Loading and / or unloading tray for displacing containers

Abstract

The invention relates to a loading and / or unloading tray for displacing containers from a first position to a second position in a loading and / or unloading device. The aim of the invention is to provide a loading and / or unloading tray for displacing containers, which enables the extraction and / or discharge of containers in a particularly protected manner and also enables the reduction of wear and noise during operation and the simplification and acceleration of assembly. The loading and / or unloading tray has a tray base body for arranging the loading and / or unloading tray on a tray axle, at least one carrying element arranged on the tray base body for guiding the container during displacement, and a device for damping the carrying element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a loading and / or unloading tray for displacing containers from a first position to a second position in a loading and / or unloading device, in particular for a container cleaning machine, and to a tray shaft for a loading and / or unloading device for container handling. Background Art

[0002] The loading and / or unloading devices with axles known from the prior art are of various designs and are usually used to feed containers to be processed, such as reusable bottles to be cleaned, to a container treatment device. For this purpose, such feed devices have an axle with a plurality of loading and / or unloading plates arranged on a common axle bridge for moving the containers from a first position to a second position. The displacement of the containers is usually achieved by at least one driving element and in particular by fingers for lifting or lowering the containers in the container base area and by a back for supporting the container side walls. The fingers and the back are arranged on the loading and / or unloading plates, wherein according to the prior art, the fingers and the back can be screwed onto the loading and / or unloading plates as replaceable parts.

[0003] During operation of the prior art loading and / or unloading device, the bottles to be displaced are fed to the rotating disk shaft and there strike the moving fingers of the loading and / or unloading disk. Here, before the bottles are strongly accelerated, the fingers strike the container base, which generates a lot of noise and increases wear on the fingers. Furthermore, the striking of the fingers against the container base can even damage the container, which in turn leads to malfunctions and longer interruptions to remove the debris from the loading and / or unloading device. Finally, the screw connection of the fingers and backs according to the prior art does not allow for quick replacement and easy assembly, so that replacing worn fingers or backs also leads to longer interruptions to operation. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a loading and / or unloading tray for displacing containers, which allows particularly gentle removal and / or delivery of containers, reduces wear and noise during operation and makes assembly easier and faster.

[0005] This object is achieved according to the invention by a loading and / or unloading tray for moving containers according to claim 1 and by a loading and / or unloading device according to claim 12. Further advantageous developments of the invention are given in the dependent claims.

[0006] According to the present invention, a loading and / or unloading plate for shifting a container from a first position to a second position in a loading and / or unloading device has a plate base for arranging the loading and / or unloading plate on a plate shaft bridge and at least one driving element arranged on the plate base for guiding the container during the shifting process, wherein the driving element has a damping device.

[0007] Furthermore, the invention relates to a hub of a loading and / or unloading device for container processing, which hub comprises a plurality of loading and / or unloading hubs according to the invention which are arranged on a common hub bridge.

[0008] The inventors have recognized that it is advantageous to damp the entraining element, in particular the finger and / or the back, so that a damped contact can be achieved between the container to be displaced and the entraining element. As a result, the forces acting on the container can be reduced, so that the generation of noise is reduced and the risk of damage to the container is greatly reduced. Accordingly, reliable and uninterrupted operation can be ensured over a long period of time.

[0009] A loading and / or unloading device in the sense of the invention is a device which simultaneously displaces a plurality of containers from one position to another position in order to load the containers into or unload them from another device. The loading and / or unloading device for containers is preferably used in the field of industrial filling of containers, particularly preferably in a container cleaning machine. During the loading and / or unloading process, the displacement of each container from a first position to a second position can be a change in the orientation and / or spatial position of the container, wherein a pure rotation, a pure translation or a superposition of a rotation and a translation can be used for the displacement from the first position to the second position.

[0010] In order to be able to shift a plurality of containers accordingly, the loading and / or unloading device has a disk shaft. The disk shaft is usually formed by a plurality of loading and / or unloading disks arranged on a disk shaft bridge. In this case, the disk shaft is also referred to as a loading shaft, a feed shaft or an unloading shaft. The loading and / or unloading disks are preferably arranged parallel to one another on the disk shaft and / or have the same angular orientation, in particular relative to the disk shaft bridge. Furthermore, all loading and / or unloading disks are preferably arranged on the disk shaft at the same spacing relative to one another or relative to adjacent disks. In this case, the spacing is preferably greater than the container diameter and / or less than twice the container diameter.

[0011] According to the invention, the loading and / or unloading tray is formed by at least one tray base and at least one driving element arranged thereon. Here, the tray base has at least the function of forming a tray or a tray segment for being arranged on the tray-shaft bridge and holding at least one driving element. Here, each loading and / or unloading tray is preferably formed by at least two tray segments, wherein all the tray segments of the loading and / or unloading tray particularly preferably substantially surround the tray-shaft bridge together. Here, a loading and / or unloading tray preferably has 2-4 tray segments, particularly preferably has 2-3 tray segments. In addition, each tray segment preferably has exactly one tray base.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the disk base is substantially formed in one piece. However, it is also conceivable that the disk base consists of a plurality of parts. In order to keep the moving masses at a low level in an advantageous manner, the disk segments, in particular the disk base, are preferably of lightweight construction and a plurality of recesses are provided for this purpose. Particularly preferably, the disk segments, in particular the disk base, form a truss or frame structure. More preferably, the material of the non-load-bearing areas is removed and / or reduced to a load-bearing area in the form of struts.

[0013] The disk shaft, loading and / or unloading tray and / or tray base can in principle be formed from any material, wherein the components of the disk shaft, in particular the loading and / or unloading tray, the tray base, the disk shaft bridge, the frame and / or other components are preferably formed from metal, particularly preferably from stainless steel.

[0014] In principle, the container can be any container, wherein the container is preferably formed of plastic or glass and / or is used to receive food, in particular beverages. Therefore, the container is preferably a bottle. Furthermore, the container is preferably part of a reusable system and is therefore preferably a reusable bottle, in particular a bottle formed of glass or plastic.

[0015] The driving element in the sense of the present invention is a component or assembly arranged on the tray matrix and is arranged to be in direct contact with the container for displacing the container. It is particularly preferred that the container only contacts one or more driving elements during the displacement process. Here, the driving element is preferably a component that can be fixed on the tray matrix and is particularly preferably formed in one piece. Here, the loading and / or unloading tray or each tray matrix can have only one driving element, but can also have a plurality of driving elements that are identical or different from each other.

[0016] Preferably, the entraining element is a finger or a back, wherein the finger and the back can be formed from any material. Preferably, the finger and / or the back are formed from plastic. Likewise preferably, each plate matrix has at least one, particularly preferably exactly one, finger for lifting or lowering the container, and more preferably at least one, particularly preferably exactly one, back for resting against the container. Further preferably, at least one finger of the plate matrix is ​​arranged to contact the container in the bottom area of ​​the container and thereby lift or lower the container or shift it from a first position to a second position. Also preferably, the finger contacts the container only in the area of ​​the container bottom and / or the lower edge of the container. Here, the finger is also referred to as an entraining finger. The back is preferably arranged to support the container at least in sections during the displacement process so that it rests against the container side wall.

[0017] Preferably, the loading and / or unloading tray has at least one finger and a back, particularly preferably, the loading and / or unloading tray has a pair of fingers and backs, wherein more preferably, two fingers and two backs are arranged alternately along the circumference of the loading and / or unloading tray. More preferably, the loading and / or unloading tray consists of a plurality of, in particular two, trays, each having a tray base on which a respective finger and back are replaceably arranged.

[0018] According to the present invention, the driving element has damping, wherein the damping can be achieved by arranging the driving element on the disk base in a damped manner and / or by the damping of the driving element itself. A preferred design of the damping is to fix the driving element on the disk base in a movably, particularly displaceably and / or deflectably manner to achieve the damping. Here, it is particularly preferred that at least one damping element is provided to damp the movement of the driving element and / or to move the driving element back to its initial position relative to the disk base when deflected. However, alternatively or additionally, the damping can also be achieved by specifically adjusting the material elasticity of at least one section of the driving element.

[0019] According to a preferred development of the loading and / or unloading tray of the invention, damping is achieved by fixing the driving element to the tray base, thereby ensuring particularly effective damping, in particular independently of the specific contact point between the container and the driving element. In this regard, a particularly preferred design of the loading and / or unloading tray of the invention is that the driving element is supported on the tray base via a fulcrum, in particular via a fixed fulcrum and in a damped manner, wherein the support in the fulcrum area is preferably carried out by means of screws or bolts. Here, support via a fulcrum and support in a damped manner particularly means that there is at least one fixation that can be deflected around the fulcrum and the movement, in particular this deflection, is damped. The screw is preferably arranged at the end of the driving element opposite to the contact area of ​​the container and / or centered relative to the two side faces of the driving element. Further preferably, the entire part of the screw shank or bolt shank that passes through the driving element is free of threads and / or has a smooth surface, so that the driving element can be deflected particularly easily around the central longitudinal axis of the screw.

[0020] According to an advantageous embodiment of the loading and / or unloading tray according to the invention, the arrangement or fixing of the entraining element on the tray base is realized by at least one screw connection and at least one other form-fitting screwless connection, whereby the entraining element can be fixed to the tray base particularly easily and thus the entraining element can be replaced particularly quickly. The other form-fitting connection is preferably only a form-fitting connection and / or has no screws or the like. Particularly preferably, the fixing is realized by a single screw, in particular as a bearing support, and by a single form-fitting fixing.

[0021] Furthermore, a preferred design of the loading and / or unloading tray of the present invention is that the driving element is fixed to the tray base body in a form-fitting manner by inserting a web protruding from the tray base body into the elongated hole of the driving element and preferably pressing it in. The elongated hole and the web are preferably tangential to the predetermined rotation direction of the loading and / or unloading tray on the tray-shaft bridge and / or tangential to the movement trajectory of the driving element and / or parallel to the receiving surface of the tray base body, so that the loading and / or unloading tray can be arranged on the tray-shaft bridge and / or at right angles to the radial direction of the tray-shaft bridge. However, a deviated arrangement can also be used, wherein the deviation from this arrangement preferably does not exceed 30°, particularly preferably does not exceed 20°, and more particularly preferably does not exceed 10°.

[0022] Here, the elongated hole can extend on any section of the driving element, wherein the elongated hole preferably extends on at least 50%, particularly preferably at least 75%, and more particularly preferably 60%-90% of the width of the driving element. The web preferably extends linearly or without bending over its entire length and / or width, wherein in principle a curved design can also be considered. In addition, the web is preferably formed in one piece with the disk base and is particularly preferably formed by a right-angled protruding section, particularly by a right-angled bent section. Further preferably, the web preferably extends on 50%, particularly preferably at least 90%, and more particularly preferably at least 95% of the length of the elongated hole. Finally, the length of the web is preferably able to completely penetrate the elongated hole, i.e., penetrate the entire material thickness of the driving element and / or be flush with the surface of the driving element.

[0023] An advantageous development of the loading and / or unloading tray of the invention is that the damping of the entraining element fixed by the elongated hole in a form-fitting manner is realized, in particular only, by the elasticity of the material of the entraining element, in particular in the region of the elongated hole. Here, the entire entraining element can be formed from a corresponding elastic material, but preferably, the damping is realized only by means of the material around the elongated hole. For this purpose, the entraining element can be formed in one piece from a plurality of different materials and / or the parts consisting of different materials can be connected to each other inseparably. In addition, a section consisting of a highly elastic material can also be arranged on the entraining element in the region of the elongated hole as a damping element and preferably surrounds the web on all four sides.

[0024] In a preferred design of the loading and / or unloading plate of the present invention, at least one damping element is arranged on the plate base in the region where the entraining element is fixed to the plate base in a form-fitting manner, wherein the at least one damping element is particularly preferably formed of an elastic material and / or arranged between the web of the plate base and the elongated hole of the entraining element. Here, the damping element is preferably a separate element and / or is not formed integrally with the entraining element. Particularly preferably, the damping element can be removed from the entraining element and / or the plate base to facilitate the replacement of a worn or fatigued damping element. Further preferably, the damping element is preferably formed in one piece and / or is formed of an elastomer. Particularly preferably, the damping element has a retaining section for fixing the damping element to the entraining element at two opposite ends, in particular in the region of the elongated hole, and a damping section arranged centrally between the two retaining sections. Finally, the damping section is preferably provided for passing through the opening of the web and / or is arranged on the web. It is also preferred that the damping section has a smaller diameter than the retaining section and / or has a cylindrical shape.

[0025] One possibility for achieving damping is to form regions with different elasticities on the driver element. Preferably, the driver element preferably adopts a sandwich structure and / or is divided into two sections composed of different materials for damping, wherein the elasticity of one material in at least one damping region is higher than that of at least another material, in particular the remaining material of the driver element. The driver element is particularly preferably formed by injection molding and particularly preferably simultaneously from at least two different materials, in particular two different polymers. Further preferably, a fastening device, in particular a screw, is also arranged in the driver element region formed by the remaining material or the low-elasticity material.

[0026] Particularly preferably, the damping of the entraining element is realized by a section of elastic material in the region of the container contact surface, in particular in the region of the tip of the entraining element formed as an entraining finger. Thus, in this case, at least not only the damping of the disk base relative to the entraining element is provided, but also (also) the damping of the entraining element relative to the container to be displaced is provided.

[0027] Alternatively or additionally, the loading and / or unloading plate can also be designed such that in a central area between the container contact surface and the area for arrangement on the plate base and / or around the elongated hole of the entraining element, the entraining element has a damping area for damping, the material of which has higher elasticity.

[0028] As another method of fixing the entraining element to the plate base to form the web, the entraining element can be pushed onto an area of ​​the plate base and fixed by means of at least one, preferably at least two, particularly preferably exactly two screws, wherein preferably at least one of the screws is formed from an elastic material to achieve corresponding damping. Particularly preferably, the entraining element is pushed on as a sleeve surrounding a section of the plate base, wherein a form-fitting fixation is particularly preferably already performed. In this way, damping can be achieved not only by means of one or more damping elements but also by the material elasticity of the entraining element, in particular in the receiving area of ​​this section of the plate base. In addition, in the present invention, it is generally conceivable to form the fastening device, in particular the screw, with an elastic material, particularly preferably an elastomer, in order to achieve damping or to contribute to damping. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Several embodiments of the loading and / or unloading tray with a driving element of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0030] Figure 1 A perspective view showing a loading and / or unloading device for container handling,

[0031] Figure 2 A side view of a first embodiment of a disk substrate with a driver element is shown,

[0032] Figure 3 The driving element is shown in Figure 2 A detailed cross-sectional view of the fixing on the disc substrate shown,

[0033] Figure 4 A perspective view showing a second embodiment of a disk substrate with a driver element,

[0034] Figure 5 Show Figure 4 A front view of the disc base with the driving element shown, and

[0035] Figure 6 A perspective view of a third embodiment of a disk substrate with a driver element is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Figure 1 The loading and / or unloading device 12 shown is formed to receive a plurality of bottles in parallel with each other simultaneously and supply them to the bottle cleaning system. Then, the cleaned bottle is taken out by another loading and / or unloading device 12 having the same structure.

[0037] In order to be able to bring the bottles from a first position, in particular an upright position, into a second position, in particular a horizontal position, in order to feed the bottles into a cleaning unit of a bottle cleaning system, the loading and / or unloading device 12 has a tray shaft with a plurality of loading and / or unloading trays 1 arranged parallel to one another on a tray shaft bridge.

[0038] Each loading and / or unloading tray 1 is arranged around the tray-axle bridge over the entire circumference, wherein one loading and / or unloading tray 1 is formed for this purpose from a plurality of tray segments. Each loading and / or unloading tray 1, in particular each tray segment, has a single tray base 2, which is formed from stainless steel and has a receiving area 14 on one side with a fastening element 15 for being arranged on the tray-axle bridge in a rotationally fixed and immovable manner.

[0039] A driving element 3 is arranged on each plate base 2, which is provided for moving the bottle in direct contact with the bottle surface. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the first embodiment shown, the entraining element 3 formed as an entraining finger is pushed onto a section of the plate base 2 in a form-fitting manner and fixed by two identical damping elements 13. The damping elements 13 are formed from a highly elastic polymer, so that the entraining element 3 can be arranged in a damping manner on the plate base 2. In addition, further damping can be achieved by forming the contact surface 10 of the entraining element 3, which is in direct contact with the bottle to be displaced, from a material that has a higher elasticity than the material of the other sections of the entraining element 3, wherein the entraining element 3 is preferably produced from at least two different materials by injection molding.

[0040] Figure 4 and Figure 5 The second embodiment shown differs from the first embodiment essentially in that the entraining element 3 pushed onto a section of the disk base 2 is fixed by means of two screws 5, 11 or corresponding bolts, wherein preferably at least one of these screws 11 is formed from an elastic material to achieve damping. Alternatively or additionally, the material of the entraining element 3 surrounding at least one of these screws 5, 11 can also have a higher elasticity than the material of the other sections of the entraining element 3.

[0041] exist Figure 6 In the third embodiment of the loading and / or unloading tray 1 shown, a driving element 3 formed as a finger and a driving element 3 formed as a back (or back plate) are arranged on each tray base 2. Here, each driving element 3 is first fixed to the tray base 2 by an inelastic screw 5, wherein the screw 5 forms the fulcrum 4 of the assembly. In addition, each driving element 3 is also fixed to the tray base 2 by a further form-fitting screwless connection 7. For this purpose, the web 8 of the tray base 2 is pressed into the corresponding elongated hole 9 of the driving element 3, so that an elastic or damped deflectable connection of the driving element 3 to the tray base 2 is achieved. Here, the driving element 3 can be formed from a single material, wherein the material preferably has an elasticity adapted to the required damping, so that on the one hand the form-fitting connection 7 and on the other hand the contact between the bottle and the contact surface 10 of the driving element 3 is affected by the damping caused by the elasticity of the material. Furthermore, however, it is also conceivable to use materials with different elasticities, in particular materials with higher elasticity, to form the contact surface 10 and / or the region of the elongated hole 9 .

[0042] Reference numerals list

[0043] 1 Loading and / or unloading disks

[0044] 2-disc base

[0045] 3. Driving element

[0046] 4 pivot points

[0047] 5 screws

[0048] 6 screw connection

[0049] 7Form-fit connection

[0050] 8. Belly Plate

[0051] 9 Long holes

[0052] 10 Contact surface

[0053] 11 Elastic screw

[0054] 12 Loading and / or unloading devices

[0055] 13 Damping element

[0056] 14 Receiving Area

[0057] 15 Fastening elements.

Claims

1. A loading and / or unloading tray (1) for displacing containers from a first position to a second position, in particular for a container cleaning machine, comprising: - a tray base (2) for arranging the loading and / or unloading tray (1) on a tray bridge, and at least one entraining element (3) which is arranged on the tray base (2) and serves to guide the container during displacement, It is characterized in that The entraining element (3) has damping.

2. The loading and / or unloading tray for shifting containers according to claim 1, characterized in that The damping is achieved by fastening the driver element (3) to the disk base (2).

3. A loading and / or unloading tray for shifting containers according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The entraining element (3) is supported on the disk base (2) via a fixed support point (4) and in a damped manner, wherein the support in the region of the support point (4) is achieved by means of screws (5).

4. Loading and / or unloading tray for shifting containers according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The driver element (3) is arranged on the disk base (2) by means of at least one screw connection (6) and at least one further form-fitting screwless connection (7).

5. Loading and / or unloading tray for shifting containers according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The positive locking fixation of the entraining element (3) on the disk base (2) is achieved by pressing a web (8) protruding from the disk base (2) into an elongated hole (9) of the entraining element (3).

6. Loading and / or unloading tray for displacing containers according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The damping of the entraining element (3) which is fixed in a form-fitting manner by means of the elongated hole (9) is achieved by the elasticity of the material of the entraining element (3) in the region of the elongated hole (9).

7. Loading and / or unloading tray for shifting containers according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one damping element is arranged in the area where the driving element (3) is fixed to the disk base (2) in a form-fitting manner, wherein the at least one damping element is preferably formed from an elastic material and is arranged between a web (8) of the disk base (2) and an elongated hole (9) of the driving element (3).

8. Loading and / or unloading tray for displacing containers according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The entraining element (3) is formed in a sandwich structure and / or as two sections made of different materials for damping, wherein the elasticity of the material in at least one damping area is higher than the remaining material of the entraining element (3).

9. Loading and / or unloading tray for displacing containers according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The damping of the entraining element (3) is achieved by a section of elastic material in the region of the container contact surface (10).

10. Loading and / or unloading tray for displacing containers according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The entraining element (3) has a damping region for damping in a central region between a container contact surface (10) and a region for arrangement on the disk base (2) and / or around the elongated hole (9) of the entraining element (3), the material of which has a higher elasticity.

11. Loading and / or unloading tray for displacing containers according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The entraining element (3) can be pushed onto a region of the disk base (2) and fixed by means of two screws (5, 11), wherein at least one of the screws (11) is formed from an elastic material so that corresponding damping is achieved.

12. A hub for a loading and / or unloading device (12) for container handling, in particular for container cleaning, comprising a plurality of loading and / or unloading hubs (1) according to at least one of claims 1 to 11 arranged on a common hub bridge.

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