Smooth handoff of containers using multiple grippers
AssigneeWestRock Packaging Systems, LLC
InventorsJean-Christophe Bonnain, Frederic Limousin, Fabrice Avril, Amelie Strohm-Volondat
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A conveyor system for grouping containers includes a first track including a first plurality of lugs, each lug having a respective gripper coupled thereto configured to drive containers along the first track and a second track configured to move a second plurality of lugs wherein each of the lugs is coupled to a respective gripper configured to receive containers from the first track, and move the containers along the second track wherein the grippers of the second track contact the container while the gripper of the first track contacts the container.
Claims20
A method of grouping containers into a package of containers comprising:
- conveying a stream of containers using a first plurality of grippers in contact with the containers along a portion of a first track;
- transferring the containers to a second plurality of grippers by:
- (i) moving each of the containers by a respective gripper of the second plurality of grippers while maintaining contact with a respective gripper of the first plurality of grippers along a second portion of the first track;
- and
- (ii) withdrawing the respective gripper of the first plurality of grippers from contacting its respective container of the stream of containers after the respective gripper of the second plurality of grippers is in contact with the respective container.
A conveyor system for grouping containers comprising:
- a first track configured to move a first plurality of lugs, wherein each of the first plurality of lugs has a gripper coupled thereto configured to engage with and drive a container along the first track;
- and
- a second track configured to move a second plurality of lugs, wherein each of the second plurality of lugs has a gripper coupled thereto configured to receive the container from the first track, and to move the container along the second track,
- wherein the gripper of the second track is configured to contact the container while the gripper of the first track contacts the container along a portion of the first track, and
- wherein each of the first plurality of lugs is configured to move along the first track and each of the second plurality of lugs is configured to move along the second track such that the gripper of the first track is withdrawn from contacting the container after the gripper of the second track comes into contact with the container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.