Apparatus for supplying container closures and closing apparatus

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) for supplying container closures (9), preferably bottle caps, to a closing apparatus (100) for closing containers with container closures (9), said device comprising a rotatable carrier wheel (2) for transporting container closures (9) from a supply position (21), at which the container closures (9) to be supplied are supplied by a closure supply (6), to a receiving position (22), at which the container closures (9) transported are received by the closing apparatus (100), wherein the carrier wheel (2) is movably embodied between a running position (31), which corresponds to the receiving position (22), and a retracted position (32), in which the carrier wheel (2) is spaced apart from the receiving position (22), and to a closing apparatus (100) comprising such a device (1).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying a container closure, such as a bottle cap, to a sealing device for sealing a container with the container closure, and a sealing device for the container closure. Background Technology

[0002] To supply container closures, such as bottle caps, to sealing devices for sealing containers with the supplied closures, it is known that the container closure is removed from the delivery plate by means of a receiving element, for example, in the form of a protrusion, at the sealing unit of the sealing device. However, such protrusions may not be used or may only be used in a way that is easily disturbed in certain types of fillers. For example, in chamber fillers, this could cause collisions with the corresponding chamber comprising the filled container or its seal.

[0003] An alternative known to this is that the container closure is supplied individually to the closure device or its closure unit via a device with drive wheels. Such a device for supplying is known, for example, from DE 28 49 741 A1, DE 27 34 599 A1 or EP 0 541077 A1. However, such a device would be inaccessible and difficult to clean.

[0004] In order to improve the various sealing instruments and supply equipment of the cleaning and sealing equipment, it is also known, for example, from DE 38 43374 A1, that a combination consisting of a drive wheel and a part of a closed supply section in the form of a transport channel is configured to be height-adjustable along the rotation axis of the drive wheel. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on known prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for supplying a container closure, preferably a bottle cap, to a sealing device for sealing a container with the container closure, and an improved sealing device for the container closure.

[0006] The objective is achieved by a device according to the invention for supplying a container closure element, preferably a bottle cap, to a sealing device for sealing the container with the container closure element. Advantageous improvements are derived from the description and drawings.

[0007] Accordingly, an apparatus is proposed for supplying a container closure, preferably a bottle cap, to a sealing device for sealing a container with the container closure. The apparatus includes a rotatable drive wheel for transporting the container closure from a supply position to a receiving position, where the container closure to be supplied is supplied by a closure supply unit, and where the transported container closure is received by the sealing device at the receiving position. In the apparatus, the drive wheel is movably configured between an operating position and a retracted position corresponding to the receiving position, in which the drive wheel is spaced apart from the receiving position.

[0008] Because the drive wheel is movably configured between an operating position and a retracted position corresponding to the receiving position, wherein the drive wheel is spaced apart from the receiving position in the retracted position, improved accessibility to the drive wheel and to the enclosing device, especially to the disc conveyor belt of the enclosing device, is achieved compared to conventional equipment. Multiple enclosing units and container accommodating sections are preferably provided at the disc conveyor belt. Consequently, the installation, maintenance, and / or cleaning of the equipment and / or the enclosing device become easier or simplified.

[0009] Furthermore, the device can be used for multiple closure devices, even those with different sized processing segments, on which containers to be closed are transported. The receiving and retraction positions can be individually matched to the respective segments by setting the operating position, thereby setting the receiving and retraction positions accordingly. Therefore, the supply and delivery of container closures can also be performed with particularly high precision.

[0010] The device according to the invention can also improve the safety of filling facilities for filling containers with filling products and sealing equipment for sealing containers with container closures during operation. In particular, collisions between container closure supply devices, such as drive wheels, and sealing units can be prevented by suddenly returning to the retracted position.

[0011] During the operation of the closure device, for example, a malfunction may occur in the guidance of the closure unit, such as at the guide wheel, which pre-positions the closure unit vertically. As a result, the closure unit may fall or move downwards due to gravity and / or preload, causing its closing column, for example, to collide with the equipment used to supply the container closure, such as a drive wheel, and potentially causing serious damage to the supply equipment and / or the closure device. Since the drive wheel is movably configured as described above, it can spontaneously retract from the delivery position in the event of a malfunction in the guidance of the closure unit, thus preventing a collision between the drive wheel and the closure unit. Preferably, this retraction occurs as a reaction to a malfunction identified by means of a sensor or detector, such as a broken wheel. The drive wheel can then retract from the collision area, for example, within a fraction of a second.

[0012] The retracted position, oriented relative to the receiving position, causes the drive wheel to be farther from the enclosed device when the device is positioned there, relative to the enclosed device, than in the operating position corresponding to the delivery position. This distance or displacement includes, in particular, a horizontal component or extends even entirely horizontally. For example, the gap between the axis of rotation of the drive wheel and the axis of rotation of the disc conveyor of the enclosed device can be increased by moving the drive wheel from the operating position to the retracted position. The expression "retracted" or "retracted" can therefore be understood as an increase in the distance between the enclosed device and the axis of rotation of the disc conveyor, for example, in a direction perpendicular to the transfer axis of the disc conveyor.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, the drive wheel is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis that is preferably substantially vertically oriented.

[0014] What proved particularly advantageous was that the direction of movement of the drive wheel was oriented substantially horizontally between the running position and the retracted position.

[0015] The direction of movement can follow a preferred embodiment that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drive wheel.

[0016] Alternatively or additionally, the direction of movement, viewed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drive wheel, is oriented within ±90° about a straight line extending radially through the receiving position about the axis of rotation. Preferably, the direction of movement is oriented along the direction of this straight line extending radially through the receiving position about the axis of rotation. This allows for an increase in the distance between the axis of rotation of the drive wheel and the closure device, particularly the central axis of rotation of the closure device, as the drive wheel moves out of the delivery position.

[0017] According to another preferred embodiment, regarding the direction of movement of the sealing device, a scraping unit is installed upstream of the drive wheel. By means of the scraping unit, a container closure that may be held in the sealing unit of the sealing device and which was not applied to the container in time during a previously set sealing process and thus undesirably remained in the sealing unit can be removed from the sealing unit, so that the sealing unit can receive a new container closure from the drive wheel in the receiving position.

[0018] Preferably, the scraping unit includes a scraper blade and a removal element, preferably a protrusion or magnetic element, for removing the container closure held by the closure device. The scraper blade is preferably at least partially oriented to provide scraping of the closure device along its direction of movement. It has proven advantageous that the scraper blade is at least partially and substantially horizontally oriented.

[0019] Here, "scraping" is understood as the movement of a scraper blade over a scraper plate in a manner where the distance between the scraper plate and the scraper blade is less than the height of the container closure being transported by the equipment.

[0020] Advantageously, the scraper follows the movement trajectory of the sealing unit of the sealing device, at least within the scraping section. Preferably, the removed element is positioned in the starting region of the scraping section, viewed along the direction of movement of the sealing unit. For example, a magnetic element can be positioned below the scraper. The magnetic element can pull a container closure, such as a bottle cap, held within the sealing unit onto the scraper based on magnetic attraction. The scraper can then push or scrape the container closure from the area of ​​the magnetic element, preferably until it reaches a closure collection unit for collecting the redirected container closure.

[0021] According to another preferred embodiment, the scraping unit is movably configured between an operating position and a retracted position, in which scraping is achieved by means of a scraping blade of a closed device. The direction of movement of the scraping unit is preferably parallel to the direction of movement of the drive wheel, wherein the drive wheel and the scraping unit are preferably movably configured together, preferably by means of a common driver and / or a common base. Alternatively, the drive wheel and the scraping unit can also be movably configured independently of each other, wherein the drive wheel and the scraping unit are preferably each equipped with their own driver.

[0022] Preferably, a drive is provided for moving the drive wheel from the running position to the retracted position. The drive is configured to move at high speed. The drive is preferably in the form of a locking and preloaded spring assembly / or a locking and loaded pneumatic cylinder, which is unlocked by an open-loop control / closed-loop control device in the presence of a collision warning in order to achieve sudden movement.

[0023] Preferably, a driver is provided for moving the scraping unit from the operating position to the retracted position. The driver is configured to move at high speed. The driver is preferably in the form of a locking and preloaded spring assembly / or a locking and loaded pneumatic cylinder, which is unlocked by an open-loop control / closed-loop control device in the presence of a collision warning in order to achieve sudden movement.

[0024] According to another preferred embodiment, the closure supply unit is designed to progressively supply container closures radially to the drive wheel. Preferably, the closure supply unit includes a supply channel via which container closures are supplied individually to the drive wheel, wherein the supply channel is preferably configured such that the container closures move toward the drive wheel at least by gravity assistance.

[0025] The closure supply unit can preferably be viewed in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drive wheel, and is positioned on the side of the receiving position within a range of ±90° with respect to the direction of movement. Subsequently, the closure supply unit can be fixed in position, wherein no collision occurs between the drive wheel and the closure supply unit when the drive wheel is moved away from the operating position and thus retracted.

[0026] Alternatively or additionally, the closure supply unit can be movably configured between a supply position corresponding to the receiving point and a staggered position, wherein moving the closure supply unit to the staggered position allows it to reach outside the collision space of the drive wheel. For example, the closure supply unit can be moved to its staggered position before the drive wheel is moved away from the operating position. Alternatively, the two aforementioned movements can be performed simultaneously.

[0027] The term "collision space" can be understood as the total space used or traversed by the driving wheel when it moves between the running position and the retracted position.

[0028] According to another preferred embodiment, a plurality of closure supply sections are provided, wherein preferably each closure supply section is configured to supply one type of container closure of different types, wherein preferably at least one closure supply section is provided on opposite sides of the drive wheel with respect to an axis extending through the receiving position along the movement direction of the drive wheel. Preferably, at least two, particularly preferably exactly two, closure supply sections are provided, wherein the closure supply sections are preferably provided on opposite sides of the drive wheel with respect to an axis extending through the receiving position along the movement direction of the drive wheel.

[0029] According to another preferred embodiment, an open-loop control / closed-loop control device is provided, which is configured to control the position of the drive wheel, the scraping unit, and / or at least one sealing element supply unit in an open-loop / closed-loop manner. The open-loop / closed-loop control device is preferably configured to move the drive wheel and / or the scraping unit to a corresponding retracted position based on a collision warning, and preferably to move at least one sealing element supply unit away from the collision space, preferably at a corresponding high speed of movement. In particular, this allows for a response to malfunctions in the guiding device of the sealing unit, such as a broken guide wheel, thereby preventing collisions between the sealing unit and the drive wheel and / or the scraping unit when they slide downwards and subsequently down with gravity due to the malfunction.

[0030] High-speed, preferably near-sudden retraction can be achieved by providing a corresponding accumulator. Here, for example, a pre-tensioned spring assembly or a pressure-pre-tensioned pneumatic cylinder can be provided, whose energy is released through an unlocking and locking device, thereby achieving sudden retraction.

[0031] According to another preferred embodiment, the closure collection unit is disposed at least partially below the scraping unit and / or below the drive wheel, and the closure collection unit preferably includes a funnel-shaped inlet and / or a receiving trough or receiving basket.

[0032] Preferably, the closure collection unit is configured to receive the container closure shavings scraped by the scraping unit, preferably at least when the scraping unit is in the operating position.

[0033] Alternatively or additionally, the closure collection unit is preferably configured to collect the container closures discharged by the drive wheel, preferably at least when the drive wheel is in the retracted position.

[0034] Alternatively or additionally, the unit for collecting closures is preferably configured to collect container closures exported from the closure supply section, preferably at least when the drive wheel is in the retracted position.

[0035] The above objectives are also achieved by a sealing device for a container closure having features according to the invention. Advantageous improvements are available from this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Accordingly, a sealing device for a container closure is proposed, comprising a container receiving portion movable in a direction of motion for receiving a container to be sealed, and a sealing unit disposed for the container receiving portion and movable relative to the container receiving portion, the sealing unit being used to seal the container held in the container receiving portion with a container closure. The sealing device for a container closure further includes a device for supplying the container closure according to any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0037] Since the sealing device for the container closure includes the device for supplying the container closure according to any of the above embodiments or has such device at the sealing device, the advantages and functions described with respect to the device can also be achieved by the sealing device in a similar manner, and vice versa.

[0038] According to a preferred embodiment, the closure device is configured with a circular rotating component, wherein a rotatable disc conveyor belt is preferably provided, and preferably, a container receiving portion and a closure unit are located on its outer circumference.

[0039] Preferably, the drive wheel and the disc conveyor are configured such that the transport pitch circle of the drive wheel and the transport pitch circle of the disc conveyor are arranged tangentially to each other and / or meet in the receiving position, the container closure to be supplied is transported by the drive wheel on the transport pitch circle, and the closure unit moves by rotating the disc conveyor on the transport pitch circle. Attached Figure Description

[0040] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Herein lies:

[0041] Figure 1 A schematic top view of a closure device for a container closure is shown, the closure device having means for supplying the container closure to the closure device;

[0042] Figure 2 schematically shown Figure 1 Another top view of the enclosed equipment;

[0043] Figure 3 A perspective side view of a sub-region of a closure device for a container closure according to another embodiment is schematically shown, the closure device having means for supplying the container closure to the closure device;

[0044] Figure 4 schematically shown Figure 3 Another three-dimensional side view of the enclosed equipment;

[0045] Figure 5 schematically shown Figure 3 A stereoscopic detail view of a sub-region of the device;

[0046] Figure 6 schematically shown Figure 3 Another three-dimensional side view of the enclosed equipment;

[0047] Figure 7 schematically shown Figure 6 Another perspective side view of the enclosed equipment; and

[0048] Figure 8 A schematic top view of a closure device for a container closure according to another embodiment is shown, the closure device having means for supplying the container closure to the closure device. Detailed Implementation

[0049] Preferred embodiments are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, identical, similar, or equivalent elements are given the same reference numerals in different drawings, and repeated descriptions of these elements are partially omitted to avoid redundancy.

[0050] exist Figure 1 The diagram schematically shows a top view of a sealing device 100 for a container closure 9, the sealing device having a device 1 for supplying the container closure 9 to the sealing device 100. The sealing device 100 is configured here for sealing containers in the form of glass bottles (not shown) with caps. Accordingly, device 1 is configured for supplying caps to the sealing device 100. Alternatively, the sealing device 100 and the corresponding device 1 may also be configured to process other container closures, such as screw closures or roll closures.

[0051] The sealing device 100 is configured with a circular rotating component. The sealing device includes a disc conveyor belt 102 rotatable about a central rotation axis 101. At the circumference of the disc conveyor belt on the conveyor pitch circle 107, a plurality of sealing units 103 movable parallel to the rotation axis 101 move together with the container sealing member 9 in the direction of movement 106 to seal the container (not shown) held in the container receiving portion (not shown) provided for the respective sealing unit 103.

[0052] The device 1 includes a drive wheel 2 rotatable about a horizontally oriented rotation axis 20, by means of which a container closure 9 is transported from a supply position 21 along a transport pitch circle 23 to a receiving position 22, wherein the container closure 9 to be supplied at the supply position is supplied from a closure supply unit 6, and the container closure 9 transported at the receiving position is received by a closure unit 103 of the closure device 100.

[0053] The drive wheel 2 is movably configured in a preset direction of movement 3 between an operating position 31 corresponding to the receiving position 22 and a retracted position (not shown here), wherein the operating position corresponds to Figure 1 The position of the driving wheel 2. In the retracted position, the driving wheel 2 is spaced apart from the receiving position 22.

[0054] In operating position 31, the drive wheel 2 is configured relative to the disc conveyor belt 102 such that the transport segment circle 23 of the drive wheel 2 and the transport segment circle 107 of the disc conveyor belt 102 are tangent to each other, thereby being tangent in receiving position 22.

[0055] The direction of movement 3 of the drive wheel 2 can optionally be oriented substantially horizontally. In other words, the direction of movement 3 is oriented substantially perpendicular to the direction of gravity, which corresponds to... Figure 1 The orientation of the top view. Correspondingly, the direction of movement 3 is also perpendicular to the rotation axis 20 of the drive wheel 2. The direction of movement 3 is perpendicular to the orientation corresponding to the top view. Figure 1 Viewed in the plane of the rotation axis 20 in the diagram, the direction of movement 3 extends radially through the receiving position 22 along the straight line 4 about the rotation axis 20. Due to the previously described tangential arrangement of the transport segment circle 23 and the conveyor segment circle 107, the direction of movement 3 also corresponds to the radial direction of the rotation axis 101 at the center of the disc conveyor belt 102.

[0056] The closure supply unit 6 is configured to progressively and radially supply container closures 9 to the drive wheel 2. The closure supply unit is positioned perpendicular to the direction of movement 3 when viewed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 20 of the drive wheel 2. The closure supply unit 6 includes a supply channel 60 by means of which the drive wheel 2 is supplied with individual container closures 9 under the influence of gravity.

[0057] Alternatively, the closure supply unit 6 may be disposed on the side of the receiving position 22 and / or movably configured between the supply position 21 and the offset position, also within a range of ±90° relative to the direction of movement 3, wherein the closure supply unit 6 may subsequently reach outside the collision space of the drive wheel 2 by moving the closure supply unit 6 to the offset position 6.

[0058] The device 1 also includes a scraping unit 5, which is mounted upstream of the drive wheel 2 with respect to the direction of movement 106 of the sealing device 100 and correspondingly with respect to the transport direction 25. With the aid of the scraping unit 5, it is feasible to remove the container closure 9 held in the sealing unit 103 from the sealing unit 103 before the newly supplied container closure 9 is received by the drive wheel 2 at the receiving point 22.

[0059] For this purpose, the scraping unit 5 includes a scraper 50 that extends along a section of the conveyor circle 107. Below the scraper 50, the scraping unit 5 includes a removal element for removing a container closure 9 in the form of a magnetic element 51 held in the sealing unit 103. The container closure 9 is drawn from the sealing unit 103 onto the scraper 50 due to the magnetic attraction of the magnetic element 51 on the cap-shaped container closure 9.

[0060] Each sealing unit 103 includes a scraper blade 104 that scrapes via a scraper plate 50 as the corresponding sealing unit 103 moves along a direction of movement 106. The term "scraping" corresponds to the movement of the scraper blade 104 over the scraper plate 50, wherein there is a gap between the scraper plate 50 and the scraper blade 104 smaller than the height of the container closure 9. Accordingly, the scraper blade 104 conveys or moves the container closure 9 removed from the sealing unit 103 along the direction of movement 106 via the scraper plate 50 to a closure collection unit 8, which is used to receive the container closure 9 removed from the sealing unit 103 by means of a scraper unit 5, the container closure being partially below the scraper unit 5 and extending below the closure supply section 6.

[0061] The scraping unit 5 is similar to the drive wheel 2, movably configured between an operating position 31 and a retracted position, in which scraping can be performed via the scraping blade 104 of the enclosing device 100. The operating position 31 corresponds to the scraping unit 5 in... Figure 1 The location shown in the image.

[0062] The scraping unit 5 is also movably configured along the moving direction 3. Here, the scraping unit 5 is configured to move together with the drive wheel 2. Alternatively, the scraping unit 5 may also be movably configured independently of the drive wheel 2. Furthermore, the moving direction of the scraping unit 5 may have an orientation different from the moving direction 3 of the drive wheel 2. For example, the moving direction of the scraping unit 5 about the rotation axis 101 of the enclosing device 100 may be oriented in the radial direction.

[0063] The device 1 also includes an open-loop control / closed-loop control device for open-loop control / closed-loop control of the position of the drive wheel 2 and / or the scraping unit 5, wherein the open-loop control / closed-loop control device 7 is configured to move the drive wheel 2 and the scraping unit 5 to the retracted position 31 at high speed in response to a collision warning.

[0064] High-speed, preferably near-sudden, retraction can be achieved by providing a corresponding accumulator. Here, for example, a pre-tensioned spring assembly or a pressure-pre-tensioned pneumatic cylinder can be provided, whose energy is released by unlocking the locking device, thereby achieving sudden retraction.

[0065] Figure 2 schematically shown Figure 1 Another top view of the enclosed device 100. In this view, the drive wheel 2 and the scraping unit 5 move from the running position 31, indicated by the dashed line, along the moving direction 3 with a predetermined displacement 33 to the retracted position 32. Accordingly, the drive wheel 2 and the scraping unit 5 are spaced apart from the disc conveyor belt 102, especially the conveyor pitch circle 107.

[0066] The container closure 9 located in the closure supply section 6 can be turned into the closure collection unit 8 by moving the drive wheel 2, for example when another type of container closure should be processed.

[0067] Figure 3 and 4 A perspective side view of a sub-region of a sealing device 100 for a container closure 9 according to another embodiment is schematically shown. The sealing device has a device 1 for supplying the container closure to the sealing device 100.

[0068] Enclosure device 100 and device 1 are substantially corresponding in their construction and operation to those according to Figure 1 and 2 The implementation method.

[0069] exist Figure 3 and Figure 4 The image shows the drive wheel 2 and scraping unit 5 in operating position 31. For the drive wheel 2 to move along the movement direction 3, the drive wheel includes an open-loop / closed-loop control device 7 (see [link]). Figure 1The driver 24, which can be controlled in both open-loop and closed-loop modes, is in the form of a pneumatic cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder.

[0070] Furthermore, the scraping unit 5 includes a driver 53 by means of which the scraping unit 5 can be moved along the movement direction 3 via the open-loop control / closed-loop control device 7. The scraping unit 5 can also retract in the same manner as the drive wheel 5 by means of its driver 53, so as to avoid collision between the closing unit and the scraping unit 5.

[0071] In a preferred embodiment, the actuator 24 exists in the form of a pneumatic cylinder preloaded by compressed air, which stores energy for the sudden retraction of the drive wheel 2. The stored energy can be unlocked by a corresponding locking device, which is subsequently triggered via an open-loop / closed-loop control device 7 in the event of a collision warning.

[0072] To supply the container closure 9, which is removed from the closure unit 103 via the scraping unit 5, to the closure collection unit 8, the scraping unit 5 includes a guide plate 52, which, by means of a scraping blade 104, supplies the container closure 9, scraped by the scraping blade 50, to the inlet 80 of the closure collection unit 8 under the influence of gravity. From the inlet 80, the container closure 9 then reaches the receiving slot 81 of the closure collection unit 8 under the influence of gravity.

[0073] The longitudinal direction of the enclosing unit 103 is indicated by reference numeral 108, which also corresponds to the direction of movement of the enclosing unit 103.

[0074] Figure 5 Show Figure 3 A three-dimensional detailed view of a sub-region of device 1 shows the supply position 21 and the receiving position 22. The drive wheel 2 includes a plurality of actuators 26, by means of which the container closure 9 is moved from the supply position 21 to the receiving position 22. The drive wheel 2 includes a ramp 27 directly upstream of the receiving position 22, by means of which the container closure 9 is lifted toward the sealing unit 103, so that the sealing unit 103 can accommodate the container closure 9. Alternatively or additionally, the sealing unit 103 may also be lowered to the drive wheel 2 to accommodate the container closure 9 or to assist in accommodating the container closure. To accommodate and / or retain the container closure 9, the sealing unit 103 may have a magnetic element (not shown).

[0075] Figure 6 and 7 Schematic illustration of having according to Figure 3 and 4 A three-dimensional detailed view of the enclosed device 100 of device 1, wherein the drive wheel 2 and the scraping unit 5 move along the direction of movement 3 from... Figure 3 and 4The method of moving from running position 31 to retracted position 32 is shown in the figure.

[0076] The container closures present in the closure supply section 6 can be exported to the closure collection unit 8 by retracting the drive wheel 2.

[0077] from Figure 8 The diagram schematically shows a top view of a closure device 100 for a container closure according to another embodiment, the closure device having a means 1 for supplying the container closure to the closure device 100. The closure device 100 substantially corresponds to... Figure 1 The sealing device 1 includes multiple sealing element supply units 6, 6', where each sealing element supply unit 6, 6' constitutes a specific type for supplying different types of container closures 9. The sealing element supply units 6, 6' are arranged on opposite sides of the drive wheel 2, extending through the receiving position 22 along the axis of the direction of movement 3 of the drive wheel 2. Here, the sealing element supply units 6, 6' are oriented perpendicular to the direction of movement 3. Alternatively, the sealing element supply units may also be arranged on the receiving position 22 within a range of ±90° relative to the direction of movement 3, as in... Figure 8 indicated in.

[0078] Wherever available, all the individual features described in the embodiments may be combined and / or interchanged with each other without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0079] List of reference numerals

[0080] 1 Equipment

[0081] 2 Drive wheel

[0082] 20 Rotation axis

[0083] 21 Supply Location

[0084] 22 Receiving Location

[0085] 23 Transportation Savings

[0086] 24 drives

[0087] 25. Transportation Direction

[0088] 26. Carrier

[0089] 27. Slope

[0090] 3. Direction of movement

[0091] 31 Running position

[0092] 32 Retracted position

[0093] 33 Displacement

[0094] 4. Straight Line

[0095] 5 Scraping Units

[0096] 50 scraper

[0097] 51 Magnetic Components

[0098] 52 Export Board

[0099] 53 drives

[0100] 6. Sealing Components Supply Department

[0101] 60 supply tanks

[0102] 7. Open-loop control / closed-loop control device

[0103] 8 Enclosed component collection unit

[0104] 80 Entrances

[0105] 81 Receiving tank

[0106] 9 Container closure

[0107] 100 Enclosed Equipment

[0108] 101 Rotation axis

[0109] 102 Disc Conveyor Belt

[0110] 103 Closed Unit

[0111] 104 Scraper Blade

[0112] 105 Container Reception Section

[0113] 106 Direction of motion

[0114] 107 Teleportation Segment

[0115] 108 Vertical direction

Claims

1. An apparatus (1) for supplying a container closure (9) to a sealing device (100) for sealing a container with the container closure (9), the apparatus comprising a rotatable drive wheel (2) for transporting the container closure (9) from a supply position (21) to a receiving position (22), wherein the container closure (9) to be supplied is supplied by a closure supply unit (6) at the supply position, and the transported container closure (9) is received by the sealing device (100) at the receiving position. Its features are, The drive wheel (2) is movably configured between a running position (31) and a retracted position (32) corresponding to the receiving position (22), in which the drive wheel (2) is spaced apart from the receiving position (22), wherein a driver (24) is provided for moving the drive wheel (2) from the running position (31) to the retracted position (32), the driver being configured to move at high speed, wherein the driver (24) is unlocked by an open-loop control / closed-loop control device (7) in the presence of a collision warning in order to enable sudden movement.

2. The device (1) according to claim 1. Its features are, The drive wheel (2) is rotatable about a substantially vertically oriented axis of rotation (20), and / or the direction of movement (3) of the drive wheel (2) is substantially horizontally oriented between the running position (31) and the retracted position (32), and / or the direction of movement (3) is oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation (20) of the drive wheel (2), and / or the direction of movement (3) is oriented within ±90° about a straight line (4) in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation (20), the straight line extending radially through the receiving position (22) about the axis of rotation (20), wherein the direction of movement (3) is oriented along the direction of the straight line (4), the straight line extending radially through the receiving position (22) about the axis of rotation (20).

3. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2. Its features are, Regarding the direction of movement (106) of the sealing device (100), a scraping unit (5) is installed upstream of the drive wheel (2), which is used to extract the container closure (9) held by the sealing device (100).

4. The device (1) according to claim 3. Its features are, The scraping unit (5) is movably configured between an operating position (31) and a retracted position (32), in which scraping can be performed via the scraping blade (104) of the enclosing device (100).

5. The device (1) according to claim 1, Its features are, The actuator (24) is provided in the form of a locked and preloaded spring assembly and / or a locked and pressure-loaded pneumatic cylinder.

6. The device (1) according to claim 3. Its features are, A closure supply unit (6) is provided for progressively radially supplying container closures (9) to the drive wheel (2), wherein the closure supply unit (6) is positioned on the side of the receiving position (22) with the movement direction (3) of the drive wheel (2) viewed from a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis (20) of the drive wheel (2) within a range of ±90°, and / or the closure supply unit (6) is movably configured between the supply position (21) and an offset position. The closure supply section (6) moves to a staggered position, allowing it to reach outside the collision space of the drive wheel (2).

7. The device (1) according to claim 6. Its features are, A plurality of closure supply units (6, 6') are provided, wherein each closure supply unit (6, 6') constitutes one type for supplying different types of container closures (9), wherein at least one closure supply unit (6, 6') is provided on the opposite side of the drive wheel (2) with respect to an axis extending through the receiving position (22) in the direction of movement (3) of the drive wheel (2).

8. The device (1) according to claim 6. Its features are, The open-loop control / closed-loop control device (7) is configured to control the position of the drive wheel (2), the scraping unit (5) and / or the at least one closure supply unit (6) in an open-loop / closed-loop manner.

9. The device (1) according to claim 3. Its features are, The closure collection unit (8) is at least partially located below the scraping unit (5) and / or below the drive wheel (2).

10. The device (1) according to claim 1. Its features are, The container closure (9) is a bottle cap.

11. The device (1) according to claim 3. Its features are, The scraping unit (5) includes a scraper (50) and an extraction element for extracting the container closure (9) held by the sealing device (100).

12. The device (1) according to claim 11, Its features are, The extraction element is a protrusion or a magnetic element (51).

13. The device (1) according to claim 11. Its features are, The scraper (50) is at least partially oriented to provide scraping of the closure device (100) by a scraper blade (104) movable in the direction of motion (106).

14. The device (1) according to claim 4. Its features are, The scraping unit (5) is positioned in a direction (3) that is parallel to the direction (3) of the drive wheel (2).

15. The device (1) according to claim 4. Its features are, The drive wheel (2) and the scraping unit (5) can move together or move independently of each other.

16. The device (1) according to claim 15, Its features are, The drive wheel (2) and the scraping unit (5) are configured to move together via a common drive (24) and / or a common base.

17. The device (1) according to claim 4. Its features are, The drive wheel (2) and the scraping unit (5) are each equipped with their own drivers (24, 53).

18. The device (1) according to claim 3. Its features are, A driver (53) is provided for moving the scraping unit (5) from the operating position (31) to the retracted position (32), the driver being configured to move at a high speed.

19. The device (1) according to claim 18. Its features are, The actuator (53) is provided in the form of a locked and preloaded spring assembly and / or a locked and loaded pneumatic cylinder, which is unlocked by an open-loop control / closed-loop control device (7) in the presence of a collision warning in order to enable sudden movement.

20. The device (1) according to claim 8. Its features are, The open-loop control / closed-loop control device (7) is configured to move the drive wheel (2) and / or the scraping unit (5) to the corresponding retracted position (32) according to the collision warning.

21. The device (1) according to claim 8. Its features are, The open-loop control / closed-loop control device (7) is configured to move the at least one closure supply unit (6) away from the collision space.

22. The device (1) according to claim 21. Its features are, The open-loop control / closed-loop control device (7) is configured to move the at least one closure supply unit (6) away from the collision space at high speed and / or approximately suddenly.

23. The device (1) according to claim 9. Its features are, The closed collection unit (8) includes an inlet (80) and / or a receiving slot (81) or a receiving basket.

24. The device (1) according to claim 23. Its features are, The inlet (80) is funnel-shaped.

25. The device (1) according to claim 9. Its features are, At least when the scraping unit (5) is in the operating position (31), the closure collection unit (8) constitutes a container closure (9) for receiving the scraped material from the scraping unit (5).

26. The device (1) according to claim 9. Its features are, At least when the drive wheel (2) is in the retracted position (32), the closure collection unit (8) is configured to collect the container closure (9) that is discharged from the drive wheel (2).

27. The device (1) according to claim 9. Its features are, At least when the drive wheel (2) is in the retracted position (32), the closure collection unit (8) is configured to collect the container closure (9) exported from the closure supply unit (6).

28. A sealing device (100) for a container closure (9), comprising a container receiving portion (105) movable in a direction of motion (106) for receiving a container to be sealed, and comprising a sealing unit (103) disposed for the container receiving portion (105) and movable relative to the container receiving portion (105), the sealing unit being used to seal the container held in the container receiving portion (105) with the container closure (9). Its features are, The device (1) is provided for supplying container closure (9) according to any one of the preceding claims.

29. The enclosure device (100) according to claim 28. Its features are, The closure device (100) is configured with a circular rotating component, wherein a rotatable disc conveyor belt (102) has the container receiving portion (105) and the closure unit (103) at its outer circumference, wherein the drive wheel (2) and the disc conveyor belt (102) are configured such that the transport pitch circle (23) of the drive wheel (2) and the conveying pitch circle (107) of the disc conveyor belt (102) are arranged tangentially to each other and / or meet at the receiving position (22), the container closure (9) to be supplied is transported by the drive wheel (2) onto the transport pitch circle, and the closure unit (103) moves on the conveying pitch circle by the rotation of the disc conveyor belt (102).

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