Bottle opening machine

A bottle opening machine for removing crown caps from the mouths of empty bottles contained in bottle cases which are being conveyed on a conveyancee system successively in a single file, said bottle opening machine comprising

• at least one drum rotatably mounted on a frame structure;
• a plurality of rotary discs fixedly mounted on said drum, the number of said rotary discs corresponding to that of file rows of the bottles in each bottle case;
• a plurality of cap removing sections distributed around the periphery of each of said rotary discs in an equally spaced relation in the peripheral direction, said cap removing sections being so positioned as to correctly register with the positions assumed by the bottle mouths of the bottles in the bottle case, each cap removing section having pawl means adapted to engage the crown caps to be removed;
• synchronizing means for ensuring that the respective cap removing sections are correctly brought into engagement with the bottle mouths of the bottles in the bottle cases as the latter are conveyed on the conveyancee system;
• cap releasing mechanisms for releasing the crown caps held in the cap removing sections after they have been removed from the bottle mouths;
• at least a pair of arms on which the drum is rotatably supported, said arms being adapted to swing about pivotal pins positioned at one end part thereof, said pivotal pins being supported on brackets fixedly disposed on the frame structure,
• the cap removing operation comprising engagement of said pawl means with the crown caps in an area where the linear movement path of the bottle mouths and the circular movement path of the pawl means are united with one another in the tangential direction, subsequent removal of the crown caps from the bottle mouths, and final release of the same from the cap removing sections, said removal and release being effected by a moment which is produced by the increased distance by which the circular movement path is separated from the linear movement path past the aforesaid area as the bottle case is conveyed further on the conveyancee system;
• and
• said synchronizing means comprises a star wheel adapted to engage the barrels of the bottles, and an auxiliary synchronizing roller adapted to come in contact with the wall surface of the side frame is provided in addition to said star wheel, said auxiliary synchronizing roller being in operative association with the star wheel,
• said synchronizing means is adapted to engage the barrels of the bottles as the bottle cases are conveyed on the conveyancee system, said synchronizing means being positioned upstream of the drum in the proximity of side frame of the frame structure.