FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a system for performing a processing step on device parts of simulated smoking devices, such as electronic cigarettes. The system comprises a processing station to perform the processing step on the device parts, product carriers to hold the device parts during the processing step, and a first transport device and a second transport device to move the product carriers along at least part of a processing trajectory extending through the processing station.

The processing station may for example be a weighing station to perform the processing step of weighing the device parts (and the product carriers) or a filling station to fill the device parts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention is based on the insight that in the known systems it is complicated to re-use the product carriers once they have travelled along the processing trajectory.

In some systems, the product carriers are collected at the end of the processing trajectory and manually transferred back to the start of the processing trajectory.

Other systems comprise additional transport devices having the sole purpose to automatically transfer the product carriers from the end of the processing trajectory to the start of the processing trajectory. These additional transfer device increase the complexity of the systems significantly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention has the objective to provide an improved or at least alternative system for performing a processing step on device parts of simulated smoking devices, such as electronic cigarettes.

This objective is reached by a system for performing a processing step on device parts of simulated smoking devices, such as electronic cigarettes, said system comprising;a processing station to perform the processing step on the device parts,product carriers to hold the device parts during the processing step,a first transport device and a second transport device to move the product carriers along at least part of a processing trajectory extending through the processing station, wherein;the first transport device comprises multiple first production moving units for moving the product carriers, which first production moving units are positioned side by side while forming a first endless production configuration at a production level and are movable along a first endless production trajectory defined by the first endless production configuration,the second transport device comprises multiple second production moving units for moving the product carriers, which second production moving units are positioned side by side while forming a second endless production configuration at the production level and are movable along a second endless production trajectory defined by the second endless production configuration,said at least part of the processing trajectory is formed by a starting production part of the first endless production trajectory and an ending production part of the second endless production trajectory,the processing trajectory starts at a production start location located most upstream of the starting production part of the first endless production trajectory and ends at a production end location located most downstream of the ending production part of the second endless production trajectory,the first transport device and the second transport device are further configured to move the product carriers along at least part of a retrieval trajectory,the first transport device further comprises multiple first return moving units for moving the product carriers, which first return moving units are positioned side by side while forming a first endless return configuration at a return level located at a level distance from the production level and are movable along a first endless return trajectory defined by the first endless return configuration,the second transport device further comprises multiple second return moving units for moving the product carriers, which second return moving units are positioned side by side while forming a second endless return configuration at the return level and are movable along a second endless return trajectory defined by the second endless return configuration,said at least part of the retrieval trajectory is formed by a starting return part of the second endless return trajectory and an ending return part of the first endless return trajectory,the retrieval trajectory starts at a return start location located most upstream of the starting return part of the second endless return trajectory and ends at a return end location located most downstream of the ending return part of the first endless return trajectory,a first level device is provided to transfer the product carriers from the return end location to the production start location,a second level device is provided to transfer the product carriers from the production end location to the return start location,the first level device comprises a first level housing having a first inner helical level guide groove extending from the return level until the production level and a first level rotary member which is rotatable about a first level rotation axis,the first level rotary member comprises first level moving units to move the product carriers through the first level guide groove from the return level to the production level,the second level device comprises a second level housing having a second inner helical level guide groove extending from the production level until the return level and a second level rotary member which is rotatable about a second level rotation axis, andthe second level rotary member comprises second level moving units to move the product carriers through the second level guide groove from the production level to the return level.

This system allows that the first and second transport devices are not only used to transfer the product carriers along the production trajectory, but also assist in transferring the product carriers from the end of the processing trajectory (the production start location) back to the start of the processing trajectory (production end location). This way an efficient automatic transfer of the product carriers from the end of the processing trajectory back to the start of the processing trajectory is achieved. In addition, the construction of the system is kept relatively simple.

In an embodiment of the system, a first production support rail is provided to support the product carriers when moving along the starting production part of the processing trajectory, a first return support rail is provided to support the product carriers when moving along the ending return part of the retrieval trajectory, a second production support rail is provided to support the product carriers when moving along the ending production part of the processing trajectory, a second return support rail is provided to support the product carriers when moving along the starting return part of the retrieval trajectory, the first production support rail aligns with the first level guide groove at the production level, the first return support rail aligns with the first level guide groove at the return level, the second production support rail aligns with the second level guide groove at the production level, and the second return support rail aligns with the second level guide groove at the return level.

In an embodiment of the system, the first production moving units are provided in a first production rotary member which is rotatable around a first transport rotation axis, the first return moving units are provided in a first return rotary member which is rotatable around the first transport rotation axis, the second production moving units are provided in a second production rotary member which is rotatable around a second transport rotation axis, and the second return moving units are provided in a second return rotary member which is rotatable around the second transport rotation axis.

In an embodiment of the system, the first level moving units extend from the return level until the production level and the second level moving units extend from the production level until the return level.

In an embodiment of the system, the first and second level rotary members are configured to move the product carriers around the first and second level rotation axes and to allow the product carriers to move in vertical direction within the first and second level moving units, and the first and second level guide grooves are configured to move the product carriers in vertical direction within the first and second level moving units.

In an embodiment of the system, the first helical level guide groove extends around the first level rotary member, more specifically around the first level moving units, and the second helical level guide groove extends around the second level rotary member, more specifically around the second level moving units.

In an embodiment of the system, the first level rotary member is configured to slide the product carriers through the first level guide groove from the return level to the production level, and the second level rotary is configured to slide the product carriers through the second level guide groove from the production level to the return level.

In an embodiment of the system, the first level guide groove and the second level guide groove are stationary.

In an embodiment of the system, the first level device transfers the product carriers from the return level to the production level and the second level device transfers the product carriers from the production level to the return level.

In an embodiment of the system, the first transport device moves the first production moving units and the first return moving units synchronously, and the second transport device moves the second production moving units and the second return moving units synchronously.

In an embodiment of the system, a first transporter driver is provided to move the first production moving units along the first endless production trajectory and the first return moving units along the first endless return trajectory, and a second transporter driver is provided to move the second production moving units along the second endless production trajectory and the second return moving units along the second endless return trajectory.

In an embodiment of the system, a first level driver is provided to rotate the first level rotary member in the first level housing, and a second level driver is provided to rotate the second level rotary member in the second level housing.

In an embodiment of the system, the first level driver is mechanically coupled to the first transporter driver and the second level driver is mechanically coupled to the second transporter driver.

In an embodiment of the system, the first transport device and the second transport device are configured to transfer the product carriers at the production level from the first transport device to the second transport device and at the return level from the second transport device to the first transport device.

In an embodiment of the system, the first transport device and the second transport device are configured to transfer the product carriers at the production level from the first transport device directly to the second transport device and at the return level from the second transport device directly to the first transport device.

In an embodiment of the system, the first transport device and the second transport move the product carriers along the complete processing trajectory and the complete retrieval trajectory.

In an embodiment of the system, the first transport device and the second transport device are configured to transfer the product carriers at the production level from the first transport device indirectly to the second transport device and at the return level from the second transport device indirectly to the first transport device.

In an embodiment of the system, the first transport device and the second transport device move the product carriers along part of the processing trajectory and part of the retrieval trajectory, and the product carriers are at the processing level and the retrieval level transferred between the first transport device and the second transport device by at least one further transport device.

In an embodiment of the system, each product carrier comprises a longitudinal axis and the first transport device and the second transport device move the product carriers while maintaining their longitudinal axes in a vertical position.

In an embodiment of the system, the first level device and the second level device move the product carriers while maintaining their longitudinal axes in the vertical position.

In an embodiment of the system, the product carriers hold the device parts in a predetermined orientation relative to the product carriers.

In an embodiment of the system, the product carriers hold the device parts in a upright position relative to the transport devices, more specifically the first transport device, the second transport device and—if present—the further transport device(s).

In an embodiment of the system, the first production moving units are positioned side by side at a first production distance from each other, the second production moving units are positioned side by side at a second production distance from each other, the first return moving units are positioned side by side at a first return distance from each other, and the second return moving units are positioned side by side at a second return distance from each other.

In an embodiment of the system, the first production distance is equal to the first return distance and the second production distance is equal to the second return distance.

In an embodiment of the system, the level distance is measured in a vertical direction.

In an embodiment of the system, the product carriers are positioned below the device parts to support the device parts.

