Packaging device and packaging method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a packaging system or a packaging method for packing folding cartons into outer packaging 30 for transport and simultaneously protecting them from transport damage by inserting suitable protective elements. The outer packaging 30 can be conveyed back and forth on a bidirectionally controllable conveyor 14 between a first filling station 31 for inserting the flat items to be packaged and a second filling station 32 for inserting the protective elements. This allows for a reduction in packaging times, costs, and space requirements compared to conventional ring conveyors.

Description

[0001] The packaging industry requires fully or semi-automatic systems for packing production goods into transport packaging so that the production goods can be delivered safely and without damage. To achieve this, the system must be capable of placing one or more protective elements, particularly protective layers or inserts made of cardboard or plastic, into the transport packaging in addition to the production goods. These protective elements are intended to protect the production goods from one another or from contact with the inner wall of the transport packaging, particularly the flaps on the bottom and lid of a transport carton.

[0002] Such packaging systems are known for packing folding boxes. These come out of a so-called folding box gluing machine as fully glued and ready-to-use folded boxes and are placed in an outer packaging for transport before being sent to the customer. Depending on the type and shape of the outer packaging carton, a cardboard insert sheet is placed under, between, and on top of the bundled folding boxes to protect the folding boxes from direct contact with the box base, the box lid, or between the bundles of folding boxes.

[0003] According to a conventional solution, the packaging system comprises a conveyor belt system on which the outer packaging passes through a circular conveyor line in a kind of roundabout. At a first filling station of the conveyor line, the folding boxes are placed into the outer packaging by a first inserting device, and at a second filling station of the conveyor line, the insert sheets are placed into the outer packaging by a second inserting device.

[0004] An example of such a conventional packaging system is disclosed in US 2019 / 0161223 A1 and forms the basis for the two-part form of present claim 1. Further conventional packaging systems are described in CN 111 792 097 A and US 4 815 251 A.

[0005] Depending on how many insert sheets need to be inserted into the outer carton as protective elements below, between, or above the folding boxes, the entire conveyor line, including all the outer packaging on it, must be run through several times. This leads to unnecessarily long packaging times, especially in smaller systems that often only process individual orders. Furthermore, the relatively large footprint of the circular conveyor line is a problem, especially in these smaller systems.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages and to create an economical and space-saving packaging system which is even superior to conventional systems in terms of processing speed, at least for certain packaging orders.

[0007] The present invention solves this problem by means of the packaging system and method according to the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0008] Unlike conventional systems with a circular conveyor line (also called a waiting station), the packaging system of the present invention has a bidirectional conveyor line that moves outer packaging back and forth between a first filling station for inserting the flat objects and a second filling station for inserting protective elements. Preferred embodiments are described below, but the invention is not limited to these.

[0009] While the insertion of the flat objects, in particular the folding boxes from a folding box gluing machine, is carried out by a fully automatic insertion device at the first filling station, the insertion of the protective elements at the second filling station can be carried out either manually by an operator or automatically by a second insertion device.

[0010] The operator or the second insertion device is positioned in such a way that they can insert protective elements, in particular the aforementioned protective layers or insert sheets, not only at the second filling station of the conveyor line, but also at an infeed and / or outfeed route through which the outer packaging is fed into or out of the conveyor line. At the infeed route, a protective element can be inserted into the still empty outer packaging carton before it reaches the conveyor line. This way, the first protective element can already be inserted while the second filling station is still occupied by another outer packaging. Likewise, the top protective element can be placed on an already filled outer packaging carton at the outfeed route while the second filling station is still occupied by another outer packaging. This way, the overall packaging times can be minimized.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment, the second insertion device reaches the second filling station and the corresponding filling stations on the supply path and / or discharge path by rotating about a vertical axis oriented perpendicular to the plane of the conveyor line. A particularly preferred design is one in which the insertion device comprises a robot arm configured to insert the protective elements into the outer packaging, and whose reach is sufficiently large that it can reach the various filling stations by rotating about the vertical axis.

[0012] The use of a robot with a swivel arm that can pivot vertically as a second loading device has proven particularly advantageous in many ways. This allows the various filling stations to be reached in a well-controlled manner by setting different rotation positions. Furthermore, the robot can also transfer outer packaging onto or off the conveyor line, change or correct the orientation of outer packaging cartons, and even label and close the outer packaging cartons after filling. By moving the robot arm, the robot can also, to a certain extent, fill outer packaging that is not stationary but moving at a certain speed. This leads to a further increase in the speed of the overall packaging process.

[0013] The range of the second insertion device preferably encompasses such a wide area of the feed path and / or the discharge path that several positions along these paths can be considered for the third or fourth filling station. This is particularly advantageous because, even with a translational displacement of the conveyor line, including the first and second filling stations, in the plane of the conveyor line, the second insertion device can still reach the second filling station, as well as suitable locations along the discharge path or the feed path that can be used as the fourth or third filling station. Such a translational displacement of the conveyor line is sometimes necessary in order to feed folding boxes from a folding box gluing machine in a different orientation to the first filling station.

[0014] Cardboard boxes are typically used as outer packaging, preferably open cardboard boxes with lid flaps for closing. Protective elements, protective sheets, protective layers or inserts are preferably flat structures made of cardboard, plastic or film, which offer good protection of the packaged goods against impact with one another or with the inner walls of the outer packaging. The protective layers can be arranged horizontally under, on or between layers of production goods or folding boxes, or vertically next to or between rows of production goods or folding boxes. The protective elements can have various shapes, in particular they can be flat, U-shaped and enclose the folding boxes, U-shaped with a web-shaped central fold between two rows of folding boxes, or even have the shape of a cross that separates two layers and two rows of folding boxes. They can also be bag-shaped and protect the production goods orEnclose folding boxes.

[0015] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail with reference to the figures. In these figures: Figure 1 a schematic plan view of a packaging system according to a first embodiment of the invention, Figure 2A a schematic plan view of a packaging system according to a second embodiment of the invention in a first translation position, and Figure 2B a schematic plan view of the packaging system according to the second embodiment in a second translation position.

[0016] The Figure 1shows a top view of the packaging system according to the first embodiment of the invention. Two so-called carton erectors 11A, 11B are visible, which automatically erect folded outer packages and serve as a source of the outer packages 30 to be filled. The carton erectors 11A, 11B guide the erected and top-open outer package cartons 30 one after the other onto a respective feed path 12A, 12B. In the In the example shown, the empty outer packaging 30 is conveyed on two feed paths 12A, 12B by a carton erector 11A, 11B each at right angles to a junction point 13. However, more than two feed paths / carton erectors can be provided, or only one carton erector 11 and one feed path can be provided (see the Figures 2A and 2B shown second embodiment).

[0017] At the junction 13, the two feed paths 12A, 12B converge and can be placed by the operator 22 onto the conveyor line 14, which then transports the outer packaging 30 back and forth in a bidirectional manner between the two filling stations 31, 32. At the junction 13, the outer packaging 30 can also be automatically fed onto the conveyor line 14, for example, via appropriately coupled conveyor belts.

[0018] At the end of the conveyor line 14 opposite the operator 22, there is a branch 15, from which the outer packaging 30 is forwarded via a first output path 16A to a first destination station 17A or via a second output path 16B to a second destination station 17B. However, more than two destination stations / output paths can be provided, or only one destination station and one output path. Multiple supply paths 12A, 12B or multiple output paths 16A, 16B offer the advantage that protective elements can be inserted into multiple outer packaging 30 at the supply and / or output paths while the second filling station 32 is still occupied by another outer packaging 30.

[0019] At the destination stations 17A, 17B there are devices for closing and labeling the fully filled outer packaging 30. Carton erector 11A, 11B,Supply routes 12A, 12B and inlet 13 are collectively referred to as the inlet section. Junction 15, outlet routes 16A, 16B, and destination stations 17A, 17B are collectively referred to as the outlet section. The transfer from conveyor line 14 can also occur (as with inlet 13) without directly connecting the conveyor belts at junction 15. In particular, the outer packaging 30 can also be transferred from conveyor line 14 to the outlet routes 16A, 16B by a gripper arm.

[0020] The folding box gluing machine (not shown) delivers the finished folding boxes (as the production goods to be packaged in this embodiment) in a glued and cut, but still flat, transport state from one side to the first insertion device 23 on the conveyor line 14. This side is shown in the schematic representation of the Figure 1on the right is designated as output 19. Between the first insertion device 23 and the folding box gluing machine, a so-called turning station 18 is arranged, with which the desired orientation of the folding boxes can be established before they are placed into the outer packaging 30 by the first insertion device 23. The turning station 18 comprises a so-called right-turning unit 18A, a so-called left-turning unit 18B and a straight feed-through unit 18C, each of which can be optionally connected to the output 19 of the folding box gluing machine. Figure 1 The right-hand rotation unit 18A is connected. In the Figure 2BA connection to the left-turning unit 18B will also be described later. If the folding boxes are to be inserted without rotation (so-called placement on the closure flap), the middle feed-through unit 18C is connected. In this case, the turning station 18 could, of course, be omitted entirely, and the folding boxes could be fed directly from the output 19 to the first insertion device 23, especially if the specific spatial orientation of the folding boxes is not important for the packaging process for other reasons.

[0021] The first insertion device 23 removes the folding boxes from the end of the turning station 18 and places them, bundle by bundle, in individual layers and / or rows, into an outer packaging 30 located at the first filling station 31 of the conveyor line 14. This filling process is already an industrial standard and is therefore not explained in more detail in the present description of the exemplary embodiment of the invention. The crucial difference from the prior art lies in the design and control of the conveyor line 14, so that outer packaging 30 is conveyed back and forth between the first and second filling stations 31, 32 on a bidirectional conveyor belt as often as necessary for the packaging process. A further difference from the prior art lies in the positioning and setup of the second filling station 32 on the conveyor line 14. Both are described in more detail below.

[0022] Unlike conventional packaging systems, where the conveyor line is a type of circular route consisting of conveyor belts connected in a ring, a simple straight conveyor belt that can be operated bidirectionally, i.e., in a forward and reverse direction, is sufficient for the present invention. The drive is provided by an electrical control unit (not shown), which is controlled automatically or by control inputs from the operator 22. As shown in Figure 1As can be clearly seen, the conveyor line 14 can be relatively short. It only needs to be at least as long as the distance between the first filling station 31 and the second filling station 32 so that it can reliably transport outer packaging 30 back and forth between these two stations. This makes the structure and space requirements significantly simpler and more cost-effective than a conventional circular conveyor line. Furthermore, the overall transport time on the conveyor line 14 is shorter, and the packaging process is therefore faster, at least at this point.

[0023] Furthermore, the operator 22 is positioned at the junction 13 such that, while standing, they can easily reach both part of the feed paths 12A, 12B and part of the conveyor line 14 in order to place protective elements from the stack 21 into outer packaging 30. More precisely, the operator 22 reaches the second filling station 32 on the conveyor line 14 and a third filling station on the feed paths 12A, 12B in the region of the junction 13. This allows the bottommost protective sheet to be placed into the still empty outer packaging 30 at the third filling station already on the feed paths 12A, 12B. Since the feed paths 12A, 12B do not need to be synchronized with the conveyor line 14, the insertion of the lowest protective sheet at the feed paths 12A, 12B can already take place while the preceding outer packaging 30 is still being filled at the second filling station 32 on the conveyor line 14. This allows the overall processing speed of the packaging system to be increased.

[0024] In addition, at least one of the exit paths 16A, 16B could be shaped (e.g. with a 90° curve) or arranged so that the operator 22 can access a portion of the exit path 16A, 16B from his / her Figure 1 can be easily reached from the location shown. In other words, at least one of the output routes 16A, 16B could have a fourth filling station within the range of the operator 22, so that the operator can place a protective sheet from the stack 21 as the top protective sheet into the outer packaging already filled with folding boxes. The fourth filling station would thus also be decoupled from the conveyor line 14, so that the processing speed of the packaging system as a whole can be increased in this respect as well. Even if this configuration is not shown in the figures of exemplary embodiments 1 and 2, it is nevertheless a preferred example of the disclosed invention and is encompassed by the subject matter of the claims.

[0025] The conveyor line 14 has a suitable mechanism for transporting the outer packaging 30 bidirectionally. This can be achieved, for example, by means of a conveyor belt on which the outer packaging 30 rests, and / or by means of a lateral belt guide, in which the outer packaging 30 is guided laterally between two conveyor belts 141 at least in a partial section of the conveyor line 14. The conveyor belts 141 can also perform the bidirectional transport on their own, so that in this case the outer packaging 30 preferably rests on rollers that minimize friction in the bidirectional transport direction.

[0026] In the Figure 1At the second filling station 32, an outer packaging 30 is shown, the first end of which, facing away from the operator 22, is just clamped between the conveyor belts 141 of the conveyor line 14. This has the advantage that, after the protective element has been inserted by the operator 22, the outer packaging 30 can be immediately moved by the conveyor belts 141 to the first filling station 31. The bidirectional transport between the first and second filling stations can then be largely automated by means of the conveyor belts 141 - for example, by a fully automatic time control or by control commands from the operator 22 or a central control device.

[0027] Alternatively, the outer packaging 30 could also be located at the second filling station 32 in an area of the conveyor line 14 that is completely outside the transport belts 141. In this variant of the present invention, the outer packaging 30 would have to be removed by the operator 22 (or by a robot 24 - see Figure 2 ) must first be pushed between the transport belts 141 of the conveyor line 14 before the bidirectional return transport to the first filling station 31 can take place.

[0028] On the opposite side of the conveyor line 14, the outer packaging 30 can still be clamped between the conveyor belts 141 of the conveyor line 14 with its second end facing the operator 22 when leaving the first filling station 31. Then the completely filled outer packaging 30 could be loaded directly at this position shortly before the branch 15 (and not at one of the destination stations 17A, 17B as in the Figure 1shown) and, if necessary, labelled.

[0029] This variant of the present invention offers the advantage that sealing and labeling take place at the earliest possible time, thereby minimizing errors. Furthermore, at least with regard to the sealing of the outer packaging 30 (usually done using an adhesive strip from a roll), the fact that the outer packaging is still secured laterally between the conveyor belts 141 is advantageous. Otherwise, at the destination station 17A, 17B, the lateral belt guide would first have to be adjusted to the width of the outer packaging 30, which has already been done with the belt guide of the conveyor line 14. The process can therefore be further accelerated and made more efficient.

[0030] The Figures 2A and 2Bshow a second embodiment of the invention, in which the operator 22 is replaced by an automatically controllable second insertion device 24. Otherwise, the explanations given above for the first embodiment apply accordingly.

[0031] The second insertion device 24 is a robotic device with at least one robot arm 25 that serves as a pivot arm. The reach or action area of the robot arm 25 is illustrated in the figures by the radius 26. It is clearly visible that both the second filling station 32 on the conveyor line 14 and the third filling station on the feed path 12 lie within the reach radius 26 of the second insertion device 24. The robot of the second insertion device 24 can reach both filling stations by rotating about the vertical axis perpendicular to the plane of the conveyor line 14 by setting different rotational positions with the pivot arm 25.

[0032] The second insertion device 24 can also be positioned, or the arrangement of the inlet and outlet paths 12, 16 can be adjusted, so that parts of the outlet path 16 also lie within the radius 26 of the robot arm 25 (not shown). Then, by adjusting the rotational position of the robot 24, the robot arm 25 can also reach a fourth filling station on the outlet paths 16A, 16B. Then, both the protective sheets on the bottom of the outer packaging 30 at the third filling station, as well as the intermediate sheets as protection between the folding boxes at the second filling station 32, and the lid sheets as the top layer at the fourth filling station can be inserted by the second insertion device 24, by controlling different rotational positions for the robot arm 25.

[0033] As in the Figure 2AAs shown schematically, several positions of the outer packaging 30 on the feed path 12 lie within the movement radius 26 of the robot arm 25. These additional positions can also be considered as an alternative third filling station for inserting protective sheets, so that the second insertion device 24 can react flexibly to how many outer packagings are waiting at the feed path 12 and can serve them in a time-saving manner. However, the robot device 24 can also perform other tasks at these positions; such as rotating or correcting the orientation of the outer packaging.

[0034] As can be seen from a comparison of the Figures 2A and 2B As can be seen, the conveyor line 14, including the first insertion device 23 and the turning station 18, can be moved relative to the otherwise stationary system. This possibility of movement already exists for the Figure 1The first embodiment shown has not been described in more detail for the sake of clarity.

[0035] The Figure 2A shows the first shift position, in which the output 19 of the folder-gluer is connected to the right-hand turning unit 18A. If no rotation of the folding boxes is required before insertion into the outer packaging 30, the straight feed-through unit 18C can be connected instead by shifting the turning station 18. By shifting to the position shown in the Figure 2B In the position shown, the system can again be converted from the right-hand turning unit 18A to the left-hand turning unit 18B without it being necessary to move the second insertion device 24 or even the carton erector 11 or the target stations 17A, 17B and the associated transport paths 12, 16A, 16B.

[0036] In the illustrated embodiment, the second insertion device 24 connects the feed path 12 to the conveyor line 14, with the robot arm 25 transferring the outer packaging 30 to the conveyor line 14 at the inlet 13. This is a further advantage of the versatility of the robot device as a second insertion device 24 according to the present invention. However, the connection to the conveyor line 14 can also be established by a flexible extension or conveyor belt connection as part of the feed path 12.

[0037] The radius 26 of the robot arm 25 is large enough to be able to move in the sliding position on the left-hand rotation unit 18B according to Figure 2Bouter packaging 30 at the second filling station or on the feed path 12 (third filling station). This makes it possible to insert the protective elements, protective sheets, protective layers, or insert sheets into the outer packaging 30 (between the folding boxes or next to, under, or on top of them) without having to change the position of the second insertion device 24.

[0038] The sliding option reduces setup times when the packaging system needs to be converted for different purposes, as shown in the example for converting from right-hand rotation unit 18A to left-hand rotation unit 18B. The required spatial translation corresponds to a displacement of approximately 2 meters (from top to bottom in the drawing).

[0039] In summary, the present invention relates to a packaging system and a packaging method for packing folding boxes for transport in outer packaging 30 and simultaneously protecting them from transport damage by additionally inserting suitable protective elements. The outer packaging 30 can be conveyed back and forth on a bidirectionally controllable conveyor line 14 between a first filling station 31 for inserting the flat objects to be packaged and a second filling station 32 for inserting the protective elements. This allows packaging times, costs, and space requirements to be reduced compared to conventional circular conveyor lines. List of reference symbols

[0040] 11, 11A, 11B Carton erector 12, 12A, 12B Supply route 13 confluence 14 conveyor belt 141 Transport belt 15 junction 16A, 16B Export route 17A, 17B Destination station (closing and labeling device) 18 Turning station 18A Right-hand turning unit 18B Left-hand rotation unit 18C Feed-through unit 19 Folder gluer output 21 Protective element stack 22 operator 23 first insertion device 24 second insertion device (robot) 25 Swivel arm (robot arm) 26 Action range of the swivel arm (radius of the robot arm) 30 Outer packaging 31 first filling station 32 second filling station

Claims

1. A packaging system for packaging flat objects in outer packages (30), having a first filling station (31) for inserting the flat objects in an outer package (30), a second filling station (32) for inserting protective elements in the outer package (30), a conveyor line (14) for conveying the outer packages (30) to the first and second filling stations (31, 32), and a first insertion device (23) arranged next to the first filling station (31) for the automated insertion of the flat objects into an outer package (30) located at the first filling station (31) on the conveyor line (14) characterized in that the conveyor line (14) is designed to convey the outer packages (30) back and forth between the first and second filling stations (31, 32) in a bidirectional manner.

2. The packaging system according to claim 1, having a second insertion device (24) arranged next to the second filling station (32) for the automated insertion of the protective elements into an outer package (30) located at the second filling station (31) on the conveyor line (14).

3. The packaging system according to claim 2, having a feeding section for feeding outer packages (30) via a feed path (12A, 12B) onto the conveyor line (14), and a discharging section for discharging outer packages (30) from the conveyor line (14) via a discharge path (16A, 16B), wherein the second insertion device (24) is also positioned next to the feed path (12A, 12B) and / or the discharge path (16A, 16B) and is capable of placing a protective element into the outer package (30) not only when the latter is located at the second filling station (32) on the conveyor line (14), but also when the outer package (30) is located at a third filling station on the feed path (12A, 12B) and / or at a fourth filling station on the discharge path (16A, 16B).

4. The packaging system according to claim 3, wherein the second insertion device (24) comprises a swivel arm (25) which, by a swivel movement of the second insertion device (24), has an action range (26) within which the second filling station (32) is located on the conveyor line (14) and the third filling station is located on the feed path (12A, 12B) and / or the fourth filling station is located on the discharge path (16A, 16B).

5. The packaging system according to claim 4, wherein the second insertion device (24) is rotatable as a whole or in a partial section about a vertical axis which is oriented perpendicular to the plane of the conveyor line (14), and the second insertion device (24) is designed to reach both the second filling station (32) on the conveyor line (14) and the third filling station on the feed path (12A, 12B) and / or the fourth filling station on the discharge path (16A, 16B), in each case in different rotational positions about the vertical axis by means of the swivel arm (25).

6. The packaging system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the second insertion device (24) reaches both the second filling station (32) and a suitable position for the third filling station on the feed path (12A, 12B) and / or a suitable position for the fourth filling station on the discharge path (16A, 16B) even when the first filling station (31) is translationally displaced together with the conveyor line (14) in the plane of the conveyor line (14).

7. The packaging system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conveyor line (14) has a bidirectional conveyor belt and / or a bidirectionally operable belt guide, with which the outer package (30) can be clamped laterally between two conveyor belts (141).

8. The packaging system according to any one of the preceding claims, which is adapted to package, as said flat objects, flat collapsed and ready-to-use folding boxes being fed from a folder-gluer discharge (19).

9. The packaging system according to any one of the preceding claims, which is designed to use empty cartons as the outer packages (30).

10. The packaging system according to any one of the preceding claims, which is designed to use flat or U-shaped insert sheets or bags made of cardboard or plastic as said protective elements.

11. A method for inserting flat objects into outer packages (30), wherein flat objects are placed in an outer package (30) at a first filling station (31), protective elements are placed in the outer package (30) at a second filling station (32), and the outer packages (30) are conveyed back and forth at least once between the first and second filling stations (31, 32) in a bidirectional manner.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the insertion of protective elements into the outer package (30) at the second filling station (32) is carried out manually by an operator (22) positioned next to the second filling station (32).

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