaging unit 20 also carries, on the portion of the continuous web of paper 28 intended to be visible, an identification code associated with information relating to the particular article 2 that the portion of paper is intended to be wrapped. A printing device 41 may be provided for printing. The identification code printed by the printing device 41 can be a barcode. In the illustrated example, the printing device 41 is positioned upstream of the pressing roller 40 .

The printing device 41 is used to personalize each package 36, i.e., to print on each package 36 specific information for that package 36 that is different from the information printed on other packages 36. can be used. For example, the printing device 41 may print an identification code, such as a bar code, uniquely identifying each package 36 produced (i.e., each order placed by a consumer when the device 1 is used in the e-commerce field). It can be configured to print on each package 36 . Additionally, the printing device 41 may be used to track or ship the package 36 by using the name of the recipient to whom the corresponding package 36 should be delivered and/or its delivery address and/or the package 36. Any other information useful for the purpose can be printed on the packaging material.

The packaging unit 20 further comprises a cutting and closing device 42 for separating successive packages 36 from each other and closing the packages 36 transversely to the advancing direction F.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cutting and closing device 42 can comprise a cutting blade 43 extending transversely, in particular at right angles, to the advancing direction F for cutting the continuous web of paper 28, this continuous The web is folded to form a tubular enclosure 38 separating two adjacent packages 36 .

The cutting blade 43 is arranged between two hold-down elements 44 and has a rectilinear shape in the example shown and extends transversely to the advancing direction F, in particular at right angles. A hold-down element 44 is arranged to apply pressure to the two parts of the tubular enclosure 38 respectively arranged upstream and downstream of the cutting blade 43 on which the transverse strip 32 of adhesive has previously been applied. there is

In this way two lateral joints 45 are obtained for closing the rear end of one package 36 and the front end of the next package 36 respectively.

A cutting blade 43 is positioned above the packaging conveyor 25 . Arranged below the packaging conveyor 25 is an abutment element 46 against which the cutting blade 43 is abutted for cutting the tubular enclosure 38 and the hold-down element 44 is glued. A butt is applied to apply pressure to the portions of the paper intended to be joined by the agent.

The cutting blades 43 and the hold-down elements 44 are supported by transverse bars 47 extending above the packaging conveyor 25 at right angles to the direction of advance F. As shown in FIG.

The transverse bars 47 are vertically movable, as indicated by arrows G, along a pair of guides 48 located on opposite sides of the packaging conveyor 25 . The butting element 46 is also vertically movable, as indicated by arrow H.

In this way the transverse bar 47 and the abutment element 46 can be moved towards each other in order to separate two adjacent packages 36 and close them around the cut, or to separate them from the paper. Can move away from each other to stay away.

A pair of carriages 49 allows the guide 48 to move forward and backward parallel to the forward direction F, as indicated by an arrow L. As shown in FIG. In this way, the cutting blade 43 and in particular the hold-down element 44 can remain engaged with the paper tubular enclosure 38 for the extension of the path of the tubular enclosure 38 along the advancing direction F, so that , the hold-down element 44 can apply pressure to the adhesive for a sufficient period of time.

After the cutting and closing device 42 interacts with the tubular enclosure 38 , the individual packages 36 containing their respective products are separated from the tubular enclosure 38 . A third conveyor belt 35 removes individual packages 36 from the packaging unit 20 . As shown in Figure 3, the dimensions of the packages 36, in particular the length measured parallel to the forward direction F, are variable between the packages 36 depending on the dimensions of the articles 2 to be packaged.

Downstream of the packaging unit 20 there is arranged a packaging removal device 57 suitable for making it possible to remove non-conforming packaging 36 from the device 1 .

The package rejection device 57 may comprise a first conveyor 50, a tiltable conveyor 51 and a final conveyor 52 arranged sequentially along the forward direction F. As shown in FIG. A first conveyor 50 is positioned downstream of the packaging unit 20 for receiving packages 36 from the packaging belt 25 .

A tiltable conveyor 51 is intended to receive packages 36 from the initial conveyor 50 and may be positioned in a first position P1 or a second position P2, as shown in FIG. In the first position P1, the tiltable conveyor 51 is arranged substantially horizontally for conveying the packages 36 coming from the initial conveyor 50 towards the final conveyor 52. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, in the second position P2, the tiltable conveyor 51 is tilted downwards to divert the packages 36 downwards, thereby transferring the packages 36 to the removal conveyor 53 located below the final conveyor 52. lead to Packages 36 to be rejected fall from removal conveyor 53 onto underlying boxes 54 in which they are accumulated, shown in FIG. The box 54 must be emptied by the operator when it is full of packages 36 to be rejected. The box 54 can be emptied without having to stop the apparatus 1 so as not to impair productivity.

A plurality of photocells 55 may be provided along the package rejector 57 .

During operation, the device 1 starts in an empty configuration with no articles 2 yet loaded on the supply conveyor 3 .

Initially, the feed conveyor 3 and the conveyors of the article rejection device 14 are moved at a linear forward speed in the forward direction F corresponding to the maximum hourly productivity Pmax of the device 1 . The part located downstream of the article removal device 14 with respect to the forward direction F of the device 1 remains stationary.

One or more operators located within each work station 6 can, after being identified by a data entry device present within each work station 6, access articles successively from their respective crates 9 positioned on support elements 8. 2 are picked up and manually placed on the feed belt 4 located in front of them. Each operator can place each article 2 in a free position of his choice on the supply belt 4 assigned to him. A feed belt 4 conveys a plurality of articles 2 in succession to the portal 11 associated with the feed belt 4 . At the portal 11 a detector 12 measures the length in the forward direction F of each article 2 that was loaded on the corresponding supply belt 4 . Furthermore, in each work station 6 a code reader 56 reads the identification code present on each article 2 . This allows the control unit of the apparatus 1 to track the articles 2, i.e. the position of the articles 2 on the supply conveyor 3 (and thus within the apparatus 1) as well as the number of articles encoded in their respective identification codes. you can know the data.

At the portal 11 further downstream than the other work stations 6, i.e. the portal 11 of the work station 6 arranged directly upstream of the article removal device 14, further detectors 13 pass through the portal 11. The height of the article 2 and the width of the article 2 perpendicular to the advancing direction F can be measured.

At this point, the control unit compares the dimensions of each article 2 with the critical dimensions that the device 1 can process. The data of the item 2 acquired by the code reader 56 is also analyzed. If the control unit determines that the dimensions of the article 2 are within the range that can be processed by the apparatus 1 and that the data of the article 2 acquired by the code reader 56 match those expected, then the article 2 passes through the article rejector 14 and enters the intermediate conveyor 19 . On the other hand, if the dimensions of the article 2 do not fit within the range that can be processed by the device 1 and/or if the data of the article 2 obtained by the code reader 56 do not match what is expected, the control unit It is determined that item 2 is to be excluded. Thus, the tiltable conveyor 15 is moved to the second configuration C2 and carries the articles 2 onto the removal conveyor 16. FIG.

When a first article 2 found to be processable by the apparatus 1 and conforming to expectations enters the article rejection device 14, the conveyor belt 21 contained in the intermediate conveyor 19 is moved. The first article 2 arriving at the intermediate conveyor 19 is quickly conveyed in the forward direction F towards the packaging unit 20 which is now in motion.

The device 1 can then start wrapping the article 2 to produce the package 36 .

In operation, the sensor means 23 positioned along the intermediate conveyor 19 control the position of the articles 2 moving in the forward direction F and determine if there is an empty position in the stream of articles 2 coming from the article rejection device 14. determine whether or not If an empty position exists, the conveyor belt 21 follows the empty position so that the empty position is filled, i.e. generates a stream of articles 2 entering the packaging unit 20 without any empty positions. to accelerate This ensures that no empty packages are generated in the packaging unit 20 due to the presence of empty positions in the stream of articles 2 coming from the supply conveyor 3 .

By acting on the linear speed of each conveyor belt 21, which can be selected independently from the linear speed of the other conveyor belts 21, the distance between two successive articles 2 entering the packaging unit 20 can be adjusted to the parameters mentioned above. It is guaranteed to be controlled based on

Conveyor 19 moves articles 2 one after the other in forward direction F such that there are no empty positions in the stream of articles 2 entering packaging unit 20 and successive articles 2 entering packaging unit 20 are at a controlled distance. Positioning so it acts as a phase and distance control conveyor.

Each article 2 entering the packaging unit 20 is detected by a supply detector 58 shown in FIG. The applicator 30 is operated to apply adhesive within the zone of the paper that has been coated.

As a continuous stream of articles 2 (i.e., no empty positions) enters the packaging unit 20, a continuous queue of articles 2 is created within the packaging unit 20, and the articles 2 in these queues are packaged. Waiting to be positioned upstream of the cutting closure device 42 . This continuous queue corresponds to strips of paper unwound from the reel 26, which have already been glued in place to close the package 36 in which the article 2 is to be enclosed.

The adhesive has a working life or set time or open time, i.e. the paper sections to be joined are overlapped and pressed together so that the adhesive can set and form a sealed joint. have the time to do so. The release time depends on the type of adhesive used and is usually several tens of seconds. In order to have reasonable certainty that the package 36 remains closed, the moment the adhesive is applied to the continuous web of paper 28 by the applicator 30 and the overlapped portion of the paper to be adhered, a pressure roller is applied. The time interval between 40 and the moment pressure is applied by the hold-down element 44 must be less than the adhesive release time.

The speed of packaging unit 20 is related to the speed of intermediate conveyor 19 . More specifically, the speed of packaging unit 20 adapts, ie, automatically decreases or increases, according to the logic described below.

As mentioned above, the intermediate conveyor 19 acts as a buffer, ie a temporary storage zone in which a controlled number of articles 2 are temporarily stored, waiting to enter the packaging unit 20 .

If the stream of articles 2 arrives on the intermediate conveyor 19 at a rate intended as the number of articles 2 per hour equal to the maximum hourly productivity Pmax of the apparatus 1, the predetermined fill level is intermediate. maintained on conveyor 19;

"predetermined filling level" means the space above the intermediate conveyor 19, measured along the advancing direction F, occupied by the articles 2 positioned at controlled respective mutual distances; It means a predetermined value of the ratio between the total space available for the articles 2 on the intermediate conveyor 19 in the forward direction F.

In other words, the fill level is the distance between the longitudinal dimension of the intermediate conveyor 19 and the total longitudinal dimension of the intermediate conveyor 19 at the moment when articles 2 placed at respective controlled mutual distances are considered to be present. ratio.

In the illustrated embodiment, the predetermined fill level maintained on the intermediate conveyor 19 may be an average fill level equal to about three out of six conveyor belts 21, for example. This means that a predetermined number of conveyor belts 21 adjacent to the packaging unit 20 remain occupied by articles 2 while the remaining conveyor belts 21 closest to the article rejection device 14 are empty. .

As a result, in the time interval of interest, the packaging unit 20 supplied with a number of articles per hour which is substantially constant (and equal to the maximum hourly productivity Pmax of the apparatus 1) Adapting their linear speeds, i.e. the linear speeds of the first conveyor belt 33, the second conveyor belt 34 and the third conveyor belt 35, taking into account only the different lengths of the successive articles 2 in the advancing direction F. . In other words, the linear speed of the packaging unit 20 is adhered to a set hourly productivity, taking into account the length of the articles 2 to be packed, in the case of interest the maximum hourly productivity Pmax is adjusted instantaneously to ensure that it is equal to The linear speed of the packaging unit 20 is adjusted so that the number of packages 36 coming from the packaging unit 20 corresponds to the maximum hourly productivity Pmax.

If the stream of articles 2 entering the intermediate conveyor 19 is continuously changing, for example because there are vacant positions in this stream, as happens in practice, the articles 2 following the vacant positions will be replaced by the articles 2 preceding the vacant positions. The linear velocity of the conveyor belt 21 is adjusted so that the vacancies are filled by accelerating relative to it. By modifying the linear speed of the conveyor belt 21, the distance between successive articles 2 entering the packaging unit 20 can be kept equal to the desired value and under control. The packaging unit 20 operates at variable speed, meaning both linear speed and hourly productivity, depending on the number and size of articles 2 received by the packaging unit 20 from the intermediate conveyor 19 per unit time.

The speed of the packaging unit 20 is in this case selected to keep a predetermined filling level on the intermediate conveyor 19, i.e. the forward direction occupied by the articles 2 positioned at a controlled mutual distance on the intermediate conveyor 19. Predetermining the ratio between the longitudinal dimension of the intermediate conveyor 19, measured in F, and the total longitudinal dimension of the intermediate conveyor 19 available for receiving the articles 2, measured along the forward direction F. selected to keep the value

In the example shown, the predetermined filling level corresponds to a predetermined number of conveyor belts 21 occupied by articles 2 . This filling level may for example be 50%, ie corresponding to three conveyor belts 21 out of six conveyor belts 21 being occupied by articles 2 .

If the number of articles 2 received per unit time from the intermediate conveyor 19 drops very significantly below a predetermined number, e.g. due to a reduction in the number of operators present in the work station 6, the control unit: It is arranged to ensure that the number of conveyor belts 21 on which the articles 2 are present is minimal. For example, the articles 2 are only accumulated on the conveyor belt 21 immediately upstream of the packaging unit 20, or the articles 2 are not accumulated on the conveyor belt 21 and are immediately transferred to the packaging unit 20. can even be guaranteed. This result is obtained by adapting the speed of the packaging unit 20 .

More specifically, the packaging unit 20 slows down its productivity, which in this case means the number of packages formed per unit of time. In particular, the productivity of the packaging unit 20 is determined in this case on the basis of the working life or open time of the adhesive applied by the application device 30 . In other words, under conditions of low flow of articles 2 entering the intermediate conveyor 19, the parameter determining the speed of the packaging unit 20 is no longer the fill level of the intermediate conveyor 19, but the working life or open time of the adhesive. That is, under these conditions the packaging unit 20 operates at the lowest production speed compatible with the adhesive open time. In other words, the speed of the wrapping unit 20 is adjusted so that the time the glue remains on the paper is less than the time the glue opens before each joint is closed.

If no other articles arrive on the intermediate conveyor 19, the packaging unit 20 will proceed at a lower speed as described above to match the adhesive opening time, and the packaging unit 20 upstream of the cut-off device 42 will proceed. Package all items 2 that are inside. The packaging unit 20 is thus gradually emptied.

When there are no more articles 2 to be wrapped in the packaging unit 20 , the packaging unit 20 stops while waiting to receive new articles 2 from the intermediate conveyor 19 .

When the stream of articles 2 on the intermediate conveyor 19 is activated again, the packaging unit 20 is put back into operation, however, the packaging unit 20 corresponding to the empty position which had already been unwound from the reel 26 and where no articles 2 were present. It is ensured that any paper present in the package is removed using the package removal device 57 at the discharge of the packaging unit 20 as if it were an empty package.

Starting the packaging unit from an empty configuration of the device 1 can be further controlled by employing other types of logic more sophisticated than those described above. For example, the packaging unit 20 can be controlled to restart only when a predetermined number of articles 2 have accumulated on the intermediate conveyor 19 . This predetermined minimum number of articles 2 is then determined by various parameters, e.g. may be defined based on a standard or algorithm that takes into account the sum of the lengths in millimeters of all articles present in the . The purpose of this is to ensure that there is a substantial number of articles 2 in the feed to prevent the packaging unit 20 from stopping again in a short period of time, which would result in unnecessary waste of paper. restarting the packaging unit 20 only when there is reasonable certainty that

In the embodiments of the device 1 that have been described above, an intermediate conveyor 19 comprising a plurality of conveyor belts 21 arranged one after the other along the direction of advancement F, at least one conveying the articles 2 following the empty position. Any empty position along the intermediate conveyor 19 is filled by increasing the speed of the conveyor belt 21 relative to the speed of at least one further belt conveyor 21 carrying the articles 2 preceding the empty position. The intermediate conveyor 19 has always been mentioned.

However, it is also possible to fill any empty positions along the intermediate conveyor 19 by adopting a different procedure than increasing the speed of the trailing conveyor belt 21 relative to the leading conveyor belt 19 and/or Alternatively, it is possible to position the articles 2 at a controlled mutual distance along the intermediate conveyor 19 .

Claims (14)

positioning a plurality of articles (2) having different dimensions on a supply conveyor (3);
sending a stream of said plurality of articles (2) coming from said supply conveyor (3) and movable along a forward direction (F) to an intermediate conveyor (19);
Feeding said plurality of articles (2) coming from said intermediate conveyor (19) to a packaging unit (20), said packaging unit (20) starting from a web of packaging material (28), a plurality of packages (36) ), each package (36) containing one of said plurality of articles (2);
The method includes:
In the flow of the plurality of articles (2) advancing along the intermediate conveyor (19), it is checked whether there is an empty position where the article (2) is missing, and if an empty position is detected filling the vacant position by accelerating the article (2) following the vacant position with respect to the article (2) preceding the vacant position;
The intermediate conveyor (19) comprises a plurality of conveyor belts (21) sequentially arranged along the forward direction (F),
maintaining a predetermined average filling level on said intermediate conveyor (19) when the number of said articles (2) arriving on said intermediate conveyor (19) per unit time is greater than or equal to a predetermined value; , a method wherein the production speed of said packaging unit (20) is adjusted. 3. The method further comprises controlling the speed of the conveyor belt (21) to position a plurality of the articles (2) at controlled intervals from each other in the feeding section of the packaging unit (20). 1. The method according to 1. At least one conveyor belt ( 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the article (2) following the empty position is accelerated by increasing the speed of 21). 4. Any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said intermediate conveyor (19) acts as a buffer in which a plurality of said articles (2) are temporarily accumulated while waiting to enter said packaging unit (20). or the method described in paragraph 1. said intermediate conveyor, wherein said predetermined average filling level is measured in said advancing direction (F) occupied by said articles (2) positioned at a controlled mutual distance on said intermediate conveyor (19); (19) of the ratio between the longitudinal dimension and the total longitudinal dimension of said intermediate conveyor (19) along said advancing direction (F) available for receiving said articles (2); A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, corresponding to a defined value. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said predetermined average filling level corresponds to a predetermined average number of said conveyor belts (21) filled with said articles (2). 7. Method according to claim 6, wherein said average fill level corresponds to half of said conveyor belt (21) filled with said articles (2). Said web of packaging material (28) is distributed according to the number of said articles (2) received by said packaging unit (20) from said intermediate conveyor (19) and for each said article ( A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the packaging unit (20) is fed at a variable linear speed determined on the basis of the length of 2). an application device (30) applying adhesive onto the web of wrapping material (28) to create at least one joint (39, 45) and to close the corresponding wrapping (36);
said at least one joint for a length of time less than said adhesive opening time when the number of said articles (2) arriving on said intermediate conveyor (19) per unit time is less than or equal to a predetermined value. web of wrapping material (28) to said packaging unit (20) at a linear speed calculated so that said adhesive remains on said wrapping material (28) before applying pressure to (39,45). A method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein supplying. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the goods (2) are purchased over the Internet and packaged in the packaging unit (20) before being shipped to the ordering party. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the wrapping material is paper. a supply conveyor (3) for receiving a plurality of articles (2) having different dimensions;
an intermediate conveyor (19) located downstream of said feed conveyor (3) and receiving a stream of said plurality of articles (2) from said feed conveyor (3) in a forward direction (F);
A packaging unit (20) located downstream of said intermediate conveyor (19) for producing a plurality of packages (36) starting from a web of packaging material (28), each package (36) comprising one a packaging unit (20) containing the article (2);
Sensor means (23) are provided on said intermediate conveyor (19) for controlling whether there is an empty position missing said article (2) in the stream of said articles (2) advancing along said intermediate conveyor (19). (19) are arranged along
Said intermediate conveyor (19) is arranged along said advancing direction (F) such that said articles (2) following said empty position are accelerated to fill said empty position when said empty position is detected. a plurality of conveyor belts (21) arranged one after the other,
Apparatus, wherein the production speed of said packaging units (20) is adjustable to maintain a predetermined average filling level in said intermediate conveyor (19). The apparatus further comprises an article rejection device (14) arranged between the supply conveyor (3) and the intermediate conveyor (19),
Said article rejection device (14) comprises a first, in which a tiltable conveyor (15) is arranged horizontally for conveying said articles (2) from said supply conveyor (3) to said intermediate conveyor (19). comprising a tiltable conveyor (15) positionable in configuration (C1);
Said tiltable conveyor (15) is further positioned in a second configuration (C2), wherein said tiltable conveyor (15) tilts downwards to divert said articles (2) onto a removal conveyor (16). 13. The apparatus of claim 12, capable of The packaging unit (20) is
an application device (30) for applying adhesive onto the web of packaging material (28);
a plurality of deflection elements (37) for folding said web of wrapping material (28) to form a tubular enclosure (38) around said article (2);
holding means (40, 46) for applying pressure to the portion of the wrapping material (28) overlying the web where the adhesive is present;
14. Apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, comprising a cutting blade (43) for separating continuous packages (36) from the web of packaging material (28).

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