阅读说明：本技术 在饮料工业中用于容器的运输系统以及润滑方法 (Transport system for containers in the beverage industry and method of lubrication ) 是由 M·迈耶 于 2018-11-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及在饮料工业中用于容器(2)的运输系统(1),其包括：第一容器输送器(4),其包括用于输送容器(2)的输送带(4a)；以及润滑系统(5),其包括用于将润滑剂(S)涂布到第一容器输送器(4)的输送带(4a)、特别地将干润滑剂涂布到第一容器输送器(4)的输送带(4a)的涂布器(5a)。本发明的特征在于运输系统(1)包括具有用于输送容器(2)的另一输送带(6a)的第二容器输送器(6),并且润滑系统(5)包括配置有涂布器(5a)的移动机器人(5b)和地板支撑的行驶机构(5c),用于以自动的方式将润滑剂(S)有选择地涂布到第一容器输送器(4a)的输送带(4a)或第二容器输送器(6)的输送带(6a)。(The invention relates to a transport system (1) for containers (2) in the beverage industry, comprising: a first container conveyor (4) comprising a conveyor belt (4a) for conveying containers (2); and a lubrication system (5) comprising an applicator (5a) for applying lubricant (S) to the conveyor belt (4a) of the first container conveyor (4), in particular dry lubricant to the conveyor belt (4a) of the first container conveyor (4). The invention is characterized in that the transport system (1) comprises a second container conveyor (6) with a further conveyor belt (6a) for conveying the containers (2), and the lubrication system (5) comprises a mobile robot (5b) provided with an applicator (5a) and a floor-supported chassis (5c) for selectively applying lubricant (S) to the conveyor belt (4a) of the first container conveyor (4a) or to the conveyor belt (6a) of the second container conveyor (6) in an automated manner.)

1. A transport system (1) for containers (2) in the beverage industry, having:

-a first container conveyor (4) comprising a conveyor belt (4a) for conveying the containers (2), and

-a lubrication system (5) comprising an applicator (5a) for applying lubricant (S) to the conveyor belt (4a) of the first container conveyor (4), in particular dry lubricant to the conveyor belt (4a) of the first container conveyor (4),

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the transport system (1) comprises a second container conveyor (6) with a further conveyor belt (6a) for conveying the containers (2), and

the lubrication system (5) comprises a mobile robot (5b) provided with an applicator (5a) and a floor-supported chassis (5c) for selectively applying the lubricant (S) to the conveyor belt (4a) of the first container conveyor (4a) or to the conveyor belt (6a) of the second container conveyor (6) in an automated manner.

2. Transport system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the mobile robot (5b) comprises a controllable articulated arm (5d) for the spreader (5a) to move the spreader (5a) in various spreading directions (R) and/or to various spreading positions (P) relative to the first container conveyor (4) and the second container conveyor (6).

3. Transport system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spreader (5a) comprises at least one nozzle for distributing the lubricant (S) to the conveyor belt (4a) of the first container conveyor (4) and the conveyor belt (6a) of the second container conveyor (6).

4. Transport system (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lubrication system (5) comprises a storage tank (5e) and/or a feed pump (5f) for the lubricant (S) arranged to the mobile robot (5 b).

5. Transport system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lubrication system (5) comprises a friction coefficient measuring device (5h) which is arranged to the mobile robot (5b) and which is used to determine the friction coefficient of the conveyor belt (4a) of the first container conveyor (4) and the conveyor belt (6a) of the second container conveyor (6).

6. Transport system (1) according to claims 2 and 5, characterized in that the friction coefficient measuring device (5h) comprises a contact element (5i) arranged to the controllable articulated arm (5d), wherein the controllable articulated arm (5d) and/or the friction coefficient measuring device is/are configured to press the contact element (5i) against the respective conveyor belts (4a, 6a) of the first container conveyor (4) and the second container conveyor (6) with a predetermined force.

7. Transport system (1) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the friction coefficient measuring device is in communication with a database for retrieving nominal friction coefficients for different container types from the database and/or for determining nominal friction coefficients based on similar container types.

8. A lubrication method for a transport system for containers in the beverage industry, wherein the containers are transported with a conveyor belt of a first container conveyor and a lubricant is applied to the conveyor belt of the first container conveyor by means of an applicator, in particular a dry lubricant is applied to the conveyor belt of the first container conveyor,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the spreader is moved in an automated manner by a mobile robot from the first container conveyor to the second container conveyor by means of a floor-supported running gear, in order to spread the lubricant by the spreader to at least the conveyor belt of the second container conveyor.

9. The lubrication method according to claim 8, wherein the coating direction and/or the coating position of the coater is changed by a controllable articulated arm.

10. Lubrication method according to claim 9, characterised in that the contact elements of the friction coefficient measuring device are pressed with a predetermined force against the conveyor belt of the first container conveyor and/or the conveyor belt of the second container conveyor and in this way at least one friction coefficient of the first container conveyor and/or the second container conveyor is determined and on the basis of this friction coefficient it is determined whether the first container conveyor and/or the second container conveyor is lubricated and/or if lubrication is determined when it is necessary to lubricate the first container conveyor and/or the second container conveyor.

11. The lubrication method as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the coefficient of friction of the conveyor belts of the first container conveyor and/or the second container conveyor is determined stepwise by means of the contact elements and, on the basis thereof, the lubricant is applied to the conveyor belts of the first container conveyor and/or the second conveyor by means of the applicator with a dose varying from one section to the other.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a transport system for containers in the beverage industry with the features of the preamble of scheme 1 and a lubrication method for the transport system with the features of the preamble of scheme 8.

Background

Generally, transport systems for containers are used in the beverage industry to transport containers between container processing machines by means of container conveyors or the like.

Such container conveyors comprise conveyor belts which transport containers vertically. In certain regions of the transport system, the containers are additionally guided in the region of the conveyor belt by guide elements, for example, in order to separate the containers from a wide flow of containers into a narrow flow. It is also conceivable to guide the container around a curve by means of a guide element. However, this requires the containers to slide on the conveyor belt, since the guide elements also move the containers transversely to the conveying direction. It is therefore desirable for the conveyor belt to have a defined coefficient of friction, since otherwise a tipping of the containers may sometimes be caused by the guide elements.

In order to keep the friction coefficient at a suitable value, it is known to install nozzles at the conveyor-fixed applicator, which apply the lubricant to the conveyor belt at suitable intervals. This is disadvantageous because the applicator has to be provided with a fixed tube or hose, and this results in a complex installation and start-up process of the lubrication system. Furthermore, the lubricant is applied equally to all areas of the conveyor belt without checking the actual demand and neither the coefficient of friction nor the dosage is checked as long as the container conveyor is working properly. Therefore, in a few cases, a case may occur in which the container cannot be reliably transported and dropped, or conversely, a case may occur in which the conveyor belt is lubricated to an excessive degree.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a transport system for containers in the beverage industry which allows less complex but more reliable lubrication of the conveyor belt of the container conveyor.

To achieve this object, the invention provides a transport system having the features of solution 1. Advantageous embodiments are given in the dependent claims.

Since the lubrication system comprises a mobile robot equipped with an applicator and a floor-supported running gear, the mobile robot can be moved to an arbitrary position on the floor of the factory in order to reliably lubricate the conveyor belts of the plurality of container conveyors by means of the applicator. In addition, the mobile robot can be automated as needed to autonomously move to the container conveyor and dispense lubricant to the conveyor belt through an applicator disposed on the mobile robot. Thus, the lubrication system with mobile robot does not require any intervention on the part of the user to perform the lubrication, thus requiring particularly little expenditure.

The transport system may be configured in a beverage processing apparatus. The transport system may be distributed to container manufacturing facilities (e.g., stretch blow molders), rinsers, sorters, empty bottle inspectors, full bottle inspectors, fillers, lidators, and/or packaging machines. Preferably, the container conveyor of the transport system may be configured to transport containers between the aforementioned units. For example, a first container conveyor may be arranged between the flusher and the filler, and a second container conveyor may be arranged between the filler and the capper. Another example is the arrangement between a filler and a labeler with a downstream capper. In general, it is conceivable to arrange the delivery system between all known components of the beverage processing device.

The container may be intended to receive beverages, food, hygiene products, pastes, chemicals, biologicals and/or pharmaceuticals therein. The container may be a plastic bottle, a glass bottle, a can, and/or a tube. The plastic container may in particular be a PET, PEN, HD-PE or PP container or bottle. Likewise, the container may also be a biodegradable container or bottle whose main constituents include renewable raw materials such as sugar cane, wheat or corn. The containers may each include a sealing head.

The conveyor belt of the first container conveyor and/or the second container conveyor may be a chain link conveyor chain (linkcaveyor chain) or a flexible plastic belt. The conveyor belt of the second container conveyor may be a different belt type than the conveyor belt of the first container conveyor. The first container conveyor and/or the second container conveyor may comprise drive rollers and/or deflection rollers to drive and/or guide the conveyor belt.

The lubricant may preferably be a dry lubricant. In particular, the lubricant may be MoS₂Or a PTFE lubricant. Dry lubricant is generally understood to be a lubricant that is used without the additional use of water. Thus, the lubricant is used in the "pure state" and is not pre-diluted.

The floor supported chassis of the mobile robot may be steerable so that the mobile robot will be able to move along a curved path of motion on the floor. By "floor-supported chassis" it may be meant here that the chassis travels directly on the floor on which the transport system and/or the beverage processing device is mounted. The floor-supported chassis may in particular comprise wheels, rollers, rails and/or track chains. "floor-supported" may also refer to support by means of air under pressure ("air cushion"). Preferably, the floor may be a floor of a building.

The mobile robot may comprise a control unit for controlling the floor-supported travelling mechanism, the articulated arm described hereinafter, the coefficient of friction measuring device described hereinafter and/or the applicator. For example, the control unit may be a machine controller. The control unit may comprise a CPU, a speech unit, a data interface, an input unit (e.g. a keyboard) and/or an output unit (e.g. a screen). Likewise, the mobile robot may be configured to autonomously move in the transport system according to the work order. The mobile robot may also be configured to autonomously move the applicator and/or the articulated arm for applying the lubricant according to the work order. The "work order" may here refer to the interval for applying the lubricant, the configuration of the first and second container conveyors and/or the movement path of the mobile robot on the floor.

The mobile robot may include controllable articulated arms for the spreader to move the spreader relative to the first and second container conveyors in various coating directions and/or to various coating positions. This allows the position and orientation of the applicator to be adapted to the configuration of the conveyor belt in a particularly flexible manner. Here, a "controllable articulated arm" may refer to an arm having at least one controllable joint or robotic arm. Here, the at least one controllable joint may refer to at least one joint which is adjustable by means of at least one actuator (in particular an electric motor or a hydraulic unit) based on a control signal. Preferably, the controllable articulated arm may comprise six controllable joints for moving the applicator in any application direction and to any application position. For example, a mobile robot with a controllable articulated arm may be a system of the type KUKA KMR iiiwa. The controllable articulated arm may be connected to a control unit for movement in the coating direction and/or to a coating position.

The spreader may include at least one nozzle for dispensing lubricant to the conveyor belts of the first and second container conveyors. This allows the lubricant to be applied to the conveyor belt in a particularly uniform manner. Here, the application by the applicator is preferably carried out at an upstream deflection of the conveyor belt, in particular in an area which cannot be reached by the container, for example when the area which cannot be reached by the container is moved away from the area with the container by a rail which is spaced apart from the conveyor belt in the vertical direction. This prevents the hinged arm from coming into contact with the container, thus avoiding negative effects on the container (toppling, damage, etc.). In addition to the nozzles, the applicator may also include brushes for applying lubricant to the conveyor belt. In this case, the nozzle is used for metering the lubricant.

The lubrication system may comprise a reservoir and/or a feed pump for lubricant arranged to the mobile robot. Therefore, a particularly large amount of lubricant can be carried along with the mobile robot.

The lubrication system may comprise a friction coefficient measuring device arranged to the mobile robot and for determining a friction coefficient of the conveyor belt of the first container conveyor and the conveyor belt of the second container conveyor. In this way, the coefficient of friction of the conveyor belt can be measured first, and the lubricant can be applied only when necessary, making the lubrication system particularly reliable. Preferably, the lubricant is not applied until the conveyor belt exceeds the respective nominal coefficient of friction of 0.15 (preferably 0.1, further preferably 0.08). The coefficient of friction may be the ratio of the friction of a container standing on the conveyor belt in the conveying direction and held in place to the weight of the container. The frictional force may be a force applied by the moving conveyor belt to the bottom of the container in the conveying direction while holding the container in place.

The friction coefficient measuring device may comprise a contact element arranged on a controllable articulated arm, the controllable articulated arm and/or the friction coefficient measuring device being configured to press the contact element against the respective conveyor belts of the first and second container conveyors with a predetermined force. In this way, the coefficient of friction can be determined particularly easily. This means that the contact elements can be selectively pressed against the conveyor belt of the first container conveyor or the conveyor belt of the second container conveyor by means of an articulated arm and/or by means of a mobile robot. The contact elements of the friction coefficient measuring device can also be pressed against the respective conveyor belt several times in succession at intervals of a few seconds in order to subsequently calculate an average value from at least two measurements.

The friction coefficient measuring device may be in communication with a database for retrieving nominal friction coefficients for different container types from the database and/or for determining the nominal friction coefficients based on similar container types. In this way, particularly advantageous nominal friction coefficients for different container types can be retrieved from the database in order to apply the lubricant on the basis of these coefficients.

The mobile robot may include a cleaning device. In this case, the friction coefficient measuring device, the lubricant applicator, and the cleaning device may be used one after another in any order. It is also conceivable to first measure the coefficient of friction, then to clean it, then to apply a lubricant, and then to measure the coefficient of friction again. Cleaning is preferably performed by means of a pressurized fluid such as compressed air or water (with detergent added if required). However, it is also conceivable to bring the cleaning device into direct mechanical contact with the surface of the conveyor belt.

In order to achieve the stated object, the invention additionally provides, in variant 8, a method for lubricating a transport system for containers in the beverage industry. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

Since the spreader is automatically moved by the mobile robot from the first container conveyor to the second container conveyor by means of a floor-supported travel mechanism, the spreader can be used for reliably lubricating the conveyor belts of the plurality of container conveyors. In addition, the mobile robot can be automated as needed to autonomously move to the container conveyor and dispense lubricant to the conveyor belt through an applicator disposed on the mobile robot. Thus, the lubrication method with a mobile robot does not require any intervention on the part of the user to perform the lubrication, and is therefore particularly labour-saving.

The lubrication method can be used for the above-mentioned transport system for containers in the beverage industry, in particular according to any of the claims 1 to 7. The lubrication method may include the features described above in relation to the transport system, in particular the features according to aspects 1 to 7, mutatis mutandis.

According to this lubrication method, the coating direction and/or the coating position of the coater can be changed by means of a controllable articulated arm. In this way, the spreader can be oriented particularly well to lubricate the conveyor belts of the first and second container conveyors, and can thus be used in a flexible manner.

According to the lubrication method, the contact element of the friction coefficient measuring device is pressed with a predetermined force against the conveyor belt of the first container conveyor and/or the conveyor belt of the second container conveyor, and in this way at least one friction coefficient of the first container conveyor and/or the second container conveyor can be determined, and on the basis of the friction coefficient it is determined whether the first container conveyor and/or the second container conveyor is lubricated, and/or if lubrication is determined when lubrication of the first container conveyor and/or the second container conveyor is necessary. Lubrication can thus be reduced to the necessary extent, so that excessive lubricant consumption will be avoided.

It is conceivable that the coefficient of friction of the conveyor belts of the first container conveyor and/or of the second container conveyor is determined in sections by means of contact elements, whereby lubricant is applied to the conveyor belts of the first container conveyor and/or of the second conveyor by means of an applicator in the event of a change of the dosage from one section to another. As a result, a particularly uniform distribution of the lubricant on the conveyor belt will be achieved. Here, "segmented" preferably means that the respective conveyor belt is subdivided transversely to the conveying direction into a plurality of sections.

Drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will be explained in more detail hereinafter on the basis of the embodiment shown in fig. 1, in which:

fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a transport system according to the invention for containers in the beverage industry.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a transport system 1 according to the invention for containers 2 in the beverage industry. As can be seen, the containers 2 coming from the right are conveyed by the first container conveyor 4 to a container treatment machine 7, for example to a filler with a capper. In the present example, the containers 2 are filled with product in the filler and then will be transported in the transport direction T via the second container conveyor 6 to other container processing machines, for example to a labeler.

The first container conveyor 4 comprises a conveyor belt 4a, the conveyor belt 4a being configured here, for example, as a chain link conveyor chain, and the conveyor belt 4a circulating over two pulleys 4 b. One of the two pulleys 4b is driven to transmit a transport movement T to the conveyor belt 4 a.

In addition, a second container conveyor 6 can be seen, which is identical in construction to the container conveyor 4 in the present embodiment and also comprises a conveyor belt 6a configured as a chain link conveyor chain. However, it is also conceivable for the second container conveyor to have a different structural design and to be provided with a different type of conveyor belt.

In order to ensure a uniform coefficient of friction of the two conveyor belts 4a, 6a, a lubrication system 5 is provided. The lubrication system 5 includes an applicator 5a and a friction coefficient measuring device 5h, and the applicator 5a and the friction coefficient measuring device 5h are disposed on a controllable articulated arm 5d of the mobile robot 5 b.

The mobile robot 5B and the applicator 5a and the friction coefficient measuring device 5h arranged thereon can be moved along the floor B from the first container conveyor 4 to the second container conveyor 6 by means of a floor-supported running gear 5 c. It is likewise conceivable for the transport system 1 to also comprise a further container conveyor, towards which the spreader 5a and the friction value measuring device 5h can be moved by means of the mobile robot 5 b. Furthermore, the floor-supported chassis 5c is configured to be steerable so as to be also movable along a curve on the floor B.

It can also be seen that the mobile robot 5b comprises controllable articulated arms 5d for the spreader 5a and the friction value measuring device 5h to move the spreader 5a in various spreading directions R and/or to various spreading positions P relative to the first container conveyor 4 and the second container conveyor 6. This allows the lubricant S to be applied to the conveyor belts 4a, 6a in various directions and positions. The controllable articulated arm 5d comprises controllable joints for moving in various coating directions R and/or to various coating positions P.

The controllable articulated arm 5d is connected at its base to a box-like structure 5j, which box-like structure 5j is provided at its lower end with a floor-supported chassis 5 c. Inside the structure 5j, a reservoir tank 5e with a lubricant supply and a feed pump 5f can be seen, by means of which feed pump 5f lubricant S can be pumped from the supply tank 5e towards the applicator 5 a.

Inside the structure 5j, a control unit 5g can also be seen, with which control unit 5g the applicator 5a, a friction coefficient measuring device 5h, described below, an articulated arm 5d, a floor-supported chassis 5c and a feed pump 5f are controlled. With suitable programs and working instructions, the lubrication system 5 can be autonomously moved on the floor B (for example in the direction along or opposite to the direction of movement F) by means of the mobile robot 5B and apply lubricant S to the container conveyors 4, 6.

In addition, it can be seen that the applicator 5a comprises one or more nozzles for applying lubricant S to the conveyor belts 4a, 6 a. The applicator 5a may alternatively comprise a brush lubrication unit comprising a brush for application to the conveyor belt and a nozzle for metering lubricant prior to application of the lubricant. This allows lubricant S to be applied in a particularly uniform manner.

In addition, the lubrication system 5 comprises a friction coefficient measuring device 5h, which friction coefficient measuring device 5h is arranged to the mobile robot 5b and is used to determine the friction coefficients of the conveyor belts 4a, 6a of the first and second container conveyors 4, 6. For this purpose, the friction coefficient measuring device 5h comprises a contact element 5i arranged on the controllable articulated arm 5 d. The controllable articulated arm 5d is configured to selectively press the contact element 5i against the conveyor belt 4a of the first container conveyor 4 and the conveyor belt 6a of the second container conveyor 6 with a predetermined force. In fig. 1, the contact element 5i is just pressed against the upper surface of the conveyor belt 4 a.

With the controllable articulated arm 5d, it is also possible to measure the forces acting on the articulated arm via the control currents for the controllable joints. Thus, a predetermined force acting vertically on the conveyor belt 4a via the contact element 5i and corresponding, for example, to the weight of the containers 2 can be measured. On the other hand, it is also possible to determine the frictional force acting on the contact element 5i as a result of the conveying movement of the conveyor belt 4a in the direction T. The friction can then be determined from the quotient of the two values.

It is also conceivable that the friction coefficient measuring device 5h comprises suitable force sensors for measuring the friction force and the gravitational force on the contact element 5 i.

The friction coefficient of the conveyor belt 4a of the first container conveyor 4 thus determined is then compared by the control unit 5g with the nominal friction coefficient of the container type of the container 2 obtained from the database. If the determined friction coefficient exceeds the nominal friction coefficient, for example exceeds 0.15, lubricant S will be applied to the conveyor belt 4a by means of the applicator 5 a.

Subsequently, the spreader 5a and the friction coefficient measuring device 5h are moved by the mobile robot 5b to the second container conveyor 6, where the friction coefficient of the conveyor belt 6a is determined. If this coefficient of friction is also higher than the nominal coefficient of friction, here too lubricant S will be applied to the conveyor belt 6a by means of the applicator 5 a.

It is also conceivable that the coefficient of friction of the conveyor belts 4a, 6a of the first container conveyor 4 and the second container conveyor 6 is determined in sections by means of the contact elements 5i, whereby the lubricant S is applied to the conveyor belts 4a, 6a by the applicator 5a in the event of a dose change from one section to the other. In this way, the two conveyor belts 4a, 6a are lubricated in a particularly uniform manner. It is particularly advantageous to select different doses transversely to the delivery direction.

Since the spreader 5a is automatically moved from the first container conveyor 4 to the second container conveyor 6 by the mobile robot 5b by means of the floor-supported travel mechanism 5c, the spreader 5a can be used for lubricating the conveyor belts 4a, 6a of the plurality of container conveyors 4, 6. In addition, the mobile robot 5b can be automated as needed to autonomously move to the container conveyors 4, 6 and dispense lubricant to the conveyor belts 4a, 6a through the spreader 5a disposed thereon. Therefore, the lubrication system 5 with the mobile robot 5b does not require any intervention on the part of the user to perform the lubrication, and therefore requires particularly little expenditure.

It goes without saying that the features described above in relation to the embodiments are not limited to this combination, but can also be implemented individually or in any other combination.