Unpacking device and method for unpacking beverage containers

Abstract

An unpacker (1) is disclosed. The unpacker comprises a manipulator (9) and a control device (S). The manipulator (9) can be controlled via the control device (S) such that the manipulator (9) removes all beverage containers (3, 6, 8) from a respective package (5) and transfers those beverage containers (6) removed that meet predetermined target criteria, sorted from beverage containers (8) that do not meet predetermined target criteria, to different destination locations (Z1, Z2).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an unpacker and a method for unpacking beverage containers.

[0002] In packaging technology, it is often necessary to separate single-type beverage containers from those of other companies, or to sort the beverage containers accordingly, before the single-type containers are processed further. Single-type beverage containers can be understood as those belonging to the company itself and intended to be refilled after appropriate cleaning. Containers belonging to other companies are defined as those belonging to another company and therefore not cleaned and refilled within the company.

[0003] In the field of packaging technology, there is also often a need to separate beverage containers that are suitable for refilling from those beverage containers that are damaged or have other visual impairments, so that they cannot or should not be used for refilling.

[0004] Therefore, beverage containers must be sorted according to different criteria in a variety of cases.

[0005] Currently, it is often the case that single-variety beverage containers and containers of other types are manually separated, and only the single-variety beverage containers are then processed further. Manual separation is cumbersome, time-consuming, and requires at least one skilled person to separate the single-variety beverage containers from the containers of other types.

[0006] There are also sorting systems that at least assist in separating beverage containers from other types of containers. If beverage containers are contained within packaging, such as a beverage crate, these existing sorting systems can unpack all the containers and place them on a tray. The single-type beverage containers are then separated and sorted from the other types of containers, either manually or with the assistance of a handling device.

[0007] Furthermore, systems are already known in which all beverage containers are removed from their packaging or crates and arranged in a linear sequence. Subsequently, all beverage containers enter a sensor detection zone and are then sorted via conveyor belts, taking the sensor readings into account. The subsequent repacking into containers or crates can be done manually or by a packer.

[0008] Such systems, known from the prior art, require a large amount of space to provide the necessary sorting function. Furthermore, the described sorting of beverage containers via conveyor belts often leads to damage to the surfaces of the respective containers, a phenomenon known in practice as "scuffing".

[0009] The object of the invention is to provide a method for unpacking and sorting beverage containers arranged in packaging while reducing space requirements. Furthermore, the sorting process should be gentle and not cause any damage or impairment to the outer surfaces of the beverage containers. The device provided for this purpose should also be simple in design. The sorting method should also be easy to perform.

[0010] The above problems are solved by the items which comprise the features in the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

[0011] The invention relates to an unpacker comprising at least one manipulator. The at least one manipulator can, in particular, be configured as at least one handling robot, for example, a gantry robot, at least one articulated robot, or at least one delta kinematic robot. Alternatively, the at least one manipulator may comprise a lifting column and a working tool designed for receiving beverage containers, which working tool is movable up and down along the lifting column by means of at least one actuator of the at least one manipulator. In such embodiments, it is conceivable that the at least one manipulator comprises at least one further actuator by means of which the working tool is also movable in a horizontal direction relative to the lifting column.

[0012] The unpacker also includes at least one horizontal conveyor device via which packages, each containing several beverage containers, can be transported into a working area of ​​the at least one manipulator. The at least one horizontal conveyor device can be configured to move packages containing several beverage containers, the packages being beverage crates. The beverage containers can be, in particular, beverage bottles and / or beverage cans.

[0013] The unpacker also includes a control unit and at least one sensor connected to the control unit, whereby at least one sensor enables the control unit to distinguish between beverage containers of a given package that meet predefined target criteria and other beverage containers of the same package that do not meet the predefined target criteria. The at least one sensor connected to the control unit may be a camera.

[0014] In various configurations, the beverage containers that meet the specified target criteria may be exclusively those intended for cleaning and / or refilling within the company itself. Conversely, the beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria may be external containers or beverage containers from another company that are neither intended for cleaning nor refilling within the company itself.

[0015] Furthermore, it is conceivable that the beverage containers that meet the specified target criteria are exclusively those that satisfy the specified quality criteria. Conversely, the beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria may be exclusively those that do not meet the specified quality criteria and are therefore, in particular, damaged and / or exhibit an unintended impairment of their visual appearance. The visual appearance of a beverage container can be impaired, for example, if an outer surface of the respective beverage container has scratches and / or cracks.

[0016] The target criteria can stipulate that a beverage container belongs to a specific facility only if it meets the specified target criteria, or that a beverage container is intended for cleaning via a cleaning machine within the facility and must be transferred to a destination via at least one manipulator, which is fluidically connected to a cleaning machine. The specified target criteria can also stipulate that a beverage container meets specified quality criteria only if it meets the target criteria, and must be transferred via at least one manipulator to a destination where only beverage containers meeting the specified target criteria are located.

[0017] The control device is designed to control the at least one manipulator in such a way that all beverage containers can be removed from their respective packaging via the at least one manipulator, and those beverage containers removed that meet the specified target criteria can be sorted and transferred to different destinations, separate from those that do not. At a first destination, only beverage containers that meet the specified target criteria can be located. At a second destination, only beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria can be located.

[0018] It is possible that the control device is designed to control the at least one manipulator in such a way that all beverage containers can be removed from their respective packaging at least approximately simultaneously via the at least one manipulator.

[0019] Effective embodiments have been found in which the control device is configured to control the at least one manipulator in such a way that all beverage containers from several different packages can be removed at least approximately simultaneously via the at least one manipulator, and those beverage containers removed that meet the specified target criteria can be sorted and transported to different destinations, separate from those that do not. Such embodiments have a high throughput.

[0020] In addition to or as an alternative to the embodiments described above, the unpacker can include a buffer that forms a destination to which beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria can be transferred via the at least one manipulator. These beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria can be the previously described foreign containers and / or the previously described beverage containers that do not meet the quality criteria.

[0021] The unpacker can also include a transport device and a transfer device, which transfer device interacts with the buffer and the transport device, so that, with the help of the transfer device, those beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria can be moved from the buffer to the transport device.

[0022] The buffer can be designed in various embodiments as a transport device and may include a continuously driven conveyor belt on which beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria rest once they have been received by the buffer. Alternatively, the buffer can, for example, be designed as a horizontally oriented and stationary platform onto which beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria can be transferred via at least one manipulator.

[0023] In simple embodiments, a transfer device can be designed by a guide element or a guide plate, over which beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria can be conveyed from the buffer to the transport device. The guide element or guide plate can be positioned such that beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria remain in surface contact with the guide element during the transfer from the buffer to the transport device and slide along it.

[0024] The transfer device can also include a slide and a linear actuator, wherein the slide is movable via the linear actuator, so that by moving the slide several beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria can be moved together from the buffer onto the transport device.

[0025] Furthermore, the transfer system can be equipped with an industrial robot that interacts with the buffer and the transport system, so that, with the aid of the industrial robot, those beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria can be moved from the buffer to the transport system. The industrial robot could be, for example, a gantry robot, an articulated robot, or another type of industrial robot.

[0026] Alternatively or additionally, the unpacker may include a handling device designed to receive beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria from the transport device and to insert these beverage containers into empty packaging. The handling device may be a gantry robot or an articulated robot. The handling device may also include a lifting column and a working tool mounted on the lifting column, the working tool being movable relative to the lifting column such that it can receive multiple beverage containers from the transport device, move them to a package or an empty package, and insert them into the package or the empty package.

[0027] It is also possible that the handling device is designed in such a way that beverage containers received by the device can be checked for the presence of further criteria. Furthermore, the handling device can be designed in such a way that the received beverage containers can be sorted according to these further criteria and placed into different packages. For example, it is conceivable that certain containers belong to one company and certain other containers belong to another company. In such embodiments, the handling device can be configured and equipped so that it places only containers belonging to the first company into a first package and only containers belonging to the second company into a second package.

[0028] In various embodiments, the transport device and the at least one horizontal conveying device may have conveying directions oriented parallel to each other. If the buffer is designed as a transport device and comprises a continuously driven conveyor belt, one conveying direction of the buffer may run parallel to these conveying directions.

[0029] It is also conceivable that several aisle plates are positioned within the transport system in such a way that beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria are guided across the multiple aisle plates in several parallel rows. It is possible that these beverage containers, which do not meet the specified target criteria, crowd into the aisles formed by the multiple aisle plates and are then guided in several parallel rows.

[0030] Furthermore, the unpacker can include a conveyor belt that forms a destination or a further destination to which those beverage containers that meet the specified target criteria can be transferred via the at least one manipulator. Such embodiments have proven effective in easily conveying beverage containers that meet the specified target criteria via the conveyor belt to subsequent processing and, in particular, subsequent cleaning.

[0031] Embodiments have also proven effective in which the unpacker includes an infeed for transporting packages containing beverage containers and a robot for transferring the packages with their containers from the infeed to the at least one horizontal conveyor. The infeed can be designed to transport packages in such a way that successive packages are abutted during transport. The robot can be configured and equipped to maintain a relative distance between abutting packages and transfer packages with this relative spacing to the at least one horizontal conveyor.In particular, embodiments have proven successful in which the robot is designed to adjust the relative spacing of packages in such a way that an essentially identical relative spacing is formed between each immediately successive package, whereby no package transported via the at least one horizontal conveyor device is in surface contact with another package.

[0032] The invention also relates to the use of an unpacker according to an embodiment of the preceding description for beverage containers, which are glass bottles.

[0033] The invention further relates to a system for handling beverage containers. The system comprises an unpacker according to an embodiment of the preceding description and a cleaning machine. The cleaning machine is fluidically connected to the unpacker such that those beverage containers which meet the specified target criteria can be conveyed from the destination or from the next destination to the cleaning machine. The fluidic connection can be effected via at least one further horizontal conveying device of the system, via which at least one further horizontal conveying device transports beverage containers which meet the specified target criteria from the destination or from the next destination to the cleaning machine or in the direction of the cleaning machine.

[0034] The system may include a beverage container filling machine, which allows a beverage to be placed into a specific beverage container. The beverage container filling machine may be located downstream of the cleaning machine in the flow direction of the beverage containers.

[0035] Alternatively or additionally, the system may include a container manufacturing machine that allows multiple beverage containers to be coupled into a single container via at least one packaging element. This at least one packaging element could be, for example, a band, strapping, a tray, and / or a flat packaging blank with multiple openings for receiving beverage containers. Such a flat packaging blank can have several retaining tabs in the area of ​​each opening, which engage a beverage container at its neck or crimped edge, thereby securing the container to the flat packaging blank. If the system includes a beverage container filling machine, the container manufacturing machine may be positioned downstream of the beverage container filling machine in the direction of beverage container flow.

[0036] If the system includes a container manufacturing machine, it may have a grouping station located downstream of the container manufacturing machine in one direction of beverage container flow. The grouping station may be designed such that several containers can be transferred via the grouping station into a relative orientation that is aligned with a palletizable layer to be formed from the multiple containers. The grouping station may include at least one delta kinematic robot to establish this relative orientation.

[0037] The grouping station can also be followed by a work module which pushes the containers together in the relative arrangement so that a palletizable layer is formed from the containers.

[0038] Alternatively or additionally to the embodiments described above, the system may include a workstation located downstream of the cleaning machine and, if applicable, the beverage container filling machine in one direction of beverage container flow. This workstation may be designed for applying thermoplastic packaging blanks to beverage containers. In such embodiments, the system may also include a shrink tunnel located downstream of the workstation in one direction of beverage container flow and designed for shrinking the applied thermoplastic packaging blanks onto the beverage containers.

[0039] Alternatively or additionally, the system may include a gluing machine located downstream of the cleaning machine in the flow direction of the beverage containers. The gluing machine may be designed to apply adhesive bonds to the beverage containers, allowing several beverage containers to be joined together to form a single unit.

[0040] The system may also include a palletizer capable of placing palletizable layers containing multiple beverage containers, or palletizable layers containing multiple containers (each containing several beverage containers), onto an assigned pallet. If the system includes a palletizer, it may also have a floor-based transport system that automatically or semi-automatically provides pallets for stacking palletizable layers.

[0041] In all of the embodiments described above, the system may also include at least one stretch wrapper or other packaging modules, which may be arranged upstream or downstream of the at least one robot.

[0042] Furthermore, the system can include a conveying device via which the cleaning machine is fluidically connected to one of the aforementioned stations and / or machines and / or the work module.

[0043] The invention also relates to a method for unpacking beverage containers from packaging, which may in particular be beverage crates. Features that have already been described previously for various embodiments of the unpacker and / or the system according to the invention may 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 the embodiments of the method according to the invention may also be provided in the embodiments of the unpacker and the system according to the invention already described above without being mentioned again. The embodiments of the unpacker and the system described above may, if necessary,The device may be configured to carry out the embodiments of the inventive method described below. The embodiments of the inventive method described below may also be carried out using the previously described embodiments of the inventive unpacker or the inventive system.

[0044] The process uses at least one sensor to differentiate between beverage containers that meet predefined target criteria and those that do not. This sensor can be at least one camera.

[0045] Furthermore, the packages with their contained beverage containers are moved via at least one horizontal conveyor device into a working area of ​​at least one manipulator, whereupon the at least one manipulator removes all beverage containers from a respective package and sorts those beverage containers that meet the specified target criteria against those beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria and transfers them to different destination locations.

[0046] Effective designs have been found in which the at least one manipulator removes all beverage containers from a respective package at least approximately simultaneously.

[0047] It is possible that beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria are transferred via at least one manipulator to a buffer, which serves as a destination. From there, the beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria can be forwarded via a transfer device to a transport device. The transfer device could, for example, be a guide plate over which the beverage containers slide as they are transferred from the buffer to the transport device.

[0048] It is also conceivable that beverage containers which do not meet the specified target criteria are received from the transport system via a handling device and placed into empty packaging.

[0049] The empty packages may be packages from which all beverage containers have been previously removed, at least approximately simultaneously, by means of at least one manipulator. Specifically, it may be that the at least one manipulator removes all beverage containers from a given package, at least approximately simultaneously, whereupon the empty packages are moved via the at least one horizontal conveyor and partially transferred to another conveyor. The handling device then inserts beverage containers received from the transport device into the empty packages while they are on the conveyor.

[0050] Design features in which the at least one horizontal conveying device and the transport device move beverage containers in parallel conveying directions have also proven effective.

[0051] Alternatively or additionally, beverage containers that do not meet the specified target criteria may be guided in parallel rows between several aisle plates in the area of ​​the transport device.

[0052] Furthermore, it is possible that those beverage containers which meet the specified target criteria are transferred via at least one manipulator to a conveyor belt which forms a destination or another destination.

[0053] It is also conceivable that packaging containing beverage containers is moved via an inlet and transferred from the inlet to at least one horizontal conveyor system by means of a robot.

[0054] It is possible that those beverage containers which meet the specified target criteria will be transported from the destination or from the next destination and fed into a cleaning machine.

[0055] The following exemplary embodiments of the invention and its advantages will be explained 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 relative sizes, as some shapes are simplified and others are enlarged for better illustration. Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a first embodiment of a system according to the invention and a first embodiment of an unpacker according to the invention and illustrates steps as they may be provided in various embodiments of the method according to the invention; Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show schematic views of a further embodiment of a system according to the invention and a further embodiment of an unpacker according to the invention and illustrate steps as they may be provided in various embodiments of the method according to the invention; Fig. 4 The flowchart shows the steps as they can be performed individually or in the combination and sequence shown, according to Fig. 4 in various embodiments of the method according to the invention.

[0056] Identical reference numerals are used for identical or equivalently functioning elements of the invention. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals necessary for describing the respective figure are shown in the individual figures. The embodiments shown are merely examples of how the invention can be designed and do not constitute an exhaustive limitation.

[0057] To reuse beverage containers 4, they are returned as empty containers to a supplier, who then cleans them before they can be refilled. To enable the highly automated and rapid removal of beverage containers 4 from their respective packaging 5, prior art already employs unpackers equipped with robots that assist in removing the beverage containers 4 from the packaging 5.

[0058] Problems arise, for example, when a package contains five beverage containers that are not intended for refilling within the company. These beverage containers may be external containers belonging to a different company and therefore need to be transferred to another company for refilling. Additionally, beverage containers that need to be discarded may be damaged or have visual defects and are therefore unsuitable for refilling.

[0059] To sort and separate beverage containers 4 intended for further processing from other beverage containers 4 that are unsuitable or not intended for further processing, unpackers are currently used that require a very large footprint to perform the sorting process. Several steps are still performed manually with existing unpackers to separate beverage containers 4 intended for further processing from other beverage containers 4.

[0060] The embodiment of an unpacker 1 according to Fig. 1 And the system 10, which includes this embodiment of an unpacker 1, can sort beverage containers 4 with a high degree of automation and requires only a small footprint. In the embodiment according to Fig. 1 Packages 5, each containing several beverage containers 4, are moved via the inlet 3. The beverage containers 4 are in Fig. 1 Not shown. However, the beverage containers 4 could be beverage bottles or glass bottles. The packaging 5 could be beverage crates, each containing several beverage bottles. It could also be cardboard boxes, each containing several beverage containers 4.

[0061] In this case, three packages 5 are moved in the conveying direction FR via the inlet. The packages 5 contain both beverage containers 4 that are intended for further processing within the company and beverage containers 4 that are from external suppliers and are not intended for further processing within the company.

[0062] While the packages 5 are being moved via the feeder 3, a control device S uses sensors (not shown) to determine whether the beverage containers 4 still contained in the packages 5 meet specified target criteria, or whether they are beverage containers 4 intended for refilling within the company, or whether they are external containers not belonging to the company and therefore not intended for refilling within the company.

[0063] After the packages 5 have been moved through the sensor's detection range via the infeed 3, the packages 5, containing the beverage containers 4, are received by a robot (not shown) and transferred to the horizontal conveyor 12. A manipulator 9, which has several gripping elements for picking up multiple beverage containers 4, is also connected to the control unit S. These gripping elements can, for example, be configured so that the beverage containers 4 can be grasped by the multiple gripping elements using negative pressure.

[0064] The control unit S causes the manipulator 9 to simultaneously grasp all beverage containers 4 contained in a given package 5 using its gripping elements and lift them upwards out of the packages 5. After the removal of its beverage containers 4, the respective package 5 is moved forward via the horizontal conveyor 12, as indicated by the arrow. After the beverage containers 4 have been removed by the manipulator 9, the package 5 is empty and contains no beverage containers 4.

[0065] Since the beverage containers 4 have been moved through the detection range of the sensors before being removed, the control unit S knows which of the beverage containers 4 received by the manipulator 9 are intended for further processing and which are external containers not intended for further processing within the system. Thus, the control unit S can use the sensors to determine whether a given beverage container 4 meets the specified target criteria or whether it does not. The sensors could, for example, be a camera.

[0066] The manipulator 9 is actuated by the control unit S such that it transfers beverage containers 4 and 8, which are foreign containers or do not meet the specified target criteria, to destination Z1 and positions the remaining beverage containers 4 and 6, which are intended for further processing or which meet the specified target criteria, at the further destination Z2. The working range of the manipulator 9 therefore extends to both destination Z1 and destination Z2.

[0067] The received beverage containers 4 are thus sorted by the manipulator 9, so that only containers from other companies are located at destination Z1, and those beverage containers 4 that are to be refilled and cleaned at a later time within the company are located at destination Z2. Destination Z2 is formed by a conveyor belt 16. Destination Z1 is formed by a transport device 25, which can also include a continuously driven conveyor belt onto which beverage containers 4 or containers from other companies are placed by the manipulator 9. The beverage containers 4 arranged on the conveyor belt 16 are then conveyed to the cleaning machine R.

[0068] For example, conveyor belt 16 may transport the beverage containers arranged on it directly to cleaning machine R, without any intermediate workstations between conveyor belt 16 and cleaning machine R. Alternatively, the beverage containers 4 may first be fed via conveyor belt 16 to a downstream workstation, and these beverage containers 4 may then enter cleaning machine R. This downstream workstation could, for example, be one that detects defective or damaged beverage containers and rejects them to prevent them from being conveyed to cleaning machine R. System 10 comprises the unpacker 1 and cleaning machine R and may also include the workstation described above, or additional workstations, machines, and / or modules.

[0069] System 10 may also include a beverage container filling machine, which is located downstream of the cleaning machine R in a flow direction of the beverage containers 4, introduces a beverage into cleaned beverage containers and seals the filled beverage containers.

[0070] The completely emptied packaging 5 is moved via the horizontal conveyor device 12 and can also be fed to a cleaning machine in order to receive refilled beverage containers after cleaning and to be put on sale together with the filled beverage containers.

[0071] The Fig. 1 also shows that the unpacker 1 of the embodiment according to Fig. 1 The conveyor 14 comprises a conveying device on which an empty package 5 is arranged. The conveying device 14 can, for example, be a conveyor belt that operates intermittently. The intermittent operation is controlled by the control device S. The manipulator 9 or another handling device can receive individual empty packages 5 from the horizontal conveying device 12 and transfer them to the conveyor 14. This transfer occurs at the instigation of the control device S and only when there are external containers on the conveying device 25 and empty packages 5 are needed to load these external containers.

[0072] In practice, the largest proportion of empty packaging 5 will therefore usually be moved via the horizontal conveyor device 12 to a cleaning machine, which is not shown in the figures of the present patent application.

[0073] To insert the external containers into the empty packaging 5, the unpacker 1 includes a handling device (not shown) which receives external containers from the transport device 25 and inserts them into packaging 5 located on the conveyor device 14. In practice, it is frequently the case that different external containers from different companies are included in packaging 5 transported in the infeed area 5.

[0074] To ensure that these various external containers reach their respective facilities, embodiments have proven effective in which the manipulator 9 first places all external containers not belonging to the facility itself at the destination Z1 or onto the transport device 25. The handling device that receives external containers from the transport device 25 and places them into packaging 5 can sort the received beverage containers 4 or external containers according to further criteria. In particular, this handling device can place external containers belonging to a first facility into a first packaging 5 and external containers belonging to a second facility into a second packaging 5.

[0075] The control unit S can use its sensors to determine whether a particular external container belongs to a specific plant, provided the beverage containers 4 are still inside their packaging 5, which is being moved in the conveying direction FR via the inlet 3. Alternatively, the handling device can be equipped with additional sensors that communicate with the control unit S, allowing the control unit S to determine the respective plant affiliation of each external container.

[0076] When a package 5 arranged on the conveyor 14 is completely filled with foreign containers, the conveyor 14 can be driven at the instigation of the control unit S and move the fully filled package 5 towards another workstation. Subsequently, an empty package 5 is transferred from the horizontal conveyor 12 to the conveyor 14, so that it is ready to be filled with foreign containers.

[0077] As mentioned previously, in the embodiment according to Fig. 1 In the infeed area 3, sensors detect whether the beverage containers 4 contained in the packages 5 meet predefined target criteria, or whether they are beverage containers 4 that will be cleaned in-house or whether they are external containers belonging to another company. However, it is also possible that all beverage containers 4 are first removed from a package 5 by the manipulator 9, and that the manipulator 9 is equipped with sensors that allow the control unit S to identify, for beverage containers 4 already removed from the packages 5, whether they meet predefined target criteria, or whether they are beverage containers 4 that will be cleaned in-house or whether they are external containers belonging to another company and may need to be cleaned there.

[0078] The unpacker 1, operated and constructed in this manner, requires little space for sorting beverage containers 4 according to different criteria. Furthermore, the unpacker 1 has a high degree of automation, so that manual intervention is generally not necessary to sort beverage containers 4 according to different criteria.

[0079] The Fig. 2 and the Fig. 3 show schematic views of a further embodiment of a system 10 according to the invention and a further embodiment of an unpacker 1 according to the invention and illustrate steps as they are carried out in various embodiments of the method 100 according to the invention (cf. Fig. 4 ) may be provided. According to the previous to Fig. 1 The described embodiment also includes the unpacker 1 of the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 2 an inlet 3 for transporting packages 5 containing beverage containers 4 in the conveying direction FR. The packages 5 are also transported according to the embodiment shown. Fig. 2 together with the beverage containers 4 that have been picked up, they are transferred to the horizontal conveying device 12, whereupon a manipulator 9 removes all beverage containers 4 from their respective packaging 5 at least approximately simultaneously.

[0080] The control unit S is connected to a sensor system and can use the sensors to distinguish between beverage containers 6 that meet predefined target criteria and other beverage containers 8 that do not. The target criteria are defined such that those beverage containers 6 that meet the predefined target criteria should be moved to a cleaning machine R. Conversely, those beverage containers 8 that do not meet the predefined target criteria are containers from another company, and these containers should not be moved to the cleaning machine R. According to the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 1 will also be used in the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 2 The beverage containers 4 are sorted and transferred to different destinations Z1 and Z2, whereby the beverage containers 4 or foreign containers transferred to the first destination Z1 are inserted into empty packagings 5 ​​via a handling device not shown, which are located on the conveyor device 14.

[0081] From a synthesis of Fig. 1 with the Fig. 2 It becomes clear that the unpacker 1 of the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 2 has a buffer 23 which in the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 1 This is not provided for. The destination Z1, to which the foreign containers are transferred via the manipulator 9, is formed by the buffer 23. Those beverage containers 4 that are foreign containers or that do not meet the specified target criteria are transferred from the manipulator 9 to the buffer 23. A transfer device 27, in this case a guide plate, is arranged in the area of ​​the buffer 23. The buffer 23 is capable of moving the received beverage containers 4 against the guide plate. The guide plate is positioned and oriented such that, during movement through the buffer 23, the beverage containers 4 come into surface contact with the guide plate, slide along the guide plate under surface contact, and thereby pass onto the transport device 25, which moves the transferred beverage containers 4 parallel to the conveying direction FR.

[0082] In the area of ​​the transport device 25, several parallel aisle plates 18 are arranged. After the beverage containers 4 have transferred from the buffer 23 to the transport device 25, each container 4 pushes its way into a specific aisle, with each aisle being formed by a pair of immediately adjacent aisle plates 18. Within the area of ​​the aisle plates 18, the beverage containers 4 are moved in several parallel rows. A working area of ​​the handling device, which receives the containers from the transport device 25 and then inserts them into empty packaging 5, extends over the aisle plates 18, allowing the handling device to receive beverage containers 4, or other containers, from the several parallel rows.Forming a multi-row flow of beverage containers in the area of ​​the transport device 25 simplifies the receiving process for the handling device and reduces the risk of problems occurring when the handling device receives beverage containers 4 or foreign containers from the transport device 25.

[0083] The Fig. 3 shows the embodiment of the unpacker 1 and the system 10 according to Fig. 2 clarifying further aspects. This shows Fig. 3 in particular, the further transport of packaging 5 via the conveyor device 14, after the packaging 5 has been filled with external containers via the handling device already described. As can be seen from a summary of the Fig. 2 with Fig. 3 The conveyor 14 is actuated by the control unit S such that exactly two packages 5 are transported away via the conveyor 14. One package 5 remains on the conveyor 14 and is transported away at a later time via the conveyor 14 together with another package 5 when it has been completely filled with other containers. The transport of the packages 5 therefore takes place in pairs and by means of intermittent operation of the conveyor 14.

[0084] The Fig. 4 The flowchart shows steps as they can be provided individually or in the combination and sequence shown in various embodiments of the method 100 according to the invention.

[0085] In step 110, a control device S uses sensors to distinguish between beverage containers 4 that meet predefined target criteria and those that do not. The beverage containers 4 are contained within packaging 5.

[0086] In step 120, the packages 5 with their incorporated beverage containers 4 are transported via a horizontal conveyor 12 into a working area of ​​a manipulator 9, which is connected to the control unit S.

[0087] In step 130, the manipulator 9 is actuated via the control unit S, causing the manipulator 9 to remove all beverage containers 4 from their respective packaging 5 at least approximately simultaneously. Those beverage containers 6 that meet the specified target criteria are then sorted and transferred to different destination locations Z1 and Z2, separating them from those that do not. In step 140, the beverage containers 6 that meet the specified target criteria are transferred from their initial destination or from the secondary destination Z2 to a cleaning machine R.

[0088] The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, it is conceivable to a person skilled in the art that modifications or changes to the invention can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the following claims. Bezugszeichenliste

[0089] 1 Unpacker 3 Infeed 4 Beverage container 5 Packaging 6 Beverage container, beverage container that meets the specified target criteria 8 Beverage container, beverage container that does not meet the specified target criteria 9 Manipulator 10 System 12 Horizontal conveying device 14 Conveyor device 16 Conveyor belt 18 Lane plate 23 Buffer 25 Conveyor device 27 Transfer device 100 process 110 process step, first process step 120 process step, second process step 130 process step, third process step 140 process step, fourth process step FR Conveyor direction R Cleaning machine S Control unit Z1 Destination Z2 Destination, further destination

Claims

1. Unpacker (1), comprising: - at least one manipulator (9), - at least one horizontal conveyor (12) via which packages (5) with several beverage containers (4) each can be transported into a working area of ​​the at least one manipulator (9), - a control device (S) and at least one sensor system connected to the control device (S), via which at least one sensor system the control device (S) is configured such that the control device (S) is configured via the at least one sensor system to distinguish between beverage containers (6) of a respective package (5) that meet specified target criteria and further beverage containers (8) of a respective package (5) that do not meet the specified target criteria, and wherein the control device (S) is configured to control the at least one manipulator (9) in this way.that all beverage containers (4, 6, 8) can be removed from their respective packaging (5) via at least one manipulator (9) and that the beverage containers (6) removed in this process, which meet the specified target criteria, can be sorted and transferred to different destination locations (Z1, Z2) in contrast to the beverage containers (8) removed in this process, which do not meet the specified target criteria.

2. Unpacker (1) according to claim 1, wherein the control device (S) is configured to control the at least one manipulator (9) in such a way that all beverage containers (4, 6, 8) can be removed from a respective packaging (5) at least approximately simultaneously via the at least one manipulator (9).

3. Unpacker (1) according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising - a buffer (23) which forms a destination (Z1) to which those beverage containers (8) which do not meet the specified target criteria can be transferred via the at least one manipulator (9), and - a transport device (25) and a transfer device (27), which transfer device (27) interacts with the buffer (23) and the transport device (25) such that, with the aid of the transfer device (27), those beverage containers (8) which do not meet the specified target criteria can be transferred from the buffer (23) to the transport device (25).

4. Unpacker (1) according to claim 3, comprising a handling device which is designed to receive those beverage containers (8) which do not meet the specified target criteria from the transport device (25) and which handling device is designed to insert these beverage containers (8) into empty packagings (5).

5. Unpacker (1) according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the transport device (25) and the at least one horizontal conveying device (12) have conveying directions (FR) oriented parallel to each other.

6. Unpacker according to one of claims 3 to 5, in which several aisle plates (18) are positioned in the area of ​​the transport device (25) such that those beverage containers (8) which do not meet the specified target criteria are guided in several parallel rows in the area of ​​the transport device (25) over the several aisle plates (18).

7. Unpacker according to one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a conveyor belt (16) which forms a destination or a further destination (Z2) to which those beverage containers (6) which meet the specified target criteria can be transferred via the at least one manipulator (9).

8. Unpacker according to one of claims 1 to 7, comprising an infeed (3) for transporting packaging (5) with beverage containers (4, 6, 8) contained therein and a robot for transferring the packaging (5) with their contained beverage containers (4, 6, 8) from the infeed (3) to the at least one horizontal conveying device (12).

9. Use of an unpacker (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8 for beverage containers (4, 6, 8) which are glass bottles.

10. System (10) for handling beverage containers (4, 6, 8), comprising an unpacker (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8 and a cleaning machine (R), wherein the cleaning machine (R) is fluidically connected to the unpacker (1) such that those beverage containers (6) which meet the specified target criteria can be conveyed from the destination or from the further destination (Z2) to the cleaning machine (R).

11. Method (100) for unpacking beverage containers (4, 6, 8) from packaging (5), in which method (100) uses at least one sensor to distinguish between beverage containers (6) that meet specified target criteria and beverage containers (8) that do not meet the specified target criteria, and in which method (100) moves the packaging (5) with their contained beverage containers (4, 6, 8) into a working area of ​​at least one manipulator (9) via at least one horizontal conveying device (12), whereupon the at least one manipulator (9) removes all beverage containers (4, 6, 8) from a respective packaging (5) and transfers those beverage containers (6) that meet the specified target criteria to different destination locations (Z1, Z2), sorted from those beverage containers (8) that do not meet the specified target criteria.

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one manipulator (9) removes all beverage containers (4, 6, 8) from a respective package (5) at least approximately simultaneously.

13. Method (100) according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein those beverage containers (8) which do not meet the specified target criteria are transferred via the at least one manipulator (9) to a buffer (23) which forms a destination (Z1) and from there are forwarded via a transfer device (27) to a transport device (25).

14. Method according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein those beverage containers (8) which do not meet the specified target criteria are received by the transport device (25) via a handling device and inserted into empty packagings (5).

15. Method according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the at least one horizontal conveying device (12) and the transport device (25) move beverage containers (4, 6, 8) in parallel conveying directions (FR).

16. Method according to one of claims 13 to 15, in which those beverage containers (8) which do not meet the specified target criteria are guided in parallel rows between several aisle plates (18) in the area of ​​the transport device (25).

17. Method according to one of claims 11 to 16, wherein those beverage containers (6) which meet the specified target criteria are transferred via the at least one manipulator (9) to a conveyor belt (16) which forms a destination or a further destination (Z2).

18. Method according to one of claims 11 to 17, wherein packagings (5) containing beverage containers (4, 6, 8) are moved via an inlet (3) and transferred from the inlet (3) to the at least one horizontal conveying device (12) by means of a robot.

19. Method according to one of claims 11 to 18, in which those beverage containers (6) which meet the specified target criteria are transported from the destination or from the further destination (Z2) and fed to a cleaning machine (R).

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