PACKAGING DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to a modularly constructed packaging device, comprising: a package feed (2) for feeding empty packages (20), a product feed (3) for feeding products (30, 40), a loading station (4), in which the products are packed into the empty package in order to provide a packaging container (21), and a cardboard-box discharge (5), which leads away the packaging container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a packaging device for packaging piece goods, in particular in the field of packaging machines.

Packaging devices of the prior art generally work with a conveyor chain, which transports packages or trays through the device. This results in a complicated construction as well as large space requirements. In addition, the devices do not have a modular construction, which facilitates a simple, quick and flexible adaptation to different package sizes and package types, for example, having different rankings and layer patterns of the products in the package. Specially constructed packaging devices have, therefore, to be constructed in each case for different applications; thus requiring a considerable investment of both time and money. A complex device for filling cardboard boxes is known from the German patent application DE 37 20638 A1, with which tubes laid in trays are packaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The packaging device according to the invention has in contrast the advantage that said device comprises a plurality of modularly arranged, individual component assemblies having few functions, whereby a very robust, simple and cost effective design is achieved. As a result of the modular construction, the packaging device according to the invention facilitates the adaptation to a plurality of rankings and layer patterns, e.g., of products having different tubular shapes, and further facilitates a flexible expansion to other package types. In so doing, the application of the inventive packaging device is possible in particular for the packaging of pillow bags, doy-style packages and stand-up packages in all conventional cardboard boxes or trays. According to the invention, this is achieved by virtue of the fact that the modularly constructed packaging device comprises a package feed for feeding empty packages, a product feed for feeding products and a loading station, in which the products are packed into the empty package in order to provide a packaging container. Provision is furthermore made for a cardboard-box discharge, which leads away the packaging container. By means of the structural design into individual module areas, a small base area having small traveling distances for loading is achieved. Smaller and more energy efficient drive systems can therefore be used.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the loading station has a first space and a second space, wherein the products are packed into the empty package at the second space.

The first and the second space of the loading station are preferably arranged in a row along an axis. An axial thrust unit is further provided, which acts on the package positioned at the first space in order to push the packaging container situated at the second space onto the cardboard-box discharge by means of an axial thrust. Because the packages push each other onward until they reach the cardboard-box discharge, a conveyor chain is not required. In addition, the simply and cost-effectively constructed loading station facilitates continuous packaging steps having short cycle times.

The packaging device further preferably comprises a first lateral thrust unit, which pushes the empty package from the package feed onto the first space of the loading station. In so doing, a simple and operationally reliable feeding of the loading station is achieved. The low dead weight of the package as well as the low frictional resistance during horizontal displacement furthermore facilitates the use of small, cost effective drive motors for the first lateral thrust unit.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the loading station comprises tilting equipment, which tilts the package preferably by 90°. In so doing, a horizontal loading of the package without vertical traveling distances can be carried out more simply and more quickly. In addition, a desired horizontal or vertical loading of the package can alternatively occur without retrofitting the packaging device.

The tilting equipment further preferably comprises a support area, wherein one side of the package rests against the support area. Said support area ensures an operationally reliable support of the package when the horizontal loading process takes place in the tilted position. In addition, a reliable feed of the packaging container is achieved when being pushed in the non-tilted or tilted back position to the cardboard-box discharge.

The packaging device further preferably comprises a second lateral thrust unit, which pushes the products into an empty package at the second space of the loading station. In so doing, a horizontal loading of the package can be implemented with minimized construction expenditure and with a very short thrust distance.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the packaging device comprises a vibrating unit for vibrating the packaging container. In so doing, a compacting of the products situated in the package, in particular during bagging, is achieved; thus enabling the degree of filling to be increased. The vibrating unit is preferably integrated into the loading station and is thereby arranged under the second space of the loading station.

The package feed and the product feed are further preferably arranged parallel to one another, and the cardboard-box discharge is preferably arranged parallel to said package feed and said product feed. An optimized integration of lines comprising a minimized base surface of the total packaging device is thereby achieved.

The second lateral thrust unit further preferably comprises a storage space, whereat a plurality of products is temporarily stored, wherein the second lateral thrust unit pushes the temporarily stored products as a unit into the package at the second space of the loading station. Specially required rankings and/or layer patterns for certain products can therefore already be fashioned at the storage space before insertion into the package. Depending upon the layer pattern, linear suction devices, grippers, stacking boxes and sliders can thereby be used, via which all conventional rankings and loadings can be produced.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the package feed comprises a format-adjusting unit in order to facilitate a changeover to other packaging formats or cardboard-box sizes. In so doing, a simple, time and cost efficient changeover or, respectively, adjustment to other packaging formats is possible. In addition, the installation of format changeover parts, which may be required, can substantially take place without the use of tools.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a packaging device according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view of the device from FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the loading station of the device from FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the packaging device from FIG. 1 having a changed packaging format.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective partial view of the packaging device according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic perspective view of the packaging device according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of tilting equipment of the packaging device from FIG. 5 in a tilted position.

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the tilting equipment from FIG. 6 in a non-tilted position.

FIG. 9 shows a perspective partial view of the packaging device according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 10 shows a perspective partial view of the packaging device according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the invention.

A modularly constructed packaging device according to a first preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention is described below in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a packaging device 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the invention. The packaging device 1 comprises a package feed 2, a product feed 3, a loading station 4 and a cardboard-box discharge 5. By means of the package feed 2, open, empty packages 20 are transported via a conveyor belt 2a in a first axial direction A1 with respect to a first lateral thrust unit 8 arranged axially at the end of the package feed 2. The packages 20 are thereby guided on the conveyor belt 2a via left and right guide rails 24a, 24b. A format-adjusting unit 22 is further provided at the package feed 2, By means of spindles 23, said adjusting unit 22 facilitates an adjustment of the guide rails 24a, 24b vertically with respect to the first axial direction A1 in accordance with the width of the package 20. By means of a further spindle 26, a stop 25 of the first lateral thrust unit 8 is adjusted in the opposite direction to the first axial direction A1. When the package 20 has reached the stop 25 in the first lateral thrust unit 8, the feed of the package feed 2 is interrupted. Thereafter a push element 8a of the first lateral thrust unit 8 pushes the package 20 in a fourth axial direction A4 up to a stop element 41 on a first space 4a of the loading station 4 which is arranged parallel to the first axial direction A1.

The conveyor unit 3 which is arranged parallel to the package feed 2 transports in each case five products 30, which are accommodated in a tray 33 and are depicted here by way of example in the shape of pillow bags, in a third axial direction A3 with respect to a removal position 35. A suction device 32 removes the products 30 from the tray 33 and thereby loads the package 20 positioned on a second space 4b of the loading station 4 in a fifth axial direction A5 and according to a predetermined loading pattern. In so doing, the loading occurs at a drop height of “zero”, i.e. without the products being dropped into the package.

After loading a package, an axial thrust unit 7 pushes the empty package 20 from the first space 4a further in a second axial direction A2, said empty package 20 pushing accordingly the loaded package 20 as a packaging container 21 from the second space 4b of the loading station 4 further onto the cardboard-box discharge 5, which leads away the packaging container 21. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the first space 4a and the second space 4b of the loading station 4 and the cardboard-box discharge 5 are arranged in a row along an axis or, respectively, in the second axial direction A2. The top view of the packaging device depicted in FIG. 2 serves to illustrate in detail the relationship between the individual modules and the substantially horizontal movements of the packages 20 and the products 30 during conveyance. It should be noted here that the suction device 32 in FIG. 2 is not completely depicted for the sake of better clarity.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, provision is made for a vibrating unit for vibrating the package 20 during loading. In so doing, a compacting of the products 30 in the package as well as a homogenization of the layers occurs, which increase the degree of filling.

FIG. 4 shows the packaging device from FIG. 1 having a changed packaging format, wherein the guide rails 24a are adjusted vertically with respect to the first axial direction A1 to the smaller width of the package 20 by means of the spindle 23 of the format-adjusting unit 22 and in the opposite direction of the first axial direction A1 to the smaller length of the package 20 by means of the spindle 26. During the format changeover, the push element 8a can be changed without the use of tools and the suction unit 32 can be replaced by means of an interchangeable format piece. It should be hereby noted that the axial thrust unit 7 can be identically maintained for all formats and the strokes of the first lateral thrust unit 8 as well the axial thrust unit 7 are the same for all formats.

A packaging device according to a second preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention is described below in detail with reference to FIG. 5. Identical or functionally identical components are denoted here with the same reference numerals as in the first exemplary embodiment.

In contrast to the first exemplary embodiment previously described, the packaging device 1 of the second exemplary embodiment comprises a gripping device 34 instead of the suction device 32 used in the first exemplary embodiment. The gripping device 34 grips the products 30, delivered from the product feed in trays 31 in the standing position to the removal position 35 and depicted here by way of example in the form of doy-style packages, and positions said products into the package 20 in the standing position.

As can be seen from FIG. 5, the packaging device 1 according to the invention can only be changed over in a simple manner to the changed product form and to the position and ranking thereof in the package 20 by means of an adaptation of the module of the product feed 3 including the inserted trays 31 as well as the module of the gripping device 34. The other modules of the packaging device 1 can be retained in an unchanged manner. Besides the very short set-up times, the small base area which remains unchanged is also thereby particularly advantageous for the line integration.

A packaging device according to a third preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention is described below in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. Identical or functionally identical components are denoted here with the same reference numerals as in the first exemplary embodiment.

The packaging device according to the third exemplary embodiment substantially comprises the same arrangement as that of the first exemplary embodiment. In contrast to the first exemplary embodiment, the packaging device 1 of the third exemplary embodiment comprises however a second lateral thrust unit 10 having a storage space 10a, in(to) which the products 30 (pillow bags or doy-style packages) are introduced in a stacked manner or, respectively, temporarily stored by means of the suction device 32. Provision is further made for tilting equipment 9, which is provided at the second space 4b of the loading station 4. As can be seen in detail in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the empty package 20 positioned on the second space 4b of the loading station 4 can be tilted by means of the tilting equipment 9 counterclockwise about an angle of 90° in relation to the second axial direction A2; thus enabling the opening of the package 20 to be substantially horizontally positioned. In this tilted position, the second lateral thrust unit 10 inserts the products 30 temporarily stored (stacked) at the storage space 10a horizontally into the package 20. The tilting equipment 9 is thereafter brought again into the non-tilted position depicted in FIG. 8 for the further transport of the package. The tilting equipment 9 further comprises a support area 9a, which is arranged perpendicularly to the bottom surface of the package 20 and on which a side of the package abuts and is supported during the tilting movement. In the non-tilted position, the support area 9a in the region of the second space 4b serves together with a stop element 41a, which is configured here in a shortened manner, in the region of the first space 4a of the loading station 4 as a guide for the displacement of the packages 20 by means of the axial thrust unit 7.

By means of the loading station 4 which is expanded by the second lateral thrust unit 10 and the tilting equipment 9, packaging containers 21 comprising vertically loaded pillow bags or doy-style packages can therefore be produced. As a result, the remaining modules used in the first exemplary embodiment can be maintained unchanged. The conveying or travel distances of the suction device 32 are furthermore substantially simpler and shorter than those of the gripping device 34 in the second exemplary embodiment. The changeover to the changed position and ranking of the products can be carried out with very short downtimes or, respectively, changeover times of the system and with minimal personnel costs and expenses.

A packaging device according to a fourth preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention is described below in detail with reference to FIG. 9. Identical or functionally identical components are denoted here with the same reference numerals as in the previous exemplary embodiments.

In this fourth exemplary embodiment, products 40 fed in the upright position, in the form of stand-up packages, are delivered from the product feed 3 to the second lateral thrust unit 10 arranged in this case in the third axial direction A3 at the end of the product feed 3. A guide rail 37 disposed in the conveyance direction or, respectively, in the third axial direction A3 aligns the products axially flush to one another. The second lateral thrust unit 10 has an end stop 10b and pushes in each case three products in the fifth axial direction A5 into the package 20 that is similarly tilted as in the third exemplary embodiment. The fully laden package 20 is then turned back into the non-tilted position and led away via the cardboard-box discharge 5 as a packaging container 21 having a horizontal load. In contrast to the exemplary embodiments previously described, a suction device or gripping device is not required in this case: thus enabling shorter clock cycles to be implemented for loading the package 20.

A packaging device according to a fifth preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention is described below in detail with reference to FIG. 10. Identical or functionally identical components are denoted here with the same reference numerals as in the previous exemplary embodiments, wherein the products are likewise stand-up packages.

In contrast to the fourth exemplary embodiment previously described, the products 40 delivered horizontally from the product feed 3 are in this case packed horizontally into the tilted package 20. The packaging container is tilted backwards and is led away as a packaging container 21 having a vertical load. The packaging device 1 of the fifth exemplary embodiment has, with the exception of the width of the guide rail 37, substantially the same arrangement as well as advantages as those of the fourth exemplary embodiment. Based on the fourth exemplary embodiment, a changeover of the layer pattern of the packaged products 40 can therefore be carried out on short notice without significant effort and expense.

The packaging devices 1 according to the invention described in the exemplary embodiments have the advantage that essentially all conventional bags or product packages having respectively horizontal as well as vertical ranking and different layer patterns can be packed into all conventional cardboard boxes due to the modular construction with only very few, simple functions. In addition, a flexible format changeover as well as a simplified upgrading to future types of packaging and applications is possible. By the elimination of conveyor chains, short traveling distances as well as a small required base area for line integration can further be implemented.

Claims

1. A modularly constructed packaging device, comprising:

a package feed (2) for feeding empty packages (20),

a product feed (3) for feeding products (30, 40),

a loading station (4), in which the products (30, 40) are packed into an empty package (20) in order to provide a packaging container (21), and

a cardboard-box discharge (5), which leads away the packaging container (21).

2. The packaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the loading station (4) has a first space (4a) and a second space (4b), wherein the products (30, 40) are packed into the empty package (20) at the second space (4b).

3. The packaging device according to claim 2, characterized in that the first and second space (4a, 4b) of the loading station (4) are arranged in a row along an axis (A2) and an axial thrust unit (7) is provided, which acts on the package (20) positioned at the first space in order to push the packaging container (21) situated at the second space (4b) onto the cardboard-box discharge (5) by means of an axial thrust.

4. The packaging device according to claim 2, further comprising a first lateral thrust unit (8), which pushes the empty package (20) from the package feed (2) onto the first space (4a) of the loading station (4).

5. The packaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the loading station (4) comprises tilting equipment (9).

6. The packaging device according to claim 5, characterized in that the tilting equipment (9) comprises a support area (9a), wherein one side of the package (20) abuts on the support area (9a).

7. The packaging device according to claim 2, further comprising a second lateral thrust unit (10), which pushes the products (30, 40) into an empty package (20) at the second space (4b) of the loading station (4).

8. The packaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a vibrating unit (12) for vibrating the packaging container (21).

9. The packaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the package feed (2) and the product feed (3) are arranged parallel to one another.

10. The packaging device according to claim 7, characterized in that the second lateral thrust unit (10) comprises a storage space (10a), whereat a plurality of products (30, 40) are temporarily stored, wherein said second lateral thrust unit (10) pushes the temporarily stored products (30, 40) as a unit into the package (20) at the second space (4b) of the loading station (4).

11. The packaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the package feed (2) comprises a format-adjusting unit (22) in order to facilitate a changeover to other packaging formats.

12. The packaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the loading station (4) comprises tilting equipment (9), and the empty package (20) is tilted by 90°.

13. The packaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the package feed (2) and the product feed (3) are arranged parallel to one another and the cardboard-box discharge (5) is arranged parallel to said package feed (2) and product feed (3).

14. The packaging device according to claim 3, further comprising a first lateral thrust unit (8), which pushes the empty package (20) from the package feed (2) onto the first space (4a) of the loading station (4).

15. The packaging device according to claim 14, characterized in that the loading station (4) comprises tilting equipment (9).

16. The packaging device according to claim 15, characterized in that the tilting equipment (9) comprises a support area (9a), wherein one side of the package (20) abuts on the support area (9a).

17. The packaging device according to claim 16, further comprising a second lateral thrust unit (10), which pushes the products (30, 40) into an empty package (20) at the second space (4b) of the loading station (4).

18. The packaging device according to claim 17, further comprising a vibrating unit (12) for vibrating the packaging container (21).

19. The packaging device according to claim 18, characterized in that the package feed (2) and the product feed (3) are arranged parallel to one another.

20. The packaging device according to claim 19, characterized in that the second lateral thrust unit (10) comprises a storage space (10a), whereat a plurality of products (30, 40) are temporarily stored, wherein said second lateral thrust unit (10) pushes the temporarily stored products (30, 40) as a unit into the package (20) at the second space (4b) of the loading station (4).