Shrink tunnel and method of operating shrink tunnel

Abstract

The invention discloses a contraction tunnel (18) with a control and / or regulation device (22) and at least one sensor system (24). The sensor system can provide the control and / or regulation device (22) with information about the corresponding result of the contraction. A method (18) of operating such a shrink tunnel is also disclosed. According to the invention, the control and / or regulation device (22) is designed to utilize the provided information by means of machine learning, and the contraction tunnel (18) can be controlled and / or regulated in consideration of the information thus utilized.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a shrink tunnel and a method for operating a shrink tunnel.

[0002] It is known to combine items such as beverage containers for transport purposes into hand-held packaging units or bundles consisting of four, six or more containers, wherein the containers can be grouped together in various ways in these bundles. The respective container, which can be, for example, a PET bottle or a bottle made of mineral glass, in this case forms the primary packaging in which the respective beverage or liquid is securely contained.

[0003] Several of these primary packages can be combined with the help of suitable secondary packaging. Suitable secondary packaging is, for example, cardboard packaging, into which the articles or primary packages can be placed. Another alternative to secondary packaging is shrink wrapping.

[0004] Shrink film used as packaging material or secondary packaging is typically supplied as a continuous roll. Within the packaging machine, the shrink film is cut to length and separated according to the dimensions required to wrap each group of items. After separation, the film cut pieces can be wrapped around the item or group of items in the film wrapping module using a wrapping system. A characteristic property of the shrink film used, and one required for packaging purposes, is its change in shape and length under the influence of temperature. This is exploited in the packaging process by transporting the shrink-filmed group of items through a shrink tunnel where they are subjected to elevated temperatures.

[0005] As the shrink-wrapped group of items is transported through the shrink tunnel, a suitable shrinking medium, typically hot air, is applied to the group of items. This hot air is blown onto the wrapped group of items. This application of hot air causes the shrink film to shorten and tighten, fitting snugly around the items and creating mechanical interlocking tension between them. This creates a finished shrink bundle, which can be supplemented with other features such as handles, if appropriate.

[0006] In order for shrink bales to withstand the loads generated during mechanical or manual handling, the shrink film used must possess sufficient stretch and tear resistance. Since thinner packaging films with thicknesses of 25 μm or less are commonly used to reduce costs, avoid waste, and conserve resources, the mechanical load-bearing capacity of these films falls into a critical range. For example, in a bale containing a total of six PET beverage containers (each holding 1.5 liters), a film thickness of at least 35 μm is generally required to reliably prevent the handles from tearing. However, this reinforcement measure results in additional film material consumption, with the sole purpose of ensuring sufficient mechanical stability of the film at and around the handle connection for handling the bale.

[0007] Therefore, when shrink-wrapping a film designed as secondary packaging onto the corresponding primary packaging or glass / PET bottles, the film's mechanical properties, which allow it to shrink under the influence of temperature, must be considered as one of several process parameters. When considering the properties of the film used as secondary packaging, the film's temperature and residence time in the shrink tunnel must be set or maintained within strict limits so that the film used as secondary packaging reliably holds the wrapped items together after the shrink process.

[0008] Since conventional shrink tunnels have numerous blow holes for influencing the hot air flow directed toward the group of articles being conveyed through the shrink tunnel, it can be useful to make these blow holes adjustable and / or to vary the volumetric flow rate of the hot air blown out in order to achieve the desired shrinking result. However, these adjustable operating parameters of the shrink tunnel still cannot guarantee the optimal shrinking result in all situations. In fact, even slight fluctuations in film thickness or tolerances in the film's shrinking behavior at a given temperature can lead to different shrinking results. Since it is not always possible to guarantee that different batches of film material used for packaging will exactly match the specified film thickness and / or temperature behavior, or because other unforeseen fluctuations can occur in the packaging process, it can be useful or necessary to consider additional measured variables that provide valuable information about the respective shrinking result. This allows for appropriate responses to detected changes in the measured variables, in order to consistently achieve the desired shrinking result.

[0009] As the above description demonstrates, before the packaging process for items already in primary packaging begins, a large number of different process parameters must be defined or set in order to ensure the desired packaging quality after the secondary packaging is applied. The necessary settings and adjustments are very time-consuming and can also lead to errors if the user accidentally or mistakenly sets the wrong process parameters.

[0010] In view of the problems that have been identified in packaging processes, in particular when using shrink film as a secondary packaging means, the main object of the present invention can be seen as improving the regulation of at least some of the control parameters of the shrink process that can be influenced.

[0011] This object is achieved by a shrink tunnel and a method for operating such a shrink tunnel, which comprise the features of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments can be found in the corresponding dependent claims.

[0012] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention proposes a shrink tunnel having a control and / or regulation device, the shrink tunnel having at least one sensor system, which can provide the control and / or regulation device with information about the respective shrinking results. The control and / or regulation device of the shrink tunnel according to the present invention is designed not only to evaluate the provided information with the aim of improving the shrinking results, but also to enrich and / or supplement the information provided by the sensor system using machine learning, thereby taking into account the information thus utilized for control and / or regulation of the shrink tunnel.

[0013] The shrinkage result can also include intermediate states in which the film is not yet definitively fixed to the article, but rather still lies loosely on or at the article combination in a manner that can be influenced. Such intermediate states can also be characterized by more or less protruding film sections or overlapping film flaps.

[0014] A shrink tunnel controlled and / or regulated in this way should be adapted to different operating conditions, in particular those that change during its operation, and the operating parameters should be subsequently regulated in this way or changed by meaningful control interventions, so that the quality of the shrinking and temperature-control results achieved with the shrink tunnel can be maintained at a high level.

[0015] The term "high-quality shrink results" may particularly refer to adherence to specific target settings regarding the dimensions of the packaging units or shrink bundles leaving the shrink tunnel. However, such target settings may also refer to the uniformity of the film orientation and, for example, the length variation of the film cut pieces used as packaging material during the shrinking process.

[0016] Furthermore, these target settings may also refer to changes in the optical properties of the film cut pieces, for example due to changes in film transparency and / or film color.

[0017] Furthermore, these target settings may also refer to the stability or tear resistance of the film or film cut piece.

[0018] At this point, it should be noted that the term "shrink tunnel," as most commonly used herein, is to be understood comprehensively and essentially refers to the function of applying hot gas or air to a group of articles wrapped in a shrinkable film material, typically along a defined section of a transport route. Since, in most packaging devices or packaging machines, this functionality involves conveying the group of articles to be subjected to hot gas or air through an enclosed space equipped with side walls and a top cover wall, the space having at least one inlet opening or inlet gate and at least one outlet opening or outlet gate, the term "shrink tunnel" is typically used for such transport sections. However, for those skilled in the art, this does not imply a limitation, meaning that the described functionality cannot be achieved without such a tunnel-like enclosure section.

[0019] It can be seen from this that the reader, as a professional, understands the term "shrink tunnel" as used in this document as essentially a temperature-control route for objects to be temperature-controlled, wherein these objects are subjected to a defined temperature over a defined route section, and the objects temperature-controlled in the defined route section can be cooled again after passing through the defined route section and / or can be exposed to the ambient temperature.

[0020] When referring to a "route section" in this document, this also implicitly refers to the conveyor route for the objects to be tempered, along which these objects are conveyed, i.e., typically through the entire shrink tunnel. This clearly indicates that the enclosed space or interior of the tempering route or shrink tunnel is the area of ​​the system that is heated for tempering purposes, i.e., it typically has elevated temperatures for the thermal treatment of the objects (i.e., to achieve the desired shrinkage result), without further mentioning the ambient temperature. However, the ambient temperature is typically lower than the elevated temperatures prevailing in the tempering route area or within the shrink tunnel.

[0021] Furthermore, if, in the context of the present invention, a temperature control route or the transport of objects to be temperature-controlled through a shrink tunnel is discussed, this generally requires a suitable conveying device that can transport the objects through the entire temperature-controlled area or through the entire shrink tunnel. Such a conveying device is typically a horizontal conveying device equipped with a support surface that moves in the conveying direction and is used to transport the objects along the temperature control route or through the entire shrink tunnel. The support surface can, for example, be formed by a motor-driven chain belt, a chain conveyor belt, or other continuous chain links of a conveying device.

[0022] The shrink tunnel equipped and operated according to the invention is particularly suitable for the production of shrink film bales, which are produced by wrapping grouped items with shrink film suitable for this purpose. This means that the objects to be temperature-controlled can be packaging units consisting of shrink film bales.

[0023] In this context, the shrink film used to wrap the individual objects to be packaged can be considered secondary packaging, with which multiple primary packages are individually wrapped and combined to form a packaging unit or bundle. For example, the primary packages can consist of beverage cans containing beverages or other liquids. Alternatively, the primary packages can consist of different types of bottles, such as beverage containers or bottles, each containing a beverage or liquid.

[0024] However, the invention is not limited to such primary packaging, and therefore there are many other articles or pieces of goods which are either considered to be primary packaging or which may already have their own primary packaging and which can be packaged and processed into bundles using the shrink tunnel described here and the method described below.

[0025] The film cut pieces referred to here as secondary packaging can, for example, each consist of cut pieces of thermoplastic packaging material cut to length, i.e., in particular, of thermoplastic film or shrink film. It can also be useful to supplement the respective secondary packaging with cardboard sections and / or other secondary packaging, which can preferably also be shrink-wrapped and then subjected to a heat treatment in a shrink tunnel. The invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments with regard to the secondary packaging used in each case, and therefore many other secondary packaging types are possible that can undergo the shrinking process, in particular with regard to shrink-wrapping of the packaging units or bundles to be formed.

[0026] A shrink tunnel can, in particular, constitute a processing and / or handling module within the machine environment of a more complex packaging system, where it interacts with other machine or system modules. In such packaging systems, which usually consist of several interacting modules, grouped pieces of goods, in particular groups of beverage containers, can be wrapped with a shrinkable film. These prepared, film-wrapped pieces of goods or container groups can then be fed into the shrink tunnel to be subjected to hot air there.

[0027] This heat treatment of the film-wrapped container groups ensures a controlled shrinking process of the film wrapping and thus a strong mechanical cohesion of the individual piece goods or beverage containers within the respective groups, so that these groups leave the shrink tunnel in the form of finished packaging units, which can also be referred to as film shrink bales or shrink film bales.

[0028] The shrink tunnel, which usually forms part of a more complex packaging system, is equipped with the aforementioned sensor systems, which communicate with the control and / or regulating device also mentioned above and can thus interact in a signaling manner, wherein the control and / or regulating device can in turn exchange data with the remaining components and system parts of the packaging system in order to be able to effectively influence the shrinking result.

[0029] When discussing the sensor systems assigned to shrink tunnels, these include temperature sensors, as the temperature prevailing in the shrink tunnel is a crucial parameter for achieving optimal shrinking results. Furthermore, the residence time of the objects in the shrink tunnel and, if applicable, the temperature profile prevailing in the shrink tunnel, which varies over time, along the transport route through the shrink tunnel, and at different height levels in the shrink tunnel, are also important. Such temperature sensors are often present and provided as part of the general equipment in shrink tunnels.

[0030] On the other hand, if the sensor system associated with the shrink tunnel is used within the context of the present invention, it can be, in particular, an optical acquisition device or a combination of several such optical acquisition devices. The at least one optical acquisition device can be designed, for example, as at least one camera, wherein the at least one optical acquisition device or the at least one camera can be selectively positioned outside the housing of the shrink tunnel in order to be able to acquire shrinkage results and / or film properties at a suitable location.

[0031] Preferably, the optical acquisition device is located downstream of the shrink tunnel, above the conveyor transporting the finished shrink bales.

[0032] This optical acquisition device can be used to acquire the surface of packaging units undergoing heat treatment in a shrink tunnel and evaluate the signal data with respect to specific quality criteria to obtain information about the shrinkage quality and / or whether defined target settings were adhered to during the shrinking of the film-wrapped packaging units. A number of measurement markers can be defined, based on which specific setting patterns can be defined, so that dimensional deviations exceeding a specific value can be evaluated as intolerable and, therefore, quality defects can be deduced.

[0033] To make this possible, the at least one optical acquisition device is preferably equipped with downstream image evaluation to enable the acquired image data to be evaluated in the desired manner. Therefore, when referring to one or more optical acquisition devices that provide their image data as sensor values ​​to an evaluation unit, image evaluation is required to process the pure sensor data in such a way that it provides meaningful information about the optical state of the object or shrink-wrapped package to be monitored. Whether this image evaluation is assigned to the optical acquisition device or to an evaluation or data processing unit connected thereto is irrelevant to the functionality in question.

[0034] If the image acquisition and image evaluation detects limits that are no longer acceptable in the optically detectable state of one or more bundles, a corresponding signal can be generated indicating an incorrectly assembled or incorrectly packaged packaging unit, which must be rejected, for example, from another conveying process. In response to such a result, a downstream rejection device can then reject the container combination, the bundle, or the packaging unit in question.

[0035] It is conceivable that the film used as a wrapping for the combination of items could be equipped with several markings that can be detected by an optical acquisition device. These markings can be selectively invisible to the human eye and, for example, implemented using pigments or inks that reflect in the UV range. These markings could, for example, be printed on cut film segments or on film that has not yet been divided into individual segments.

[0036] These markings, which are understood to be optional, can be applied during passage through the packaging machine, ie at a meaningful point in the film transport, in particular shortly before the combination of items is wrapped with the film.

[0037] These markings, which are to be understood as optional, can be selectively applied only to some of the bales produced during the production process, for example at adjustable time intervals and / or if necessary at the request of a control and / or regulating device.

[0038] These markings, which are understood to be optional, make it possible to identify and optically detect which areas of the film show stronger or weaker signs of shrinkage or deformation.

[0039] These markings can for example each have several line segments. These line segments can be applied to the film equidistantly from each other. These line segments can be applied parallel to and / or orthogonally to the edge of the film. These line segments can for example be presented as a grid.

[0040] For all such markings applied to the film or introduced there during the production process, it is important that these markings are capable of changing their position or shape during the shrinking process in such a way that conclusions can be drawn about the respective shrinking process and / or the shrinking result. A less-than-expected deformation, displacement, or change in shape of one or more such markings can, for example, indicate that the material tension introduced into the film during the temperature control process is weaker than expected, which could negatively affect the mechanical cohesion of the article assembly.

[0041] Therefore, a greater-than-expected deformation, displacement or shape change of one or several such markings may indicate, for example, that the material tension introduced into the membrane by the temperature control process is greater than planned, so that the membrane may under certain circumstances have been overloaded, which can likewise have an adverse effect on the mechanical cohesion of the item combination, in particular due to an undesirably strong compression effect.

[0042] These two conceivable effects can also significantly influence the visual shrink result—that is, the overall visual impression of the packaging unit for the consumer or end customer. A packaging unit considered visually perfect requires a shrink film that shrinks evenly and fits evenly over the respective combination of items, presenting the viewer with an area that is as free of wrinkles and deformations as possible. For this reason, any film packaging that is perceived or judged to have visual defects can be classified as unacceptable.

[0043] Furthermore, a shrink tunnel variant according to the invention is conceivable in which the at least one optical recording device or the at least one camera is positioned within the shrink tunnel housing. It is also possible to combine the aforementioned camera positions or positions of several optical recording devices, thereby enabling such recording devices or cameras to be positioned both inside and outside the shrink tunnel.

[0044] Preferably, the optical acquisition device located in the shrink tunnel is positioned above the conveyor on which the produced shrunken bales are transported.

[0045] Based on the measurement results of the at least one optical acquisition device or camera or several optical acquisition devices or cameras, and on the basis of an optical evaluation of the shrinkage result of the processed packaging units, the operating parameters of the shrink tunnel can be controlled or adjusted in an appropriate manner, for example by changing the temperature of the heating device in the shrink tunnel that affects the application of hot air, optionally also by adjusting the setting of the blow openings or other control parameters.

[0046] The blowing port can be a nozzle in particular. In particular, all mentioned blowing ports can be nozzles. When a nozzle is mentioned in the context of the present invention, this also conceptually includes other blowing ports that do not play or do not have a nozzle effect.

[0047] A suitable variant of the shrink tunnel according to the invention can in particular comprise several nozzles for ejecting corresponding hot air flows into the housing of the shrink tunnel, wherein at least one of the several nozzles can be designed to be adjustable in the form of an actuator under the triggering and setting of the control and / or regulating device and taking into account sensor values ​​previously provided by at least one sensor system and information utilized with the aid of machine learning, in order to set a defined flow direction for the hot air flow ejected via the at least one nozzle.

[0048] In this context, it is conceivable to adjust the nozzle or the blow opening about a horizontal axis, which is oriented in the direction of transport of the bales through the shrink tunnel. Alternatively or additionally, it is conceivable to adjust the nozzle or the blow opening about a vertical axis, the extension of which intersects the center of the earth. In general, adjustment about two or more axes is conceivable.

[0049] Additionally or alternatively, the position of the nozzles or blow openings may be spatially adjustable, preferably along one of the two axes and / or around the two axes and / or along a third horizontal axis aligned transversely to the transport direction of the bales.

[0050] Furthermore, a suitable variant of the shrink tunnel according to the invention can be equipped in such a way that several nozzles are provided for ejecting corresponding hot air streams into the housing of the shrink tunnel, and at least one baffle is provided, which is assigned to at least one of the several nozzles and, under the triggering of the control and / or regulating device and taking into account sensor values ​​previously provided by at least one sensor system and information utilized by means of machine learning, can be adjusted in the form of an actuator in order to position the hot air stream ejected via the at least one nozzle in a defined manner in the flow path.

[0051] The information obtained via the at least one sensor system about the shrinkage result of the bale can be used to adjust control parameters for the production of the same bale still in the shrink tunnel.

[0052] In this case, parameters relevant for applying the film segment to the combination of items can be recorded, measured, and regulated, particularly depending on the current position or orientation of the film segment on the same bale. This can therefore be considered quasi-synchronous regulation. Regulated parameters can be measured and modified directly at the measurement object in order to influence and optimize the shrinkage result of the bale being measured.

[0053] The adjustment results or elements thereof can additionally also be used to adjust the shrinkage parameters of subsequent bales, ie the adjustment of the parameters of subsequent bales can be based on the adjustment results of previously processed bales.

[0054] This makes it possible, in particular, to adjust the shrinkage parameters in such a way that they can be observed and influenced in real time. If the sensor system is located inside the shrink tunnel or is at least designed or aligned in such a way that it can detect the conditions inside the shrink tunnel, the shrinkage parameters can already be modified and adjusted for the bale currently in the shrink tunnel.

[0055] In this way, for example, the alignment and / or positioning of the blow openings for the shrinking medium or hot air as shrinking medium can be modified and adjusted during the passage of the bale being measured through the shrink tunnel.

[0056] In particular, a drive can be provided for adjusting the blow opening for each axis, the adjustment being carried out along or around this axis.

[0057] It is also conceivable that two or more blow openings are adjusted along or about one axis via the same drive.

[0058] Optionally, flow guides, guide plates, etc. can be provided in the shrink tunnel. If, for example, such adjustable guide plates are provided in the shrink tunnel, nozzles can be positioned or adjusted as appropriate during the passage of the same bale. For example, with the same bale, the overlapping film sections can initially be blown in a defined direction, and then, during further transport, at another point in the shrink tunnel, blown in the opposite or different direction. To enable this functionality, the nozzles associated with these different blowing directions should not be significantly longer than the distance between the respective successive bales.

[0059] Adjusting the nozzle position or nozzle orientation and / or the flow direction of the shrink medium can bring other advantages, wherein these settings can be continuously adjusted when appropriate. Therefore, making the shrink tunnel continuously and automatically learn can be regarded as an important feature of the present invention, preferably using tools based on AI (artificial intelligence) or machine learning.

[0060] If it is possible to combine them in a reasonable manner from the perspective of the professionals in the field involved, some or all of the previously mentioned variants or implementation variants of the shrink tunnel according to the invention can also be selectively combined with each other in order to at least partially achieve one or more of the purposes set out above and / or in order to achieve the desired effect of the present invention.

[0061] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, the present invention also proposes a shrinkage tunnel having a control and / or regulating device and at least one sensor system, via which information about the corresponding shrinkage results can be provided to the control and / or regulating device, wherein it is additionally provided that the control and / or regulating device is designed to identify and / or discover patterns and regularities taking into account the information provided by the at least one sensor system and can control and / or regulate the shrinkage tunnel taking into account the identified and / or discovered patterns and regularities.

[0062] The patterns and regularities mentioned here can be, in particular, measurable properties of packaging units passing through or leaving the shrink tunnel that can be detected by means of a sensor system, in particular quality-related properties. These quality-related properties can be, for example, optically detectable film properties (such as measured regularity in the shrinking behavior of the film), any undesirable inaccuracies when covering the items to be packaged, optical changes in the film (such as changes in transparency under the influence of temperature, changes in color due to the application of temperature), or other such properties.

[0063] Furthermore, to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention provides, in addition to various embodiments of a shrink tunnel, a method for operating such a shrink tunnel, wherein the shrink tunnel comprises a control and / or regulating device and at least one sensor system. The at least one sensor system assigned to the shrink tunnel is configured and equipped to detect shrinkage results and provide them as sensor signals or sensor signal bundles to the control and / or regulating device, so that the control and / or regulating device receives information about the shrinkage results from the sensor system. The method further provides that the control and / or regulating device utilizes the acquired information with the aid of machine learning and controls and / or regulates the shrink tunnel based on the utilized information.

[0064] One embodiment variant of the method according to the invention provides that the shrink tunnel is equipped with several nozzles or nozzle-like outflow openings for ejecting corresponding hot air flows into the shell of the shrink tunnel, wherein, triggered by a control and / or regulating device and taking into account information utilized by means of machine learning, at least one of the several nozzles or outflow openings can be adjusted in the form of an actuator in order to set a defined flow direction for the hot air flow ejected via the at least one nozzle.

[0065] Alternatively or additionally, it can also be provided that, triggered by the control and / or regulating device and taking into account information utilized by means of machine learning, at least one outflow opening can be adjusted by means of an actuator in order to set a defined hot air volume flow.

[0066] Optionally, a control motor can be provided on the baffle or flap for automatically adjusting the entire or partial nozzle row, the nozzle gap, and / or a variably adjustable barrier for the outflowing constriction medium in the nozzle region. As described above with respect to the other actuators, the control motor can also be controlled by a control and / or regulating device, optionally including a routine based on machine learning, in particular machine learning based on AI (i.e., so-called artificial intelligence).

[0067] At this point, it should be emphasized that the aspects of the invention described and explained below relate not only to the shrink tunnel described above in the various implementation variants, but also to the method described above. Therefore, all aspects and variants mentioned above should be understood as applying both to the shrink tunnel itself and to the method for operating the shrink tunnel. The same principles apply to all variants and options described below, which may relate to various implementation variants, implementation alternatives, and / or implementation substitutes.

[0068] In this way, the shrink tunnel control and / or machine control can be assigned a higher-level control and / or regulation device, which ensures that a wider range of criteria are incorporated into the shrink tunnel control and / or regulation and can be taken into account to varying and / or variable degrees. This higher-level control can be used to process sensor data or other signal data, such as environmental data, weather or climate data, energy-related data, and the like. Environmental data or weather and climate data can be, in particular, values ​​that can influence the shrinking result in some way, for example, because the shrinking behavior of the film changes with changes in humidity or ambient temperature.

[0069] If the control and / or regulation of the shrink tunnel is based on elements of so-called AI (artificial intelligence), it can be sensible to use these or integrate them into the control and / or regulation in such a way that suggestions for using thicker or thinner packaging material are adopted and preferably taken into account when the unlimited feed of film material is due for replacement.

[0070] In the context of the present invention, although AI, or artificial intelligence, is often discussed in a simplified and generalized manner, it actually refers to or describes an aspect or form of machine learning in which sensor data is not only used directly for process control or process regulation.

[0071] In this type of machine learning, sensor data and other signal data are therefore not only used to provide up-to-date control data for the control and / or regulation of the shrink tunnel in order to adjust the actuators and also to adjust operating parameters such as the temperature of the hot air in the shrink tunnel that is directed towards the packaging units wrapped with film.

[0072] More importantly, machine learning aims to make it possible that, on the basis of old data and as a result of previous control and / or regulation processes, more data are obtained, which can be used in future control and / or regulation processes in order to improve the contraction results on this basis and get closer to the optimal values, which includes avoiding meaningless settings of certain control and / or regulation parameters, which is achieved by evaluating and analyzing the results of contraction processes that occurred previously in time.

[0073] Due to the complex interactions of many varying parameters, some of these machine settings are often not included in user-performed analyses, as users miss some interactions because they are inconspicuous or lack apparent rationale. Therefore, the use of AI and / or machine learning can provide better shrinking results, especially when large amounts of data and complex relationships need to be processed, as is particularly true in the shrink tunnel use case explored in this article. Here, because the flow conditions of the hot air moving through the shrink tunnel are difficult to analyze and its many effects are difficult to influence, AI or machine learning also makes it possible to consider these parameters and effectively influence them, thereby achieving better shrinking results and reducing waste due to poor shrinking quality based on the evaluation of large amounts of data over a longer period of time.

[0074] Since, based on the evaluation of large amounts of data over a longer period of time, the influence of film properties on the shrinkage process flow and the correlation between the changed film properties and the changes in shrinkage results triggered thereby can be grasped very accurately, AI or the machine learning described in the article can also be used in particular to automatically replenish and order new film material after a certain amount of film material used as packaging material has been consumed, and in addition, precise and preferably automated specification setting can be performed, because data analysis allows such precise specification setting to be achieved.

[0075] This precise specification also includes the possibility of deviations. Even if, for example, the automatically ordered film material does not exactly meet the desired specifications, it is still possible to react to these deviations with high precision. In this case, the comprehensive availability of process data usually allows the shrinking process to be influenced in such a way that deviations from the specified specifications of the film material to be processed in the future can be compensated.

[0076] Furthermore, AI, or the principles of machine learning as mentioned here, can be used to modify the control settings of the shrink tunnel and / or the transport devices that convey the packaging units through the shrink tunnel in a manner that reduces the incidence of sporadic or frequent failures during film transport and / or film processing (particularly in shrink tunnels). Because such failures can often be due to a complex combination of causes, changing a few operating parameters often precludes an accurate assessment of the consequences, as the effects can be additive. This is particularly true when manual assessments are performed by users. In such cases, AI or machine learning can provide meaningful remedial measures, as machine learning routines can store numerous causal relationships that can be used to improve control and / or regulation.

[0077] Furthermore, AI variants or AI applications can trigger, facilitate, or even initiate the output of complaints, for example by submitting a formatted complaint to a film supplier. This can be particularly useful if the film does not meet set specifications. In this context, processes can be simplified and the integration of the manufacturing and / or packaging of various products can be increased, particularly with regard to film wrapping of piece goods and / or primary packaging. This can be achieved by linking the production and / or packaging equipment with the process flows for planning, managing, and / or operating the equipment and integrating these processes in such a way that certain defects or deficiencies in the production and / or packaging process lead to automatically triggered actions that would normally be considered independent of the regular production and / or packaging operations. This is, for example, the complaint process mentioned above, but it can also encompass other processes, such as ordering, warehousing processes, and so on.

[0078] Furthermore, the shrink tunnel or its control and / or regulation method can be configured to automatically subsequently regulate or adapt the preliminary process and to meaningfully link it to the production process and / or packaging process.

[0079] In this way, the standby time, standby temperature, start time and / or shut-off time, etc., which are directly related to the operation of the shrink tunnel and are closely related to it, can be processed and adjusted based on empirical values ​​and by evaluating the behavior of other machines and / or signals from adjacent packaging lines.

[0080] Additionally, it may be expedient to derive further relevant data from previously and currently detected behavior of employees and / or persons involved in controlling the installation and to derive therefrom control and / or regulating parameters or influencing variables for controlling the installation.

[0081] In these cases, the additional use of machine learning routines or AI is also advantageous, as a large number of stored processes and their analysis often enable better control or regulation of future processes. Since machine learning does not, in principle, impose any restrictions on the data to be considered and, given sufficient data processing power, can process virtually any data volume, all of the operating parameters mentioned here can be selectively considered and processed for improved control or regulation.

[0082] Furthermore, recommendations for adjustments in the shrink tunnel with regard to shaft-wall distance and / or operating temperature to accommodate new bale types or for direct initiation of adjustments can be triggered and / or taken into account in an automatic manner, i.e. based on AI routines or machine learning.

[0083] Meaningful measurements and / or input variables that can be processed by the AI ​​are, for example: signals from temperature sensors, camera images of unfinished or finished packaging units and / or the forces of finger-type test probes recorded during mechanical testing of the film. Sensor signals from optical sensors that record different properties of the film wrapping can also be used additionally or alternatively as meaningful measurement variables. This can be, for example, the transparency properties of the film, color changes of the film due to shrinkage, etc. Additionally or alternatively, measurement results (e.g., image capture of a finished pallet) can be input variables. Using this image capture of the pallet or using this input variable, it is possible, for example, to use the behavior of the film under load as an additional control parameter and thus include it in the control.

[0084] Furthermore, employee, customer, or testing agency evaluations of recommended adjustments can also serve as meaningful input parameters. This data can be processed, filtered, and / or weighted in such a way that it can be provided as input parameters to AI or data processing, making it accessible to machine learning routines.

[0085] Furthermore, it can be quite useful to utilize and process recipe downloads or control specifications from other shrink tunnels, such as from adjacent or remote equipment components, as further input variables. This data can optionally also come from other production lines, as long as it is accessible to the corresponding equipment control and assessed as consistent or reliable. This particularly applies to data from remote equipment originating from the same operator. This allows such data to be accessed and processed by a central database.

[0086] Other relevant measured variables that can be acquired and processed include, for example, the volume flow of the blowers for distributing the hot air, the volume flow of the blowers for cooling the conveyor chain, the measured temperatures of the bales or packaging units at different positions, the chain temperature of the conveyor chain, the identification of the number of bale rows, the type of bale (e.g., 2x3 formation, 4x5 formation, stacked arrangement, single layer arrangement, partial bale or single item, etc.). and / Or also the type of container being processed (shape, size, material, labeling, etc.).

[0087] Many other measured variables of the aforementioned or similar types are in principle suitable for processing and can be accessed by the control and / or regulation of the shrink tunnel via machine learning routines in order to improve the shrinking quality.

[0088] Alternatively or additionally, further regulating variables include: temperature, if appropriate divided into zones within the shrink tunnel; the standby temperature of the shrink tunnel; the measured number of revolutions of the hot air blower drive; the heating power (operated using combustion gas, electric heating or a combination of energy sources); the setting value of the nozzle coverage; the distribution of the air or the utilized hot gas on the shaft wall within the shrink tunnel; the activation or deactivation of shaft walls; and / or the modification of shaft walls or their removal from the shrink tunnel, etc.

[0089] When enriching AI or machine learning with additional measured values ​​and / or external data, different selection criteria can often be considered. On the one hand, it can make sense to set up central data filtering and data sharing to ensure central control over data consistency. On the other hand, it can also optionally make sense to define expanded groups of people who should be granted access to the data to be processed and considered by the AI.

[0090] All of this data can help enrich the AI’s data pool, enabling it to make better and better decisions. This can also be called AI training, which can ultimately be considered a sub-aspect of machine learning.

[0091] Connecting the central control of the machine and / or the shrink tunnel to a theoretically unlimited pool of data could offer further advantages in accelerating AI training. These theoretically unlimited pools of data could be accessed, in particular, via a connection to the internet.

[0092] The AI ​​mentioned here can optionally be implemented or considered as a separate building block or module that interacts with the shrink tunnel's control and / or regulation unit. Thus, for certain systems, such building blocks or modules can be easily activated or deactivated, depending on the contractually agreed scope of use of the delivered or fee-for-use equipment. By considering AI functionality as an equipment module for packaging or processing equipment, the functional scope of the equipment can be configured according to the selected and required configuration in the specific case.

[0093] Furthermore, it may be useful for the existing learning routine of the AI ​​to search for available updates to its own functionality and, if appropriate, automatically or automatically activate newly available functionality or other updates after agreement with the device operator. Before such (partially) automatic activation of new functionality or expansion of the functional scope, a corresponding offer may also be provided to the device operator, and the device operator's consent may be required.

[0094] In addition to the aforementioned tasks and functionalities, further interesting functions that could be considered for AI or machine learning include monitoring the trouble-free operation of the system and, in particular, expanding this monitoring by checking certain wear characteristics or the state of the lubricant to monitor the drive units in the shrink tunnel. For example, increasing power consumption of the electric drive motors of conveyor elements could be interpreted as a sign of lubricant deficiency and / or wear and could be evaluated accordingly.

[0095] Other comparable maintenance instructions can be derived from various sensor values ​​in order to initiate a corresponding communication with the operator and / or to issue a notice regarding the need for maintenance and / or cleaning of certain system components. Such notices can be derived, for example, from measurements of the electric drive power or from other sensor values.

[0096] Other sensible configuration options can be considered for the control and / or regulation, for example in the form of different selection options for the global control of the system or system components. Thus, the global control could, for example, focus on criteria such as raw material optimization, overall environmental friendliness, or reduction of total CO2 emissions, or assign specific weighting factors to these criteria.

[0097] It is also conceivable to carry out a global control of the plant or plant components which focuses on the criterion of cost optimization, wherein in this context the focus can be on minimized membrane consumption, minimized energy consumption (e.g. natural gas and / or electricity consumption), optionally depending on the daily price of the required energy.

[0098] Furthermore, global control can also take into account maximizing product quality and bale stability, or reducing or minimizing the processing speed within the packaging system. Therefore, it can make sense to process more bales in a shorter time, depending on the current order situation, or to operate the system as cost-effectively as possible with lower orders, even by operating the system more slowly. This system configuration, in which fewer packaging units are processed in a given time, can also help reduce scrap rates, as slower-running processes are generally easier to control.

[0099] The above control settings (referred to herein as “global control”) can also be combined in an appropriate manner, wherein different weighting coefficients can be selectively adopted for different and partially mutually exclusive key objectives of the global control variant.

[0100] In the following, embodiments of the present invention and their advantages will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. The size ratios of the individual elements in the drawings do not always correspond to the actual size ratios, since some shapes are simplified and others are enlarged compared to other elements for better illustration.

[0101] Figure 1 A schematic side view of a packaging system is shown which, in addition to several interacting modules, also has a shrink tunnel for temperature-treating grouped containers wrapped with a shrinkable film.

[0102] Figure 2 A schematic cross section of an embodiment variant of a shrink tunnel is shown.

[0103] Figure 3 A schematic top view shows an embodiment variant of a beverage filling and packaging plant and its interaction modules.

[0104] Figure 4 A schematic side view shows a further variant of a packaging system which, in addition to several interacting modules, also has a shrink tunnel for temperature-treating grouped containers wrapped with a shrinkable film.

[0105] Identical elements or elements having the same effect are designated by the same reference numerals. For the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals necessary for the description of the respective figure are used in the individual figures. The illustrated embodiments merely represent examples of how the shrink tunnel of the present invention or the method of operating such a shrink tunnel of the present invention may be configured and do not constitute definitive limitations.

[0106] Figure 1 The side view of FIG. 1 shows, in an exemplary and highly schematic manner, a typical packaging process within a packaging device 10 consisting of several interacting modules. Within the framework of the packaging process shown in this figure, grouped containers, in particular grouped beverage containers 12, are wrapped with a shrinkable film 14. These prepared container groups 16 wrapped with film 14 are fed into a shrink tunnel 18, in which hot gas is applied to the film wrap 14 of the container groups 16.

[0107] This heat treatment of the container groups 16 wrapped with film 14 inside the shrink tunnel 18 ideally ensures a controlled shrinking process of the film wrapping 14 and thus a strong mechanical cohesion of the individual beverage containers 12 within the respective group 16, so that these groups 16 leave the shrink tunnel 18 as finished packaging units 20 in the form of film-shrink bundles.

[0108] The packaging process shown in the figure is as follows Figure 1 The transport direction TR shown runs from left to right, starting with the grouped containers 12 (infeed from the left) and ending with the finished film shrink bundle or packaging unit 20 (outfeed towards the right).

[0109] exist Figure 1In the embodiment variant of the packaging device 10 shown, a control and / or regulating device 22 is assigned to at least the shrink tunnel 18, which in turn communicates with a sensor system 24 of greater or lesser complexity, which observes the shrinking process and / or the shrinking result achieved and supplies corresponding sensor signals 26 to the control and / or regulating device 22, thereby providing it with information about the currently occurring shrinking process and / or the corresponding shrinking result.

[0110] The control and / or regulating device 22 not only processes the sensor signals 26 of the sensor system 24, but can also evaluate the received sensor signals within the framework of so-called machine learning and therefore has corresponding control and / or regulating routines that not only directly evaluate the information provided by the sensor system 24 for the currently required control and / or regulating interventions, but also enable further evaluations that utilize the principles of machine learning so that the analyzed and processed information can be used for future control and / or regulating interventions in the shrink tunnel 18.

[0111] The sensor system, designated in the figures by reference numeral 24, is directly associated with the shrink tunnel 18 and can be designed, in particular, to monitor the shrinking process and / or the shrinking result and to provide corresponding sensor signals 26 to the control and / or regulating device 22. Furthermore, the control and / or regulating device 22 associated with the shrink tunnel 18 can communicate with an extended sensor system 28 associated with such areas or modules of the packaging plant 10 which, although not directly associated with the shrink tunnel 18, can nonetheless have a significant influence on the shrinking process and / or the achieved shrinking result.

[0112] Such an extended sensor system 28 can, for example, be a sensor for detecting parameters of a belt conveyor, since, for example, a change in the conveying speed of the first conveying device 30 leading to the shrink tunnel 18 can have an influence on the temperature control settings and other operating parameters of the shrink tunnel 18, since a higher conveying speed of the first conveying device 30 arranged upstream of the shrink tunnel 18 in the transport direction TR also requires a higher conveying speed of the second conveying device 32 through the shrink tunnel 18.

[0113] The sensor system 24 can also consist of an optical acquisition device or a camera 74 (see Figure 2 ) which can be arranged outside and / or inside the shrink tunnel 18 in order to be able to visually evaluate the wrapped container groups 16 conveyed to the shrink tunnel 18 and / or the packaging units 20 leaving the shrink tunnel 18. In these cases, the sensor signals 26 are image data provided by the optical acquisition device or camera 74. The image evaluation can be performed, for example, in the control and regulating device 22.

[0114] In order to be able to convey the packaging units 20 leaving the shrink tunnel 18 sufficiently quickly and to avoid blocking effects, these arrangements also require a corresponding increase in the conveying speed of the third conveying device 34 arranged downstream of the shrink tunnel 18 .

[0115] In addition, since the second conveying device 32 runs at an increased speed, the passage time of the container groups 16 requiring temperature control in the shrink tunnel 18 is shortened, and the shrinking temperature needs to be increased, which can also affect the shrinking result.

[0116] Further parameters can be acquired using additional sensors, which are here all included in the broad category of the extended sensor system 28, such as different film parameters, additional conveying parameters, etc. The signal technology coupling, in particular the sensor technology coupling, of the control and / or regulating device 22, which is usually present and technically meaningful for the needs of the overall system control, and which is primarily responsible for the management and operation of the shrink tunnel 18, is also represented by the extended sensor system 28. In this context, it should be pointed out that the control and / or regulating device 22 assigned to the shrink tunnel 18 in the figure can preferably communicate with other control and / or regulating units of other system components or also with a higher-level control and / or regulation of the packaging system 10, which is in the Figure 1 Not shown in the simplified and schematic representation of FIG.

[0117] In addition, according to Figure 1 As shown schematically in FIG, the control and / or regulating device 22 of the shrink tunnel 18 communicates not only with an extended sensor system 28, which can, if appropriate, provide a large amount of sensor data from various sensors, but also with a data source, which is marked as an external sensor system 36 in this figure, and which can provide the control and / or regulating device 22 with further control and / or regulating parameters as well as additional criteria for setting or changing process parameters for operating the shrink tunnel 18.

[0118] The term "external sensor system 36" as used herein is intended to indicate that it may refer to external sensor data or various types of other signal data, such as environmental data 38, weather or climate data 40, energy-related data 42, etc. The environmental data 38 or weather and climate data 40 may in particular be values ​​that can influence the shrinkage result in some way, for example due to changes in the shrinkage behavior of the film when the humidity or the ambient temperature changes.

[0119] Since the control and / or regulation device 22 of the shrink tunnel 18 can preferably be based on elements of so-called AI 44 (artificial intelligence), it can be sensible to utilize these or integrate them into the control and / or regulation in such a way that the numerous sensor data are used not only for the current control and / or regulation of the shrink tunnel 18 but also for future process sequences based on machine learning.

[0120] With the aid of machine learning as understood herein, the sensor data 26 and other signal data 38, 40, 42 are not only used to provide up-to-date control data for the control and / or regulation of the shrink tunnel 18 in order to adjust the actuators and adjust operating parameters, such as the temperature of the hot air directed toward the film-wrapped container groups 16 in the shrink tunnel 18. More importantly, machine learning aims to make it possible to obtain more data based on older data and as a result of previous control and / or regulation processes, which can be used in future control and / or regulation processes in order to improve the shrinking results and bring them closer to optimal values, including avoiding meaningless settings of certain control and / or regulation parameters by evaluating and analyzing the results of shrinking processes that occurred previously.

[0121] The use of machine learning provides improved shrinking results, particularly when large amounts of data and complex relationships need to be processed, as is particularly the case in the shrink tunnel 18 use case discussed herein. Because the flow conditions of the hot air moving through the shrink tunnel 18 are difficult to analyze and their many effects to influence, AI 44, or the machine learning enabled by this AI, also makes it possible to consider these parameters and effectively influence them, thereby achieving better shrinking results and less waste due to poor shrinking quality based on the evaluation of large amounts of data over a longer period of time.

[0122] For the sake of completeness, the following will explain Figure 1 . These include a film feed device 46 with a film supply 48 wound on a reel and a film cutting device 50 for cutting film segments 52 to the appropriate lengths. These appropriately cut film segments 52 are wrapped or wrapped around individual container groups 56 in a film wrapping module 54, which is arranged upstream of the first conveyor device 30 in the transport direction TR. This allows the container groups 16 wrapped with film segments 52 of the appropriate length to be fed via the first conveyor device 30 into the shrink tunnel 18.

[0123] There, the containers are transported in groups through the shrink tunnel 18 by means of a second conveyor device 32, subjected to the heat treatment described above, and subsequently further transported via a third conveyor device 32, which may optionally be connected to a processing or handling station, such as a palletizing device.

[0124] Figure 2 The schematic front view shows a cross section of a possible embodiment variant of the shrink tunnel 18, as described above with reference to Figure 1 The shrink tunnel is described in terms of its most important functions. The front view allows viewing the shrink tunnel 18 in a transport direction pointing out of the drawing plane, which is therefore not marked in this figure.

[0125] The shrink tunnel 18 enables simultaneous transport along two parallel transport tracks 58, each of which carries successively conveyed container groups 16, each of which is wrapped with a suitably cut-to-length film segment 52. The two parallel transport tracks 58 can be located on a transport plane 60 of a second conveyor device 32, which can have, for example, an endlessly circulating conveyor chain 62, wherein drive elements 64 can be located below and to the sides of the transport plane 60, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown in the example.

[0126] The shrink tunnel 18 is provided with blowing openings 68 on the vertical side walls and in the intermediate partition element 70. These blowing openings extend over a defined longitudinal section of the interior space 66 and are used to blow in hot gas or hot air 72. The blowing openings 68 can optionally be divided into several sections along the entire length of the shrink tunnel 18. This division into several sections can be applied both to the blowing openings 68 arranged on the vertical side walls and to the blowing openings 68 located in the intermediate partition element 70. This optional division of the blowing openings 68 in the longitudinal direction of the shrink tunnel 18 makes it possible to individually adjust the outflowing hot gas or hot air 72 for individual longitudinal sections of the shrink tunnel.

[0127] The sensor system 24 assigned to the shrink tunnel 18 can be formed, for example, by optical recording devices or cameras 74, which are located at the top of the interior 66 of the shrink tunnel 18, more precisely, each above one of the two transport tracks 58. In this way, the container groups 16 transported on their transport plane 60 through the shrink tunnel 18 by means of the endless conveyor chain 62 can be recorded in each of their transport tracks 58, and the recorded camera images can be output as sensor signals 26, transmitted to the control and / or regulating device 22, and evaluated there, in order to thereby obtain information about the shrinking process and the achieved shrinking result.

[0128] The control and / or regulating device 22 can be based on the sensor signal 26 formed by the camera image and / or by including other sensor values ​​(see Figure 1 ) and preferably triggers the automatic adjustment or regulation of the side panels or flaps 76 by taking into account a machine learning routine (the machine learning is provided by the AI ​​44). The control signals provided by the control and / or regulating device 22 to the actuators of the adjustable panels or flaps 76 for this purpose are marked with the reference numeral 78.

[0129] These adjustable baffles or flaps 76 can change the outflow behavior and / or volume flow of the hot air 72 flowing out of the side air outlet 68 as needed, wherein these changes can in turn be captured by the camera 74, and the captured effects can be analyzed and used with the help of AI 44 to further optimize the settings.

[0130] In addition to the baffle or flap 76 that can be adjusted by setting the control signal 78, the settings to be optimized can also, for example, involve or influence the temperature control of the hot air 72, the circulation speed of the conveyor chain 62, the volume flow rate of the hot air 72 blown in, or other operating parameters of the shrink tunnel 18.

[0131] Figure 3 The schematic top view of the complete beverage filling and packaging device 80 and its interactive modules is shown, wherein the lower part of the entire device 80 is composed of Figure 1 The packaging device 10 shown forms a packaging device, but further handling elements are arranged downstream of the packaging device for palletizing the shrink-film bales produced in the shrink tunnel 18 .

[0132] exist Figure 3 The module sequence of the beverage filling and packaging plant 80 schematically shown in FIG. 1 starts with the so-called wet section 82 (top left), in which beverages are filled into containers prepared for this purpose. These containers are transported from the wet section 82 via a continuous conveying section 84 ( Figure 3 Center upper right) and 86 ( Figure 3 The beverage containers are conveyed in the middle left) to a labelling module 88 located in the centre of the lower third of the figure. In the labelling module 88, which can be considered optional, labels can be provided individually for the beverage containers which are usually conveyed in a row.

[0133] Instead of this label module 88, a direct printing module can also be optionally provided for printing ink directly onto the side surface of the container. This labeling or printing of the container can also be omitted, which may be useful for containers prepared in color or design or containers packaged in other ways.

[0134] Following the second conveying section 86 and the labeling module 88 downstream in the transport direction, there is a packaging and handling module for the now grouped containers, e.g. Figure 1 The film wrapping module 54 already described above is used to wrap the container grouping 16 with film segments 52 that have previously been cut to length.

[0135] Following the film wrapping module 54 is a shrink tunnel 18, by means of which the film segments 52, initially only loosely wrapped around the container group 16, are tightened tightly around the containers under the action of heat, thereby forming saleable finished packaging units 20 in the form of shrink-film bundles, which are further conveyed via a third conveyor device 34 connected to the shrink tunnel 18 (see FIG. Figure 1 ).

[0136] After the third conveyor 34 has made a subsequent 180° turn, a layer forming station 90 follows, in which the incoming packaging units 20 or bundles are positioned, slid and / or rotated for the purpose of layer formation by means of a suitable manipulator 92, for example a gripper robot. The layers assembled from the packaging units 20 are then transferred to a palletizing device 94, where the previously formed layers can be stacked to form larger pallet units.

[0137] The interactive modules of the beverage filling and packaging device 80 can each be equipped with their own control module in the manner described above, so that they communicate in a coordinated manner and with one another in a manner similar to the shrink tunnel 18, wherein the various signals of several sensor systems (which can be assigned to individual modules) are preferably processed with the aid of machine learning and used for the global control of the entire device 80 or its modules.

[0138] Therefore, according to Figure 1 The AI ​​44, which is primarily assigned to the control and / or regulating unit 22 of the shrink tunnel 18 and which supports the machine learning of the unit 22, can either only make the processed and improved data accessible to the control and / or regulating unit 22 of the shrink tunnel 18. However, it is also conceivable to control or regulate other modules of the system 80 in an optimized manner based on or with the aid of machine learning in order to achieve improved quality during filling, transport, labeling, and / or subsequent packaging.

[0139] The same can apply to layer formation and / or final palletizing.These options that are considered meaningful for the beverage filling and packaging plant 80 shown are indicated by dashed arrows assigned to the AI ​​44, which are intended to represent data exchange with other modules of the plant 80.

[0140] at last, Figure 4 The schematic side view finally shows a further alternative embodiment of the packaging device 10, which utilizes sensor signals and uses machine learning or artificial intelligence. Figure 1 The variant of the packaging device 10 shown in this figure shows additional equipment or handling devices, which are used in particular for changing consumable materials.

[0141] So, in Figure 4 In the lower left corner of the illustrated packaging device 10, in the region of the film feed device 46, between the film supply 48 and the cutting device 50, a handle applicator 96 is visible, which is assigned a separate handle magazine 98 (in Figure 4 is drawn above the membrane encapsulation module 54).

[0142] These handles, which are optionally provided on the packaging unit 20, can be adhered to the outside of the film package, in particular in the case of shrink-film packaging, and for this purpose must be conveyed to the film section 52 via suitable feeding and application devices and applied there. In the illustrated embodiment, the handles are first applied to the film section 52, which is then cut to the appropriate length in the cutting device 50 in order to be fed in this form to the film wrapping module 54.

[0143] The handle material can be fed in, in particular, via a handle reel 100, which can be unwound and appropriately cut to length if no pre-divided sections are provided on the reel. At least one handle reel 100 is always present in the magazine 98, from which the handle applicator 96 is fed. Preferably, however, two or more handle reels 100 are present in the magazine 98, so that when one handle reel 100 is exhausted, it can be unwound immediately from another respective handle reel 100 and replaced.

[0144] When one of the handle reels 100 on which the handle is wound is exhausted, it must be replaced in a timely manner, which can be done, for example, with the aid of a suitable handling robot 102, which serves as a film reel replacement robot. The handling robot 102 responsible for replacing the handle reels 100 can, for example, be designed as a stationary handling robot 102, which is located at a suitable position near the corresponding feed magazine 98 for the handle reels 100 and is provided with a new reel 100 from the outside in each case, for example via a suitable automated guided transport vehicle, or in particular via an autonomous unmanned transport vehicle 104, such as Figure 4 Shown schematically.

[0145] This driverless transport vehicle 104, which can find its way through the surroundings of the packaging machine 10, for example, by means of optical path markings and / or by means of induction coil orientation (not shown here), can also optionally provide another handling robot 106 with spare film rolls 108, which can be provided to replace exhausted film rolls in the film supply 48. As described above, the film material for the packaging film is removed there and fed to the film wrapping module 54 in order to wrap the container groups 16 with film.

[0146] Furthermore, further spare film rolls 108 and / or handle rolls 100 to be replaced can optionally be brought in by means of a mobile robot 110 and delivered to the replacement magazine 98 or 48 at the device 10. Such a mobile robot 110 can preferably be prepared and equipped for this purpose in order not only to deliver the rolls 100, 108 to the device 10 and load them into the magazine 48 and / or 98, but also to remove the exhausted rolls there and deliver them to the specified storage location.

[0147] like Figure 4 As shown schematically, the control and steering of the handling robots 102, 106 and / or the mobile robot 110 can be selectively triggered by light signals, which are transmitted from the various equipment modules to a central camera 112 or, if appropriate, to several cameras (not shown here). If the magazines 48 and / or 98 are equipped with optical marking devices, such as suitable mirror systems, the central camera 112 can receive signals in this way, which can provide information about the current stock level of the rolled consumables.

[0148] The camera 112, which is connected to the control and / or regulating device 22 of the shrink tunnel 18 via signaling, can preferably be coupled to a higher-level system control system (not shown here). Furthermore, the signals transmitted by the camera 112 to the control and / or regulating device 22 of the shrink tunnel 18 and / or the higher-level system control can be superimposed with additional information 114 from databases and / or various production control systems 116, thereby providing the packaging system 10 with the ability to set specific manufacturing parameters or process parameters on-demand or in real time. This database information 114 or signal data from the production control system 116 can also be used in conjunction with machine learning routines, as previously explained.

[0149] The following is a supplementary explanation of the above implementation plan. Figures 1 to 4The illustrated embodiments and their above description are often or generally "schematic" representations and diagrams, but this in no way implies that the drawings and their description are of secondary importance to the disclosure of the present invention. A person skilled in the art is fully capable of obtaining sufficient information from the schematic and abstractly drawn illustrations to facilitate his or her understanding of the present invention, without any impairment of understanding due to, for example, the drawn and possibly not entirely to scale dimensions of the components of the device, its individual components, or other depicted elements.

[0150] More precisely, these figures enable the reader, a person skilled in the art, to better understand the inventive idea presented in a more general and / or more abstract manner in the claims and in the at least in some respects general part of the description, with the aid of the specifically explained implementation of the method according to the invention and the specifically explained structure of the shrink tunnel 18 according to the invention together with the control and / or regulating device 22 assigned thereto.

[0151] The present invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications or variations may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of protection of the appended claims.

[0152] Reference Signs List

[0153] 10 Packaging Equipment

[0154] 12 Containers, beverage containers

[0155] 14. Films, shrinkable films

[0156] 16 Groups, container groups, film-wrapped groups or container groups

[0157] 18 Shrinkage Tunnel

[0158] 20 packaging units, shrink-wrapped

[0159] 22 Control and / or regulating devices

[0160] 24 sensor systems

[0161] 26 sensor signals

[0162] 28 Extended sensor system

[0163] 30 First conveying device

[0164] 32 Second conveying device

[0165] 34 Third conveying device

[0166] 36 External sensor system

[0167] 38 Environmental data

[0168] 40 Weather and / or climate data

[0169] 42 Energy data and energy-related data

[0170] 44 Artificial Intelligence, AI, AI Routines

[0171] 46 Membrane feeding device

[0172] 48 membrane reserves

[0173] 50 film cutting device

[0174] 52 membrane segments

[0175] 54 membrane encapsulation modules

[0176] 56 Container Grouping

[0177] 58 transport tracks

[0178] 60 Transport Plane

[0179] 62 conveyor chain

[0180] 64 drive elements

[0181] 66 Interior Space

[0182] 68 air outlet

[0183] 70 Separator elements, separators

[0184] 72 Hot air, hot gas

[0185] 74 cameras

[0186] 76 Adjustable flap, adjustable baffle

[0187] 78 control signals

[0188] 80 Beverage filling and packaging equipment

[0189] 82 Wet end

[0190] 84 Conveying section, first conveying section

[0191] 86 conveying section, second conveying section

[0192] 88 Tag Module

[0193] 90-story formation station

[0194] 92 Robot

[0195] 94 Palletizing device

[0196] 96 Handle Applicator

[0197] 98 Libraries for controllers, controller libraries

[0198] 100 reels, handle reels

[0199] 102 Handling robots, film roll changing robots

[0200] 104 Unmanned transport vehicles

[0201] 106 Another transport robot

[0202] 108 Rolls, replacement film rolls

[0203] 110 Mobile Robot

[0204] 112 cameras

[0205] 114 Database Information

[0206] 116 Production Control System

[0207] TR Transport Direction

Claims

1. A shrink tunnel (18) having a control and / or regulating device (22) and at least one sensor system (24), via which information about the corresponding shrinking result can be provided to the control and / or regulating device (22), characterized in that The control and / or regulating device (22) is designed to utilize the information provided by means of machine learning and is able to control and / or regulate the shrink tunnel (18) taking into account the information utilized in this way.

2. The shrink tunnel (18) according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one sensor system (24) is designed as at least one optical acquisition device, in particular as at least one camera (74).

3. The shrink tunnel (18) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The at least one optical acquisition device is positioned outside the housing of the shrink tunnel (18).

4. The shrink tunnel (18) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The at least one optical acquisition device is positioned inside the housing of the shrink tunnel (18).

5. The shrink tunnel (18) according to claim 1 , comprising several blowing openings (68) for ejecting corresponding hot air flows into the housing of the shrink tunnel (18), wherein at least one of the several blowing openings (68) is designed to be adjustable in the form of an actuator under the triggering of the control and / or regulating device (22) and through the setting of the control and / or regulating device and taking into account the sensor values ​​(26) previously provided by the at least one sensor system (24) and the information utilized by means of machine learning, so as to set a defined flow direction for the hot air flow ejected through the at least one blowing opening (68).

6. The shrink tunnel (18) according to claim 1 , comprising several blowing openings (68) for ejecting corresponding hot air flows into the housing of the shrink tunnel (18), and at least one baffle or flap (76), which is assigned to at least one of the several blowing openings (68) and, under the triggering of the control and / or regulating device (22) and taking into account the sensor values ​​(26) previously provided by the at least one sensor system (24) and the information utilized by means of machine learning, can be adjusted in the form of an actuator so that the hot air flow ejected through the at least one blowing opening (68) is positioned in a defined manner in the flow path.

7. A method for operating a shrink tunnel (18), the shrink tunnel having a control and / or regulating device (22) and at least one sensor system (24), wherein the at least one sensor system (24) detects shrinkage results and the control and / or regulating device (22) receives information about the shrinkage results via the at least one sensor system (24), characterized in that The control and / or regulating device (22) utilizes the information obtained by means of machine learning and controls and / or regulates the shrink tunnel (18) taking into account the information utilized in this way.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the shrink tunnel (18) comprises several blowing openings (68) for injecting corresponding hot air streams into the shell of the shrink tunnel (18), wherein Under the triggering of the control and / or regulating device (22) and taking into account the information utilized by means of machine learning, at least one of the several blow openings (68) is adjusted in the manner of an actuator in order to set a defined flow direction for the hot air flow ejected through the at least one blow opening (68).

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein several different control parameters of the shrink tunnel (18) are set under the triggering of the control and / or regulating device (22) and taking into account the information utilized by means of machine learning.

10. Method according to claim 9, in which the control parameters include the selection setting of the packaging material to be used of the shrinkable film (14).

11. Method according to claim 9 or 10, in which the control parameters can set a subsequent regulation and / or adjustment of the preparation time or temperature, the heating time or temperature, the closing time or time period of the shrink tunnel (18).

12. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, in which the control parameters can take into account category switching when there are items to be processed and / or handled in the shrink tunnel (18), and can set adjustments to the operating parameters of the shrink tunnel (18) to adapt them to new categories.

13. Method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, in which method the control parameters are able to set or influence the operating conditions of the shrink tunnel (18) with a view to minimizing the throughput of the items to be processed within a defined time interval.

14. Method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, in which method the control parameters are able to set or influence the operating conditions of the shrink tunnel (18) with a view to minimizing the use of raw materials.

15. Method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, in which method the control parameters set or influence the operating conditions of the shrink tunnel (18) with a view to minimizing operating costs.

16. Method according to any one of claims 7 to 15, in which method the information about the shrinkage result of the bale obtained via the at least one sensor system (24) is used to adjust the control parameters for the production of the same bale still in the shrink tunnel (18).

17. Method according to any one of claims 7 to 16, in which method a marking is applied to a shrinkable film used as packaging material, or the marking is applied to the film, which marking is used to control and / or regulate the shrink tunnel (18).

Images