TURCHI, Giovanni (Localita' Badumela, Clangianus, 07023, IT)
| Claims 1. A belt-ring threading and twisting device for machines manufacturing the wire hoods that secure the stoppers in Champagne or other sparkling wine bottles, comprising a coil (2) of wire (1a), which is unwound and passed through a wire guiding system comprising an idle roller (7) and a roller (8) connected to a motor , besides a thickness measuring system, and made to advance thanks to a motor along a groove (4), at the exit of which the wire is made to enter into the belt forming device, follow a circular path set by means of an electronic control unit (6), and to pass through four eyelets (2b) in the legs of the star-shaped element (2a), which form the wire hood, when the said star-shaped element (2a) finds itself inside the threading device (9b) for making the belt and for the twisting operation by means of the twisting device (24a) characterized by the fact that a pair of blades (21 , 22), controlled by a four bar linkage, cut the wire (1 a) to the right length, at the same time firmly holding down the wire, which facilitates the operation of the twisting device (24a) for twisting the two tips of the wire (1 b, 1 c); on completion of the wire twisting operation the threading device (9b) opens, the twisting device (24a) moves away and the wire hood (2a), complete with the belt, moves on to the next step in the process. 2. A belt-ring threading and twisting device for machines manufacturing the wire hoods that secure the stoppers in Champagne or other sparkling wine bottles, as claimed in claim 1 wherein the threading device (9b) for making the belt also comprises: - a stationary template (9) featuring four slots (9a) suited to housing a small part of the eyelets made at the tip of the legs of the star-shaped element (2a) forming the upper section of the hood, which stationary template (9) features a small gap (9c) inside which the twister (24) of the twisting device (24a) can operate; - two mobile claws (10) grooved on the inside (10a), to guide the wire, and featuring two slots (10b) each one suited to housing the perforated part of the eyelet at the tip of the legs of the star- shaped element (2a), corresponding to the slots (9a) on the stationary template (9) in which, while the wire (1 a) is threaded through, the mobile claws (10) are clamped around the stationary template (9), by means of mechanical motor-driven devices, so as to create an enforced path for the wire, which enters the guide between the stationary template (9) and the groove (10a) on the inside of the mobile claws (10) and through the eyelets (2b) in the star-shaped element kept firmly in place in the slots (9a and 10b). A belt-ring threading and twisting device for machines manufacturing the wire hoods that secure the stoppers in Champagne or other sparkling wine bottles, as claimed in claim 3 wherein the opening and closing movement of the claws (10), vis-a-vis the stationary template (9), is activated by means of a four bar linkage comprising a main link (1 1 ), a secondary link (12) and the control linkage (13); thanks to the thrust of a spring the flat cam with track (14) maintains contact with the roller (15) mounted on the main link (1 1 ) and slides controlled by the shaft (16), which itself is driven by the suitably phased transmission system; a series of small teeth on the control linkage (13) prevents the rotation of the shaft (16)-flat cam (14) unit. A belt-ring threading and twisting device for machines manufacturing the wire hoods that secure the stoppers in Champagne or other sparkling wine bottles, as claimed in claims 1 and 2 wherein the descent of the pair of blades (21 and 22) for cutting the wire (1a) is controlled by a four bar linkage comprising a main link (17), a secondary link (18), a bracket (19) and a jointed head (20), the blades being linked to the jointed head (20) and the length can be regulated beforehand by means of a regulating screw (23). A belt-ring threading and twisting device for machines manufacturing the wire hoods that secure the stoppers in Champagne or other sparkling wine bottles, as claimed in claim 4 wherein the ratios of the links (17, 18) comprising the four bar linkage have been designed to ensure that the jointed head (20) and, consequently, the shear blades (21 ,22) linked to it, follow a trajectory perpendicular to the axis of the stationary template (9), which perpendicular trajectory permits the wire (1a) to be cut by the blade (21) and the tips of the wire to be firmly held down by the blades (21 ,22). 6. A belt-ring threading and twisting device for machines manufacturing the wire hoods that secure the stoppers in Champagne or other sparkling wine bottles, as claimed in claim 2 wherein the twisting device (24a) operating in the upper part (9c) of the stationary template (9) comprises a twister (24) containing a twisting wheel (25), which runs parallel to the axis of the stationary template (9); the twisting device moves forward until the crossed tips of the wire ( a) enter the slot in the wheel (25), a motor connected to the wheel (25) by means of a joint, and controlled by an electronic control unit (6), then twists the wire for the necessary number of rounds. 7. A belt-ring threading and twisting device for machines manufacturing the wire hoods that secure the stoppers in Champagne or other sparkling wine bottles, as claimed in claim 6 wherein once the wire has been twisted the hood is freed from its restraints, the twister (24) is moved backwards thus freeing the twisted portion of the belt and the mobile claws (10) are opened by the four bank linkage; the shaft (16) moves backwards dragging with it the flat cam with the tracks (14), which runs on rollers (15) which are connected to the main link (11) and enable it to move, together with the secondary link (12) and the mobile claws (10); the ratio of the links determines the opening and simultaneous backward movement of the mobile claws (10), thus leaving sufficient space for the wire hood to pass through. |
STATE OF THE ART
A threading and twisting device for the machines that manufacture the belt rings, which, together with the star-shaped element and, at times, the disc-shaped metal cap (or plaque) that sits on top of the stopper, make up the wire hoods (or muselets) that secure the stopper in Champagne or other sparkling wine bottles.
The wire hood used to secure the bottle stopper, especially in the case of sparkling wine bottles, comprises a star-shaped element, which forms the actual hood covering the top and sides of the stopper, and the legs of which end, at the tip, with four eyelets into which a wire belt ring is then threaded, so that the tips shortly overlap and can be twisted together in such a manner as to be firmly united and form a belt, which fastens the hood to and holds down the stopper in the neck of the bottle.
The machines currently employed to manufacture wire hoods and, in particular, to thread the wire forming the belt ring into the curled eyelets at the tip of the legs of the star-shaped element, feature certain problems that diminish their functionality and impair their reliability. The first problem is that the wire is not always threaded accurately through all four wire hood eyelets.
The second problem is that the wire, once it has been threaded through the eyelets, is not stable enough to ensure the effective twisting of the wires.
The third problem is that the existing machines do not always precisely cut off the tips of the wire threaded through the eyelets at the tips of the legs of the star-shaped element forming the wire hood, which then obstructs the twisting operations and can leave sharp projecting parts, which can scratch or cut the person handling the bottle.
An example of a device for producing the wire hood belt rings for sparkling drink bottles is described in patent EP 1964 623, according to which the wire is made to pass through four mobile jaws, which, together with a central spindle, form a pathway in which the wire takes on a substantially round shape and in which the wire is also made to pass through the eyelets housed in radially arranged grooves.
A second example of device for manufacturing wire hoods for securing sparkling wine bottle stoppers is described in the Italian patent No. 1264100, in which the device comprises a wire forming device, wire feeders and guides and a cutter between the forming device; the forming device comprises two coupled elements that constitute a basically round and continuous seat, with a wire inlet and outlet point. Neither of the above mentioned patents, however, remedy the technical problems of how to hold down the tips of the wire during the twisting operation and how to ensure the equal length of the tips of the twisted wire.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to its broadest aspect the invention is a threading and twisting device for the wire forming the belt of the wire hoods used to fasten and secure bottle stoppers, especially in the case of Champagne or sparkling wine bottles, capable of remedying the inconveniences mentioned above.
In accordance with the present invention the wire that serves the purpose of forming the belt is unwound from a coil, preferably placed at the back of the machine, and from here - through a system of guides - it is fed into a groove leading it directly to the threading and twisting device. Before being fed into the wire-guiding groove, however, the thickness of the wire is measured by a series of small rollers, while it is made to progress along the groove by means of a motor located upstream from the groove itself. At the exit from the groove, the wire is made to follow a circular path, which can be set by means of an electronic PLC control unit and, at the same time, to pass inside the four eyelets at the tip of the legs of the star-shaped element sitting in the threading and twisting device of the wire hood machine; a pair of blades - controlled by a mechanical cam - then cuts the wire to the required length, while simultaneously clamping down the wire, which facilitates the work of the twisting device and improves the twist quality, which, if carried out improperly, would impair the overall quality of the wire hood; on completion of the twisting operation, the device for threading the wire through the eyelets unclamps, leaving the wire hood - now complete with its belt - free to move on to the next stage of the process.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
By way of example, an embodiment of the invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a general depiction of the wire threading process for producing the belt;
Figure 2 shows the complete wire hood for securing the stoppers for sparkling wine bottles identifying the constituent parts;
Figure 2/a shows the star-shaped element alone and, in particular, the eyelets through which the wire is threaded;
Figure 2/b shows the belt alone after the threading and twisting of the tips;
Figure 3 shows the circular path along which the belt wire is made to pass and the gap between the left-hand mobile claw to the right-hand claw;
Figure 3/a shows the mobile claw and, in particular, the groove made to guide the wire during the threading process;
Figure 4 shows the stationary template and a detail of the four grooves housing the eyelets during the threading operation;
Figure 5 shows the threading operation; Figures 6 - 6/a - 6/b show the wire being cut by the blades and the progress of the twisting device, from different angles;
Figures 7 and 7/a show how the progress of the twisting device and the rotation of the attached joint complete the twisting of the belt ring;
Figures 8 - 8/a - 8/b show the system at the end of the "cycle", with the mobile claws in the open position, the twisting device shifted back and the blades raised, ready for the next wire.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. The wire (1 a) is fed into the threading and twisting device of the wire hood manufacturing machine (Figure 2), for securing the stoppers of sparkling wine bottles, and passes through two rollers, one of which is idle (7) and the other (8) connected to a motor which unravels it from a coil (2) and moves it along the groove (4); before entering the groove (4), however, the wire (1a) passes through a series of small rollers, which measures its thickness and smooths out any folds formed during storage. The groove (4) serves the purpose of guiding the wire (1 a) and holding it until the belt forming process begins; in this manner, the motor (5) placed upstream cannot bend the wire and it is properly threaded into the threading device (9a) for forming the belt. The number of rotations of the motor (5) can be set by means of the electronic control unit (6) in order to achieve the threading, into the threading device (9a), of the right length of wire (1a) for making the belt.
The mechanical unit for forming the belt comprises the device for forming the band out of which the belt will be made, and is constituted by:
- a stationary template (9) featuring four slots (9a) suited to housing a small part of the eyelets (2b) formed at the tip of the legs of the star- shaped element (2a), which constitutes the top of the wire hood, which stationary template (9) features a gap (9c) which, at the proper time, is occupied by the wire (1 a) twisting device;
- two mobile claws (10) featuring two grooves on the inside (10a), which grooves serve the purpose of guiding the wire, and two slots (10b) suited to housing the hole of the eyelets formed at the tip of the legs of the star-shaped element, and corresponding to the slots (9a) in the stationary template (9).
During the operation - i.e. during the wire (1a) threading process - the mobile claws (10) clamp down around the stationary template (9), thus creating an enforced path for the wire (1 a), which is obliged to follow the path set by the guide formed between the stationary template (9) and the groove ( 0a) in the mobile claws ( 0) and to pass through the eyelets of the star-shaped element - which are held firmly in place between the slots (9a and 0b) - without any possibility of deflection. The claws (10) - in both the clamped position, thus forming the channel through which the wire (1 a) is obliged to pass to be properly threaded into the eyelets (2b), and during the subsequent twisting of the wire (1a) tips, and the undamped position, on completion of the threading and twisting operations - are operated by a four bar linkage comprising a main link (11), a secondary link (12) and the control linkage (13); thanks to the thrust of a spring the flat cam with track (14) maintains contact with the roller (15) mounted on the main link (11) and slides controlled by the shaft (16), which itself is driven by the suitably phased transmission system.
The movement of the four bar linkage is initialized by the flat cam with track (14) and the ratio of the links (11 and 12) has been designed so as to open and close the mobile claws (10), which, as mentioned above, ensure that the wire (1a) is accurately threaded into the eyelets (2b) of the star-shaped element and that the wire hood moves on after the twisting operation; a series of small teeth on the control linkage (13) prevents the rotation of the shaft (16)-flat cam (14) unit.
When the mobile claws (10) clamp onto the stationary template (9), they surround it almost entirely, leaving only a small gap (9c) between the end of the first claw and the beginning of the second claw, an arrangement which greatly improves the reliability and accuracy of the wire threading operation and the ensuing better quality of the belt ring, as well as the possibility, for the twister (24) to effectively twist the wire (1a).
The four bar linkage also serves the purpose of controlling the blades (21 , 22), which accurately cut off the excess length on the right and left-hand tips of the wire (1a) - as a preliminary step to the twisting operation - once the movement of the wire (1 a) forming the belt has been completed.
Figures 6, 6a and 6b clearly show how the descent of the blades (21 , 22) for cutting the wire (1a) is controlled by the four bar linkage, comprising a main link (17), a secondary link (18), a bracket (19) and a jointed head (20); in this case, the movement is used to control the descent of the blades (21 , 22) for cutting the wire and to firmly hold down the wire for the subsequent twisting operation.
The blades (21 , 22) are connected to the jointed head (20) and, thanks to the regulating screw (23), their height can be regulated before being finally fastened to the jointed head (20) by means of an inclined plane coupling.
The ratio of the links of the four bar linkage has been determined so that the jointed head (20) and, consequently, the attached blades (21 , 22) follow a trajectory that is perpendicular to the axis of the stationary template (9). The movement is impressed by the main link (17), which receives it from a shaft, which is linked to a suitably phased gear cam. The perpendicular trajectory of the blades (21 , 22), vis-a-vis the stationary template (9), is a key feature of the present invention because the descent of the blades determines, first and foremost, the cutting of the wire by the right-hand blade (21 ), followed by the clamping of the tips of the wire by both the blades, which, thanks to their vertical descent over the tips of the wire contribute to holding them firmly in place.
The twisting operation shown in figures 7 and 7a takes place in the upper section of the stationary template (9), where the twister (24) - which contains a little twisting wheel (25) - can slide parallel to the axis of the stationary template (9). The twister (24) moves forward - suitably in phase - when the cut tips (1b, 1c) of the wire overlap for a sufficient time to ensure their successful twisting, and then stops when the tips move into the slot on the small wheel (25), when the motor (26), connected to the small wheel (25) by means of the joint (27), controlled by the electronic control unit (6), rotates for the number of times needed to twist the wire.
After the twisting, the wire hood - which is now complete with the star- shaped element (2a) and the belt (2c) - needs to move on towards the other stages of the process, and, therefore, must be unlocked from the twister (24), which is still in the forward position, and the mobile claws (10), which are still in the clamped position around the stationary template (9).
Figure 8 shows how the backward movement of the twister (24), and of the small wheel (25) attached to it, releases the part of the belt where the tips of the wire have just been twisted (or joined); the backward movement of the twister (24) - just like the previous forward movement which enabled the twisting - is controlled by a kinematic system driven by a suitably phased gear cam. The mobile claws (10) then open to completely release the now complete wire hood (see figs. 8 and 8a); this opening movement is controlled by the four bar linkage (which also controls the closing movement); in this case, the shaft (16) moves in the opposite direction, dragging with it the flat cam with tracks (14) running on the rollers (15), which are connected to the main link (11) and enable its movement, as well as that of the secondary link (12) and the mobile claws (10); the ratio between the links of this kinematic system is designed to make the mobile claws open (10) and, at the same time, move back, providing suffient space for the wire hood to move on.