End-of-line packaging system and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to an end-of-line packaging system (100) for the packing and palletization of tube shaped products, the system comprising a plurality of individual units (1,2,3,4,5) encompassing one or more of a box manufacturing unit (1), a lid manufacturing unit (2), a box packing unit (3), a quality control unit (4), and a palletizing unit (5), the system further comprising one or more material handling devices (6,7,8), preferably robot arms, designed to interact with the units (1,2,3,4,5) and to handle material flows within the system, wherein the units (1,2,3,4,5) are arranged to surround a central area (A) in which the one or more material handling devices (6,7,8) are situated, thereby separating the central area (A) from a surrounding outer loading and unloading area (B), and in that the system is designed to provide a material flow and / or carry out process steps in the central area (A) in a synchronous or continuous manner, while enabling a material flow in the loading and unloading area (B) in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner.

Description

[0001] PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 1 - 17.01.2025

[0002] End-of-line packaging system and method

[0003] The present invention relates to an end-of-line packing and palletization system, for the packaging of tubes into boxes (boxing), and the subsequent palletization of those boxes.

[0004] Automated machines for the packaging and quality control of tubular articles and subsequent palletization of the containers are known in the prior art. Such end-of-line packaging and palletization systems as for example disclosed by WO 2021 / 070070 A1 usually consist of a plurality of individual units programmed to operate together successively, each unit being responsible for contributing to one or more steps of an automated process that makes the packaging of tubes in boxes and the subsequent palletization of those boxes efficient. The steps in the process may generally include: steps to make an open box comprising a base and side walls, initially without a lid, steps to assess a tube quality, steps to pack a predefined amount of tubes into the box, steps to assess the quality of the packing, e.g. check if the amount of tubes in the box is correct, steps to place a lid on the box, and steps to place boxes on a pallet.

[0005] For efficiency reasons, such end-of-line packing and palletization systems are ideally placed in close proximity to a location where the tubes are produced, which however leads to a large, and in many cases unpredictable, variation in the environments in which such systems will be placed at manufacturing sites. Besides the available space for the end-of-line packaging and palletization system, these variations may include the nature and arrangement of the interfaces and / or the devices that have to interact with the inputs and outputs of the system, in other words withPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 2 - 17.01.2025

[0006] upstream and downstream sides of the system, whether or not and to what extent humans will be interacting directly with the system, for example when inputting and outputting materials to and from the system, and whether or not and to what extent other autonomous agents such as autonomous forklifts will be directly involved in inputting and outputting materials to and from the system. A further possible variation relates to packaging or contents requirements, such as for example the utilization of reusable boxes for some packing operations due to environmental reasons, in which cases the steps to make the box are not required, and already pre-assembled or pre-formed boxes may be fed into the system prior to the packing steps.

[0007] For the above reasons, it is desirable that such system is both highly efficient, in both use of space and in its operational efficiency, as well as highly flexible as to when and how materials are provided to the system as inputs, and when they may be removed as outputs. Such a balance between efficiency and flexibility is particularly important with reference to the fact that the system would usually run most efficiently in continuous operation, but inputs and outputs to various units of the system may as well not be continuous, but intermittent or asynchronous.

[0008] Also known in the prior art is the use of anthropomorphic robot units, such as multi-degree of freedom, articulated robot arms, in such packing and palletizing systems. While providing a high flexibility in operations, such robots have the disadvantages of high initial costs and that these may pose potential safety risks, especially when interacting with humans or other autonomous agents. Because of these disadvantages, it is often preferable to use as few of such robots as part of a system as possible, while still ensuring optimal efficiency and performance of the system.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 3 - 17.01.2025

[0009] Based on the known prior art, the present invention aims to provide an improved end-of-line packaging system and an end-of-line packaging method for packing tubes that enables an improved / optimized system.

[0010] This object is solved by the subject-matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims relate to advantageous embodiments of the present invention. The present invention further seeks to address additional objects as will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention.

[0011] In a first aspect the invention relates to an end-of-line packaging system for the packing and palletization of tube shaped products, the system comprising a plurality of individual units encompassing one or more of a box manufacturing unit, a lid manufacturing unit, a box packing unit, a quality control unit, and a palletizing unit, the system further comprising one or more material handling devices, preferably robot arms, designed to interact with the units and to handle material flows within the system, wherein the units are arranged to surround a central area in which the one or more material handling devices are situated, thereby separating the central area from a surrounding outer loading and unloading area, and in that the system is designed to provide a material flow and / or carry out process steps in the central area in a synchronous or continuous manner, while enabling a material flow in the loading and unloading area in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner.

[0012] The invention provides a highly efficient and flexible end-of-line packaging system. Hereby, the circumferential arrangement of the individual units of the system around a central area in which the material handling devices are arranged allows optimal use of the material handling devices, which are in particular enabled to carry out process steps and tasks of a packaging and palletization line of the system in a synchronized or continuous manner, while material flow to and from the circumferentially arranged units may bePSY-P-04663-WP1 - 4 - 17.01.2025

[0013] provided in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner. Accordingly, input material flow such as e.g. raw materials to be provided to the individual units as well as output material flow leaving the individual units is decoupled from the synchronized process steps and material flow in the central area which provides utmost flexibility regarding material flow to and from the individual units and thus to and from the system. Further, the circumferential arrangement enables that input and output material flows to the units and thus to the system may be arranged in different directions into the circumferential outer loading and unloading area, allowing for high flexibility of external systems, and in particular regarding the use of space and flexible placement of the system in production and assembly halls, where autonomous agents or humans who must interact with the inputs or outputs of the apparatus are present. At the same time, high modularity of the system is possible, wherein for example different units, such as a box manufacturing unit or a prefabricated box provision unit may be connected to the system in an easy and flexible way. In addition, the inventive arrangement enables a particular safe arrangement of the material handling devices being locally separated from an outer loading and unloading area, thus minimizing safety risks and risk of unintentional interaction of other autonomous agents or humans.

[0014] In the context of the present application, it is understood that tube shaped products respectively tubular products relate to packaging tubes that are to be packed and palletized with the system according to the invention.

[0015] The terms synchronous or synchronous manner preferably relate to a continuous manner wherein the respective process steps, task or method is carried out at a predefined and / or constant frequency, more preferably at a frequency that is determined by the production process. Hereby, these terms may in particular relate to a deterministic or predictable, temporal sequence of events that are coordinated with each other.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 5 - 17.01.2025

[0016] The terms asynchronous or asynchronous manner preferably relate to a discontinuous manner wherein the respective process steps, task or method is carried out at an irregular frequency. Hereby, these terms may in particular relate to events that do not occur at fixed, predictable intervals such as an irregular and / or unplanned replenishing of products and / or raw materials from the loading and unloading area to e.g. a material or product storage area.

[0017] Material flow in the loading and unloading area unless described otherwise relate to input and output material flows at the interface of the individual units to and from the loading and unloading area.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the units are arranged to surround a central area in which the one or more material handling devices are situated in an annular or essentially ring-shaped manner.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the individual units may be at least in part integrated in a respective combined unit or entity of the system. The box manufacturing unit is preferably designed to manufacture a box for receiving the tube shaped products from raw material provided to the unit such as preformed cardboard sheets.

[0020] The lid manufacturing unit is preferably designed to manufacture a lid for the box from raw material provided to the unit such as preformed cardboard sheets. The lid manufacturing unit is preferably further designed to place the lid onto a packed box of tube shaped products, thereby closing the box.

[0021] The box packing unit is preferably designed to place a predefined amount of tube shaped products in a preferably previously made box. Hereby, the box packing unit preferably picks a predefined amount of the tube shaped products from a raw material input of the device and places this amountPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 6 - 17.01.2025

[0022] within the box. The tube shaped products are preferably arranged on a support such as a mandrel plate and may directly be put into the box. The inner dimension of the box preferably fit the dimensions of the support.

[0023] The quality control unit is preferably designed to inspect the individual tube shaped products, the premanufactured boxes, lids and / or the packed boxes in which the tube shaped products have been placed and packed. In a particular preferred embodiment, the quality control unit comprises an inspection, rejection and / or correction entity designed for automatically and / or manually inspect the products, for outputting unpacked and / or packed products and / or for receiving altered and / or reviewed products that may be fed back into the system.

[0024] The palletizing unit is preferably designed to palletize a plurality of packed boxes in palletized packages that may be shipped or otherwise transferred within a manufacturing environment. The output material flow of the palletizing unit preferably corresponds to the output material flow of the inventive system that is preferably synchronous and preferably comprising a constant output frequency.

[0025] The material handling devices are preferably robot units such as robot arms or robots that are designed to interact with the individual units of the system and / or to handle material flows in the system. The material handling devices are preferably designed to enable a material flow within the central area A of the system by interacting with each other and / or the individual units. Thereby, the material handling devices are preferably designed to carry out individual predefined tasks such as e.g. pick-and-place or material transfer operations, packing and / or processing operations.

[0026] The individual units of the system are preferably designed such as to enable an input and / or output material flow from and / or to the outer loading andPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 7 - 17.01.2025

[0027] unloading area in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner, while maintaining a synchronized or continuous interaction of the material handling devices with the units during normal operation of the system. The system is thus preferably designed that operations carried out in the central area may proceed with minimal disruption due to fluctuations in material flows from the loading and unloading area, without requiring that the fluctuations in material flows are precisely predictable or known to the system. Accordingly, while providing a high flexibility regarding the material flows from and / or to the outer loading and unloading area, a continuous interaction of the units with the material handling devices and thus a continuous material output of the system, in particular of the palletizing unit is still enabled. Hereby, in particular a constant rate of production in the central area and at the interfaces of the material handling devices with the respective units is still enabled, thereby providing efficiency increases.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of the units, preferably all of the units, are arranged to interact with at least one or two of the material handling devices in the central area during normal operation of the system. Accordingly, the material handling devices may interact with at least one or two of the individual units, thus allowing for optimal use of the material handling devices. Preferably, the majority of the units, further preferred all of the units are arranged direct adjacent to the central area in which the material handling units are arranged.

[0029] The units are preferably further arranged such as to provide a physical barrier between the central area and the outer loading and unloading area. Such arrangement allows utilization of the units themselves at least as a part of a safety barrier preventing autonomous agents or humans in the outer area from entering the central area during operation, leading to a space saving arrangement of the system.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 8 - 17.01.2025

[0030] The material handling devices are preferably each designed to perform at least two different operational tasks during a packing and palletization process carried out by the system. This allows optimal use of material handling devices by having them each perform multiple tasks as part of the overall process carried out by the system.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the units that are designed to have input material flow and / or output material flow in the loading and unloading area preferably each comprise an outer material or product storage area, such as a loading bay or magazine, that is accessible from the loading and unloading area. The outer material or product storage area is preferably designed to receive raw material inputs from the loading and unloading area in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner. The outer material or product storage area may comprise a longtime or high capacity buffer, i.e. a buffer capable of storing a relatively large amount of material and / or products. Hereby, the buffer is preferably arranged to provide a gateway for the material flow between the outer loading and unloading area and the central area. In a particular preferred embodiment, the outer material or product storage area comprises two compartments that are preferably designed such that access to the material or product storage area is enabled at the same time from the outer loading and unloading area as well as from the central area. Such design of the outer material or product storage area preferably supports a material flow in the loading and unloading area in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner.

[0032] Further preferred, the units that are designed to have input material flow and / or output material flow in the central area and / or at interfaces between the respective units and / or at interfaces with the material handling devices preferably each comprise an inner material or product storage area respectively waiting area, such as a material or storage bay, that is accessible from the central area, in particular by the material handlingPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 9 - 17.01.2025

[0033] devices and / or by respective adjacent units. The inner material or product storage area respectively waiting area is preferably designed for enabling unloading of the respective product or material from the unit at a constant rate or frequency. The inner material or product storage area or waiting area may comprise a short-time or low capacity buffer, i.e. a buffer capable of storing a relatively small amount of material and / or products, for example only a single product or material sheet. Such design of the inner material or product storage area contributes to a synchronous or continuous material flow in the central area.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the system comprises a first material handling device that is designed to interact with at least two units, preferably at least with the box manufacturing unit and the box-packing unit. Hereby, the first material handling device is preferably designed to carry out at least two of the following tasks: picking of box sheets as box raw material from a product storage area, alignment of box sheets prior to box manufacturing, and movement of the box sheets to the box manufacturing unit where the box is folded, and glue is applied in the correct positions to form the box.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the system comprises a second material handling device that is designed to interact with at least two units, preferably at least with the lid manufacturing unit and the box packing unit. Hereby, the second material handling device is preferably designed to carry out at least two of the following tasks: picking of box lid sheets as lid raw material from a product storage area, alignment of box lid sheets prior to lid making, movement of box lid sheet to a lid folding location, placement of the box lid or box lid sheet on a box.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment, the system comprises a third material handling device that is designed to interact with at least two units, preferably at least with the lid manufacturing unit and the box packing unit. Hereby, the thirdPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 10 - 17.01.2025

[0037] material handling device is preferably designed to carry out at least two of the following tasks: picking of boxes from a product storage or waiting area, placement of complete boxes on a pallet for palletization, picking of interlayer sheets as raw material, alignment of inter-layer sheets, placement of inter-layer sheets during palletization.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the third material handling device comprises a two-part end effector such as to perform at least two different operational tasks during the packing and palletization process, the end effector preferably comprising one or more suction cups, e.g. for attaching to interlayer sheets, and a mechanical scooper / gripper, e.g. for boxes.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the quality control unit is designed for outputting unpacked and / or packed boxes and lids for automatic and / or manual inspection to the surrounding loading and unloading area and for optionally inputting reviewed and / or altered boxes and lids after inspection thereof in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner. Such arrangement enables the provision of discreet steps such as the post-packing assessment of packed box quality and following removal, checking, correction and / or replacement back in the line of packed boxes in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner and decoupled from the rest of the process steps, thus maintaining high efficiency of the system.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, the lid manufacturing unit comprises automatic formation means designed to fold a lid sheet into a lid and closing a box during a single continuous motion of a provided lid sheet and / or a provided box, and / or to use a packed box with included tubes as a press for providing counterforce in the folding of the lid sheet to make the lid. Accordingly, the box and / or its contents may be used as the source of counterforce during a lid folding operation and thus, a separate press part may be omitted, thereby reducing complexity, weight and cost of the system.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 11 - 17.01.2025

[0041] In a further aspect, the invention relates to a method for the packing and palletization of tubes by utilizing the system as described above, the method comprising the steps of

[0042] providing an input material flow of tube shaped products to the end-of-line packaging system,

[0043] providing a plurality of input material flows of raw material, in particular for box and lid manufacturing, to respective units of the system, outputting palletized tube packages from the system, wherein outputting of the palletized tube packages from the system occurs in a synchronized or continuous manner, while inputting of the materials occurs in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner.

[0044] The method of the invention hereby preferably relates to a packing and palletization process line carried out by the system of the invention. In order to avoid unnecessary repetitions, full reference is made to the disclosure of the system according to the invention hereabove, wherein all features disclosed in the context of the system of the invention shall be understood as being also disclosed for the method of the invention and vice versa.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises one or more of the following steps: manufacturing a box from input raw material, manufacturing a lid from input raw material, packing a predefined amount of tube shaped products into the manufactured box, providing a lid to the box, and palletizing a plurality of boxes.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the material flows handled by the material handing devices occur respectively the steps carried out by the material handling devices take place in a synchronized or continuous manner. Preferably, a continuous material flow and / or continuous process steps are maintained by the material handling devices. Hereby, the material flowsPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 12 - 17.01.2025

[0047] between different units of the system preferably occur in an asynchronous and / or synchronous manner.

[0048] The method preferably comprises a quality control step in which boxes and / or lids that are not in accordance with predefined quality criteria are outsorted and / or outputted to the surrounding loading and unloading area, are asynchronously or discontinuously reviewed and / or altered and optionally asynchronously or discontinuously inputted back to the packing and palletization process line of the system.

[0049] The method preferably further comprises a transfer of the boxes from the lid manufacturing unit, in which a lid is placed onto the box, to the palletizing unit, wherein the boxes are rotated by 180 degrees during transfer.

[0050] The method preferably further comprises the step of placing a protective layer, preferably a bag, sheet or film, into the box after manufacturing thereof and before packing the tube products into the box.

[0051] The method preferably further comprises the step of placing a protective layer, preferably a bag, sheet or film, into the box on top of the provided tube products, before closing the box with a lid.

[0052] In a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises the step of providing a safety protocol for an outer material or product storage area, preferably for supporting an asynchronous or discontinuous loading of the units, the protocol comprising:

[0053] - surveillance of a first light curtain covering an entrance to a material or product storage area from the central area, and

[0054] - surveillance of a second light curtain covering an entrance to the material or product storage area from the outer loading and unloading area,PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 13 - 17.01.2025

[0055] wherein the safety protocol allows for the first or the second light curtain to be broken, but not both, within a given time window, otherwise a packing and palletization process line of the system is stopped.

[0056] According to such arrangement, an object may pass into the material or product storage area from the central area, or may pass into the material or product storage area from the outer loading and unloading area, but may not pass both in the same time period or within a given time window. Hereby, safety and efficiency of the method and system of the invention is further increased.

[0057] Preferably, the storage area may comprise two compartments that are preferably arranged in parallel such as to allow continuous operation from inside. Thereby, a first compartment can be replenished from the outside at any time and a second compartment is continuously available for the processing operations inside.

[0058] In a preferred embodiment, the method may comprise the step of buffering outputted palletized tube packages. The tube packages may hereby be transferred to and / or may be stored in a buffer storage area from which they may be picked-up for further transfer in a synchronous or asynchronous manner.

[0059] A preferred embodiment of the method and process steps carried out by the system of the invention is described in the following.

[0060] First, input materials are regularly loaded into outer material or product storage areas such as loading bay and / or magazines of the various units by means of human operators and / or other automated systems in the outer area. This may be performed asynchronously or discontinuously with thePSY-P-04663-WP1 - 14 - 17.01.2025

[0061] process flow of the system and in particular with the process flow within the central area.

[0062] In a preferred embodiment, flat box sheets are loaded into the loading bays or magazines of the box manufacturing unit. Flat lid sheets are loaded into the loading bays or magazines of the lid manufacturing unit. Inter-layer sheets are loaded into the loading bays or magazines of the palletization unit. Pallets are loaded into the loading bays or magazines of the palletization unit.

[0063] Material handling devices carry out the box manufacturing process by interacting with the box manufacturing unit, preferably including the steps of: taking a box sheet out of the magazine and placing it in an alignment apparatus for ensuring a predefined position of the sheet, taking the box sheet out of the alignment apparatus and placing it into a vertically moving frame of the box manufacturing unit. The box manufacturing unit may then create the box by moving the box sheet through a folding and / or gluing apparatus to form the box.

[0064] The box may then travel from the box manufacturing unit to the packing unit, where it is packed with contents, in particular with tube shaped products provided to the system. On its way, an empty bag, sheet or film might be put into the box, either manually or automatically.

[0065] The box then travels from the packing unit to the quality control unit. Within the quality control unit the box is raised into view of one or more visual inspection means such as video cameras, where an image is captured, and an automated quality assessment may be performed. The quality assessment may comprise an assessment or control of the packaging, e.g. concerning a correct number of tubes and / or a correct alignment of the tubes, and / or an assessment or control of the tubes themselves, e.g. withPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 15 - 17.01.2025

[0066] regards to their correct form, i.e. identification of crushed tubes, and / or whether there is contamination or dirt in the tubes.

[0067] In case the observed quality is determined to be sub-standard, the box and its contents may be rejected to the outer area. The box and its contents may then be optionally corrected in the outer area before being returned to the quality control unit to continue the process. The correction may be performed manually by a human operator in the outer area. The correction may also be performed by any other automated system present in the outer area. This correction and return of the box may occur asynchronously or discontinuously to the process steps being carried out by the units or in the inner area. If the quality is determined to be acceptable, the box continues in the normal process within the system.

[0068] The packed box then travels from the quality control unit to the lid manufacturing unit. Hereby, a second material handling device may contribute to the carrying out of the lid creating and closing process by interacting with the lid manufacturing unit, including the following steps: The second material handling device takes a lid sheet out of a magazine and places it in an alignment apparatus for ensuring a predefined position of the sheet. The second material handling device then removes the lid sheet out of the alignment apparatus and places it onto the box in the lid manufacturing unit. The box then travels upwards with the lid sheet within the lid manufacturing unit such that it is folded and placed onto the box in the same motion, using the box and / or its contents as the counterforce for the folding of the sides of the lid.

[0069] Optionally, the lidded box is rotated by 180° thereby turning the box upsidedown. This may, for example, occur for boxes to be placed on an uppermost layer of a pallet during the following palletization steps.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 16 - 17.01.2025

[0070] The lidded box then travels from the lid manufacturing unit to the palletization unit. If not already present, a pallet is moved from the magazine to the loading area of the palletization unit via a conveyor or similar transportation means.

[0071] A third material handling device may carry the box with its gripper / scooper tool and place it on the pallet. The third material handling device repeats these steps until a layer in the pallet is completed, before beginning on the next layer of the pallet. Between some layers an inter-layer sheet may be placed on the pallet, preferably by the third material handling device. This includes steps of taking an inter-layer sheet out of a magazine and placing it in an alignment apparatus, taking the inter-layer sheet out of the alignment apparatus and placing it on the pallet, on top of the current uppermost layer of boxes.

[0072] Once a pallet is completely loaded, it is moved to the output area of the palletization unit where a human operator and / or other automated systems in the outer layer may remove it. Next, a new pallet is moved into a loading area of the palletization unit to be loaded.

[0073] Further features, details and advantageous effects of the present invention are explained below with reference to exemplary and purely schematic embodiments of the invention.

[0074] Fig. 1 relates to a top view onto a preferred embodiment of the system of the invention for carrying out the method of the invention;

[0075] Fig. 2 relates to a purely schematic representation of the arrangement of the system of the invention;PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 17 - 17.01.2025

[0076] Fig. 3a-e relate to a schematic depiction of a lid manufacturing unit of the system carrying out process step for forming the lid onto a box;

[0077] Fig. 4a-d relate to a schematic depiction of a safety protocol of the system for accessing a material storage or waiting area;

[0078] Fig. 5a, b relate to a preferred embodiment of a material storage or waiting area of a unit of the system;

[0079] Fig. 6a-c relate to a preferred embodiment of a material handling device of the system comprising a two-part end effector; and

[0080] Fig .7 relates to a schematic depiction of a preferred embodiment of the method and process steps carried out by the system of the invention.

[0081] In the following Identical elements or elements with the same function are referred to by the same reference symbols in the figures.

[0082] Fig. 1 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the end-of-line packaging system 100 of the invention. The system comprises a plurality of individual units 1,2, 3, 4, 5 for providing different functionalities and / or carry out predefined process steps of the system, as well as one or more material handling devices 6,7,8, preferably robot arms, which are designed to interact with the units 1,2, 3, 4, 5 and to handle material flows within the system.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 18 - 17.01.2025

[0083] In the shown preferred embodiment, the system comprises a box manufacturing unit 1 , a lid manufacturing unit 2, a box packing unit 3, a quality control unit 4, and a palletizing unit 5. As shown in fig. 1, the units 1,2, 3, 4, 5 are arranged to surround in an essentially ring-shaped manner a central area A, in which the material handling devices 6,7,8 are located. Outside of the units 1,2, 3, 4, 5 is an outer loading and unloading area B. The outer loading and unloading area B thereby surrounds the central area A and is separated therefrom by the units 1,2, 3, 4, 5 providing a preferably physical barrier between the central area A and the outer loading and unloading area B.

[0084] The units 1,2, 3, 4, 5 are preferably arranged to be located directly adjacent to each other and / or the central area A. The individual units may at least in part be integrated in a respective combined unit or entity of the system. The material handling devices 6,7,8 are preferably arranged to each interact with at least two units 1 ,2, 3, 4, 5.

[0085] As indicated in fig. 1, the system comprises several input material flows 10a,b,c,d,e,f,g and output material flows 11a,b,c. The input and output material flows 10,11 preferably each take place at an interface of a respective unit 1,2, 3, 4, 5 and the outer loading and unloading area B. The input material flows 10 preferably comprise one or more of the following: inputting respectively provision of tube shaped products 10a, provision of box raw material 10b such as box cardboard sheets, provision of the raw material 10c such as lid cardboard sheets, provision of inter-layer sheets 10d for palletization, provision of pallets 10e for palletization, provision of products 10f such as controlled boxes after a quality control, and / or provision of products 10g such as boxes which have been handled in the outer loading and unloading area, for example to provide a protective sheet, layer or bag.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 19 - 17.01.2025

[0086] The output material flows 11 preferably comprise one or more of the following: outputting loaded pallets 11a respectively palletized packages, optionally outputting packed boxes 11b for quality control or inspection, optionally outputting empty boxes 11c for handling in the outer loading and unloading area, for example for the provision of a protective layer, sheet or bag.

[0087] The units 1 ,2, 3, 4, 5 are hereby designed such as to enable an input and / or output material flow 10,11 from and / or to the outer loading and unloading area B in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner, while maintaining a synchronized or continuous interaction of the material handling devices 6,7,8 with the units 1,2, 3, 4, 5 during normal operation of the system 100. The output material flow 11a of the palletizing unit 5 may be synchronous or at a continuous rate or frequency. The input material flow 10a of the tube shaped products may as well be synchronous or at a continuous rate or frequency.

[0088] The box manufacturing unit 1 is preferably designed to manufacture a box for receiving the tube shaped products from raw material provided to the unit such as preformed cardboard sheets. The raw material may be provided as input material flow 10b, for example by an autonomous supply device or manually by a worker 12. It optionally provides an interface (see output 11c I input 10g) for additional operations, e.g. manually or automatically providing a protective layer, preferably a bag, sheet or film into the box.

[0089] The lid manufacturing unit 2 is preferably designed to manufacture a lid for the box from raw material provided to the unit such as preformed cardboard sheets. The raw material may be provided as input material flow 10c, for example by an autonomous supply device or manually by a worker.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 20 - 17.01.2025

[0090] The box packing unit 3 is preferably designed to place a predefined amount of tube shaped products, preferably provided by input material flow 10a, in a preferably previously made box.

[0091] The quality control unit 4 is preferably designed to inspect the individual tube shaped products, the premanufactured boxes, lids and / or the packed boxes in which the tube shaped products have been placed and packed. Hereby, unpacked and / or packed products may be outputted as output material flow 11b for inspection by a human operator 12 or autonomous quality control. After inspection or review, the controlled product may be inputted as input material flow 10f .

[0092] The palletizing unit 5 is preferably designed to palletize a plurality of packed boxes in palletized packages that are outputted by output material flow 11a from the system 100. Hereby, the palletizing unit 5 may receive raw material input in the form of inter-layer sheets as input material flow 10d and / or pallets as input material flow 10e.

[0093] In a preferred embodiment, a first material handling device 6 is designed to interact at least with the box manufacturing unit 1 and the box-packing unit 3, in particular to carry out at least two of the following tasks: picking of box sheets as raw material from a product storage area, alignment of box sheets prior to box manufacturing, movement of the box sheets to the box manufacturing unit 1 where the box is folded, and / or applying glue in the correct positions to create the box.

[0094] A second material handling device 7 is preferably designed to interact at least with the lid manufacturing unit 2 and the box packing unit 3, in particular to carry out at least two of the following tasks: picking of box lid sheets as raw material from a product storage area, alignment of box lidPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 21 - 17.01.2025

[0095] sheets prior to lid making, and / or movement of box lid sheet to a lid folding location, placement of the box lid or box lid sheet on a box.

[0096] A third material handling device 8 is preferably designed to interact at least with the lid manufacturing unit 2 and the box packing unit 3, in particular to carry out at least two of the following tasks: picking of boxes from a product waiting area, placement of complete boxes on a pallet, picking of inter-layer sheets, alignment of inter-layer sheets, and / or placement of inter-layer sheets during palletization.

[0097] Fig. 2 is a schematic depiction of the general arrangement of the system 100. Hereby the system 100 comprises a central inner area A in which the material handling devices 6,7,8 are arranged, of which only one is exemplary depicted in the figure. The central area A is surrounded by a physical barrier C which is formed by the previously described units 1,2, 3, 4, 5 of the system (not shown in figure). On the outside, an outer loading and unloading area B is provided, encompassing the inner area A and the barrier C.

[0098] The system comprises input material flows 10 and output material flows 11 as previously described. According to the invention the input and output material flow 10,11 to and / or from the outer loading and unloading area B may occur in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner. Hereby, loading and unloading operations of a human operator 12 and / or an autonomous device interacting with the system may be carried out very flexible and in particular in a decoupled manner from the rest of the production line. The material flow and / or process steps that are carried out in the central area A occur in a synchronous or continuous manner. Hereby, a continuous and highly effective production line is provided.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 22 - 17.01.2025

[0099] Fig. 3a-e relate to a schematic depiction of preferred process steps carried out by the lid manufacturing unit 2 of the system 100 in order to form and place a lid 24 onto a box 22 that has been previously packed with tube shaped products. Hereby the box 22 is first transferred to a lid forming position as shown in fig. 3a, whereby the box 22 is supported by a first actuator 23a. A second actuator 23b is lowered onto the box 22. In an intermediate step (not shown) a lid sheet 24 is provided respectively placed on top of the box 22 and the second actuator 23b is further lowered to a position in which the box 22 and the lid sheet 24 are held in a slightly compressed state between the first and second actuator 23a, b, as shown in fig. 3b. In a next step (see fig. 3c), the actuators 23a, b are transferred to a lid forming position, in particular by lifting both actuators 23a, b, the box 22 and the lid sheet 24 held therebetween, to the lid forming station 25, at which the lid sheet 24 is formed and in particular bent around the top edges of the box 22, thereby gluing or punching the folded parts of the lid to themselves (not shown) and simultaneously forming the lid 24 onto the box 22. Next. The actuators 23a, 23b are separated from each other (see fig. 3d) and the packed box 22 with the formed lid 24 is transferred, e.g. laterally within the system, to a next production station or a product waiting area, where it may be picked up and or further transferred in the system. Notably, the actuators 23a, b may be end effectors of a material handling device 6,7,8 of the system as previously described.

[0100] Fig. 4a-d relate to a schematic depiction of a safety protocol of the system for accessing a material or product storage area 30. The material or product storage area 30 is preferably accessible from the central area A, preferably by a material handing device 6,7,8, as well as from the outer area B, preferably by a human operator 12 or an automatic loading and / or unloading device. The material or product storage area 30 is preferably equipped with light curtains 31 a, b which provide feedback whether the light curtain isPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 23 - 17.01.2025

[0101] broken respectively whether an obstacle is recognized in the plane of the light curtain.

[0102] A control unit (not shown) of the system 100 is connected to the light curtains 31 a, b and carries out a protocol that provides surveillance of the first light curtain 31a covering an entrance 30a to the material or product storage area from the central area A, and surveillance of a second light curtain 31 b covering an entrance 30b to the material or product storage area from the outer loading and unloading area B.

[0103] As shown in Fig. 4a-c, the protocol allows for none of the first and second light curtains to be broken (see fig. 4a), the first or the second light curtain to be broken (see fig. 4b, c), but not for both light curtains to be broken (see fig. 4d), within a given time window, otherwise a packing and palletization process line of the system is stopped.

[0104] Fig. 5a, b relate to another preferred embodiment of a material storage or waiting area 30 of any of the units 1,2, 3, 4, 5 of the system 100. Hereby, the material or product storage or waiting area 30 may comprise two compartments 32a, b which are separately under surveillance with light curtains 31 a, b as previously described with reference to fig. 4a-d. Such arrangement allows for a human operator 12 to load material or products, such as a cardboard sheet 33, into the first compartment 32a, while breaking the respective light curtain of said compartment, while at the same time a material handling device 6,7,8 may take material or products from the second compartment 32b, while breaking the respective light curtain of said compartment (see fig. 5a) and vice versa (see fig. 5b), without interfering with the security protocol.

[0105] Fig. 6a-c relate to a preferred embodiment of a material handling device, in particular the third material handling device 8, of the system 100 comprisingPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 24 - 17.01.2025

[0106] a two-part end effector 40. The end effector 40 is designed such as to perform at least two different operational tasks during the packing and palletization process carried out by the system 100

[0107] Hereby, the end effector 40 comprising one or more suction cups 41 and a mechanical gripper or scooper 42. The suction cup 41 may be rotatably supported on the handling device 8 and is preferably arranged for pick-and-place operations of sheets such as cardboard sheets or inter-layer sheets 43 for the palletization process (see fig. 6c). The gripper 42 is preferably fixedly arranged at the handling device 8 and is preferably designed for gripping and transfer of a packed box 22 as shown in fig. 6b.

[0108] Fig. 7 relates to a process flow diagram of a preferred embodiment of the method and process steps carried out by the system of the invention.

[0109] Hereby, input material flows, in particular input of box sheets 10b, input of lid sheets 10c, input of inter-layer sheets 10d, and input of pallets 10e are provided to outer material or product storage areas 30, in particular to respective buffers B1, B4, B5, B6. Input material flow 10f relates to input of checked products after quality control, such as in particular after an optional quality control of the produced tubes or the packaged box in handling step H2. Input material flow 10g relates to input of products after handling in the outer loading and unloading area, such as in particular after the placement of a protective layer, sheet or bag in handling step H1. The checked or handled products are preferably provided to respective buffers B3, B2 before feeding them back into the production process. The buffers B1-B6 preferably relate to long-time buffers capable of storing a relative high capacity of products or raw material.

[0110] Hereby, an asynchronous or discontinuous material flow from the outer loading or unloading area B to the central area A and thus to the mainPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 25 - 17.01.2025

[0111] production process is supported. In particular, the respective products or raw materials do not have to be fed to the production process in a synchronized manner. Rather a replenishing of products or raw materials may be decoupled from the production process.

[0112] Process step M1 relates to a production of tube shaped products that are provided as input of tube shaped products 10a to process step M3 relating to a tube boxing, wherein the tube shaped products are packaged in a prefabricated box (fabrication step M2). The boxed tubes are preferably checked in an inspection step M4, whereby non-conformal tubes or boxes may be automatically outputted and / or manually inspected (step H2).

[0113] After inspection step M4, lid formation and box closing (step M5) and palletizing (step M6) takes place, before outputting of the palletized packages 11a. Between lid formation and palletizing, a rotation of the box may take place in optional step R.

[0114] Preferably, at least the main process steps M3, M4, M5 and M6 are carried out in a synchronized or continuous manner, thus leading to an outputting of the palletized tube packages 11a from the system in a preferably continuous manner, thereby maximizing production efficiency of the system. Provision of the input material flows 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 10f , 10g from the outer loading or unloading area B preferably take place in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner. Hereby, the respective buffers B1, B4, B5, B6 preferably provide gateways between the outer loading or unloading area B and the central area A.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 26 - 17.01.2025

[0115] Reference numerals

[0116] 1 box manufacturing unit

[0117] 2 lid manufacturing unit

[0118] 3 box packing unit

[0119] 4 quality control unit

[0120] 5 palletizing unit

[0121] 6 first material handling device

[0122] 7 second material handling deivce

[0123] 8 third material handling device

[0124] 10 input material flow

[0125] 10a input of tube shaped products

[0126] 10b input of box sheets

[0127] 10c input of lid sheets

[0128] 10d input of inter-layer sheets

[0129] 10e input of pallets

[0130] 10f input of checked products after quality control

[0131] 10g input of handled products

[0132] 11 output material flow

[0133] 11 a output of palletized packages

[0134] 11 b output of products for quality control

[0135] 11 c output of empty boxes for handling in the outer loading and unloading area

[0136] 12 operator quality control

[0137] 22 box

[0138] 23a, b actuators

[0139] 24 lid

[0140] 24a lid sheet

[0141] 30 material or product storage area

[0142] 30a entrance to storage area from central area APSY-P-04663-WP1 - 27 - 17.01.2025

[0143] 30b entrance to storage area from outer area B 31 a, b light curtains

[0144] 32a, b compartments

[0145] 33 cardboard sheet

[0146] 40 end effector

[0147] 41 suction cup

[0148] 42 gripper

[0149] 43 inter-layer sheet

[0150] 100 system

[0151] A central area

[0152] B outer loading and unloading area

[0153] C physical barrier

[0154] B1 box sheet buffer

[0155] B2 box buffer

[0156] B3 box buffer

[0157] B4 lid sheet buffer

[0158] B5 inter-layer sheet buffer

[0159] B6 palette buffer

[0160] H1 ,2 handling step

[0161] M1 tube production

[0162] M2 box production

[0163] M3 tube boxing

[0164] M4 tube I box inspection

[0165] M5 lid production and box closing

[0166] M6 palletizing

[0167] R box rotation / turning

Claims

PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 1 - 17.01.2025Claims1. An end-of-line packaging system (100) for the packing and palletization of tube shaped products, the system comprising a plurality of individual units (1 ,2, 3, 4, 5) encompassing one or more of a box manufacturing unit (1), a lid manufacturing unit (2), a box packing unit (3), a quality control unit (4), and a palletizing unit (5),the system further comprisingone or more material handling devices (6,7,8), preferably robot arms, designed to interact with the units (1,2, 3, 4, 5) and to handle material flows within the system,characterized in thatthe units (1,2, 3, 4, 5) are arranged to surround a central area (A) in which the one or more material handling devices (6,7,8) are situated, thereby separating the central area (A) from a surrounding outer loading and unloading area (B), and in that the system is designed to provide a material flow and / or carry out process steps in the central area (A) in a synchronous or continuous manner, while enabling a material flow in the loading and unloading area (B) in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner.

2. The end-of-line packaging system according to claim 1 , characterized in that the units (1,2, 3, 4, 5) are designed such as to enable an input and / or output material flow from and / or to the outer loading and unloading area (B) in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner, while maintaining a synchronized or continuous interaction of the material handling devices (6,7,8) with the units (1,2, 3, 4, 5) during normal operation of the system.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 2 - 17.01.20253. The end-of-line packaging system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of the units (1 ,2, 3, 4, 5), preferably all of the units, are arranged to interact with at least one or two of the material handling devices (6,7,8) in the central area (A) during normal operation of the system.

4. The end-of-line packaging system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the units (1,2, 3, 4, 5) are arranged in a manner such as to provide a physical barrier between the central area (A) and the outer loading and unloading area (B).

5. The end-of-line packaging system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that each material handling device (6,7,8) is designed to perform at least two different operational tasks during the packing and palletization process carried out by the system.

6. The end-of-line packaging system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that a first material handling device (6) is designed to interact at least with the box manufacturing unit (1) and the box-packing unit (3), in particular to carry out at least two of the following tasks: picking of box sheets as raw material from a product storage area, alignment of box sheets prior to box manufacturing, movement of the box sheets to the box manufacturing unit where the box is folded, and / or applying glue in the correct positions to create the box.

7. The end-of-line packaging system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that a second material handling device (7) is designed to interact at least with the lid manufacturing unit (2) and the box packing unit (3), in particular to carry out at least two of the following tasks: picking of box lid sheets as raw material from a productPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 3 - 17.01.2025storage area, alignment of box lid sheets prior to lid making, and / or movement of box lid sheet to a lid folding location, placement of the box lid or box lid sheet on a box.

8. The end-of-line packaging system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that a third material handling device (8) is designed to interact at least with the lid manufacturing unit (2) and the box packing unit (3), in particular to carry out at least two of the following tasks: picking of boxes from a product waiting area, placement of complete boxes on a pallet, picking of inter-layer sheets, alignment of inter-layer sheets, and / or placement of inter-layer sheets during palletization.

9. The end-of-line packaging system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that a third material handling device (8) comprises a two-part end effector (40) such as to perform at least two different operational tasks during the packing and palletization process carried out by the system, the end effector preferably comprising one or more suction cups (41) and / or a mechanical gripper (42).

10. The end-of-line packaging system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that one or more of the units (1,2, 3, 4, 5), preferably at least the box manufacturing unit (1) and / or the lid manufacturing unit (2), comprise an outer material or product storage area, such as a loading bay or magazine, that is accessible from the loading and unloading area (B).

11. The end-of-line packaging system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that one or more of the units (1,2, 3, 4, 5), preferably at least the box manufacturing unit (1 ), the lid manufacturing unit (2) and / or the box packing unit (3), comprise an inner material orPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 4 - 17.01.2025product waiting area, such as a loading bay or magazine, that is accessible from the central area (A).

12. The end-of-line packaging system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the quality control unit (4) is designed for outputting unpacked and / or packed boxes and lids for automatic and / or manual inspection to the surrounding loading and unloading area (B) and for optionally inputting reviewed and / or altered boxes and lids after inspection thereof in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner.

13. The end-of-line packaging system according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the lid manufacturing unit (2) comprises automatic formation means designed to fold a provided lid sheet into a lid and closing a box during a single continuous motion of a provided lid sheet and / or a provided box, and / or to use a packed box with included tubes as a press for providing counterforce in the folding of the lid sheet to make the lid.

14. A method for the packing and palletization of tubes by utilizing the system of any of claims 1 to 13,the method comprising the steps ofproviding an input material flow of tube shaped products to the end-of- line packaging system,providing a plurality of input material flows of raw material, in particular for box and lid manufacturing, to respective units of the system, outputting palletized tube packages from the system, characterized in thatoutputting of the palletized tube packages from the system occurs in a synchronized or continuous manner, while inputting of the materials occurs in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner.PSY-P-04663-WP1 - 5 - 17.01.202515. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the method further comprises one or more of the following steps: manufacturing a box from input raw material, manufacturing a lid from input raw material, packing a predefined amount of tube shaped products into the manufactured box, providing a lid to the box, and palletizing a plurality of boxes.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the method comprises a quality control step in which boxes and / or lids that are not in accordance with predefined quality criteria are out-sorted and / or outputted to the surrounding loading and unloading area (B), asynchronously reviewed and / or altered and optionally asynchronously inputted back to the packing and palletization process line of the system.

17. The method according to any of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that the material flows handled by the handing devices (6,7,8) occur in a synchronized or continuous manner and / or material flows between different units of the system occur in an asynchronous or discontinuous manner.

18. The method according to any of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that the method comprises a transfer of the boxes from the lid manufacturing unit, in which a lid is placed onto the box to the palletizing unit, wherein the boxes are rotated by 180 degrees during transfer.

19. The method according to any of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that the method comprises the step of placing a protective layer, preferablyPSY-P-04663-WP1 - 6 - 17.01.2025a bag, sheet or film, into the box after manufacturing thereof and before packing the tube products into the box.

20. The method according to any of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that the method comprises the step of placing a protective layer, preferably a bag, sheet or film, into the box on top of the provided tube products, before closing the box with a lid.

21. The method according to any of claims 14 to 20, characterized in that the method comprises providing a safety protocol for an outer material or product storage area, the protocol comprising:surveillance of a first light curtain covering an entrance to the material or product storage area from the central area, andsurveillance of a second light curtain covering an entrance to the material or product storage area from the outer loading and unloading area,wherein the protocol allows for the first or the second light curtain to be broken, but not both, within a given time window, otherwise a packing and palletization process line of the system is stopped.

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