Transport wheel for objects

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transport wheel (10) for objects, comprising a wheel body (12), which can be driven in rotation, and a counter-guide, the wheel body (12) being provided with at least one object pocket (16) on its outer side in a transport configuration, the counter-guide being arranged outside the wheel body (12) in such a way that, in the transport configuration of the wheel body (12), the object received in the at least one object pocket (16) is guided along the counter-guide during rotation of the wheel body (12). According to the invention, the wheel body (12) is constructed in two parts by a first wheel body part (18) and a second wheel body part (20), wherein, in the transport configuration, the first wheel body part (18) and the second wheel body part (20) together form the at least one object pocket (16), and the first wheel body part (18) and the second wheel body part (20) can be moved between the transport configuration and a release configuration, in which the object pocket (16) is widened in such a way that it is possible to remove the at least one supported object.

Description

[0001] 221322PDE / FEHH 1

[0002] Transport wheel for objects

[0003] Description

[0004] The present invention relates to a transport wheel for objects which have a substantially cylindrical body section and at least one end a section with an enlarged diameter, comprising a wheel body which can be driven in rotation in a direction of rotation and a counter-guide, wherein the wheel body in a transport configuration is provided on its radial outside with at least one object pocket in which an object to be transported can be received, and the counter-guide is arranged radially outside the wheel body such that in the transport configuration of the wheel body, when the wheel body is rotated, the object received in the at least one object pocket is guided along the counter-guide.Furthermore, the invention relates to a system consisting of such a transport wheel and at least one object that can be transported by means of the transport wheel, as well as a method for transporting an object with such a transport wheel.

[0005] Conveyor wheels of the type described above are used in a wide variety of applications, for example in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, where cylindrical objects, such as bottles and especially syringe bodies, are transported and handled. These transport wheels can function either as components of larger systems, such as filling lines, or as switches that direct the objects to different output paths. For example, assemblies are known in which at least two such transport wheels are arranged in sequence, and the objects are therefore first picked up by one of the transport wheels and, at a transfer point, either passed to the second transport wheel or discharged from the first transport wheel at another point. 221322PDE / FEHH 2

[0006] In the transport wheel type described above, the size of the object pockets, which are usually fixed to the wheel, is tailored to the objects being transported in such a way that the objects lie within the pockets with their cylindrical body sections. Furthermore, since the object pockets are dimensioned such that at least one section with an increased diameter of the object cannot pass through them, the object rests on the edge of the wheel body in the area of ​​the corresponding object pocket and is carried along the counter-guide when the transport wheel rotates.

[0007] In certain cases, situations may arise where the transport wheel must be emptied of objects already held within it, for example, during the re-referencing of drives due to an emergency stop or similar event. In such cases, all objects carried by the transport wheel must be removed. While objects with only one end featuring a section of increased diameter can be pulled directly upwards out of the wheel body and, in particular, out of their object pockets, corresponding objects are also known that have sections of increased diameter at both opposite ends. Due to the dimensions of these sections, they cannot be removed either upwards or downwards, relative to the size of the object pocket.Rather, in such a case, if an attempt were made to remove a corresponding object upwards from the wheel body, the lower section with its enlarged diameter would abut the lower edges of the object pocket, and consequently there is no way to easily remove such objects from transport wheels of the type known per se.

[0008] Accordingly, in the described cases where it was necessary to remove carried objects during the operation of a transport wheel of a type known from the prior art, the affected transport wheels and counter guides had to be removed again by an operator for emptying, which resulted in a considerable loss of time and 221322PDE / FEHH 3

[0009] This represents a significant workload. Furthermore, since such transport wheels and their counter-guides are installed in the machine before production begins and before the start of their work cycle, the removal process described above also exposes areas that were previously covered and therefore not sterile. Moreover, particularly in systems where several transport wheels are connected in series as described above, the individual counter-guides on adjacent wheels overlap, making removal by a single operator impossible or only possible to a limited extent, as the overlap necessitates the simultaneous removal of several transport wheels and counter-guides.

[0010] Furthermore, alternative transport wheels are known from the prior art which grasp and transport each individual object by means of a gripper provided for this purpose, for example as described in EP 1 009 710 B1 and EP 0 659683 B1; however, such transport wheels are complex and prone to failure due to the large number of components required and the corresponding control mechanism, and they have a large number of exposed surfaces which are comparatively difficult to clean and / or sterilize.

[0011] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate the disadvantages of the prior art described above and to further develop a transport wheel of the generic type in such a way that it is possible to easily remove objects, in particular those with a section having an increased diameter at their two opposite ends, in a state in which these objects are currently held in corresponding object pockets opposite the counter guide.

[0012] To solve this problem, a transport wheel of the type described above is proposed according to the invention, which is characterized and further developed in such a way that the wheel body is constructed in two parts by a first wheel body part and a second wheel body part, wherein in the transport configuration the first wheel body part and the second wheel body part jointly form the at least one object pocket and the first wheel body part and the second 221322PDE / FEHH 4

[0013] The wheel body component can be shifted between the transport configuration and a release configuration with respect to the direction of rotation, in which the object pocket is widened to allow removal of at least one carried object. It should be noted at this point that, in different design variants, the removal of a corresponding object in the release configuration can be carried out directly via the widened object pocket or indirectly via a removal opening accessible from the object pocket.

[0014] Thus, in the transport wheel according to the invention, the displacement of the two wheel body parts relative to each other corresponds to a rotation of the wheel body in or against the direction of rotation of the transport wheel about the center of rotation of the transport wheel. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for example, the first wheel body part can be driven by an external drive or coupled to a higher-level system for this purpose, while the second wheel body part can sit vertically above the first wheel body part and be carried along in a rotationally fixed manner during transport operation of the transport wheel.

[0015] Furthermore, it should be noted that although the transport wheel according to the invention is particularly suitable for objects which have sections with an increased diameter at their two opposite ends, since these can be removed from it much more easily in the manner described above compared to the known prior art, the transport wheel according to the invention is in any case also suitable for transporting objects with a section with an increased diameter only at one end, so that the transport wheel according to the invention is backward compatible in this respect with transport wheels of the generic type known from the prior art in which the transition to the release configuration is not provided.

[0016] Furthermore, in comparison to the transport wheels already mentioned above, which are known from the prior art and have individual gripping devices for each object to be transported, there are only two mutually movable 221322PDE / FEHH 5

[0017] By providing wheel body components, the number of components required is significantly reduced and the overall design of the transport wheel is considerably simplified, resulting in reduced susceptibility to malfunctions due to the less complex mechanics. Furthermore, such a transport wheel according to the invention can, in principle, be retrofitted into systems that are currently equipped with transport wheels of the type described above, since an identical design is possible with regard to their interfaces to a basic assembly or a drive. Accordingly, retrofitting the transport wheel according to the invention is possible without modifications to the basic assembly or the drive assembly.

[0018] Furthermore, the design according to the invention allows all necessary mechanics to be relocated to an interior space which can be completely sealed off from the rest of the machine, so that there are no externally visible mechanics that would be difficult to clean and / or sterilize or could be affected by external influences. Similarly, a suitable design of the rotary mechanism between the two wheel body parts prevents non-sterile surfaces from being exposed during transfer between the transport and release configurations, and it will not be necessary for an operator to remove format parts during ongoing production to take the objects in question.

[0019] Although in principle only a single object pocket for the transport of only a single object could be provided in a transport wheel according to the invention, the transport wheel can also be designed in such a way that the first wheel body part and the second wheel body part together form a plurality of object pockets on the radial outside of the wheel body, which can be equally spaced in the circumferential direction or arranged at different intervals.

[0020] Furthermore, the at least one object pocket can be designed such that it comprises at least one upper and one lower retaining element, which, in a top view along the axis of rotation of the transport wheel 221322PDE / FEHH 6, preferably have substantially identical contours and define the shape of the object pockets. Accordingly, in such an embodiment, the objects are restricted by the retaining elements at two spaced-apart areas vertically above and vertically below in the region of their cylindrical body sections, thereby enabling secure transport in contact with the counter guide and reliably preventing jamming, wedging, or similar issues, while simultaneously reducing the material requirements of the transport wheel and thus also its moment of inertia. Furthermore, variants with at least one third retaining element between the upper and lower retaining elements would also be conceivable, for example.

[0021] Furthermore, the transport wheel according to the invention can include a mechanism by which the transport configuration and / or the release configuration of the wheel body is fixed by a stop and / or a locking device is secured. Various approaches are conceivable for this purpose, for example, guiding the first wheel body part against the second wheel body part by means of at least one elongated hole or another type of movement path with a limited angular range of motion, and optionally a snap mechanism or similar device that fixes the wheel body parts against each other with a holding force until the snap mechanism is opened or the holding force is overcome by an operator.

[0022] Here, the second wheel body part can be rotatably mounted on the first wheel body part by means of a bearing such that the displacement between the transport configuration and the release configuration can be triggered manually, i.e., by physical action of an operator, in particular by means of an operating handle arranged on the upper side of the second wheel body part. In other variants, a plurality of such handles could also be provided, and alternatively, embodiments are also conceivable in which the displacement of the two wheel body parts relative to each other can be triggered by means of an automatic device, which could, for example, include an actuator or similar device for displacing the two wheel body parts relative to each other, or a robot. 221322PDE / FEHH 7

[0023] In order to reduce the aforementioned hermetic sealing of the mechanism in an interior of the transport wheel against the environment and thus the maintenance effort of the transport wheel, at least one ring-shaped seal can be provided between the first and the second wheel body part in order to hermetically seal the interior space in all relative positions of the wheel body parts to each other.

[0024] Although the configuration of the at least one object pocket by means of the first wheel body part and the second wheel body part can be implemented in different ways, in a particularly preferred embodiment the at least one object pocket can be configured by means of arms provided on the two wheel body parts, each extending from a central disc section. Accordingly, the object pocket is formed in the region of the radially outer ends of the respective arms of the two wheel body parts, wherein the arms, in particular spaced apart from their radially outer ends, can additionally be provided with a profile, in particular a respective recess, which, in the release configuration, forms a removal opening in a top view along the axis of rotation of the transport wheel, connected to the object pocket via a channel, and which is larger than the object pocket.The term "larger dispensing opening" here refers to the fact that certain objects can be removed through the opening in this state, while removal from the object pocket remains impossible. Accordingly, the specific shapes of the dispensing opening and the object pocket can be tailored to the objects being transported. In any case, variations are conceivable in which, when viewed from above, circular cylindrical objects with a specific diameter range can be removed through the dispensing opening, but not from the object pocket. Furthermore, it is understood that both the angle of rotation of the two wheel body parts relative to each other and the exact geometry of the arms must be appropriately coordinated to achieve the aforementioned dimensions of the object pocket and the dispensing opening.

[0025] Furthermore, the transport wheel according to the invention can include a detection device 221322PDE / FEHH 8, which is configured to detect whether the transport wheel is currently in the transport configuration or the release configuration and to output corresponding data. Optical or inductive sensors, for example, can be used for this purpose. It is conceivable to inform an operator about the current configuration of the transport wheel by means of a display, as well as to transmit corresponding signals to a higher-level control system. This control system could, for example, only enable the commissioning of the transport wheel by means of a controllable motor in rotational motion if the detection device has determined that the transport wheel is currently in the transport configuration.

[0026] According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to a system comprising a transport wheel of the type just described and at least one object transportable by means of the transport wheel, which has a substantially cylindrical body section and at least one end a section with an increased diameter, wherein the dimensions of the section with the increased diameter and the at least one object pocket are coordinated such that, in the transport configuration, the object pocket is larger than the cylindrical body section but smaller than the section with the increased diameter. Here, the terms "larger" and "smaller" are to be understood, within the meaning of the present invention, only in such a way that it is possible to insert or place the corresponding section into the object pocket, or that the object will abut or rest against the edge of the object pocket.

[0027] Similarly, in the embodiment of a transport wheel with profiled arms on both wheel bodies described above, in the release configuration the object pocket can still be smaller than the section with the increased diameter of the object, while the removal opening can be larger than the section with the increased diameter. In this way, when the transport wheel is moved from the transport configuration to the release configuration, the object will not fall directly downwards out of the object pocket, even though the pocket is enlarged. Instead, it is possible to move the object from the object pocket through the channel to the removal opening (221322PDE / FEHH 9) for removal at that position.This enables targeted and selective removal of individual objects in the release position, and there is no risk that the corresponding objects will fall uncontrollably out of the corresponding object pockets when the transport wheel is moved into the release position.

[0028] For this purpose, the channel in the transport configuration can be smaller than the object's body section and larger in the release configuration. Accordingly, in the transport configuration, the dimensions of the channel would prevent the object from moving towards the release opening, while this would only be permitted in the release configuration. Alternatively, other measures to prevent objects from moving from the object pocket towards the release opening in the transport configuration are also conceivable. For example, the transport wheel could have a profile on its surface in the area of ​​its object pockets, in which the objects, with their sections of increased diameter, could rest. To remove the objects, they would first have to be manually lifted from this profile and then guided through the channel towards the release opening.

[0029] As already indicated above, the objects of the system according to the invention can be syringe bodies, in particular with a safety device, cartridges, or other largely cylindrical objects, and / or the objects can have a section with an increased diameter at each of their two opposite ends. It is understood that, on the one hand, the respective sections with increased diameters can have the same or different diameters compared to the body section, and that, on the other hand, with regard to the dimensions of the object pockets, the displacement area of ​​the two wheel body parts relative to each other, and, if applicable, the dispensing opening and the channel, an adaptation of the dimensions of the transport wheel to the geometry of the respective objects to be transported is necessary. 221322PDE / FEHH 10

[0030] When working with objects that have two sections, each with a larger but different diameter than the main body section, it is important to ensure that the possibility of removing such objects upwards from the transport wheel is limited by the vertically lower of the two sections. In particular, cases are conceivable where the upper enlarged diameter is the largest, allowing the object to remain on the transport wheel even in the release configuration. However, due to the smaller lower enlarged diameter compared to the upper one, upward removal of the object from the transport wheel is still possible, according to the dimensions of the object pockets or removal openings in the release position.Therefore, for such objects with a total of three different diameters in different sections, a positioning of the objects in the transport wheel is preferred in which the section with the largest diameter is arranged vertically at the top.

[0031] Finally, the present invention relates to a method for transporting an object, which has a substantially cylindrical body section and at least one end a section with an increased diameter, by means of a transport wheel of the type described above within a system according to the invention, comprising the steps of inserting the object onto the transport wheel at a first transfer point, driving the transport wheel into rotation to guide the object along the counter-guide, and removing the object from the transport wheel at a second transfer point, which is located along the circumference of the transport wheel from the first transfer point. As already mentioned above, in corresponding embodiments of such a transport wheel within the framework of the method according to the invention, several objects can also be carried on the transport wheel in respective object pockets at the same time.It is understood that when transporting objects with only one section of increased diameter, this section must be positioned vertically at the top, otherwise the objects would fall out of the transport wheel.

[0032] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become even clearer from the following description of an embodiment thereof (221322PDE / FEHH 11) when viewed together with the accompanying figures. These show in detail:

[0033] Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a transport wheel according to the invention;

[0034] Figure 2 shows a top view of a section of the transport wheel from Figure 1 in a transport configuration; and

[0035] Figure 3 shows a view similar to Figure 2 in a release configuration of the transport wheel.

[0036] Figure 1 shows a transport wheel according to the invention in a sectional view and is generally designated by reference numeral 10. The transport wheel 10 comprises a wheel body 12 that can be driven in rotation about an axis of rotation R and a counter-guide 14, which for the sake of clarity is only indicated in Figures 2 and 3. As can be seen in Figure 1, as well as in Figures 2 and 3, the wheel body 12 has a plurality of object pockets 16 on its radial outer surface, into which objects 0 to be transported can be received; these are also only indicated in Figures 2 and 3.

[0037] It should be noted at this point that in the top views from Figures 2 and 3, the objects 0 are each represented by means of two concentric circles, wherein the inner circle represents a cylindrical body section 01 of a corresponding object and the outer circle represents a section with an increased diameter O2 compared to the cylindrical body section 01, which is provided at least on the vertically upper side of the object O, but in particular such sections with an increased diameter O2 can also be formed on both sides of the object O.

[0038] Furthermore, it should be noted that the wheel body 12 is constructed in two parts, consisting of a first wheel body part 18 and a second wheel body part 20, the first being 221322PDE / FEHH 12

[0039] The wheel body part 18 is connected to a higher-level system or a rotary drive via a connection mechanism A by means of a connection 22, and the second wheel body part 20 rests on the first wheel body part 18. Furthermore, it is clearly visible in Figures 2 and 3 that the object pockets 16 are each jointly constructed by the first wheel body part 18 and the second wheel body part 20, in particular by their respective arms 18a and 20a, which are described in detail below.

[0040] Although other embodiments are conceivable, in the transport wheel 10 shown here, the object pockets 16 provided on the outside of the wheel body 12 are each spaced equally far apart with respect to the circumference of the wheel body 12. Furthermore, it can be seen in Figure 1 that the object pockets 16 each comprise an upper and a lower retaining part 16a and 16b, between which a gap is provided, each of the retaining parts 16a and 16b being formed jointly by the first wheel body part 18 and the second wheel body part 20, or rather their arms 18a and 20a, as already mentioned.

[0041] As can be seen particularly in the sectional view of Figure 1, the first wheel body part 18 and the second wheel body part 20 are rotatably coupled to each other via a bearing 24. Furthermore, a first seal 26 and a second seal 28, designed as an O-ring, are provided between the two wheel body parts 18 and 20 to hermetically seal the interior space between them in any possible relative position of the two wheel body parts 18 and 20. The bearing 24 serves to rotatably connect the first wheel body part 18 and the second wheel body part 20 and to secure them axially against each other.

[0042] Furthermore, it should be noted that a handle 30 is provided on the vertical upper surface of the second wheel body part 20, by means of which a human operator can initiate the relative rotation of the two wheel body parts 18 and 20 as described below. In alternative versions of the embodiment shown here, several such handles or even a robot could be provided for automated actuation.

[0043] With reference to Figures 2 and 3, the two possible relative positions of the first wheel body part 18 and the second wheel body part 20 to each other will now be explained, each being determined by a restriction mechanism not shown in the figures for the sake of clarity. Figure 2 first shows the transport configuration of the transport wheel 10, in which the respective arms 18a and 20a extending outwards from central disc sections 18b and 20b of the wheel body parts 18 and 20 form the object pockets 16 already described, in which objects O can be placed to be guided along the counter guide 14.

[0044] It can be seen that the dimensions of the object pockets 16 are such that the cylindrical body sections 01 of the objects O can lie within them, while the section with the increased diameter O2 rests on the upper edge of the second wheel body part 20. Furthermore, it should be noted that the two arms 18a and 20a are each formed with a profile such that a channel 32 is formed radially within the object pockets 16. This channel, shown in Figure 2, has a dimension T32 that is smaller than the dimension of the cylindrical body section 01 of the objects O, thus preventing them from moving radially inwards. Accordingly, the objects O lie firmly within the object pockets 16 and are held in the area of ​​the upper and lower retaining elements 16a and 16b, while they are displaced along the counter guide 14 during rotation of the wheel body 12.

[0045] In contrast, Figure 3, in a view similar to Figure 2, shows the transport wheel 10 in a release configuration in which the second wheel body part 20 has been displaced relative to the first wheel body part 18 by a predetermined angular amount. In the embodiment shown here, this displacement is achieved in particular by the manual actuation by an operator mentioned above, or in alternative variants by means of the robot also mentioned previously. It can be seen that both the object pocket 16 and the channels 32, as well as the radially inwardly profiling of the arms 18a and 20a, have been widened (221322PDE / FEHH 14) so ​​that respective removal openings 34 are opened radially within the channels 32.

[0046] In the release configuration, the object pockets 16, particularly in conjunction with the counter-guide 14, are dimensioned such that the objects 0 remain in contact with the object pockets 16 by means of their section with enlarged diameter 02, but the channel 32 in Figure 3 has a size F32 that is larger than the cylindrical body section 01 of the objects 0. Accordingly, it is possible to manually guide a corresponding object 0 radially inwards through the channel 32 towards the removal opening 34, which in Figure 3 has dimensions that are larger than the section with enlarged diameter 02 of the objects 0, so that they can be removed upwards from the transport wheel 10.This removal process could also be automated in alternative versions of the transport wheel shown here, for example by having a corresponding robot grasp the objects 0 and perform a corresponding removal movement in the manner described above.

Claims

221322PDE / FEHH 15 Claims 1. Transport wheel (10) for objects (0) which have a substantially cylindrical body section (01) and at least one end a section with an increased diameter (02), comprising: - a wheel body (12) that can be driven into rotation in a direction of rotation; and - a counter-guide (14); wherein the wheel body (12) in a transport configuration is provided on its radial outer side with at least one object pocket (16) in which an object (0) to be transported can be received; wherein the counter-guide (14) is arranged radially outside the wheel body (12) such that, in the transport configuration of the wheel body (12), when the wheel body (12) rotates, the object (0) received in the at least one object pocket (16) is guided along the counter-guide (14); characterized in that the wheel body (12) is constructed in two parts by a first wheel body part (18) and a second wheel body part (20), wherein, in the transport configuration, the first wheel body part (18) and the second wheel body part (20) together form the at least one object pocket (16);and the first wheel body part (18) and the second wheel body part (20) are displaceable with respect to the direction of rotation between the transport configuration and a release configuration in which the object pocket (16) is widened in such a way that removal of the at least one carried object (0) is made possible.; 2. Transport wheel (10) according to claim 1, wherein the first wheel body part (18) and the second wheel body part (20) jointly form a plurality of object pockets (16) on the radial outside of the wheel body (12), which are preferably spaced equally apart in the circumferential direction. 221322PDE / FEHH 16 3. Transport wheel (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one object pocket (16) comprises at least one upper and one lower retaining part (16a, 16b) which, in a top view along the axis of rotation (R) of the transport wheel (12) onto the transport wheel (12), preferably have an essentially identical contour and define the shape of the object pockets (16).

4. Transport wheel (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transport configuration and / or the release configuration of the wheel body parts (18, 20) is determined by a stop and / or secured by a locking device.

5. Transport wheel (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second wheel body part (20) is rotatably mounted on the first wheel body part (18) by means of a bearing (24) such that the displacement between the transport configuration and the release configuration can be triggered manually, in particular by means of an actuating handle (30) arranged on the top of the second wheel body part (20).

6. Transport wheel (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one annular seal (26, 28) is provided between the first and the second wheel body part (18, 20) to hermetically seal an interior space located between them in all relative positions of the wheel body parts (18, 20).

7. Transport wheel (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one object pocket (16) is provided by means of arms (18a, 20a) provided on the two wheel body parts (18, 20), each extending from a central disc section (18b, 20b).

8. Transport wheel (10) according to the preceding claim, 221322PDE / FEHH 17 wherein the arms (18a, 20a) are spaced apart from their radially outer ends with a profile, in particular a respective recess, which in the release configuration in top view along the axis of rotation (R) of the transport wheel (10) forms a removal opening (34) connected to the object pocket (16) via a channel (32), which is larger than the object pocket (16).

9. Transport wheel (10) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a detection device which is configured to detect whether the transport wheel (10) is currently in the transport configuration or the release position and to output corresponding data.

10. System comprising a transport wheel (10) according to one of the preceding claims and at least one object (O) transportable by means of the transport wheel (10), which has a substantially cylindrical body section (01) and at least one end a section with an increased diameter (O2), wherein the dimensions of the section with an increased diameter (O2) and the at least one object pocket (16) are matched such that in the transport configuration the object pocket (16) is larger than the cylindrical body section (01), but smaller than the section with an increased diameter (O2).

11. System according to the preceding claim and at least claim 8, wherein in the release configuration the object pocket (16) remains smaller than the enlarged diameter section (O2) of the object (O), but the removal opening (34) is larger than the enlarged diameter section (O2).

12. System according to claim 10, 221322PDE / FEHH 18 where the channel (32) is smaller than the body section (01) of the object (0) in the transport configuration and larger in the release configuration.

13. System according to one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the object (0) is a syringe body, in particular with a safety device, or a cartridge and / or has at each of its two opposite ends a section with an enlarged diameter (02).

14. Method for transporting an object (0) which has a substantially cylindrical body section (01 ) and at least one end a section with an enlarged diameter (02), by means of a transport wheel (10) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps: - Transferring the object (0) to the transport wheel (10) at a first transfer point; - Driving the transport wheel (10) into rotation to guide the object (0) along the counter guide (14); - Removal of the object (0) from the transport wheel (10) at a second transfer point, which is spaced apart from the first transfer point along the circumference of the transport wheel (10).

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