SPECIFICATIONApparatus for removing folding box blanks or the like from a stationary magazine.
Rotating suction members inter alia are known (German OS 28 11159) for removing folding box blanks from a stationary magazine and erecting the blanks during transfer thereof to a further transport means. According to the description of the saidGerman OS, this known apparatus can be used especially for the removal and the opening of closed orflatsmall boxes in packaging equipment. Moreover, the arrangement is so designed that each two suckers cooperate. Moreover, one sucker then serves for the removal of the folding box lying flat from the stationary magazine. This removing sucker is arranged on a lever which is controlled by toothed segments and cams.After the removal of the forward folding box from the stationary magazine and the further movement of the corresponding sucker, the second suction member is moved around the rear edge of the removed folding box. A further toothed segment serves for this purpose which drives a pinion which is fixed to the said sucker. After the subsequent movemebnt of the said suction member around the said rear edge of the folding box, this suction member engages the side of the folding box adjacent to the side gripped by the first suction member. During further rotation of the suction members, the folding box is then opened by appropriate controlled movement of the two suction members and is then placed in a conveyor chain by interruption of the vacuum.By using two cooperating suction members with movement control, a large number of constructional and control elements is required. Beyond this, a comparatively large manufacturing outlay is required with such an arrangement since the many inter-engaging elements also independent of one another necessary for controlling the movement of the suction members must be produced with very narrow manufacturing tolerances since otherwise a perfect operation of an apparatus of that kind is not guaranteed.Thus, it is worthwhile to attempt to provide an apparatus for removing erecting and transferring folding box blanks initially lying flat, which only has a few components the movement of which is controlled with simple means and which can be produced with a small manufacturing outlay, wherein the entire arrangement guarantees a perfect removal and a reliable erection and transfer of the folding boxes to a further transport means.
Advantages of the inventionApart from a comparatively simple and reliable mode of operation, the apparatus in accordance with the invention comprising the characterising features of the main claim has moreover the advantage that, due to the cam controlled four-point linkage, folding boxes can be removed from the stationary magazine relatively at rest and they can be transferred to a further transport device in a substantially synchronous operation. Furthermore, a reliable opening anderecting of the folding box blanks by the erectinglever associated with the suckers can be achievedwith simple means. Furthermore, it can be seen to bean advantage that in the case of folding box blankswhich are difficult to open only a single additionalsuction member with controlled movement need beprovided.This additional suction member isarranged in the region of movement of the foldingbox blank held by the removing sucker and engagesthe opposite side so that a positive opening of eachfolding box blank is guaranteed.
Advantageous further developments and improvements of the apparatus in accordance with theinvention are made possible by the measures setforth in the subclaims.
DrawingsAn embodiment of the invention is illustrated in adiagrammatic manner in the drawings with the aidof five figures and is described in detail in thefollowing specification. Figure 1 shows a front viewof the apparatus in accordance with the invention,Figure 2 is a partial side view of Figure -1 without thefolding box magazine, Figure 3 is a front view of theapparatus in accordance with the invention providedwith an additional suction member for folding boxblanks which are difficult to open, Figures 4 and 5show, to an enlarged scale, the front and rearremoval region of the stationary folding box magazine.
Description ofthe inventionAs Figure 1 mainly shows, a removing and transferring device 3 for folding box blanks 4 isarranged between a stationary folding box magazine1 and a transport device 2. The removal and transferdevice 3 consists substantially of a four-point linkage6 which carries suction members 7 arranged on arotary carrier 5. In the present embodiment, twosuction members 7 are arranged on a common carrierS. Obviously, this carrier 8 can have only onesuction member 7 or a plurality of suction members7. Moreover, an erection lever 9 with controlledmovement is arranged on each carrier 8.Themovement control of this erection lever 9 is pro duced by a fixed cam 10 through a roller 11 andlevers 12 and 13. Afixed cam 14, a roller 15 as well aslevers 16, 17 and 18, serve for the movement controlof the four-bar linkage 6 and thus of the suctionmembers 7.
The forward removal region of the stationary folding box magazine 1 is arranged according toFigure 5 for the reliable removal of only the particular folding box blank 4 lying at the front. Moreover, aslide 20 is associated with the retaining member 19and which pushes the forward edge 21 of the foldingbox blank 4 lying at the front out of the region of theretaining nose of the retaining member 19. As Figure 4 shows, the rear removal region is so designed that the rear edge 22 of the particular folding box blank 4advanced by the slide 20 can be pushed into a recess23. Moreover, both the slide 20 and the recess 23 areso dimensioned that only a single particular foldingbox blank 4 is released for removal.
In the processing of various folding box formats it is necessary from time to time to match the entire device to other folding box sizes. In the first place, an adjustment of the folding box magazine 1 is possible for this purpose as Figure 1 shows. The adjustment takes place by means of a hand wheel 24 through the spindles 25 and 26. Hereby, the line 27 shown dotted - it is a question of the folded edge 28 of the folding box blank 4 - is adjusted to a size determined by the position of the suction member 7. As can be seen from Figure 2, the adjustment of the removal and transfer device 3 takes place with the aid of the crank 29 through the spindle 30. Moreover, the entire removal and transfer device 3 is adjustable in height, that is to say the distance of the suction member 7 from the transport device 2 is adjusted in accordance with the new folding box format.
Figure 3 shows a modification of Figure 1 insofar as an additional movement controlled suction member 31 is provided in this case. The movement control of the said suction member 31 takes place through a crank 32 as well as the lever 33 carrying the suction member 31 and a lever 34. In so doing, the suction member 31 performs a movement corresponding to the dotted line 35. The remaining construction of the apparatus in accordance with the invention corresponds to that described with relationto Figure 1.
The method of operation of the apparatus is as follows:After the folding box blank 4 lying in the front has been moved by the slide 20 out of the region of the retaining nose of the holder 19, as illustrated inFigure 5, the said folding box blank 4 is gripped by the suction member 7. Due to the appropriate arrangement and control of the four-point linkage 6, there exists at the suction members 7, during the removal of the folding box blank 4 from the folding box magazine 1, a rearward movement with reference to the rotary carrier 5 and a stationary condition with respect to the folding box magazine 1. This stationary condition makes it possible to remove the folding box blank 4 slowly.During this operation, the rear portion of the four-point linkage 6 consisting of the levers 17 and 18 folds up to such an extentthat the folding box blank 4 can pass by at the folding box magazine 1. By reversing the control movement, the folding box blank 4 then receives the rotary speed of the carrier 5 and is then accelerated until the folding box blank 4 can be transferred synchronously into the transport device 2 of a cartoning machine. On the way to the transport device 2, the folding box blank 4 is opened by the erection lever 9 and as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 1, is fully erected and placed in a respective opening formed by flights 36 on the transport device 2. After placing the folding box in the opening in the transport device 2, the vacuum influence from the suction members 7 is interrupted.
The control of the vacuum is not illustrated and described in detail since known control devices can be used for this purpose. After the suction members 7 have transferred the folding box to the transport device 2 as described, the suction members 7 are withdrawn by the appropriate control of the fourpoint linkage 6 and at the same time the erection levers 9 are moved back into the extended initial position.
When processing folding box blanks 4which are difficult to open as can be the case for example with folding boxes having a square cross-section, an additional movement controlled suction member 31 is arranged beneath the folding box magazine 1 as can be seen from Figure 3. Since this suction member 31 engages the folding box side which is opposite the side of the folding box gripped by the suction members 7, a positive opening of each folding box is guaranteed. However, the arrange mentofa suction member 31 of that kind represents an additional measure which is only invoked in exceptional cases, that is to say with folding box blanks 4 which are difficult to open.