CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a National Phase of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/ES2019/070258 having International filing date of Apr. 12, 2019, which claims priority of Spanish Patent Application No. ES P201830442 filed on May 4, 2018. The contents of the above applications are all incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a container-orienting device applicable to a bottle-positioning device, or a positioning device for other similar, rotating containers with a change in format based on the adjustment of the parts thereof. It also relates to the rotating positioning machine supporting same.

It can be applied in the field of producing and filling containers, as well as other similar industries.

PRIOR ART

Sometimes, during the manufacture of containers, before they are filled or in other similar operations, the bottles or containers need to be oriented in order to place them in the correct position, with the mouth oriented upwards. These containers come from a bin where they are randomly placed, and therefore the orienting device must allow for such variability in the initial orientation.

Rotating positioning devices start out from a chamber from where the containers fall onto a rotating plate, which chamber contains on its periphery a series of openings for discharging the containers. Orienting devices made up of upper receptacles and lower funnels are arranged in those openings. Only containers lying in the transverse position can pass through the openings, so the first part of the orientation is already achieved. However, the mouth of the container may be positioned in one direction or in the opposite direction, and it must be caused to rotate in the correct direction.

A first solution can be found in patent ES2210750T3, with the detailed description of an embodiment thereof being incorporated herein by reference. This patent incorporates elements for adjusting the upper receptacles and funnels, divided into several movable parts connected to one another, such that all the adjustments for each receptacle and funnel are integral and applied to all the orienting devices in parallel.

However, this solution simplifies transitioning to different container dimensions at the cost of generating a series of drawbacks.

First, it does not allow the different elements to be adjusted individually, so it does not take into consideration that many containers behave differently in the upper receptacle and in the funnel. Therefore, the adjustments need to be able to be customized.

Moreover, since all the elements are communicated with one another, replacement in the event of a malfunction or for any other reason is made unnecessarily complicated.

Finally, the need for the elements to be communicated with one another increases the complexity and the number of parts, whereby increasing the size of the equipment and reducing reliability.

The applicant does not know of other devices or orienting devices similar to the invention.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to the claims, the invention consists of a container-orienting device the embodiments of which solve the problems of the state of the art. It likewise relates to the positioning machine incorporating same.

In the specification, “approximately vertical” shall be regarded as covering both the purely vertical angle and any similar angle which allows a container sliding into contact with that element to fall on its base and remain upright. The maximum angle will depend in part on the dimensions and weights of the type of containers used, so as a general rule an angle of not more than 20° will be preferred.

The container-positioning device of the invention is intended for containers of the type having a neck and a mouth in said neck. The device, in turn, is of the type having an inlet opening into an upper receptacle (where only the vessel that is “lying down” may enter and a funnel arranged below the upper receptacle. The funnel has a tapering adjustable section, such as the one mentioned in the state of the art. However, unlike the known funnels, the funnel has edges made up of:A first curved, stationary plate, arranged on a smaller side of the opening (i.e., radial to the rotating plane of the machine once it is placed). Its center is oriented towards the inside of the funnel, and its lower area is approximately vertical, as it is the point where the container ends up falling.A second plate, opposite the first plate and movable in the horizontal direction. Therefore, it can move farther away from or closer to the first plate. The second plate has an upper section which is movable relative to an approximately vertical lower section. There may be an articulation between the two, or a flexible section can be arranged between both for a smooth transition. The movement of the upper section has a first end at which it is aligned with the lower section, or closer to the first plate, and a second end at which the upper section is tilted and farther from the first plate than the lower section. The upper section may take any position between both ends. Both movements of the plate allow the funnel to adapt to different container lengths.A third approximately vertical, flat plate parallel to the larger side of the inlet opening into the upper receptacle and movable in a direction perpendicular thereto. For the sake of simplicity, the third plate will normally be right below the opening, but it may be on the opposite side.A fourth stationary edge, opposite the third plate.

The upper section of the second plate has an orienting device generally articulated to same, with a first position in which it protrudes towards the first plate (perpendicular or at an angle) and a second position in which it is integrated in the upper section. This orienting device is prepared for intercepting the neck of the bottle and causing it to turn over.

In a preferred embodiment, the orienting device is arranged below the upper receptacle, such that it cannot block access to the upper receptacle.

The movable parts (plates and upper section) preferably have electromechanical actuators, which are more preferably controlled by a controller.

In turn, the upper receptacle may also have a movable edge, moved by an actuator, in a direction parallel to the third plate.

The invention also relates to a container-positioning machine. As indicated, it is of the type comprising a rotating plane, under a bulk container-feeding device or chamber, in a random initial position. This rotating plane has at least one perimetral opening where a container-orienting device is arranged. According to the invention, this container-orienting device is of the type indicated above.

If the machine has several container-orienting devices, their plates (including the upper section and the orienting device, which are part of the second plate) can be adjusted independently of one another.

An important advantage of the invention is that the funnels are individual and identical, as they are independent of one another. Therefore, each one can be replaced individually without requiring a large stock of parts. The biggest advantage is that the funnel will always be of the same model, regardless of the size of the machine. With the system of the earlier patent, the integral adjustment mechanism makes it necessary to design funnels specific to each machine.

Furthermore, the simplicity of adjusting the plates allows smaller positioning machines to be obtained, so they can be applicable in environments with many references or little production.

Other variants will be described below.

