Packaging system for articles and method for packaging articles

Abstract

A packaging system (1) for articles such as beverage containers or the like is disclosed. The packaging system (1) comprises a shrink tunnel (10) designed to produce packages by shrinking thermoplastic packaging material onto assemblies of articles. The packaging system (1) further comprises at least one buffer (4, 5) to which packages produced by the shrink tunnel (10) can be fed. It is provided that the at least one buffer (4, 5) is formed by at least one spiral conveyor (6, 7).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging system for articles and a method for packaging and handling articles. The invention provides a shrink tunnel for packaging the articles.

[0002] When packaging items, especially beverage containers, bottles, or similar containers, the items are often arranged as desired and wrapped in shrink film. The shrink film is shrunk around the items by applying hot air in a shrink tunnel. The items enter the shrink tunnel with the shrink film through an entrance and exit the shrink tunnel after the shrinking process. A conveyor or horizontal conveyor can extend through the shrink tunnel to move the items through the shrink tunnel during the shrinking process.

[0003] Before the items are fed into the shrink tunnel, thermoplastic packaging material is applied to a group of items in order to create a package from the respective group via the thermoplastic packaging material in the shrink tunnel.

[0004] Such a shrinking device is known, for example, from the German utility model with publication number DE 20 2007 018 402 U1. The shrink tunnel of the German utility model is connected to a gas supply device, through which the packaging materials are exposed to a fluid, tempered medium. The fluid, tempered medium passes through a flow chamber and is guided toward several outlet openings. By exposing the packaging material to the gaseous medium, the packaging material can be shrunk onto the articles.

[0005] In generic devices according to the German utility model, the shrink tunnel is followed by a horizontal conveyor system, on which the containers produced via the shrink tunnel stand upright after leaving the shrink tunnel and are moved, if necessary, toward further workstations. The containers then cool down on the horizontal conveyor system or during their transport by the respective horizontal conveyor system and can then be manipulated by the subsequent workstations.

[0006] If a shrink tunnel is taken out of service, all items are removed from the shrink tunnel to avoid damage due to the temperature level prevailing in the shrink tunnel. The horizontal conveyor system connected to the shrink tunnel can serve as a buffer, which can accommodate all the containers in the shrink tunnel when the shrink tunnel is taken out of service. If the shrink tunnel or the packaging line is put back into operation, the containers on the horizontal conveyor system or buffer can then be moved towards a respective workstation. In order to be able to accommodate and temporarily store all the containers in the shrink tunnel, such horizontal conveyor systems are comparatively extensively dimensioned. In practice, compact packaging systems are desirable.

[0007] Even if the operation of a workstation following the shrink tunnel has to be interrupted, it can be useful in practice to continue the operation of the shrink tunnel and temporarily store containers until the subsequent workstation can be operated again. For this purpose, storage via a horizontal conveyor system following the shrink tunnel is often inadequate, as such a horizontal conveyor system may not have the necessary storage capacity to accommodate a large number of containers if the shrink tunnel continues to operate. If the horizontal conveyor system following the shrink tunnel is designed with a long section in order to accommodate a correspondingly higher number of containers, such horizontal conveyor systems require a lot of space.

[0008] One object of the invention can therefore be seen in providing a packaging system and a corresponding method that enable the temporary storage of a comparatively large number of containers while requiring minimal space. The packaging system should also have a simple structure. Furthermore, the method should be easy to implement.

[0009] The above objects are achieved by the subject matter comprising the features in the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments are described by the subclaims.

[0010] The invention relates to a packaging system for articles such as beverage containers or the like. The articles can be formed, for example, by beverage bottles or beverage cans. The beverage bottles can be, for example, PET beverage bottles.

[0011] The packaging system comprises a shrink tunnel designed to produce packages by shrinking thermoplastic packaging material onto assemblies of articles. The packaging system can also comprise a workstation that applies blanks of thermoplastic packaging material to assemblies of articles and moves the assemblies with the applied blanks of thermoplastic packaging material further towards the shrink tunnel. The workstation can comprise a plurality of insertion rods that are circumferentially guided such that a respective blank of thermoplastic packaging material can be applied to a respective assemblage of articles by means of a respective insertion rod. The packaging system can also comprise a separating device designed to separate blanks of thermoplastic packaging material from an endless belt.

[0012] The packaging system further comprises at least one buffer to which packages produced by the shrink tunnel can be fed. At least one horizontal conveyor device can be connected to the shrink tunnel, via which horizontal conveyor device packages produced by the shrink tunnel can be fed to the at least one buffer. In various embodiments, the shrink tunnel and the at least one buffer can be connected exclusively via the at least one horizontal conveyor device. The at least one horizontal conveyor device can comprise at least one circulatingly driven conveyor belt for transporting packages produced by the shrink tunnel. The at least one horizontal conveyor device can also have at least one circulatingly driven hinged belt chain for transporting packages produced by the shrink tunnel.

[0013] It is intended that the at least one buffer be formed by at least one spiral conveyor. Such a spiral conveyor is characterized by its small space requirement and high storage capacity. Embodiments in which the at least one spiral conveyor has at least three and, in particular, at least five turns have proven successful.

[0014] In various embodiments, the at least one spiral conveyor can be positioned and configured such that packages supplied by the at least one spiral conveyor are moved upwards. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one spiral conveyor can be positioned and configured such that packages supplied by the at least one spiral conveyor are moved downwards.

[0015] The at least one spiral conveyor can have a circulating driven conveyor belt on which supplied containers stand during intermediate storage via the at least one spiral conveyor and via which circulating driven conveyor belt supplied containers are moved upwards and / or downwards during intermediate storage.

[0016] Embodiments have proven successful in which the at least one spiral conveyor is positioned and designed in such a way that a respective supplied container is first moved upwards by means of the at least one spiral conveyor and then moved downwards.

[0017] Alternatively or additionally, the at least one spiral conveyor may be positioned and designed such that a respective vertical height level at which a respective container is fed to the at least one spiral conveyor and a respective vertical height level at which a respective fed container leaves the at least one spiral conveyor are substantially identical.

[0018] It may also be the case that a storage capacity of the at least one spiral conveyor and a receiving capacity of the shrink tunnel are coordinated in such a way that the at least one spiral conveyor can temporarily store all combinations of articles that can be received via the shrink tunnel as bundles.

[0019] In preferred embodiments, the packaging system can comprise a grouping station to which temporarily stored packages can be fed via the at least one buffer. In particular, the packaging system can have at least one transport device that receives already temporarily stored packages from the at least one spiral conveyor and forwards them to the grouping station. Embodiments in which the at least one spiral conveyor and the grouping station are connected exclusively via the at least one transport device have proven successful.

[0020] If the packaging system comprises at least one horizontal conveyor device according to the preceding description, it may be that the at least one horizontal conveyor device and the at least one transport device are located at a substantially identical height level. It is also conceivable that the at least one horizontal conveyor device, the at least one spiral conveyor and the at least one transport device are positioned and designed such that - the at least one spiral conveyor can be fed with containers via the at least one horizontal conveyor at a first vertical height level and - the at least one transport device receives containers from the at least one spiral conveyor at a second vertical height level, wherein the first vertical height level and the second vertical height level are designed differently.

[0021] The first vertical height level can be located above the second vertical height level. The second vertical height level can also be located above the first vertical height level.

[0022] The grouping station can transfer packages into a relative arrangement to one another, which relative arrangement is coordinated with a palletizable layer to be formed from a plurality of packages. Thus, the grouping station can comprise at least one manipulator configured and equipped such that the at least one manipulator selectively rotates supplied packages and / or displaces them at an angle to their previous direction of movement, thereby transferring a plurality of supplied packages into the relative arrangement to one another, which relative arrangement is coordinated with a palletizable layer to be formed from a plurality of packages.

[0023] Furthermore, the shrink tunnel and the grouping station may be connected to each other in such a way that all packages produced via the shrink tunnel can only be fed to the grouping station after intermediate storage via the at least one buffer. Such embodiments have a simple structure.

[0024] It is also conceivable for the shrink tunnel and the grouping station to be connected to one another via a first conveyor line and a second conveyor line, the first conveyor line comprising the at least one buffer. The packaging system can also have a switch which is adjustable for the selective feeding of packages produced via the shrink tunnel to the first conveyor line or to the second conveyor line. Such embodiments can be operated with a high throughput when packaging packages, since the packages are only forwarded via the switch to the at least one buffer and temporarily stored in the at least one buffer if a malfunction occurs during the packaging of articles. It is therefore possible that the packages can bebe forwarded via the switch to the at least one buffer and temporarily stored in the at least one buffer only if a fault in the operation of the shrink tunnel and / or a fault in the operation of the grouping station occurs.

[0025] The first conveyor line and the second conveyor line can form conveying directions oriented parallel to each other, at least in sections.

[0026] Furthermore, the at least one spiral conveyor can be height-adjustable. This allows a storage capacity of the at least one spiral conveyor to be easily adapted. A control device and at least one actuator can be provided, wherein the at least one actuator can be controlled via the control device to adjust the height of the at least one spiral conveyor. It is conceivable here for information relating to a respective packaging process to be stored on the control device and for the control device to be designed in such a way that the control device can independently control the at least one actuator to a defined height adjustment, taking this information into account. Thus, for example, it is possible for only individual packages to be taken through the shrink tunnel at a specific time in a packaging process.A small storage capacity of the at least one spiral conveyor may be sufficient to temporarily store all the items picked up at a given time via the shrink tunnel as bundles via the at least one spiral conveyor if a malfunction occurs in the operation of the shrink tunnel. Since information about the packaging process is stored on the control device, the control device can independently adjust the height and match the storage capacity of the at least one spiral conveyor to the packaging process and, if necessary, reduce it. It has proven effective for the control device to actuate the actuator in such a way that the at least one spiral conveyor is lowered to reduce its storage capacity.

[0027] It may also be the case that at a later point in time another packaging process is carried out in which a large number of packages are taken through the shrink tunnel at a specific point in time. A higher storage capacity of the at least one spiral conveyor may then be required in order to be able to temporarily store combinations of articles taken through the shrink tunnel at a specific point in time as packages via the at least one spiral conveyor. Since information about this packaging process is stored on the control device, the control device can independently adjust the height level and thereby match the storage capacity of the at least one spiral conveyor to this packaging process. In this case, it has proven useful if the control device then actuates the actuator in such a way that the at least one spiral conveyor is raised to increase its storage capacity.

[0028] Embodiments have also proven successful in which the packaging system comprises at least one horizontal conveyor device designed to transfer packages produced via the shrink tunnel to the at least one spiral conveyor, wherein the at least one horizontal conveyor device is height-adjustable. The at least one horizontal conveyor device can be the same at least one horizontal conveyor device that has already been mentioned and described above. In such embodiments, too, a storage capacity of the at least one spiral conveyor can be easily adjusted by the at least one horizontal conveyor device feeding packages at different heights to the at least one spiral conveyor.Embodiments in which a control device actuates an actuator which raises the at least one horizontal conveyor device to reduce the storage capacity or which raises the at least one horizontal conveyor device to increase the storage capacity have proven to be useful. lowers.

[0029] It is also conceivable for the packaging system to comprise a first spiral conveyor and a second spiral conveyor, wherein the first spiral conveyor is designed to transfer packages to the second spiral conveyor, and wherein the first spiral conveyor is designed to move packages upwards and the second spiral conveyor is designed to move packages downwards. The first spiral conveyor and the second spiral conveyor can be positioned and designed such that packages can be fed to the first spiral conveyor at a first height level and leave the second spiral conveyor at a second height level, wherein the first height level and the second height level are essentially identical.

[0030] Furthermore, the packaging system can comprise at least one specific spiral conveyor having an upward spiral and a downward spiral, wherein the upward spiral and the downward spiral are wound around a common axis and adjoin one another. In such embodiments, the upward spiral and the downward spiral can extend such that packages enter the upward spiral at a first height level and exit the downward spiral at a second height level, wherein the first height level and the second height level are substantially identical.

[0031] The invention also relates to a method for handling and packaging articles such as beverage containers or the like. Features that have already been described previously for various embodiments of the packaging system according to the invention can also be provided in the embodiments of the method according to the invention described below without being mentioned again. Likewise, the features described below for various embodiments of the method according to the invention can be provided in the packaging system according to the invention without being mentioned again.

[0032] The packaging system can optionally be designed to implement the embodiments of the method according to the invention described below. The embodiments of the method according to the invention described below can also be implemented with the embodiments of the packaging system already described above.

[0033] In the process, thermoplastic packaging material is shrunk onto assorted items via a shrink tunnel, thereby producing packages. Furthermore, the produced packages are at least temporarily forwarded to at least one buffer, which is at least one spiral conveyor. The packages produced via the shrink tunnel may leave the shrink tunnel and be forwarded via at least one horizontal conveyor to the at least one buffer, which is at least one spiral conveyor.

[0034] It is also possible for containers to leave the at least one buffer and then be fed to a grouping station, which transfers the containers into a relative arrangement to one another, which relative arrangement is coordinated with a palletizable layer to be formed from several containers. The relative arrangement of the several containers can be designed in such a way that the palletizable layer can be created from the relative arrangement by pushing the containers together in the relative arrangement until the containers come into surface contact with one another.

[0035] It may be that the shrink tunnel and the grouping station are connected to each other in terms of conveying technology in such a way that all packages produced via the shrink tunnel can only reach the grouping station if they have previously been moved through at least one buffer.

[0036] It is also possible for the shrink tunnel and the grouping station to be connected to one another via a first conveyor line and a second conveyor line, the first conveyor line comprising the at least one buffer. A switch can also be provided which is designed for the selective transfer of packages produced by the shrink tunnel to the first conveyor line or the second conveyor line. In this case, packages produced via the shrink tunnel can first be transferred to the second conveyor line via the switch. The switch can then be adjusted, as a result of which packages are transferred to the first conveyor line via the switch and are temporarily stored by the at least one buffer. Embodiments in which the switch is pivoted about a substantially vertically oriented axis during adjustment have proven successful.

[0037] The method can include a control device that has information on the number of sets of articles picked up via the shrink tunnel. The control device can adjust the height of the at least one spiral conveyor using actuators, taking this information into account. The control device can detect the number of sets of articles entering the shrink tunnel with the aid of sensors and thereby independently generate the information. The information can also be stored on the control device via a user.

[0038] A first spiral conveyor and a second spiral conveyor can be provided, with the first spiral conveyor moving the supplied containers upwards and then transferring them to the second spiral conveyor, which moves the transferred containers downwards. In particular, the containers can be fed to the first spiral conveyor at a first height level and leave the second spiral conveyor at a second height level, with the first height level and the second height level being substantially identical.

[0039] It is also conceivable that at least one specific spiral conveyor is provided, which has an upward spiral and a downward spiral wound around a common axis. In this case, the at least one specific spiral conveyor may first move a respective supplied container upwards along the upward spiral and then downwards along the downward spiral. In such embodiments, it may also be the case that a respective container is fed to the at least one specific spiral conveyor at a first height level and leaves the at least one specific spiral conveyor at a second height level, wherein the first height level and the second height level are substantially identical.

[0040] In the following, exemplary embodiments will explain the invention and its advantages in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures. The relative sizes of the individual elements in the figures do not always correspond to the actual sizes, as some shapes are simplified and others are enlarged relative to other elements for better illustration. Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a packaging system according to the invention and illustrates individual steps as they can be provided in various embodiments of the method according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows a view of a further embodiment of a packaging system according to the invention and illustrates individual steps as they can be provided in various embodiments of the method according to the invention; Fig. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a spiral conveyor as may be provided in various embodiments of the packaging system according to the invention and in various embodiments of the method according to the invention; Fig. 4 shows the flow chart of individual steps as they can be carried out individually or according to the Fig. 4 can be provided in various embodiments of the method according to the invention.

[0041] Identical reference numerals are used for identical or equivalently functioning elements of the invention. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals are shown in the individual figures that are necessary for the description of the respective figure. The illustrated embodiments merely represent examples of how the invention can be configured and do not constitute an exhaustive limitation.

[0042] Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a packaging system 1 according to the invention and illustrates individual steps as they are carried out in various embodiments of the method 100 according to the invention (cf. Fig. 4) may be provided. Combinations of articles can be packaged using the packaging system 1. The articles packaged using the packaging system 1 are beverage containers. A component of the packaging system 1 is a shrink tunnel, which is Fig. 1 is shown only schematically with reference numeral 10. Such a shrink tunnel 10 comprises a shrink tunnel housing and a conveyor device, via which assemblies of articles with a respective thermoplastic packaging blank are moved through the shrink tunnel housing. Typically, several nozzles are positioned in the shrink tunnel housing, which subject the thermoplastic packaging material to a hot air stream, whereby a respective blank of thermoplastic packaging material is shrunk onto a respective assemblage of articles and a package is created. A conveyor speed and a relative spacing of successive assemblies of articles are essentially constant when the assemblies of articles are moved through the shrink tunnel 10.

[0043] In practice, for example, there are so-called six-packs, which comprise six beverage containers and are held together by a shrink-fit packaging blank made of thermoplastic packaging material.

[0044] In the embodiment according to Fig. 1, a horizontal conveyor 15 connects to the shrink tunnel 1. The horizontal conveyor 15 receives packages from the shrink tunnel 10 and feeds the received packages to a first buffer 4, which is a spiral conveyor 6. Since the first spiral conveyor 6 has a large number of turns, a large number of packages can be picked up and temporarily stored simultaneously via the first spiral conveyor 6. From the first buffer 4 or the first spiral conveyor 6, the supplied packages are then transferred to a second buffer 5 or to a second spiral conveyor 7. When the packages leave the second spiral conveyor 7, the packages are transported via a transport device 17 to the grouping station 20.The grouping station 20 has at least one manipulator (not shown) that can transfer several packages into a relative arrangement that is coordinated with a palletizable layer yet to be formed from the several packages. The at least one manipulator can be, for example, a delta kinematic robot or a gantry robot. The operation of the shrink tunnel 10 and the operation of the grouping station 20 are monitored and checked for malfunctions via the control device S.

[0045] If the operation of the shrink tunnel 10 is disrupted, all containers must be removed from the shrink tunnel 10, since the high temperature level prevailing in the shrink tunnel housing will damage the containers held in the shrink tunnel 10 if they remain in the shrink tunnel 10 for a long time. In packaging systems known from the prior art, horizontal conveyor devices 15, which are connected to the shrink tunnel 10, have a relatively long length in order to be able to accommodate all containers located in the shrink tunnel 10 at a given time if a disruption occurs during the operation of the shrink tunnel 10. The packaging system 1 of the embodiment according to Fig. 1, on the other hand, has a comparatively compact structure, since the intermediate storage of containers takes place via the first spiral conveyor 4 and the second spiral conveyor 7.

[0046] It may also be the case that the operation of the grouping station 20 or of a palletizing station following the grouping station 20 is faulty, so that the operation of the grouping station 20 or of the palletizing station following the grouping station 20 must be interrupted for a certain period of time. Such a fault is detected by the control device S.

[0047] Due to the possibility of temporarily storing packages via the spiral conveyors 6 and 7, the shrink tunnel 10 can continue to produce packages even if the operation of the grouping station 20 or the palletizing station is interrupted. These packages are initially temporarily stored via the spiral conveyors 6 and 7 until the error in the operation of the grouping station 20 or the palletizing station is remedied.

[0048] Both the first spiral conveyor 6 and the second spiral conveyor 7 have a conveyor belt, via which the supplied packages are moved upwards or via which the supplied packages are moved downwards. If the control device S detects a malfunction in the operation of the shrink tunnel 10 or a malfunction in the operation of the grouping station 20, the control device S, in various embodiments, causes a reduction in the transport speed of these conveyor belts. The packages are spaced apart from one another when leaving the shrink tunnel 10. By reducing the transport speed of the spiral conveyors 6 and 7, the spacing between successive packages as they are fed to the spiral conveyors 6 and 7 is reduced, so that the spiral conveyors 6 and 7 can accommodate a larger number of packages.Once the respective fault has been remedied, the transport speed of the conveyor belts of the spiral conveyors 6 and 7 is increased again at the instigation of the control device S, whereby the spacing of successive packages when leaving the spiral conveyor 7 and transferring to the transport device 17 is increased again and adapted to the subsequent handling via the grouping station 20.

[0049] If there is no malfunction in operation, the transport speed of the spiral conveyors 6 and 7 essentially corresponds to the transport speed of the horizontal conveyor device 15 and essentially to the transport speed of the transport device 17.

[0050] In the embodiment according to Fig. 1, containers received via the first spiral conveyor 6 are moved upwards, then transferred to the second spiral conveyor 7, and moved downwards via the second spiral conveyor 7. A first height level at which containers are transferred from the horizontal conveyor 15 to the first spiral conveyor 6 and a second height level at which containers are transferred from the second spiral conveyor 7 to the transport device 17 can be essentially identical. Thus, the horizontal conveyor 15 and the transport device 17 can also be located at an essentially identical height level.

[0051] Fig. 2 shows a view of a further embodiment of a packaging system 1 according to the invention and illustrates individual steps as they are carried out in various embodiments of the method 100 according to the invention (cf. Fig. 4) may be provided. The embodiment according to Fig. 2 comprises a shrink tunnel 10 and a grouping station 20, wherein the shrink tunnel 10 shrinks blanks of thermoplastic packaging material onto assortments of articles and the grouping station 20 brings a plurality of packages into a relative arrangement to one another which is coordinated with a palletizable layer to be formed from the plurality of packages.

[0052] The packages produced via the shrink tunnel 10 can be fed to the grouping station 20 either via a first conveyor line 12 or via a second conveyor line 14. In the area of the horizontal conveyor device 15, there is a switch 8, which can be adjusted to forward packages produced via the shrink tunnel 10 either to the first conveyor line 12 or to the second conveyor line 14. The adjustment movement of the switch 8 is carried out by actuator and at the instigation of the control device S. The switch 8 can, for example, be an adjustable flap, which can be pivoted about a vertical axis by actuator at the instigation of the control device S. As Fig. 2 shows, the first buffer 4 and the second buffer 5 are part of the first conveyor line 12, whereas the second conveyor line 14 does not have a buffer 4 or 5.

[0053] When the packaging system 1 is operating without malfunctions, the switch 8 is in a position in which packages produced via the shrink tunnel 10 are fed exclusively to the second conveyor line 14. The packages are transported via the second conveyor line 14 to the grouping station 20, which transfers several packages into a relative arrangement that is coordinated with a palletizable layer to be formed from the several packages.

[0054] In the event that the operation of the shrink tunnel 10, the operation of the grouping station 20, or the operation of another work station of the packaging system 1 is disrupted, the diverter 8 is adjusted at the instigation of the control device S so that no packages reach the second conveyor line 14 and, from that point on, packages are fed exclusively to the first conveyor line 12, where they are temporarily stored via the buffers 4 and 5. Once the respective disruption has been rectified, the packages can be released via the buffers 4 and 5, which are designed as spiral conveyors 6 and 7, and fed to the grouping station 20. After all temporarily stored packages have left the buffers 4 and 5, the diverter 8 can be pivoted back at the instigation of the control device S so that packages produced via the shrink tunnel 10 are once again fed exclusively to the second conveyor line 14.

[0055] Fig. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a spiral conveyor 6 or 7, as used in various embodiments of the packaging system 1 according to the invention (cf. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) and in various embodiments of the method 100 according to the invention (cf. Fig. 4) may be provided. The spiral conveyor 6 or 7 comprises an upward spiral 16 and a downward spiral 18 wound around a common axis. Sections of the upward spiral 16 run at approximately the same height as sections of the downward spiral 18. The upward spiral 16 and the downward spiral 18 can be formed by a common conveyor belt or comprise a common conveyor belt in order to move containers first along the upward spiral 16 and subsequently along the downward spiral 18. Containers enter the downward spiral 18 from the upward spiral 16 after they have reached their highest point.

[0056] Containers are further fed to the spiral conveyor 6 or 7 via the horizontal conveyor device 15, which also includes a circulating driven conveyor belt for movement.

[0057] Fig. 4 shows the flow chart of individual steps as they can be carried out individually or according to the Fig. 4 can be provided in various embodiments of the method 100 according to the invention. In step 110, packages are produced via a shrink tunnel 10 and transported via a second conveyor line 14 (cf. Fig. 2) fed to a grouping station 20, which transfers several containers into a relative arrangement to one another, which is coordinated with a palletizable layer to be formed from the several containers.

[0058] In step 120, a control device S checks whether the operation of the shrink tunnel 10 or the operation of the grouping station 20 is malfunctioning.

[0059] If it is determined during the check that both the shrink tunnel 10 and the grouping station 20 are operating without fault, step 110 is continued. However, if the control device S determines during the check according to step 120 that a fault has occurred in the operation of the shrink tunnel 10 or in the operation of the grouping station 20, step 130 is carried out. In step 130, at the instigation of the control device S, a switch 8 (cf. Fig.2), whereby packages are fed to a first conveyor line 12 and the feed to the second conveyor line 14 is stopped. The first conveyor line 12 comprises at least one buffer 4 or 5, which is designed as a spiral conveyor 6 or 7 and temporarily stores packages until the fault is rectified. Once the fault has been rectified, the switch 8 is adjusted again at the instigation of the control device S, whereby packages are again fed to the second conveyor line 14 and step 110 is continued.

[0060] The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, it is conceivable for a person skilled in the art that modifications or variations of the invention can be made without departing from the scope of the following claims. List of reference symbols 1 packaging system 4 First buffer 5 Second buffer 6 First spiral conveyor 7 Second spiral conveyor 8 Switch 10 shrink tunnels 12 First conveyor line 14 Second conveyor line 15 Horizontal conveyor device 16 Upward spiral 18 Downward spiral 20 grouping stations 100 procedures 110 First procedural step 120 Second procedural step 130 Third procedural step S control device QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 20 2007 018 402 U1

[0004]

Claims

[1] Packaging system (1) for articles such as beverage containers or the like, comprising - a shrink tunnel (10) which is designed to produce packages by shrinking thermoplastic packaging material onto sets of articles and - at least one buffer (4, 5) to which packages produced by the shrink tunnel (10) can be fed, characterized by that the at least one buffer (4, 5) is formed by at least one spiral conveyor (6, 7). [2] Packaging system (1) according to claim 1, comprising a grouping station (20), which - via the at least one buffer (4, 5) temporarily stored containers can be fed, wherein via the grouping station (20) - Containers can be arranged in a relative arrangement to one another, which relative arrangement is adapted to a palletisable layer to be formed from several containers. [3] Packaging system (1) according to claim 2, wherein the shrink tunnel (10) and the grouping station (20) are connected to one another in terms of conveying technology in such a way that all packages produced via the shrink tunnel (10) can be fed to the grouping station (20) exclusively after intermediate storage via the at least one buffer (4, 5). [4] Packaging system (1) according to claim 2, wherein the shrink tunnel (10) and the grouping station (20) are connected to one another via a first conveyor line (12) and via a second conveyor line (14), wherein the first conveyor line (12) comprises the at least one buffer (4, 5) and wherein the packaging system (1) has a switch (8) which is adjustable for the selective feeding of packages produced via the shrink tunnel (10) to the first conveyor line (12) or to the second conveyor line (14). [5] Packaging system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least one spiral conveyor (6, 7) is height-adjustable. [6] Packaging system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, comprising at least one horizontal conveyor device (15) which is designed to transfer packages produced via the shrink tunnel (10) to the at least one spiral conveyor (6, 7), wherein the at least one horizontal conveyor device (15) is height-adjustable. [7] Packaging system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a first spiral conveyor (6) and a second spiral conveyor (7), wherein the first spiral conveyor (6) is designed to transfer packages to the second spiral conveyor (7) and wherein the first spiral conveyor (6) is designed to move packages upwards and the second spiral conveyor (7) is designed to move packages downwards. [8] Packaging system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, in which at least one specific spiral conveyor (6, 7) has an upward spiral (16) and a downward spiral (18), the upward spiral (16) and the downward spiral (17) being wound around a common axis and adjoining one another. [9] Method (100) for handling and packaging articles such as beverage containers or the like, in which method (100) thermoplastic packaging material is shrunk onto assemblies of articles via a shrink tunnel (10), whereby packages are produced and the produced packages are at least temporarily forwarded to at least one buffer (4, 5), which is at least one spiral conveyor (6, 7). [10] Method (100) according to claim 9, in which bundles leave the at least one buffer (4, 5) and are then fed to a grouping station (20), which grouping station (20) transfers the bundles into a relative arrangement to one another, which relative arrangement is adapted to a palletizable layer to be formed from a plurality of bundles. [11] Method (100) according to claim 10, wherein the shrink tunnel (10) and the grouping station (20) are connected to one another in terms of conveying technology in such a way that all packages produced via the shrink tunnel (10) can only reach the grouping station (20) if they have previously been moved through the at least one buffer (4, 5). [12] Method (100) according to claim 11, in which the shrink tunnel (10) and the grouping station (20) are connected to one another via a first conveyor line (12) and a second conveyor line (14), the first conveyor line (12) comprising the at least one buffer (4, 5) and a switch (8) being provided which is designed for the selective transfer of packages produced by the shrink tunnel (10) to the first conveyor line (12) or the second conveyor line (14), and in which method (100) packages produced via the shrink tunnel (10) are first transferred via the switch (8) to the second conveyor line (14) and subsequently the switch (8) is adjusted, as a result of which packages are transferred via the switch (8) to the first conveyor line (12) and are temporarily stored by the at least one buffer (4, 5). [13] Method according to one of claims 9 to 12, in which a control device (S) is provided which has information on the number of respective sets of articles received via the shrink tunnel (10), and which control device (S) adjusts a height level of the at least one spiral conveyor (6, 7) by means of an actuator, taking the information into account. [14] Method according to one of claims 9 to 13, in which a first spiral conveyor (6) and a second spiral conveyor (7) are provided, wherein the first spiral conveyor (6) moves the supplied containers upwards and then transfers them to the second spiral conveyor (7), which moves the transferred containers downwards. [15] Method according to one of claims 9 to 14, in which at least one specific spiral conveyor (6, 7) is provided, which has an upward spiral (16) and a downward spiral (18) which are wound around a common axis and wherein the at least one specific spiral conveyor (6, 7) moves a respective supplied package first upwards along the upward spiral (16) and then downwards along the downward spiral (18).

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