Stretch-wrapping machine having a roping assembly including an expandable guide roller

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a stretch-wrapping machine having an expandable guide roller configured to engage and cause part of a film to be manipulated into a reinforced rope form.

Description

STRETCH- WRAPPING MACHINE HAVING A ROPING ASSEMBLYINCLUDING AN EXPANDABLE GUIDE ROLLERPriority

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 507,333, filed June 9, 2023, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a stretch-wrapping machine, and more particularly to a stretch-wrapping machine that includes a roping assembly having an expandable guide roller configured to manipulate a film into a reduced-width rope form to secure a load of goods to a pallet.Background

[0003] Several types of stretch-wrapping machines use stretch film to secure loads of goods on pallets. These stretch-wrapping machines include a film roll carriage configured to support a removable stretch film roll. Such stretch-wrapping machines are configured to rotate the film roll carriage relative to the load while vertically moving the film roll carriage relative to the load to wrap the load in a spiral pattern with the stretch film taken from the film roll.

[0004] When palletized loads are wrapped, it is beneficial to wrap the film around the base of the load and a top portion of the pallet supporting the load to secure the load to the pallet. It is also beneficial to manipulate the film at a bottom area of the film before applying it to the base of the load and the top portion of the pallet. This manipulation of the film is often referred to as roping. This manipulation of the film creates a reinforced area of the film that is more resistant to breakage such as from sharp areas of the pallet.Summary

[0005] Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a stretch-wrapping machine including a roping assembly having an expandable guide roller configured tomanipulate a film to include a reduced-width reinforced rope form before applying the film to a base of a load and a top portion of a pallet to secure the load to the pallet.Brief Description of the Figures

[0006] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a stretch-wrapping machine of one example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0007] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing certain components of the stretchwrapping machine of Figure 1.

[0008] Figure 3A is a perspective view of a film carriage of a wrapping assembly of the stretch-wrapping machine of Figure 2A showing a roping assembly thereof having an expandable guide roller in a retracted configuration.

[0009] Figure 3B is a perspective views of the film carriage of Figure 3A showing the expandable guide roller in an expanded configuration.

[0010] Figures 4A and 4B are top views of the film carriage of Figure 3 A respectively showing the expandable guide roller in the retracted and expanded configurations.

[0011] Figures 5 A and 5B are enlarged perspective views of the expandable guide roller removed from the film carriage and respectively in the retracted and the expanded configurations.

[0012] Figures 6A and 6B are top diagrammatic views of a load on a pallet, and the expandable guide roller removed from the film carriage and respectively in the retracted and expanded configurations guiding film toward the load on the pallet.

[0013] Figures 7A and 7B are side diagrammatic views of the load on the pallet, and the expandable guide roller removed from the film carriage and respectively in the retracted and expanded configurations guiding film toward the load on the pallet.Detailed Description

[0014] While the systems, devices, and methods described herein may be embodied in various forms, the drawings show, and the specification describes certain exemplary and nonlimiting embodiments. Not all of the components shown in the drawings and described in the specification may be required, and certain implementations may include additional, different, or fewer components. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components; the shapes, sizes,and materials of the components; and the manners of connections of the components may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims. Unless otherwise indicated, any directions referred to in the specification reflect the orientations of the components shown in the corresponding drawings and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Further, terms that refer to mounting methods, such as mounted, connected, etc., are not intended to be limited to direct mounting methods but should be interpreted broadly to include indirect and operably mounted, connected, and like mounting methods. This specification is intended to be taken as a whole and interpreted in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure and as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0015] Figures 1-7B show certain parts of a stretch-wrapping machine 1 (sometimes referred to herein as a “wrapping machine” for brevity) of one example embodiment of the present disclosure. The wrapping machine 1 includes a wrapping-machine frame 10, a circular guide 20, a guide actuator 30, a wrapping assembly 40, a cutting-and-fixing device (not shown), an operator interface 50, and a controller 60.

[0016] The wrapping-machine frame 10 is formed from multiple tubular and / or solid members (not individually labeled) and configured to support the other components of the wrapping machine 1. The wrapping-machine frame 10 defines a wrapping area within its interior and has an infeed area 10a at which a palletized load (such as a load L on a pallet P) is conveyed (such as via a conveyor C) into the wrapping area for wrapping and an outfeed area 10b at which the palletized load is conveyed (such as via the conveyor C) from the wrapping area after wrapping.

[0017] The circular guide 20 serves as the mount for the wrapping assembly 40 and is movably mounted to the wrapping-machine frame 10 (such as to one or more vertical members of the wrapping-machine frame 10) such that the circular guide 20 is vertically movable relative to the wrapping-machine frame 10 between an upper position and a lower position.

[0018] The guide actuator 30 is operably connected to the circular guide 20 to move the circular guide 20 relative to the wrapping-machine frame 10 between the upper and lower positions. The guide actuator 30 includes one or more motors (not shown) operably connected to the circular guide 20 via one or more belt-and-pulley assemblies (not shown) to move the circular guide 20 between the upper and lower positions. The guide actuator could alternativelyinclude one or more pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders (not shown) operably connected to the circular guide 20 to move the circular guide 20 between the upper and lower positions. The guide actuator 30 is operable under control of the controller 60.

[0019] The wrapping assembly 40 is movably mounted to the circular guide 20 such that the wrapping assembly 40 is rotatable relative to the circular guide 20. The wrapping assembly 40 includes a ring-shaped support (not shown), a film carriage 100, a roping assembly 200 supported by the film carriage 100, and a wrapping-assembly actuator 45.

[0020] The ring-shaped support serves as the mount for the film carriage 100 and is movably mounted to the circular guide 20 such that the support (and the carriage and other components connected to the support) is rotatable relative to the circular guide 20. The support is movably mounted to the circular guide 20 via multiple spaced-apart rollers (not shown) that are connected to the support and positioned on a track (not shown) on the circular guide 20.

[0021] The film carriage 100 is fixedly connected to the support to move with the support (i.e., rotate relative to the circular guide 20 and move vertically relative to the wrappingmachine frame 10). The film roll carriage 100 is configured to rotatably support a film roll (such as a plastic stretch film roll R shown in Figures 4A and 4B). The film carriage 100 includes a film-carriage frame 105 and spaced apart film-reel supports 110a and 110b connected to the frame 105. The film supports 110a and 110b are configured to removably hold the film roll R.

[0022] The film carriage 100 supports the roping assembly 200 in a manner that enables the roping assembly 200 to engage the film. The roping assembly 200 is configured to guide the film that is pulled off of the film roll R to first positions around the load (such as shown in Figure 7A), and then to second positions such that a bottom portion of the film is at an elevation below a top portion of a pallet P supporting the load L (such as shown in Figure 7B). This causes the film to wrap around the base of the load L and the top of the pallet P to better secure the load L to the pallet P, thereby reducing the potential for the load L to shift on the pallet P during transport. The roping assembly 200 is also configured to cause a part of the film positioned below the top of the pallet to be formed into a rope-like structure (that is referred to herein as a “rope form” for brevity) and then wrapped around the pallet P. The rope form is a portion of the film that can be concentrated in a compacted manner such as a tightly compacted manner.

[0023] The film carriage 100 also includes various components (not labeled) that direct (and stretch) the film from the film roll R to the expandable guide roller 210 and that are connected to and supported by the film-carriage frame 105. These components are not described herein for brevity. The film F is drawn off the roll R and directed by and through these components of the film carriage 100 in a direction D. As used herein, “downstream” means the direction of travel of the film F as the film F is pulled off the film roll R and “upstream” means the direction opposite the direction of travel of the film F as the film F is pulled off the film roll R.

[0024] The roping assembly 200 includes an expandable guide roller 210, a support member 215, a base 220, and a guide roller actuator 230.

[0025] The base 220 is freely rotatably mounted on a bottom support member (not labeled) of the film-carriage frame 105. The support member 215 (which extends vertically in this embodiment) is fixedly connected to and supported by the base 220 and thus configured to freely rotate with the base 220. The support member 215 extends upwardly from the base 220. The top of the support member 215 can also be connected to an upper support member (not labeled) of the film-carriage frame 105.

[0026] The expandable guide roller 210 is connected to the support member 215 such that the expandable guide roller 210 is configured to freely rotate with the support member 215 and with the base 220. The expandable guide roller 210 includes a plurality of radially outwardly extendable and retractable elongated upright guides 250a-2501. The quantity of these guides can vary in accordance with the present disclosure. The guides 250a-2501 are each pivotally connected at their respective bottom sections to the support member 215 (such as by hinge assemblies (not shown)) such that each of the guides 250a-2501 is pivotable in the radial direction (i.e., inwardly and outwardly) from a retracted position (as shown in Figures 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, and 7A) to an extended position (as shown in Figures 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, and 7B). The guides 250a-2501 are each sized, shaped and otherwise configured such that there is an upright extending space between each respective pair of adjacent guides 250a-2501 when the guides 250a-2501 are in their retracted positions. The guides 250a-2501 are also each sized, shaped and otherwise configured such that there is a larger upright extending space between each respective pair of adjacent guides 250a-2501 when the guides 250a-2501 are in their extended positions.Each guide 250a-2501 in this example embodiment is identical so only guide 250a will be described herein in more detail for brevity.

[0027] The guide 250a includes an elongated outer member 252a having an outer film engaging surface (not labeled) and an elongated inner member 256a connected to and extending inwardly from the outer member 252a. The bottom section of the outer member 252a is pivotally connected by a hinge assembly (not shown) to the support member 215 in a manner that enables the guide 250a to move from its retracted position shown in Figures 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, and 7A to its extended position shown in Figures 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, and 7B. The elongated inner member 256a defines an elongated slot 258a configured to receive a connector such as a pin (not shown) of the guide roller actuator 230 such that the connector is slidable in the slot 258a from a lower position in the slot 258a to an upper position in the slot 258a when the guide roller actuator 230 moves from its lower position to its upper position as discussed below.

[0028] The guide roller actuator 230 is rotatable with the guide roller 210 and configured to rotate with the support member 215, is movable (here vertically) along the support member 215, and is controlled by the controller 60. The guide roller actuator 230 includes a plurality of connectors (not shown) that are positioned in the respective elongated slots of the guides 250a-2501 such that: (1) when the guide roller actuator 230 is moved upwardly to a position adjacent the top of the support member 215, the connectors pull the guides 250a-2501 inwardly to their respective retracted positions; and (2) when the guide roller actuator 230 is moved downwardly to a position adjacent the bottom of the support member 215, the connectors push the guides 250a-2501 outwardly to their respective extended positions. The mechanism employed to move the guides 250a-2501 inwardly to their respective retracted positions and outwardly to their respective extended positions can vary in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0029] When the guides 250a-2501 are in their respective retracted positions, they are configured to direct the film F onto the load L without changing the width of the film F as best shown in Figures 6A and 7A.

[0030] When the guides 250a-2501 are in their respective extended positions, they are configured to direct the film F in a manner that shortens the width of the film F and specifically to cause a bottom part of the film to be manipulated into a rope form as best shown in Figures 6B and 7B. In the extended positions, the guides 250a-2501 cause a bottom portion(such as 2-3 inches of the bottom portion) of the film F to fold upon itself to create the rope form at the bottom of the film F. Specifically, the guides 250a-2501 in the extended positions cause a lower outer edge of the film to move inward upon itself and toward the center of the film such that the film has shorter width and such that a lower part of the film is rolled upon itself to create a reinforced area of the film such as a rope form. The guides 250a-2501 in the extended positions can also cause the lower portion of the film that is manipulated into the rope form to be positioned below the load L and on the upper portion of the pallet P. More specifically, expanding the guides 250a-2501 creates a force on the film F that results in the film F sliding downwards relative to the guides and that causes the bottom edge of the film F to be roped as the film F is rolling upon itself. The rope form is created in part by the bottom edge of the film F that moves downwardly being stopped by the base 220, so the rope form is formed against the base 220. In various embodiments, the base 220 can have a curved shape or a multi-curved shape to assist with this. The guides 250a-2501 are configured to engage the film F with relatively low friction to cause this sliding effect. If the friction is too high and there may be no sliding effect, and then only the top edge of the film F top may be manipulated. The guides and the base can additionally include a low friction non-stick coating to achieve this low friction functionality.

[0031] The operator interface 50 is configured to receive inputs from an operator and, in certain embodiments, to output information to the operator. The operator interface includes one or more input devices configured to receive inputs from the operator. In various embodiments, the one or more input devices include one or more buttons (such as hard or soft keys), one or more switches, and / or a touch panel. In various embodiments, the operator interface 50 includes a display device configured to display information to the operator, such as information about the palletized load, the status of the wrapping operation, or the parameters of the wrapping machine 1. The operator interface can include other output devices instead of or in addition to the display device, such as one or more speakers and / or one or more lights. In certain embodiments, the operator interface 50 is formed as part of the wrapping machine 1 and is, for instance, mounted to the wrapping-machine frame 10. In other embodiments, the operator interface is remote from the wrapping machine 1.

[0032] The controller 60 includes a processing device communicatively connected to a memory device. The processing device can include any suitable processing device such as, but not limited to, a general -purpose processor, a special -purpose processor, a digital-signalprocessor, one or more microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a digital-signal processor core, one or more application-specific integrated circuits, one or more field-programmable gate array circuits, one or more integrated circuits, and / or a state machine. The memory device may include any suitable memory device such as, but not limited to, readonly memory, random-access memory, one or more digital registers, cache memory, one or more semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as integrated hard disks and / or removable memory, magneto-optical media, and / or optical media. The memory device stores instructions executable by the processing device to control operation of the wrapping machine 1 (such as to carry out a wrapping operation, as described below).

[0033] The controller 60 is communicatively connected to the actuators 30, 45, and 230 to control operation of these components in conjunction with the wrapping operations. The controller 60 is communicatively connected to the operator interface 50 to: (1) receive signals from the operator interface 50 that represent inputs received by the operator interface 50; and (2) send signals to the operator interface 50 to cause the operator interface 50 to output (such as to display) information.

[0034] A wrapping operation in which the wrapping machine 1 is used to wrap the load L and secure the load L to the pallet P is now described.

[0035] Initially, the circular guide 20 is at its upper position, the cutting-and-fixing device holds the leading end of the fdm F on the roll R, and the expandable guide roller 210 of the roping assembly 200 is in the retracted configuration (as shown in Figures 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, and 7A). The controller 60 controls the conveyor C to move the load L on the pallet P through the infeed area 10a and into the wrapping area of the wrapping machine 1.

[0036] After the load L on the pallet P reaches the wrapping area, the controller 60 controls the guide actuator 30 to lower the circular guide 20 such that the wrapping assembly 40 is at least partially vertically aligned with part of the load L. The controller 60 controls the cutting-and-fixing device to hold the leading end of the film F against the load L while controlling the wrapping-assembly actuator 45 to rotate the wrapping assembly 40 relative to the circular guide 20 and the load L. The rotation of the wrapping assembly 40 relative to the load L combined with the cutting-and-fixing device holding the leading end of the film F against the load L causes the film F to be drawn off of the roll R, directed through the components of thefilm carriage 100, directed by the expandable guide roller 210 in the retracted configuration and wrapped around the load L.

[0037] Once the film F has been wrapped around the leading end, the controller 60 controls the cutting-and-fixing device to release the leading end and move away from the load L. The controller 60 continues to control the wrapping-assembly actuator 45 to rotate the wrapping assembly 40 while controlling the guide actuator 30 to vertically move the circular guide 20 such that the load L is wrapped with the film F in a spiral pattern. During wrapping, the controller 60 also controls the feed rate of the film F and the pre-stretch the film F. Figures 6A and 7A illustrate this stage of the wrapping operation during which the film F is at its full width is wrapped around the load L.

[0038] Near the end of the wrapping operation (at least in this example embodiment), the controller 60 controls the wrapping machine 1 to apply the rope form to the load L and the pallet P. The controller 60 controls the guide roller actuator 230 to move downwardly to its lower position to cause the guides 250a-2501 to pivot radially outwardly to their respective extended positions. As the guides 250a-2501 move to their respective extended positions, the guides 250a-2501 contact and guide the film F at a different angle and thus manipulate the film F into the rope form as described above and cause the bottom rope form of the film F to be engaged with the pallet P below the load L. This enables the wrapping machine 1 to use the film partially in a rope form to secure the load L to the pallet P (without having to raise the load L and the pallet P above the conveyor C).

[0039] Afterwards, the controller 60 controls the guide roller actuator 230 to move the guides 250a-2501 to pivot radially inwardly to their respective retracted positions which allows the film F to return to its full-width form. The controller 60 then controls the cutting-and- fixing device to cut the film F from the roll and secure the trailing end of the film F to the load L, thereby completing the wrapping operation. The controller 60 controls the conveyor C to move the wrapped load L and pallet P from the wrapping area and through the outfeed area 10b.

Claims

Claims1. A stretch-wrapping machine comprising: a frame that defines a wrapping area; and a wrapping assembly positioned at least partially within the wrapping area and comprising: a carriage; an expandable guide roller; and a guide actuator coupled to the expandable guide roller and configured to move the guide roller from a retracted configuration to an expanded configuration, wherein in the expanded configuration, the guide roller is configured to engage and cause a bottom part of a film to be manipulated into rope form.

2. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 1, wherein the expandable guide roller comprises a plurality of guides each configured to move from a retracted position to an extended position.

3. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 1, wherein the expandable guide roller comprises a plurality of guides each configured to simultaneously move from a retracted position to an extended position.

4. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 3, wherein the wrapping assembly comprises a base connected to the carriage, a support member rotatably connected to the base, and wherein the guide actuator is movable relative to the support member.

5. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 4, wherein the guides are pivotally connected to the support member.

6. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 4, wherein the each of the guides are pivotal relative to the support member in a radial direction from the retracted position to the extended position.

7. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 5, wherein the guide actuator is slidably connected to each of the guides.

8. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 7, wherein each guide comprises an elongated outer member having an outer film engaging surface and an elongated inner member connected to and extending inwardly from the outer member.

9. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 8, wherein the elongated inner member of each guide comprises an elongated slot configured to receive one of a plurality of connectors of the guide roller actuator.

10. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 9, wherein the guide roller actuator is movable to a position adj cent a top of the support member where the guide roller actuator causes the guides to be in their respective retracted positions, and is movable to a position adjacent a bottom of the support member where the guide roller actuator causes the guides to be in their respective extended positions.

11. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 1, wherein the guide roller is freely rotatable.

12. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 11, wherein the guide roller actuator is freely rotatable.

13. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 12, wherein the guide roller and the guide roller actuator are freely rotatable together.

14. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 1, wherein the guide roller actuator is freely rotatable.

15. The stretch-wrapping machine of claim 1, wherein the wrapping assembly is configured cause the rope form of the film to engage a pallet in the wrapping area below a top portion of the pallet.

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