Back to results
US 11,492,155 B2Granted
Stretch-hood machine
AssigneeSignode Industrial Group LLC
InventorTonny Konstmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a stretch-hood machine configured to optimize reefing device lateral movement and unwinding speed during film stretching to minimize reefing device travel distance and wear on the actuators that move the reefing devices and to reduce the possibility of damaging the film during stretching.
Claims18
A stretch-hood machine comprising:
- a machine frame;
- a wrapping carriage movable relative to the machine frame between upper and lower positions;
- a wrapping-carriage actuator operably connected to the wrapping carriage to move the wrapping carriage between its upper and lower positions;
- a first reefing device supported by the wrapping-carriage actuator and comprising a first reefing finger, a first carriage, a first drive roller supported by the first carriage, a first roller actuator operably connected to the first drive roller to drive the first drive roller, and a first carriage actuator operably connected to the first carriage to move the first carriage relative to the first reefing finger;
- one or more first reefing-device actuators operably connected to the first reefing device and configured to move the first reefing device relative to the wrapping carriage between a first reefing position and a first wrapping position;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- determine a stretch speed based at least in part on a difference between the first reefing position and the first wrapping position;
- determine an unwinding speed based at least in part on the stretch speed;
- control the one or more first reefing-device actuators to move the first reefing device to the first reefing position;
- and
- after a segment of tubular film has been reefed onto the first reefing finger of the first reefing device:
- control the one or more first reefing-device actuators to move the first reefing device at the stretch speed from the first reefing position to the first wrapping position such that the first reefing device follows a first designated path and such that the segment of tubular film is stretched;
- and
- control the first roller actuator to drive the first drive roller at the unwinding speed in an unreefing direction while the first reefing device moves from the first reefing position to the first wrapping position to unreef part of the segment of tubular film from the first reefing finger of the first reefing device.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.