Apparatus and method for automatically packaging containers
AssigneeI.M.A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S.P.A.
InventorGabriele Gabusi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for automatically packaging containers along a work path, wherein one or more containers to be filled are supported by corresponding trays includes at least: a feed station to sequentially feed the trays in which the containers are disposed; a filling unit to sequentially perform a plurality of operations of filling the containers; a first robotic arm capable of performing at least one programmed function, in order to selectively transfer the trays one at a time toward the filling unit, and electronic control means. The apparatus also includes a second robotic arm, which is also capable of autonomously performing the same programmed function as the first robotic arm.
Claims12
Apparatus for automatically packaging containers along a work path, wherein one or more containers to be filled are supported by corresponding transport members, and wherein said apparatus comprises at least:
- a feed station to sequentially feed said transport members in which said containers to be filled are disposed,
- a filling unit disposed downstream of said feed station, along said work path, which comprises filling means configured to sequentially perform a plurality of operations of filling said containers,
- a first robotic arm capable of performing at least one programmed function, in order to selectively transfer said transport members one at a time toward said filling means, and
- electronic control means to control at least said filling unit and said first robotic arm,
- wherein the apparatus comprises a second robotic arm, which is also capable of performing, autonomously, the same at least one programmed function of said first robotic arm, in order to selectively transfer, under the control of said electronic control means, said transport members one at a time toward said filling means;
- the action of said first and second robotic arms being coordinated by said electronic control means in such a way that while the first robotic arm is moving one of said transport members in correspondence with said filling means, the second robotic arm independently and autonomously moves another of said transport members in order to dispose this another of said transport members adjacent to the transport member moved by the first robotic arm, so that transport member moved by the second robotic arm can be in correspondence with said filling means upon completion of the filling of the containers supported by the first transport member moved by the first robotic arm, in such a way that said containers supported by the transport members moved by the first and the second robotic arms are filled substantially without a break in continuity.
Method for automatically packaging containers along a work path of an apparatus, wherein one or more containers to be filled are supported by corresponding transport members, and wherein said apparatus is provided at least with a feed station, with filling means configured to perform a step of filling said containers, and with a first robotic arm, said method comprising at least:
- a feeding step in which said transport members, in which said containers to be filled are disposed, are sequentially fed from said feed station along said work path;
- a first movement step in which said first robotic arm selectively transfers said transport members one at a time toward said filling means, so that the supported containers can be filled, wherein the method also comprises a second movement step in which a second robotic arm selectively transfers, autonomously from the first robotic arm, said transport members one at a time toward said filling means so that the supported containers can be filled;
- the first and second step of moving said first and second robotic arms, respectively, are coordinated so that while the first robotic arm is moving one of said transport members in correspondence with said filling means, the second robotic arm independently and autonomously moves another of said transport members in order to dispose this another of said transport members adjacent to the transport member that is moved by the first robotic arm, so that the transport member moved by the second robotic arm can be in correspondence with said filling means upon completion of the filling of the containers supported by the first transport member moved by the first robotic arm, whereby the steps of filling said containers supported by said transport members moved by the first and the second robotic arms, respectively, occur substantially without a break in continuity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.