PACK TULIPS

Abstract

The invention relates to a packing bell for the head-end selective gripping of bottles with a mouth having an opening, comprising a pot-shaped housing with a receiving opening for the bottle to be gripped, a gripper arranged in the housing for gripping the bottle in the region of its mouth, and a sealing element arranged in the housing with a sealing surface, designed to pressure-tightly close the opening of the bottle to be gripped. In order to reduce impairment of the function of the packing bell due to damage and to improve the efficiency and process reliability of the gripping process when using the packing bell in a bottle lifting machine, it is proposed to temporarily pressurize the interior of the bottle to be tested with test air via a separate test air line using a control system.The gripper is actuated via an additional control system, depending on the test air pressure established in a separate return air line. The separation of test air and gripper air allows the use of a sleeve-shaped, elastically deformable gripper insert, which is narrowed in cross-section by a pressurizable, axially displaceable piston, gripping the bottle neck. This separation allows for a test air pressure that is significantly lower than the gripper air pressure. This significantly reduces the air consumption required to operate the packing bell.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a packing tulip for the head-side selective gripping of bottles with a mouth having an opening comprising a pot-shaped housing with a receiving opening for the bottle to be gripped, a gripper arranged in the housing for gripping the bottle in the region of its mouth and a sealing element arranged in the housing with a sealing surface, arranged for pressure-tight closing of the opening of the bottle to be gripped.

[0002] Packing bells are components of machines for the efficient and reliable handling of bottles with the help of beverage machines, in particular the so-called bottle lifting machines, which are used to lift empty bottles out of their transport crates.

[0003] The packing bell has a pot- or bell-shaped housing with a receiving opening for the bottles to be gripped. Inside the housing, an elastic sleeve is usually arranged, which can be pressed against the neck of the bottle to be gripped using compressed air. The packing bells are mounted on a so-called packing head of the bottle lifting machine, depending on the number of bottles to be gripped simultaneously. This packing head is positioned over the bottle crate so that the bottle necks are inserted through the receiving openings into the housings of the individual packing bells when the packing head is lowered. The elastic sleeves of the packing bells are then pressurized with compressed air in order to grip all the bottles in the transport crate simultaneously. Such a packing bell is known, for example, from DE 43 25 556 C1.

[0004] With the known designs of packing bells, it is unavoidable that bottles with damaged areas, such as bottles with missing bottoms or cracks, are also picked up. Typically, the bottles are transported to a conveyor belt for further use with the help of the lifting machine, which then transports them to a rinsing device, for example. Damaged bottles are not suitable for further use and must therefore be manually identified and sorted out to avoid disruptions. This negatively impacts the process speed and also causes unnecessary personnel costs.

[0005] To prevent damaged bottles from being removed from the transport crates, but rather to allow them to continue running with the crate, where they are emptied from the crate along with further contaminants and disposed of, DE 1 995 463 U proposes a packing bell for bottle lifting machines for selectively gripping bottles from the head end. The build-up of the air cushion between the sleeve and the cup-shaped housing is only possible if the bottle to be gripped has not become leaky due to damage. To this end, it is proposed that the air space between the elastic sleeve and the cup-shaped housing be connected to the interior of the bottle to equalize pressure.

[0006] To equalize the pressure, compressed air is introduced via air ducts into the air space between the sleeve and the cup-shaped housing. This air flows into the interior of the bottle via another duct, thus equalizing the pressure between the air space and the interior of the bottle. If the packing bell lowers onto a damaged bottle, the air admitted between the cup-shaped housing and the sleeve can escape from the damaged area through the interior of the bottle, and the pressure between the cup-shaped housing and the sleeve is insufficient to press the sleeve against the bottle neck. Therefore, when the packing bell is subsequently lifted, the damaged bottle remains in the transport box.

[0007] In the known solution, the air pressure of the air admitted between the cup-shaped housing and the sleeve is the same as the air pressure flowing into the interior of the bottle. This matching air pressure for gripping and testing the bottles results in high air consumption.

[0008] The well-known packing bell uses a sleeve, also known as a balloon bell insert, which generates gripping force by building up an air cushion between the cup-shaped housing and the sleeve. In practice, such sleeves are often damaged by defective or sharp-edged bottle mouths, causing the gripper air flowing into the air space between the sleeve and the cup-shaped housing to escape at the damaged area. The necessary air cushion for gripping can no longer build up, disrupting the operation of the packing bell.

[0009] As already mentioned, the known lifting machines have a packing head with several, usually between 100 and 170, packing bells. To grip and test the bottles, a sealing element is placed on the bottle mouth of the known packing bell to seal the opening of the bottle at the mouth. The sealing of the packing bells is achieved by the weight of the packing head. The pressure of the incoming test air inside the bottles to be gripped counteracts the weight force on the sealing elements of the packing bells. If the lifting force of all packing bells resulting from the pressure of the test air is greater than the weight of the packing head, a proper seal will not be formed between the sealing element and the opening of the bottle mouth on the respective packing bell.Depending on the number of bottles to be gripped, the packing head must therefore be sufficiently heavy and the lifting force of the lifting machine must be dimensioned accordingly or, for a given weight force, the number of packing bells per packing head must be reduced in order to ensure perfect sealing.

[0010] When lifting a gripped bottle with the familiar packing bell, the seal between the sealing element and the bottle mouth can be compromised, for example, due to a spring element located in the force flow of the packing bell relaxing. If the seal is not properly sealed, the gripper air pressure collapses, and the bottle, although undamaged, is released from the gripper during the lifting process.

[0011] Based on this prior art, the invention seeks to create a packing bell for selectively gripping bottles for a bottle lifting machine, which reduces the impairment of the packing bell's function due to damage and improves the efficiency and process reliability of the gripping process when used in a bottle lifting machine. At the same time, the air consumption for operating the packing bell is reduced.

[0012] This object is achieved by a packing head having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention result from the features of the dependent claims 2-11. Furthermore, the invention relates to a packing head and a bottle lifting machine.

[0013] The process reliability of the packing bell according to the invention is improved by the separation of test air and gripper air: A section of the test air line and a section of the return air line extend into the interior of the bottle to be gripped. The passage of both lines through the sealing element is gas-tight, so that the pressure-tight closure of the opening of the bottle to be gripped is not impaired. A control system temporarily pressurizes the interior of the bottle to be tested with test air via the separate test air line. The gripper is actuated by a further control system in order to actuate the gripper depending on the test air pressure established in the separate return air line.

[0014] By separating the test air and gripper air, it is also possible to use a sleeve-shaped, elastically deformable gripper insert whose cross-section is narrowed by a pressurizable, axially displaceable piston so that the bottle neck is gripped. The axial force is introduced by means of the pressurizable piston by connecting the upper circumferential edge of the sleeve-shaped gripper insert to the lower edge, i.e. the piston skirt of the piston, which is guided axially displaceably in the housing. The lower circumferential edge of the sleeve-shaped gripper insert is attached to the cup-shaped housing along the circumference of the receiving opening for the bottles to be gripped. The attachment can be made, for example, to a ring base surrounding the receiving opening.Since the gripping force is no longer provided by an air cushion, but by the axial introduction of a compressive force by means of the pressurizable piston, the function of the packing bell is not immediately impaired even in the event of damage to the gripper insert.

[0015] The separation of test air and gripper air allows the test air pressure to be significantly lower than the gripper air pressure. For example, a test air pressure in the range of 0.2 to 0.5 bar is used, while the gripper air pressure is 3 to 5 bar. This significantly reduces the air consumption for operating each packing bell. Furthermore, the efficiency of a bottle lifting machine can be significantly improved with the packing bells according to the invention, since the pressure built up inside the bottles during testing and thus the forces counteracting the sealing elements are significantly lower, and thus the required weight forces exerted by the test head on the bottle mouths can be dimensioned smaller. With the result that the mass inertia and thus the travel speed of the packing head can be increased and / or the motion drives for the travel movement of the packing head can be dimensioned smaller.

[0016] In order to equalise the pressure on the mouths of the bottles to be gripped and to compensate for differences in height, the sealing element in the housing of the packing bell is arranged so that it can move perpendicular to the sealing surface against the force of a spring element.

[0017] A space-saving and structurally advantageous design of the test air and return air line comprises an inner tube and an outer tube concentrically surrounding the inner tube, with one of the two lines being formed by the inner tube and the other by the annular space between the inner and outer tubes. Preferably, the annular space forms the test air line and the inner tube forms the return air line.

[0018] Due to the design of the two lines as coaxial pipes, the sealing element can surround the outer pipe in a ring shape and be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the outer pipe on its outer surface so that it can be displaced axially against the force of the spring element from an initial position to an upper end position.

[0019] Furthermore, the piston for actuating the gripper can surround the outer tube in a ring and be arranged so as to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the outer tube on its outer surface in the cup-shaped housing, wherein the housing simultaneously forms a cylinder in that the piston moves in a guided manner in the axial direction of the coaxial tubes. The piston has a passage corresponding to the diameter of the outer tube and an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the cup-shaped housing. The passage is sealed against the outer tube, for example, by means of a plain bearing bush and wiper rings. The piston is sealed against the inner wall of the housing, for example, by means of a piston ring. The space thus delimited by the piston and the interior of the cup-shaped housing forms the cylinder.

[0020] The spring element, with the advantageous design of the test air and return air lines as concentric tubes, is preferably designed as a helical compression spring that surrounds the outer tube and is supported on the one hand by the sealing element and on the other hand by the piston movably guided in the housing. This design ensures that the spring force on the sealing element is maintained even after the packing bell is lifted, and the force-locking seal of the sealing element against the bottle mouth is reliably maintained because the helical compression spring remains preloaded, even when the bottle gripped by the gripper is lifted. This increases process reliability during operation of the packing bell.

[0021] The control for applying test air pressure to the compressed air line preferably comprises a pressure source for providing the gripper air at a gripper air pressure of, for example, 3 to 5 bar above pressure. The pressure source can, for example, be the compressed air supply already present for the bottle lifting machine. Furthermore, the control for applying test air pressure to the test air line comprises an electrically operated directional valve, in particular a 3 / 2-way valve with two working connections and one vent connection as well as at least one control connection, wherein in a first switching position the flow path from the pressure source to a pressure line for the gripper air is opened and in a second switching position the flow path from the pressure line for the gripper air to the vent connection is opened.A pressure control valve with an inlet and outlet side is configured to reduce the gripper air pressure on the inlet side to the lower test air pressure on the outlet side. The inlet side is connected to the pressure line for the gripper air, and the outlet side is connected to the test air line for the test air. The test air, with a test air pressure reduced compared to the gripper air pressure, is introduced into the interior of the bottle via the test air line, specifically the annular space between the outer and inner tubes of the packing bell.

[0022] The at least one control connection of the electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve is connected to a higher-level machine control, in particular the machine control of the bottle lifting machine, in order to switch back and forth between the second and first switching positions when the packing head with the packing tulips has lowered onto the bottles.

[0023] The control for actuating the gripper comprises a pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve with two working ports and one vent port as well as a pneumatic control port connected to the return air line, wherein in a first switching position the flow path from the pressure line to the cylinder is released in order to supply the piston with gripper air, and in a second switching position the flow path from the cylinder to the vent port is released.

[0024] The pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve is preferably arranged directly on the packing tulip, in particular at the upper end of the tulip shaft, in such a way that the straight return air line in the form of the inner tube can be connected directly to the control connection in the valve cover of the pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve.

[0025] A further increase in the process reliability of the gripping process of the packing bell is achieved in one embodiment of the invention in that the pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve is self-locking and has a second control connection set up to block the flow path, wherein the second control connection is connected to the vent connection of the electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve via a reset air line. Sealing the opening of the bottle to be gripped using the sealing element is only necessary during the testing process. During subsequent handling of the bottle, sealing is no longer necessary because the valve is self-locking. The gripper therefore remains closed throughout the entire travel path of the packing bell. The gripper only opens again when the 3 / 2-way valve is reversed via the second control connection using the reset air line.

[0026] In order to prevent further leakage of test air during the movement of a packing bell whose gripper has not been activated due to a damaged bottle, a preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the test air line is formed by the annular space between the inner and outer tubes, the outer tube has at least one outlet opening for the test air on the line section protruding into the interior of the bottle to be gripped, the sealing element closes the at least one outlet opening in the starting position and the sealing element opens the at least one outlet opening in the end position. The sealing element, which is movable against the force of the spring element, only opens the at least one outlet opening for the test air when the sealing element has moved against the force of the spring element from the starting position into the compressed end position.If, however, the sealing element remains in its initial position with the spring relaxed, the outlet opening remains closed and no test air escapes. This reduces the air consumption of the packing bell and thus the lifting machine, thereby improving its efficiency. Furthermore, a pressure drop in the pressure line or test air line prevents the function of other packing bells of the lifting machine connected to the same pressure line or test air line from being impaired.

[0027] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. Figure 1 an overview drawing of a first embodiment of a packing tulip according to the invention; Figure 2a) a cut front view of the packing tulip after Figure 1 ; Figure 2b) a cut side view of the packing tulip after Figure 1 ; Figure 3a) a cut front view of the packing tulip after Figure 1with intact bottle grasped; Figure 3b) a cut side view of the packing tulip after Figure 1 with intact bottle grasped; Figure 4a) a cut front view of the packing tulip after Figure 1 with defective bottle; Figure 4b) a cut side view of the packing tulip after Figure 1 with defective bottle; Figure 5a) a sectional front view of a second embodiment of a packing tulip with a gripped bottle; Figure 5b) the design of the packing tulip according to Figure 5a ) without bottle; Figure 6 a pneumatic plan of the packing tulip according to the invention Figure 1 .

[0028] As from Figure 1As can be seen, the packing tulip for selectively gripping bottles 18 with an opening 18.1 comprises a pot-shaped housing 1 with a receiving opening 1.4 on the underside. Adjoining the housing 1 is a tulip shaft 1.3, in which various lines are arranged, which are explained in detail below with reference to the other figures. On the upper side of the tulip shaft 1.3 is a control unit 8 for actuating a gripper 2. Also visible are a reset air line 15, a pressure line 17, and the test air supply line 16 leading into the tulip shaft 1.3.

[0029] The different components of the packing tulip according to Figure 1 and their function are now explained using the Figures 2 - 4Explained in more detail: The housing 1 has a tulip-shaped lower part 1.1 and a tulip-shaped upper part 1.2 screwed to it. The tulip-shaped upper part 1.2 is connected via a screw connection to the tulip shaft 1.3, at the upper end of which is the control 8 for the gripper 2, which in the exemplary embodiment is designed as a pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve 12.

[0030] The gripper 2 arranged in the pot-shaped housing 1 is designed as a sleeve-shaped gripper insert 2.1 made of an elastomeric material. The sleeve-shaped gripper insert 2.1 has an upper circumferential edge 2.2 and a lower circumferential edge 2.3. The lower circumferential edge 2.3 is supported on an annular base 1.5 of the tulip-shaped lower part 1.1 surrounding the receiving opening 1.4. The upper circumferential edge 2.2 of the sleeve-shaped gripper insert 2.1 is attached to a piston skirt 3.2 of a pressurizable piston 3 that is slidably guided in the housing 1 (see Fig. 2b). To actuate the gripper 2, the opening cross-section of the gripper insert 2.1 is narrowed by introducing an axial pressure force in the Z-direction compared to an extended initial position. The force is introduced by means of the pressurizable piston 3, which is movable in the Z-direction within the housing 1. Figure 2a ) the sleeve-shaped elastic gripper insert 2.1 is shown narrowed in cross-section compared to its extended initial position, i.e. in its gripping function.

[0031] In the housing 1 in the area of ​​the gripper insert 2.1, a sealing element 6 is also guided axially movable in the Z direction, which has a sealing surface 6.1 for pressure-tightly closing the opening of the bottle 18 to be gripped. The sealing element 6 further has a guide section 6.2 with a plain bearing bush 6.3, with which the sealing element is guided slidingly along a tube 5 extending in the Z direction into the housing 1.

[0032] The stepped piston 3 comprises a piston crown 3.1, a centrally arranged guide section 3.3, which accommodates a plain bearing bush 3.4, with which the piston 3 is arranged so as to be displaceable in the Z direction on the outer tube 5 in the housing 1. The piston 3 is sealed against the inner wall of the tulip-shaped upper part 1.2 with a piston ring 3.5 and against the outer tube 5 with wiper rings 3.7 above and below the plain bearing bush 3.4. The space delimited by the tulip-shaped upper part 1.2 and the piston crown 3.1 forms the cylinder 3.6, which is pressurized with siphon air to move the piston 3 downwards in the Z direction in order to introduce an axial compressive force into the elastically deformable gripper insert 2.1.

[0033] The spring element 6.4, designed as a helical compression spring, also surrounds the outer tube 5 and is supported on the one hand on a circumferential collar of the sealing element 6 and on the other hand on the underside of the stepped piston 3.

[0034] The outer tube 5 concentrically surrounds an inner tube 4, whereby a test air line 5.1 is formed by the annular space between the inner and outer tubes 4,5 and a return air line 4.1 is formed by the inner tube 4. As can be seen in particular from the Figure 2a ), both the test air line 5.1 and the return air line 4.1 extend through the sealing element 6. A line section 5.2 of the test air line 5.1 below the sealing surface 6.1 and a line section 4.2 of the return air line 4.1 below the sealing surface 6.1 protrude into the interior of the bottle 18 to be gripped (cf. Fig. 2 a) .

[0035] The packing tulip comprises a control 7 for temporarily pressurizing the test air line 5.1 with a test air, which is introduced via a test air supply line 16 in the form of a pipe at the upper end of the outer and inner pipes 4, 5 into the annular space located between them.

[0036] The structure of the control 7 for applying test air pressure to the test air line 5.1 is described with reference to Figure 6explained in more detail: The control unit 7 comprises a pressure source 9 for providing the gripper air with a gripper air pressure of, for example, 3 to 5 bar overpressure. The pressure source 9 can, for example, be a compressed air line of the lifting machine, which is equipped with a packing head with the packing bells according to the invention. In order to keep the pressure of the pressure source 9 at a constant level, a pressure control valve 9.1 can additionally be provided. The control unit 7 further comprises an electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve 10 with two working connections 10.1 and a vent connection 10.2 as well as an electrical control connection 10.3. In a first switching position, the flow path from the pressure source 9 to a pressure line 17 is opened for the gripper air. In a second, in Figure 6 In the switching position shown, the flow path from the pressure line 17 for the gripper air to the vent connection 10.2 of the 3 / 2-way valve 10 is released.

[0037] A pressure control valve 11 is arranged downstream of the electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve 10 in order to reduce the gripper air pressure from 3 to 5 bar overpressure on the inlet side 11.1 to the test air pressure of 0.25 to 0.5 bar overpressure on the outlet side 11.2 of the pressure control valve 11. The inlet side 11.1 is fluidly connected to the pressure line 17 for the gripper air and the outlet side 11.2 to the test air line 5.1 for the test air in the packing bell. The test air is supplied from the control unit 7 to the test air line 5.1 in the packing bell via the test air supply line 16, as shown in the sectional view of Figure 2b ), 3b, 4b).

[0038] The control 8 for actuating the gripper 2 is configured to supply the piston 3 with gripper air depending on the test air pressure established in the return air line 4.1. If the bottle 18 to be gripped is undamaged (see Fig. 3a), 3 b), an overpressure builds up inside the bottle due to the test air flowing in via the test air line 5.1. By means of the resulting overpressure in the return air line 4.1, the control system 8 actuates the gripper 2 by applying pressure to the piston 3, which then moves downwards in the Z direction and narrows the cross-section of the elastically deformable gripper insert 2.1, thereby gripping the bottle in the area of ​​the bottle neck 18.2.

[0039] If the packing bell was lowered over a bottle 18 with the pot-shaped housing 1 having a damaged area 18.3, as shown in Figures 4a), 4b), the test air flowing into the interior of the bottle 18 via the test air line 5.1 escapes through the damaged area 18.3, so that no overpressure is built up in the interior of the bottle and the return air line 4.1. As a result, the control 8 does not actuate the gripper 2. The sleeve-shaped gripper insert 2.1 remains in its extended initial position, as shown in Figures 4a ), 4b).

[0040] The structure of the control 8 for actuating the gripper 2 is described with reference to Figures 2a ), 2b ) and 6Explained in more detail: The control 8 for actuating the gripper is designed as a pneumatic 3 / 2-way valve 12, which is arranged as an assembly on the top of the tulip shaft 1.3. In the exemplary embodiment, the pneumatically actuated 3 / 2-way valve 12 comprises a valve body 12.2, a valve cover 12.3, and a valve piston 12.1 displaceably arranged in the valve body 12.2. The pneumatically actuated 3 / 2-way valve 12 has two working connections 12.5, a vent connection 12.6, and a control connection 12.7 in the valve cover 12.3 that is fluidly connected to the return air line 4.1. In addition, the pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve 12 has a second control connection 12.8 for blocking the flow path via the return air line 15, which is connected to the vent connection 10.2 of the electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve 10.

[0041] The function of the packing tulip is described in more detail below: The Figures 1 to 4 combined with Figure 6 The packing bell shown is integrated in the required number into the packing head of a bottle lifting machine. The lifting process is started by the machine control of the bottle lifting machine. The packing bells are lowered in a vertical movement onto the bottles 18 located below in a crate. The mouth 18.1 of the bottle 18 touches the sealing surface 6.1 of the sealing element 6 and presses the sealing element 6 against the force of the spring element 6.4, causing the sealing element 6 to compress. By lowering the packing bell and preloading the spring element 6.4, a pressure-tight connection is created between the bottle 18 to be tested and the sealing surface 6.1.

[0042] The machine control system in the bottle lifting machine then actuates the electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve 10, so that the pressure line 17 is fluidly connected to the pressure source 9 and gripper air is applied to the pressure line at approximately 3 to 5 bar overpressure. The pressure control valve 11 is also pressurized on the inlet side with gripper air at a pressure of approximately 3 to 5 bar overpressure, and the test air supply line 16 connected to the outlet side 11.2 is pressurized with the test air pressure set on the pressure control valve 11, for example, 0.2 to 0.5 bar overpressure. In a preferred setting, the lowest possible overpressure is selected in order to minimize air consumption and the forces generated by the pressure buildup inside the bottle against the sealing surface 6.1.

[0043] Via the test air line 5.1 between the outer and inner tubes 4, 5, the test air flows through the line section 5.2 into the interior of the bottle 18. As in Figure 3a), 3b), when the bottle 18 is intact, an overpressure is created inside the bottle due to the incoming test air. This overpressure reaches the control port 12.7 of the pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve 12 via the return air line 4.1, i.e. the inner tube 4. The valve piston 12.1 is axially displaced by the overpressure and opens the passage between the two working ports 12.6 of the pneumatic 3 / 2-way valve 12. This releases the flow from the pressure line 17 to a connecting line 14 on the packing bell, from where the gripper air flows into the cylinder 3.6 via a gripper air line 13. The gripper air line 13 is formed by a radial gap between the outer tube 5 and the bell shaft 1.3. As a result of the opened flow path, the piston bottom 3.1 of the piston 3 is subjected to the pressure of the gripper air and moves axially downwards, thereby compressing the sleeve-shaped, elastically deformable gripper insert 2.1, whereby its cross-section is narrowed and encloses the bottle neck 18.2 of the bottle 18 to be gripped.

[0044] The bottle 18 is then removed from the bottle crate by the drive of the bottle lifting machine, initially moving vertically upwards, and finally placed on a conveyor belt with the bottle bottom facing down. At this point, the machine control of the bottle lifting machine deactivates the electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve 10. The gripper air compressed by the piston 3 escapes into the atmosphere via the gripper air line 13, the connecting line 14, the still-open pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve 12, the pressure line 17, and finally via the vent port 10.2 of the electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve 10, which is now in the locked position. At the same time, a portion of the returning gripper air flows through the return air line 15 connected to the vent port 10.2 and the second control port 12.8 to the valve piston 12.1, which is thereby moved into the locking position of the pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve 12. Any excess pressure still present between the pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve 12 and the piston 3 at this time can now escape completely via the vent connection 12.6 of the pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve 12. Due to the pressure loss, the elastically deformable gripper insert 2.1 expands back to its extended starting position and the piston 3 moves upward. The bottle 18 is released. A new bottle lifting cycle can then begin and proceeds in the same way as previously described.

[0045] If the bottle 18 is defective, as in Figures 4a), 4b), the test air escapes into the atmosphere through the damaged area 18.3, so that no overpressure builds up inside the bottle 18. Consequently, there is no pressure increase in the return air line 4.1, which connects the interior of the bottle 18 with the pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve. Consequently, the valve piston 12.1 is not moved and the pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve remains in its locked position, so that no gripper air flows from the pressure line 17 towards the piston 3. Since the piston 3 is not pressurized with gripper air, it remains in the upper position. The elastically deformable gripper insert 2.1 is not axially compressed and the defective bottle 18 is therefore not gripped; it remains in the bottle crate when the packing bells are moved vertically upwards by the bottle lifting machine using the motion drive.

[0046] The second embodiment of the packing tulip according to the invention, as shown in the Figures 5a ), 5b), differs in terms of construction and function only insofar as the outlet opening 5.3 for the test air from the outer tube is arranged radially. At the lower end, the outer tube 5 is sealed against the inner tube 4. The sealing element 6, which is arranged on the outer tube 5 and can be moved against the force of the spring element 6.4, closes in the initial position, as in Figure 5b ) which has at least one radial outlet opening 5.3 from the test air line 5.1.

[0047] If the spring element 6.4 is now pre-tensioned when lowering the packing bell over the bottle neck 18.2 of the bottle 18 to be gripped, the sealing element 6 reaches its end position and releases, as shown in Figure 5a ), the radial outlet opening 5.3 in the line section 5.2 projecting into the bottle 18 to be gripped is free (cf. Figure 5a )), so that the bottle 18 is supplied with test air.

[0048] If the gripper insert 2.1 does not grip a bottle, at least one radial outlet opening 5.3 remains closed and no test air flows into the atmosphere when the electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve supplies the test air supply line 16 with test air. List of reference symbols

[0049] Nr. Designation Nr. Designation 1 Housing 13 Gripper air line 1.1 Tulip bottom 14 connecting line 1.2 Tulip top 15 Return air line 1.3 Tulip stem 16 Test air supply line 1.4 Receiving opening 17 pressure line 1.5 Ring base 18 Bottle 2 gripper 18.1 mouth 2.1 Gripper insert 18.2 bottleneck 2.2 Upper surrounding edge 18.3 Damaged area 2.3 Lower surrounding edge 3 Pistons 3.1 piston crown 3.2 piston skirt 3.3 Guide section 3.4 plain bearing bush 3.5 piston ring 3.6 cylinder 3.7 scraper ring 4 Inner tube 4.1 Return air line 4.2 Line section 5 Outer tube 5.1 Test air line 5.2 Line section 5.3 Exit opening 6 Sealing element 6.1 Sealing surface 6.2 Guide section 6.3 plain bearing bush 6.4 spring element 7 Control test air 8 Gripper control 9 Pressure source 9.1 pressure control valve 10. Electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve 10.1 Work connection 10.2 Vent connection 10.3 Control connection 11 pressure control valve 11.1 Entrance page 11.2 Home page 12 Pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve 12.1 valve piston 12.2 valve body 12.3 valve cover 12.5 Work connection 12.6 Vent connection 12.7 Control connection 12.8 Second control connection

Claims

1. A packing bell for the head-end selective gripping of bottles (18) with a mouth (18.1) having an opening, comprising - a pot-shaped housing (1) with a receiving opening (1.4) for the bottle (18) to be gripped, - a gripper (2) arranged in the housing (1) for gripping the bottle (18) in the region of its mouth (18.1), - a sealing element (6) arranged in the housing (1) with a sealing surface (6.1), arranged for pressure-tight closing of the opening of the bottle (18) to be gripped, characterized by- a sleeve-shaped, elastically deformable gripper insert (2.1), wherein, to actuate the gripper (2), an opening cross-section of the gripper insert (2.1) is narrowed by introducing an axial compressive force compared to an extended starting position, and the force is introduced by means of a pressurizable piston (3), - a test air line (5.1) extending through the sealing element (6), wherein a line section (5.2) of the test air line (5.1, 4.1) projects into the interior of the bottle (18) to be gripped, - a return air line (4.1) extending through the sealing element (6), wherein a line section (4.2) of the return air line (4.1) projects into the interior of the bottle (18) to be gripped, - a control unit (7) configured to temporarily supply the test air line (5.1) with test air, - a control unit (8) for Actuation of the gripper (2), set up to actuate the gripper depending on the air pressure in the return air line (4.1) to apply gripper air to the piston (3), whereby - if the bottle (18) to be gripped is undamaged, an overpressure builds up inside the bottle due to the inflowing test air and the control (8) actuates the gripper (2) by means of the overpressure in the return air line (4.1), - if the bottle (18) to be gripped is damaged, no overpressure builds up inside the bottle and in the return air line (4.1) due to the escaping test air, so that the control (8) does not actuate the gripper (2).

2. Packing tulip according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing element (6) is arranged in the housing (1) perpendicular to the sealing surface (6.1) and is movable against the force of a spring element (6.4).

3. Packing tulip according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in thatthe test air and return air lines (5.1, 4.1) comprise an inner pipe and an outer pipe (5) concentrically surrounding the inner pipe (4), one of the two lines (5.1, 4.1) being formed by the inner pipe (4) and the other of the two lines (5.1, 4.1) being formed by the annular space between the inner pipe (4) and the outer pipe (5).

4. Packing tulip according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the sealing element (6) surrounds the outer tube (5) in a ring shape and is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the outer tube (5) on its outer surface so as to be displaceable axially against the force of the spring element (28) from a lower starting position to an upper end position.

5. Packing tulip according to claim 4, characterized in that- the piston (3) surrounds the outer tube (5) in a ring shape and is arranged so as to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the outer tube (5) on its outer surface in the pot-shaped housing (1), the housing (1) simultaneously forming a cylinder (3.6) in which the piston (3) moves, - the spring element (6.4) is designed as a helical compression spring which surrounds the outer tube (5) and is supported on the one hand on the sealing element (6) and on the other hand on the movable piston (3).

6. Packing tulip according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in thatthe control (7) for applying test air pressure to the test air line (5.1) comprises the following: - a pressure source (9) for providing the gripper air with a gripper air pressure, - an electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve (10) with two working connections (10.1) and a vent connection (10.2) as well as a control connection (10.3), wherein in a first switching position the flow path from the pressure source (9) to a pressure line (17) for the gripper air and in a second switching position the flow path from the pressure line (17) for the gripper air to the vent connection (10.2) is released, - a pressure regulating valve (11) with an inlet and outlet side (11.1, 11.2), designed to reduce the gripper air pressure on the inlet side (11.1) to the test air pressure on the outlet side (11.2), wherein the inlet side is connected to the pressure line (17) for the Gripper air and the output side are connected to the test air line (5.1) for the test air.

7. Packing tulip according to claim 6, characterized in that the control (8) for actuating the gripper (2) comprises the following: - a pneumatically actuated 3 / 2-way valve (12) with two working connections (12.5) and one vent connection (12.6) as well as a control connection (12.7) connected to the return air line (4.1), wherein in a first switching position the flow path from the pressure line (17) to the cylinder (3.6) is released in order to supply the piston (3) with gripper air, and in a second switching position the flow path from the cylinder (3.6) to the vent connection (12.6) is released.

8. Packing tulip according to claim 7, characterized in that the pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve (12) has a second control connection (12.8) arranged to block the flow path, wherein the second control connection (12.8) is connected to the vent connection (10.2) of the electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve (10) via a reset air line (15).

9. Packing tulip according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the pneumatically operated 3 / 2-way valve (12) is arranged directly on the packing bell.

10. Packing tulip according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the control connection (10.3) of the electrically operated 3 / 2-way valve (10) is connected to a higher-level machine control in order to switch back and forth between the first and second switching positions.

11. Packing tulip according to one of claims 4 to 10, characterized in that - the test air line (5.1) is formed by the annular space between the inner and outer tubes (4, 5), - the outer tube (5) has at least one outlet opening (5.3) for the test air on the line section (5.2) projecting into the interior of the bottle (18) to be gripped, - the sealing element (6) closes the at least one outlet opening (5.3) in the initial position and - the sealing element (6) releases the at least one outlet opening (5.3) in the end position.

12. Packing head comprising a group of packing tulips according to one of claims 1 to 11.

13. Bottle packaging machine for packaging and transporting bottles, comprising a packing head according to claim 12 and a movement drive for the packing head, arranged to carry out a travel movement of the packing head.