Container Closing Tool Vertical Motion Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container closing machines using mechanical lifting cams face challenges in varying the distance between the closer cone and the bottle mouth, requiring complex container tracking and maintenance, especially when dealing with variations in screwing or crown stopper applications.
Innovation Solution
A closer station with a mechanical coupling element guided by a lifting cam for rotation about the machine axis, utilizing a guide sleeve with connection arms and a telescoping shaft to transmit vertical motion and rotation to the closer tool, allowing for adjustable distance compensation without complex container tracking, and featuring a fixed-position shaft portion and a movable shaft portion for reduced moving components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If mechanical lifting cams are used to vary the distance between the closer cone and bottle mouth, then the closing process can accommodate variations in screwing or crown stopper applications, but the device complexity and maintenance effort increase due to complex container tracking requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The closer tool is divided into a fixed shaft portion and a movable shaft portion that can move independently in the vertical direction. This segmentation allows the closer tool to adjust its distance from the container while the container carrier remains stationary, eliminating the need for complex container tracking mechanisms while maintaining adaptability for different closing operations
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of moving the container carrier vertically to adjust the distance between the closer cone and bottle mouth as in conventional machines, this invention inverts the approach by keeping the container carrier fixed and moving only the closer tool vertically. This inversion simplifies the overall system complexity while achieving the same distance adjustment capability
2Adaptability or versatility
If the container carrier is made movable in elevation to compensate for distance variations, then the closing process can be adapted to different bottle positions, but the number of moving components and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical motion capability is extracted from the container carrier and transferred to the closer tool. By removing the moving elevation function from the container carrier, the number of moving components in the container handling system is reduced, thereby simplifying maintenance while preserving the necessary distance compensation capability through the movable shaft portion of the closer tool
Solution Approach 2:
The conventional approach of making the container carrier movable is inverted by making the closer tool movable instead. This inversion reduces the complexity and maintenance burden on the container carrier system while achieving the same functional outcome of distance compensation for various closing operations
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution simplifies the closing process by allowing only the closer tool to move vertically, reducing the number of moving components and maintenance effort, while maintaining the container carrier immovable in elevation, thus improving efficiency and ease of maintenance, particularly suitable for applications like the food sector.
Implementation Method 1
a mechanical coupling element that, by lifting-cam-control, is positively guided to rotate about the machine axis and that, by positive guidance, also drives the closer tool by way of a driver in a necessary vertical motion
Implementation Method 2
the guide sleeve be connected to the corresponding section of the closer tool by way of bearings such that both the required vertical motion and also a required rotation of the closer tool are possible
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for closing a container includes closer stations. Each closer station has a closer tool, a coupling element, and a driver. The coupling element, with height-control, is positively guided to rotate about a machine axis thereof. Additionally, the coupling element, by way of the driver, drives the closer tool in a required vertical motion.