Interchangeable drive element for bottle or container supports in a container labeling machine or a machine configured to print information on bottles or containers, which interchangeable drive element is capable of being used in different container labeling or container information printing machines in bottle or container filling plants
AssigneeKHS GmbH
InventorsKlaus Krämer, Winfried Schlüter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An interchangeable drive element for bottle or container supports in a container labeling machine or a machine configured to print information on bottles or containers, which interchangeable drive element is capable of being used in different container labeling or container information printing machines in bottle or container filling plants.
Claims20
An interchangeable, electro-mechanical drive unit configured to handle bottles, cans or similar containers, said drive unit comprising:
- a mechanical drive element;
- an electronic open-loop and/or closed-loop control and/or monitoring device;
- a rewriteable memory being configured to store a control program for said device;
- a communications interface being configured to operatively connect said drive unit with a machine control system external to said drive unit;
- said memory is configured to receive a control program via said communications interface from a machine control system;
- a sensor being operatively connected to said device, and being configured to detect malfunctions of said drive unit;
- and
- said device being configured to recognize malfunction information from said sensor and transmit the malfunction information via said communications interface to a machine control system to permit analysis of the malfunction information to determine if replacement of said drive unit with another drive unit is required.
A method of controlling an interchangeable, electro-mechanical drive unit configured to handle bottles, cans or similar containers, said drive unit comprising:
- a mechanical drive element;
- an electronic open-loop and/or closed-loop control and/or monitoring device;
- a rewriteable memory being configured to store a control program for said device;
- a communications interface being configured to operatively connect said drive unit with a machine control system external to said drive unit;
- said memory is configured to receive a control program via said communications interface from a machine control system;
- and
- a sensor being operatively connected to said device;
- and
- said method comprising the steps of:
- detecting malfunctions of said drive unit with said sensor;
- recognizing malfunction information from said sensor with said device;
- and
- transmitting the malfunction information via said communications interface to a machine control system to permit analysis of the malfunction information to determine if replacement of said drive unit with another drive unit is required.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.