U.S. patent number 3,803,795 [Application Number 05/326,998] was granted by the patent office on 1974-04-16 for closure removing apparatus and method.
Invention is credited to Joseph F. Ouellette.
United States Patent |
3,803,795 |
Ouellette |
April 16, 1974 |
CLOSURE REMOVING APPARATUS AND METHOD
Abstract
An apparatus for automatically removing closures from containers
as the containers are transported with respect to the apparatus in
predetermined geometric array, as when said containers are drink
bottles arranged in columns and rows in wooden cases. The position
in the array of each container having a closure thereon is sensed
and data representative thereof is stored. A plurality of
rotatable, closure-removing devices is provided which individually
are energized into contact with the closure on closed containers
when the containers have moved into alignment with the
closure-removing devices. The stored data respecting the location
of containers having closures thereon is employed to permit only
those closure-removing devices which are in alignment with
containers having closures to become energized.
Inventors: |
Ouellette; Joseph F. (St.
Louis, MO) |
Family
ID: |
23274690 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/326,998 |
Filed: |
January 26, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/492; 53/76;
53/381.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B67B
7/182 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B67B
7/18 (20060101); B67B 7/00 (20060101); B67b
007/18 () |
Field of
Search: |
;53/3,381A,76 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: McGehee; Travis S.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Rogers, Ezell & Eilers
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Apparatus for automatically removing closures from containers
arranged in predetermined regular geometric array, comprising:
a. means for transporting said containers relative to said
apparatus;
b. stationary closure-sensing means for sensing the position, in
said array, of each container having a closure thereon;
c. data storage means for storing information sensed by said
closure sensing meanS relating to the position of containers having
closures thereon;
d. closure-removal means comprising a plurality of individually
operable closure-removing devices arranged with respect to said
pre-arranged array of containers such that said devices are
momentarily positioned in substantial alignment with said array of
containers as said containers are transported relative to said
apparatus, said devices each being capable, when energized, of
contacting and removing said closures;
e. array-sensing means for sensing said momentary alignment of said
array of containers; and
f. energizing means responsive to said array sensing means and said
stored data to energize such of said devices as are in alignment
with said containers having closures so as to remove the closures
therefrom.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said closure sensing means
comprises a plurality of closure-detection devices so positioned as
to respectively come into metal-detecting proximity to said
closures as said containers move relative to said apparatus.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said closure-removing devices
are continuously rotated in an unscrewing direction with respect to
the longitudinal axis of bottles aligned therewith having screw-on
closures.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said closure-removing devices
each have an inverted cup-shaped closure-gripping surface provided
with serrations for gripping container closures, each such device
being capable of vertical movement into and out of contact with
said closures by said energizing means.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 additionally comprising sources of
vacuum and pressure to said closure-removing devices to
respectively retain said closures in said devices by applying
vacuum thereto and ejecting said closures therefrom by applying
pressure thereto.
6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each closure-removing device is
provided with an upwardly extending, hollow mounting shaft and
wherein said apparatus includes vertically adjacent pressure and
vacuum chambers through which each shaft travels, each shaft having
at least one orifice therein permitting communication between its
hollow interior and said pressure and vacuum chambers as said at
least one orifice is admitted to each chamber; said pressure and
vacuum chambers being so arranged that when said closure-removing
device is in contact with a closure on a container, said orifice
will communicate the interior of said shaft with said vacuum
chamber, and when said closure-removing device with a closure
thereon is removed upwardly from said container, said at least one
orifice will communicate the interior of said shaft with said
pressure chamber, thereby to cause the interior of said shaft to
become pressurized and to eject said closure.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said closure-removing device is
provided, in its interior, with a suction cup communicating with
the hollow interior of said shaft, whereby said suction cup comes
into contact with an upper surface of said closure, thus retaining
the closure within said closure-gripping device until the same is
ejected by pressure from within said shaft.
8. Method for automatically removing closures from containers
arranged in predetermined regular geometric array, comprising:
a. transporting said containers in said geometric array with
respect to said apparatus;
b. sensing the position in said array of each container having a
closure thereon;
c. storing information characteristic of the location of each
container having a closure thereon;
d. providing a closure removal means comprising a plurality of
individually operable closure-removing devices arranged with
respect to said array of containers such that said devices are
momentarily positioned in substantial alignment with said array of
containers as the latter are transported with respect to said
apparatus, said device each being capable, when energized, of
contacting and removing said closures;
e. sensing the moment when said array of containers is aligned with
said closure-removing devices, and in response thereto and in
cooperation with said stored information, energizing such of said
closure-removing devices as are in alignment with said containers
bearing closures so as to remove said closures.
9. Apparatus for automatically removing screw closures from
containers arranged in regular geometric array transported with
respect to said apparatus comprising sensing means for sensing the
position, in said array, of containers having closures thereon, and
closure removal means comprising a plurality of individually
operable unscrewing devices so arranged as to become aligned with
said array of containers momentarily during passage of containers
past said apparatus and capable of individually contacting and
removing closures therefrom.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the bottling industry (soda pop, beer, etc.), empty bottles are
ordinarily returned in cases to the bottling works for washing and
refilling. The cases may then be unloaded onto a moving conveyor
which transports them to a washing apparatus wherein the bottles
are throughly cleaned. The bottles are then transported to another
apparatus which fills the bottles and caps them. In the past, drink
bottles have been provided with "snap-off caps," which could be
removed easily only with bottle openers. More recently, however
screw-on caps have become popular. These caps can be removed from
bottles without the aid of bottle openers, and can also be screwed
back on the drink bottles, thus obviating the necessity of special
bottle stoppers, as had previously been necessary.
With the recent return to popularity of returnable drink bottles
(largely for environmental reasons), a serious problem has arisen
in the bottling industry. Whereas the old "snap-off" bottle caps
could be replaced upon drink bottles only with great difficulty,
the screw-on caps can be replaced easily. It has been found that
empty bottles which are returned for refilling often have the caps
screwed on them. It will be readily understood that such bottles
cannot automatically be cleaned unless the bottle caps are first
removed. Up to three additional employees, and sometimes more, are
often required on medium sized bottling lines solely for the
purpose of removing such screw-on caps. In view of the fact that
many bottling lines, particularly large capacity lines, are fully
automated, the presence of a capped, empty bottle in the washing
and refilling apparatuses can cause many problems, and may cause an
expensive shut down of the line.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Because of the screw-on cap problem referred to above, a number of
manufacturers have devised machines which purportedly remove caps
automatically from bottles on an assembly line basis. The majority
of such machines require the bottles to be fed thereto in single
file fashion. Since bottling lines generally permit the bottles to
be transported in cases to the washing apparatus, the "single file"
requirement of such bottle decappers requires extensive
rearrangement and costly revision of at least a portion of the
production line upstream from the washing apparatus. In one
instance, moving rubber pressure belts are forced against the
bottlecaps to cause the same to rotate and become unscrewed from
the bottles. Each bottle, of course, whether or not it contains a
cap, is subjected to this treatment. In another embodiment, a thin
knife is punched through the top of the bottlecap and is rotated to
unscrew the cap from the bottle. In yet another embodiment,
utilizing the single file conveyor, cap "grippers" are caused to
grip and unscrew the bottlecaps. One decapping machine which is
capable of receiving bottles in carton form is provided with a
series of suitable spaced, rotating knives which are forced
downward into the neck of each bottle, thus piercing any caps which
may be present and causing them to become unscrewed from the
bottles. In this machine, a resilient collar member is first forced
about the shoulder of each bottle to prevent it from turning. Each
bottle, whether or not it contains a cap, is so treated. It is
necessary with the latter apparatus to momentarily stop each case
of bottles within the decapping machine for the decapping operation
to take place. This operation is slow and quite expensive.
None of the above solutions to the problem has proven entirely
acceptable. As mentioned, the "single file" machines operate on
each bottle, and require that the bottles be removed from the cases
in order to undergo treatment in such machines. In similar fashion,
the apparatus which is capable of treating bottles in cases treats
each and every bottle, and has proven to be slow and highly
expensive. In addition, the latter mentioned machine requires the
shoulder to each bottle to be gripped, thus wearing the glass
surface at that point and defacing not only the shine of the
bottle, but also avertising which may appear thereon.
A machine which would be capable of treating bottles in case or
carton form, which would not damage or deface the bottles, and
which would not require intermittent interruption of the movement
of cases of bottles is highly to be desired. It is thus an object
of the present invention to provide a machine capable of rapidly
and selectively removing closures, such as bottlecaps, from
containers while such containers are carried within cases or
cartons.
It is another object of the invention to provide a machine which is
capable of removing closures from containers but which does not
require contact with the bottle itself.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a
bottle-decapping machine which can be easily and inexpensively
installed in existing bottling lines and through which cases of
bottles may pass without significant intermittent interruption.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an apparatus
for removing closures from containers which is relatively
inexpensive, simple, and which requires little maintenance.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for
removing closures from containers as the same are contained within
cases or cartons wherein only those containers having closures are
subjected to the closure-removing operation.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically
removing closures, particularly screw closures, from containers
which are arranged in predetermined regular geometric array, for
example, as soda pop bottles are arranged in cases or cartons. The
apparatus comprises means for transporting the containers with
respect to the apparatus and stationary closure sensing means for
sensing the positions in the array of those containers which have
closures thereon. Data representative of such positions are
received and stored in data storage means provided for this
purpose. A closure removal means is provided which comprises a
plurality of individually operable closure removing (e.g.,
unscrewing) devices arranged with respect to the pre-arranged array
of containers such that these devices are positioned in momentary
alignment with the array of containers as the containers are
transported with respect to the apparatus. Each such device is
capable, when energized, of contacting and removing the closure
from the respective container in momentary alignment therewith. An
array sensing means is provided to sense when the array of
containers is momentarily aligned with the unscrewing devices.
Energizing means, responsive to both the array sensing means and to
the stored data, is capable of energizing such of the
closure-removing devices as are in momentary alignment with those
containers bearing closures so as to remove the closures
therefrom.
In a preferred embodiment, the containers are arranged in regular
geometric fashion (as bottles are arranged in cases), and the
closure-removing devices are arrayed similarly over the path
traversed by the containers and are capable of vertical movement
such that the devices, when energized, are momentarily forced into
contact with the container closures, causing the latter to unscrew
from the containers.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a side view of the apparatus of the present invention,
showing conveyor belts leading to and away from the apparatus;
FIG. 2 is a top view partially broken away of the apparatus of the
invention taken along lines 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a broken away, cross-sectional view of the apparatus of
the invention taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a partially broken away cross-sectional view taken along
line 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a broken away view shown in partial cross-section of a
portion of the apparatus of the invention taken along lines 5--5 of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a partially broken away, cross-sectional view of a
portion of the apparatus of the invention taken along lines 6--6 of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a detail view in partial cross-section and partially
broken away of a portion of the apparatus of the invention taken
along lines 7--7 of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a view shown partially in cross-section and partially
broken away of a portion of the apparatus of the invention taken
along lines 8--8 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a view in cross-section and partially broken away of a
portion of the apparatus of the invention taken along lines 9--9 of
FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a closure-removing device of
the present invention broken away taken along lines 10--10 of FIG.
7, the device being shown as gripping a closure member threaded on
a container;
FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the closure-removing device depicted in
FIG. 10; and
FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of electronic circuitry which
may be employed in the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, the apparatus of the invention 10 is
provided with a frame assembly 12 supporting a conveyor belt 14
which serves to convey cases 16 carrying bottles 18 in rows and
columns past the closure-sensing and removal section of the
machine, the latter being referred to generally as 20. Although
cases of various sizes and containers of various dimensions may be
accommodated, for each of description, I will refer to the cases as
being of wood and containing bottles in a regular rectangular
array, the cases containing six columns of bottles in four rows. As
shown in FIG. 1, the bottles may be in cardboard cartons within the
cases. The conveyor belt 14 is driven by electric motor 22 through
gear box 24 and belt 26. In a normal production line, the cases of
empty bottles 16 are placed on a first conveyor belt 28 as shown in
FIG. 1, and are thence transported to "hurry up" roller 30 which
has a surface speed slightly greater than that of conveyor belts 14
and 28. The hurry up roller is appropriately geared through
sprocket 32 to belt guide roller 33. Thus, the cases 16, as they
pass over roller 30, are given a slight advance downstream, thereby
insuring that a slight gap will exist between cases as they pass
over a point between rollers 30 and 33, the purpose of which will
be subsequently explained.
The cases then pass toward the closure sensing and removal section
20, the cases encountering case sensor 32, bottle column sensor 34,
and closure detectors 36. In an embodiment wherein each case
contains 24 bottles, in six columns and four rows, I employ four
separate closure detectors 36, each located above a row of bottles
to detect closures thereon. I prefer to have the bottle column
sensors 34 and the closure detectors 36 in substantial vertical
alignment so that these devices will simultaneously provide data
with respect to which column of bottles is being sensed, and which
bottles in each column so sensed have closures thereon. Such data
is stored in a memory system for later retrieval, as will be more
fully explained below. Continuing in their travel downstream the
bottles are sensed by a second bottle column sensor 38 when the
array of bottles is in substantial alignment with closure removing
devices 40, which devices are arranged in the same geometric array
as are the bottles in the cases. When sensor 38 senses that
substantial alignment between the bottles and the closure removal
devices 40 has been obtained, such of those devices as are in line
with bottles having closures are advanced downwardly into momentary
contact with the bottle closures, and then are retracted upwardly.
Such devices preferably continuously rotate in an unscrewing
direction to unscrew the closures from the respective bottles. As
the devices 40 are returned to their upright position, the
container closures are ejected therefrom and are entrained in a
flow of air emitted from nozzles (shown generally as 42 in FIG. 7)
in a downstream direction whereupon they are collected in a
collector 44. A second stream of air directs the closures outwardly
from collector 44 through elbow 46 and thence downwardly through
plastic tubing (not shown) into a suitable collection container.
Cases of bottles, now completely uncapped, move onto downstream
conveyor belt 48 which carried the bottles to a washing apparatus.
A stop member 50, which may consist of a flat steel plate, is
pivotally mounted to the axle 52 of roller 30 and extends
transversely of the apparatus in the direction of case movement.
Pivotal movement of the stop member about axle 52 is governed by
air cycinder 54 which is pivotally connected to the stop member at
56, as is best seen in FIG. 3. This figure shows the stop in its
rest position (dotted lines) and in its upright, operative position
(solid lines), the stop in its latter position serving to prevent
movement downstream of case 16. The purpose of stop 50 is to
prevent further cases of containers from passing downstream into
the sensing and closure removing section 20 when shut-down of the
machine is desired or in the event that an emergency (requiring
shut-down) should arise. For example, referring to FIG. 1, a height
sensor is provided near the adjacent end of conveyor belt 28 for
the purpose of sensing whether any of the bottles in a case extend
upwardly beyond a certain distance, (as when a bottle rests on
paper or the like crumpled in the bottom of the case). Although the
apparatus of the invention can tolerate considerable variance in
the arrangement of the array of bottles and in the height thereof,
it may be necessary in some circumstances to stop the machine
should a bottle of unusual height be sensed. Should this occur, an
appropriate signal is generated to activate air cylinder 54,
whereupon stop 50 is transported upwardly so as to block the
passage of that case bearing the high bottle. Another sensor 60 is
provided at case level at a point slightly upstream from vertical
alignment with the stop 50. This sensor detects when a case of
bottles moves out of vertical alignment with stop 50, and permits
air cylinder 54 to transport stop 50 into its upright position only
at such time.
The closure detectors 36, beneath which the four rows of bottles
move as they pass downstream from the area of brake 50, are shown
best in FIGS. 6 and 7. Referring to FIG. 7, the closure detectors
36 are mounted in supporting arms 62 which in turn are pivotally
mounted to the frame 12 by pin 64, set screw 66 serving the adjust
the height of arms 62 so that the closure detectors 36 are
supported closely adjacent (e.g., within about one-fourth inch of)
the tops of the passing bottles. The detectors themselves
preferably are of a type capable of detection electrically
conductive closure material such as aluminum, and accordingly may
be of the magnetic field distortion variety known to the art.
To assure alignment of the bottles as they pass beneath closure
detectors 36 and through the remainder of the closure removal
operation, guide strips 68, which are of the proper width to permit
the necks of bottles to pass therebetween, are supported at the
proper height between frame member 70 (FIG. 6) and the lower edge
72 of the closure collector 44. To further aid in alignment of the
bottles as they pass beneath the closure detectors 36, stationary
and movable case guides 74 and 76 are provided along respective
edges of the conveyor belt 14. As perhaps best shown in FIG. 5,
stationary guide 74 is rigidly attached to frame 12 so as to
provide a bearing surface against which the case rides during its
travel through the apparatus. On the other side of the case is
provided a heavy rod 76 which is pivotally connected to and carried
above horizontal plate members 78 by means of arms 80 such that the
weight of the rod 76 urges the case against stationary guide 74. I
have found this type of guide system to be much more effective than
guide systems employing springs or the like to urge the case
against opposing guides. By means of slotted connections 82, each
of the guides may be adjusted so as to properly position the cases
of containers as these cases pass through the apparatus.
As each case enters the area beneath closure detectors 36, the
entrance of each case is sensed by sensor 32, and each column of
bottles as it passes is sensed by column sensor 34. The combination
of closure detectors 36 (detecting which bottles have closures as
they pass therebeneath) and sensor 34 (counting the columns of
bottles as they pass) fixes the location in the array of bottles of
those bottles bearing closures. This information is stored in a
memory unit which may conveniently be located in a centrally
positioned control box 84. The location of each bottle bearing a
closure can then be retrieved from the memory unit when the bottles
are in proper position to have the closures removed therefrom.
Referring now to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, a plurality of closure removing
devices 40 are positioned downstream from sensing devices 32 and
34, and are supported by hollow shafts 86 which rise vertically
through a vacuum chamber 88, a pressure chamber 90, and a gearing
chamber 92. The shafts are connected by means of rotary slip
couplings 94 to air cylinders 96, the latter serving to move the
shafts up and down in response to pulses of air pressure received
through lines 98 from solenoid air valves 100. In the apparatus
depicted, twelve closure-removing devices 40 are employed. Thus, a
case of bottles having four rows and six columns of bottles is
subjected twice to the closure removing operation, the first
operation affecting the first three columns of bottles, and the
second operation affecting the remaining three columns of bottles.
In another embodiment, 24 of the closure-removing devices are
employed such than an entire case of 24 bottles may be subjected at
one time to the closure-removing operation.
The closure-removing devices, as shown best in FIGS. 10 and 11, are
in the form of inverted, cup-shaped cylinders, each having an outer
annular portion 102 made of an impact resistance plastic such as
polycarbonate (e.g., "Delrin," a product of E I Dupont de Nemours
& Company) and an inner annular portion 104 which may be of
stainless steel. The bottom surfaces 106 and 108 of the annular
portions 102 and 104 are aligned and are tapered inwardly such that
these surfaces, upon contacting the top of a bottle, tend to center
the bottle top within the device. The inner surface of the inner
annular portion 104 is provided with a series of sharp serrations
or teeth 110 which preferably correspond in number and location to
serrations normally found on the outer edges of screw-on closures.
For example, bottles employed in the soda pop industry normally
have 40 serrations about their outer surfaces; hence, annular inner
portion 104 adapted for use in removing the closures from such
bottles will normally have 40 serrations or teeth. The serrated
portion 104 has a diameter slightly larger than the glass top of a
bottle so that the serrations or teeth contact only the closure 112
of a bottle 18, but not the upper end of the bottle itself.
The lower portion of shaft 86 (FIG. 10) is threaded into inner
annular portion 144, as shown at 114, and is held in place by a
lock nut 116. The lower end 118 of shaft 86 extends into the cavity
formed by the inner surface of inner annular portion 104, and
mounted thereon is a downwardly oriented suction cup 120, which may
be of rubber. The bottom surface of the suction cup 120 is normally
approximately in line with the bottom edge of the serrated portion
110 such that the upper surface 122 of bottle closure 112 comes
into contact with the suction cup as the closure enters the
serrated portion of the inner annular member 104. The suction cup
has a hollow interior 124 which communicates with the hollow
interior 126 of shaft 86, which in turn communicates through
orifices 128 with the vacuum and pressure chambers 88 and 90.
Orifices 128 are positioned longitudinally of shaft 86 such that
when the closure removing device 40 is in its downward position in
contact with a closure member, orifice 128 is within vacuum chamber
88, thus drawing a vacuum within the interior 124 of suction cup
120 to cause the same to adhere to the upper surface 122 of closure
member 112. After removal of the closure member from the bottle,
shaft 86 is transported upwardly to its rest position whereupon
orifices 128 are raised into communication with pressure chamber
90. The pressure thus communicated to the interior 124 of the
suction cup forces the closure member out of the inner annular
portion 104, whereupon it is conveyed by air currents into the
closure collector 44 and thence to a holding container. Since
compartments 88 and 90 are respectively evacuated and pressurized,
the upper and lower walls of these containers are preferably
provided with suitable bushings, such as those made of nylon,
through which the shaft 86 pass. In a preferred embodiment, the
orifices 128 of shafts 86 purposely vary from exact horizontal
alignment with each other when the shafts are in their upward, rest
position. Instead, the orifices of those shafts nearer the
downstream side of the apparatus are slightly elevated from those
near the upstream side of the apparatus such that when the shafts
return simultaneously from the downward position to the upward
position, the orifices of those shafts nearer the downstream side
of the machine enter pressure chamber 90 first, thus causing the
closures to be ejected first near the downstream side of the
machine. The stream of air which is emitted from air source 42 in
the downstream direction hence first contacts those ejected
closures furthest removed therefrom, without interference from
closures ejected from the more upstream closure removal
devices.
The shafts 86 are caused to continuously rotate about their axes in
an unscrewing direction by motor 128. Referring to FIG. 8, motor
128 drives drive chain 130 in the direction shown by arrow 132, the
chain 130 passing about drive sprockets 134 and idler sprockets
136. The drive sprockets 134 communicate with gear members 138
within gearing chamber 92, which in turn contact gears 140 on
shafts 86, causing the latter to rotate. The large gears 138 (FIG.
1) have a lengthy vertical toothed surface of, for example, three
inches, whereas gears 140 have perhaps a one inch toothed surface.
As will be evident from FIG. 7, the shaft gears 140 are adapted to
vertically traverse the toothed surfaces of gears 138 as the shafts
86 are transported down and up during the closure removal
operation, the gear 138 continuously imparting rotary motion to
shafts 86 through gears 140. The upper ends 142 of shafts 86 are
connected to slip couplings 94, which couplings are adapted to
permit vertical motion to be transmitted to the shafts while
permitting the shaft ends to rotate freely therein. Rods 144 extend
downwardly from air cylinders 96 into slip couplings 94 to supply
the vertical forces to shafts 86.
The vacuum and pressure compartments 88 and 90 are connected
respectively to a continuous vacuum source 146 such as a vacuum
pump (FIG. 1) through line 148, the vacuum source being driven by
motor 150. To avoid continuous loss of pressure through leakage
from pressure chamber 90, this chamber preferably is pressurized in
pulses, air being conveyed to this chamber through line 152 (FIG.
6) through air regulator 154 and solenoid air valve 156 from a
source of air pressure entering through connection 158. Air under
pressure is also fed through pressure regulator 160 (FIG. 6) and
thence through orifices 161 in nozzle manifold 42, the orifices
pointing in a downstream direction so that the air emitted
therefrom serves to blow ejected bottle closures 112 into closure
collector 44. Air entering through connection 158 is pulsed by
solenoid air valve 156, and, as mentioned, is fed through
regulators 154 and 160 respectively into pressure chamber 90 and
through orifices 161, so that the same pulse of air pressure is
employed to eject closures from the devices 40 and to blow the
closures into collector 44. The latter collector is connected by
means of line 162 through regulator 164 and solenoid air valve 166
to said source of air under pressure through connection 158. The
air current thus generated in orifice collector 44 travels in the
direction of arrow 170 to blow the collected closures through elbow
46 and thence downwardly through suitable plastic tubing or the
like into a collector. Operation of solenoid air valves 156 and 100
are controlled by signals from control box 84 in a manner to be
described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cases of containers are slightly spaced one
from another as they travel through the apparatus of the invention.
After the closure removing operation has occurred, the cases of
containers are passed onto a conveyor belt 48. Should a shutdown or
other emergency arise downstream of the apparatus of the invention,
as at the container washing station, the cases may tend to "pile
up" such that the spacing between cases disappears. Preferably, a
sensor 172 is positioned in line with the cases downstream of the
apparatus of the invention to sense whether proper spacing is being
maintained between cases. If proper spacing is not maintained, stop
member 50 may be activated to prevent further cases from entering
the apparatus until the downstream emergency is resolved.
FIG. 12 depicts schematically one of the many logic systems which
may be employed in the invention. The various electronic elements
which are employed can be purchased commercially from, for example,
Texas Instrument Company, and the model numbers which appear
hereinafter refer to this source of equipment. A latch memory unit
180 having 24 bits, four by six (corresponding to 4 rows and 6
columns of bottles in a case of bottles) may be employed as the
data storage unit, and may consist of six No. 7475 quad latch
memory units. Information respecting the location of such bottles
as have closures is conveyed to the latch memory unit by the four
closure detectors 36 (which indicate which of the four bottles in
each of the six columns have closures thereon), and from the case
and column sensors 32 and 34, the latter sensing and counting the
columns of bottles moving past the closure detector 36. The signals
from the case sensor 32 and the column sensor 34 are fed to a
three-stage binary counter and decoder 182, which may be a
combination of a No. 7493 three-stage binary counter and a No. 7442
binary coded zero to zero decoder. The binary counter and decoder
182 is reset to zero when the case sensor 32 senses the presence of
a new case of bottles moving beneath the closure detectors 36. The
columns of bottles, as they move past sensor 34, are thus counter
by the three-stage binary counter and decoder 182, and signals
representative thereof are fed through a six-line cable 184 to the
latch memory unit. Thus, the number of the column of bottles being
sensed (from the three-stage binary counter 182) and the indication
from the closure detectors as to which, if any, bottles in the
particular column being sensed have closures, together provide the
latch memory unit with the specific position in a 24 bottle case of
those bottles having closures. This information in turn is fed
through a 24 line cable 186 to a multiplexer device 188 (which may
be made of three No. 74157 multiplexer units), which in turn has 12
leads 191 leading respectively to the 12 solenoid-operated air
valves 100.
As the case of bottles moves downstream from sensors 32 and 34, the
bottles again are sensed by sensor 38 when the first three columns
of bottles have moved into alignment with the 12 closure-removing
devices 40. Signals from sensor 38 are led to a second three-stage
binary counter and decoder 190 which may be identical to that
described above. Signals from this binary counter and decoder 190
are fed through appropriate circuitry to the multiplexer 188. Upon
sensing the presence of the first column of bottles by sensor 38,
counter 190 counts 1, and the appropriate circuitry causes a signal
to be sent to the multiplexer 188 whereupon this device, drawing on
the latch memory unit for the position of closed bottles within the
first three columns of bottles in the case, energizes the
appropriate solenoid air valves 100 whereupon such closure removal
devices 40 as are in line with closed bottles are shot downwardly
by air cyclinders 96 to affect removal of the closures. The signal
pulse received by the multiplexer is of very short duration (e.g.,
0.2 seconds), and when this pulse terminates, the closure removal
devices are rapidly returned to their rest positions, during which
return the closures are ejected and collected in closure collector
44. The signals generated by the multiplexer may also be led to
solenoid valve 156, whereupon air under pressure is pulsed into the
pressure chamber 90 and through orifices 161. The closure removal
devices 40 thus contact the bottle closures on the bottles for such
a short period of time (less than 0.2 seconds) that no hesitation
in the smooth flow of bottles past the apparatus of the invention
is normally visually detected, and the cases of bottles move
smoothly through the apparatus. The three-stages binary counter and
decoder 190 continues to count the columns of bottles which pass
sensor 38, and upon counting 4 (the fourth column of bottles),
appropriate circuitry generates another pulse to the multiplexer
188 whereupon the multiplexer, drawing upon the latch memory unit
180 for the position of closed bottles in the remaining three
columns of bottles in the case, again sends appropriate signals to
the solenoid air valves 100 to activate those closure removal
devices as are then in line with bottles in the second half of the
case which have closures. After counting 4, the three-stage binary
counter and decoder 190 is reset to zero and is ready for another
case of bottles. Similarly, when a fresh case of bottles is sensed
by case sensor 32, the three-stage binary counter and decoder 182
is reset to zero. Once information has been retrieved from the
"bits" of the memory unit for operation of the solenoid air valves
100, such bits are again ready to store information derived from
bottle sensor 34 and closure detector 36. Thus, the operation of
the apparatus of the invention is completely automatic.
Sensors 30, 32, 34, 38, 58 and 172 may be photoelectric cell-light
source combinations wherein the photoelectric cell is on one side
of the apparatus as the light source is on the other side.
Photoelectric cell operations (electric eyes) are well known to the
art. Similarly, the electronic devices 36, 180, 182, 188 and 190
include items of commerce, and these items, and the associated
circuitry, need not be described in detail.
It is to be understood that while I have illustrated and described
one form of my invention, it is not to be limited to the specific
form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except
insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.
* * * * *