METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PLACEMENT OF PACKAGING PRODUCTS

Field of the invention

This invention relates to a device for automatic and safe placement of packaging products in a container comprising a bottom and a first number of packaging products. The invention further relates to a corresponding method.

Background of the invention

In many countries, recycling and/or reuse of packaging products for beverages, such as for example bottles and cans of different kinds of beverages (beer bottles, beer cans, soda water bottles, soda water cans, wine bottles etc.) and/or of different kinds of material, such as for example plastic, metal and/or glass, plays an important role in order to reduce/limit pollution of the environment. At a packaging product reception site (e.g. inside a store), a packaging reception unit may be placed which may receive one or more types of packaging products such as for example bear, soda water and wine bottles and cans in different forms and sizes. An example of such a packaging reception unit is the TOMRA 710 reverse vending machine by TOMRA. Such a unit may receive and classify a number of different types of packaging products from customers returning e.g. beverage packaging products in the store. The unit may further provide a customer returning a number of packaging products with a coupon comprising a deposit for the returned packaging products. The reception unit may be connected to a sorting unit e.g. placed at the opposite side of where the customers enter their packaging products. An example of a sorting unit is the TOMRA Logistima by TOMRA. Such a unit may handle the packaging products received from the reception unit according to the classification provided by the reception unit.

A problem of the prior art is that a substantial manual labour is required in the abovementioned process of receiving packaging products e.g. from customers in a store.

Some types of packaging products, such as for example glass bottles may require manual removing from the sorting unit in order to place the glass bottles in a suitabie container. However, such manual removing and handling may yield a number of broken bottles whereby e.g. recycling of the bottles may be prevented. An increase in the number of broken yields an increased pollution of the environment due to the energy required to produce a new bottle.

Additionally, the manual labour may not be as efficient and/or cost-effective as an automatic removing of the glass bottles from the sorting unit.

Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a method and a device enabling automatic and safe placement of packaging products.

Summary of the invention

According to the invention the object is achieved by a device for automatic and safe placement of packaging products in a container comprising a bottom and a first number of packaging products, the device comprising a conveyor for receiving a second number of packaging products, said conveyor comprising a belt and a motorized conveyor pulley; said motorized conveyor pulley enabling a rotational movement of said belt; a vertical glide piece on which said conveyor may move in a direction substantially vertically above said bottom of said container; and wherein said motorized conveyor pulley is further adapted to provide a force between the belt and the first number of packaging products of a magnitude such that the height of the conveyor on said vertical glide piece above the bottom of the container is automatically determined by the first number of packaging products in the container.

Thereby, the invention is able to solve the abovementioned problem by having a conveyor receiving a second number of packaging products (e.g. a glass bottle). The glass bottle may, for example, be dropped from the sorting unit onto the belt of the conveyor using gravity. The belt may, for example, be of a material softening the touch-down of the bottle on the conveyor. Alternatively or additionally, the belt may be tensioned such as to soften the touch-down of the bottle. The height of the conveyor above the bottom of the container, in which a first number of packaging products (e.g. ten glass bottles) are placed, is determined by the number of packaging products already present in the container. The motorized conveyor pulley is able to provide a force of a magnitude between the belt and the first number of packaging products (bottles already present in the container) such that the conveyor is able to "climb" the bottles already present in the container and thus to position the conveyor just above the bottles already present in the container.

Thus, the conveyor is able to be situated just above the already present packaging products and thus the height travelled by a latest received glass bottle from the conveyor to the bottom of the container and/or the top of the already received bottles (first number of packaging products) may be limited to the height of the conveyor. Thereby, the conveyor is able to convey a second number of packaging products from a sorting unit and to a container wherein the risk of breaking the bottle is limited due to the limited height the bottle has to travel from the conveyor to the container/top of already received bottles and thus the invention is able to provide automatic and safe placement of packaging products.

In an embodiment of the invention, the device further comprises a balance weight connected to the conveyor via a number of pulleys such as to reduce the force from the motorized conveyor pulley required to adjust the conveyor's height above the bottom of the container.

In this way, the force from the motorized conveyor pulley required to adjust the height of the conveyor above the bottom of the container is reduced because the balance weight is placed such that it counteracts the weight of the conveyor.

In an embodiment of the invention, the rotational movement of said belt is of a magnitude ensuring that a first packaging product received by said conveyor is not in contact with a second packaging product received by said conveyor.

In this way, the risk of two packaging products colliding on the conveyor is limited and thus the risk of breaking one or more packaging products during handling is reduced.

In an embodiment of the invention, the belt comprises a number of brushes of a hardness and/or length such as to soften the reception of the second number of packaging products received by said conveyor.

In this way, the risk of breaking a number of packaging products e.g. during the gravitational fall from the sorting unit to the belt of the conveyor is reduced due to the hardness and/or length of the brushes on the belt.

In an embodiment of the invention, the conveyor comprises a roller and a flexible material placed between said motorized conveyor pulley and said roller.

(n this way, the impact of e.g. the gravitational fall of a bottle from the sorting unit to the belt of the conveyor may be reduced and thereby the durability of the belt may be ensured. Further, the flexible material may compensate for

the weight of the bottle thereby reducing the risk of the bottle bouncing of the belt.

Embodiments of the present invention also relates to a method corresponding to embodiments of the device.

More specifically, the invention relates to a method of automatic and safe placement of packaging products in a container comprising a bottom and a first number of packaging products, the method comprising the steps of receiving a second number of packaging products on a conveyor comprising a belt and a motorized conveyor pulley said motorized conveyor pulley enabling a rotational movement of said belt; moving said conveyor in a direction substantially vertically above said bottom of said container on a vertical glide piece; and providing by said motorized conveyor pulley a force between the belt and the first number of packaging products of a magnitude such that the height of the conveyor on said vertical glide piece above the bottom of the container is automatically determined by the first number of packaging products in the container.

The method and embodiments thereof correspond to the device and embodiments thereof and have the same advantages for the same reasons.

Advantageous embodiments of the method are defined in the sub-claims and described in detail in the following.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a packaging product reception system.

Figure 2 shows a first view ("front view") of a device according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 shows a second view ("side view") of a device according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 shows an example on the automatically determination of the conveyor height.

Figure 5 shows a device according to an embodiment of the invention comprising a balance weight.

Figure 6 shows a conveyor belt according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 shows a method according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of the drawings Figure 1 shows a packaging product reception system 100 comprising a reception unit (e.g. a TOMRA 710) 110, a sorting unit (e.g. a TOMRA Logistima) 120 and a device according to an embodiment of the invention 130. A second number of packaging products 140 may be entered into the reception unit 110. The reception unit 110 may classify the packaging product and may transmit the packaging product to the sorting unit 120. Depending on the type of packaging product and/or the material of which it is made, the packaging product may traverse the sorting unit 120 via different paths.

For example, in the case the second number of packaging products 140 include a glass bottle, the glass bottle may be transmitted from the sorting unit 120 to the device 130 according to an embodiment of the invention e.g. via a conveyor 160 of the sorting unit 120. The device 130 according to an embodiment of the invention ensures a safe and automatic placement of the glass bottle 140 in a container 150.

Figure 2 shows a first view ("front view") of a device 130 according to an embodiment of the invention. The device 130 comprises a conveyor 210 connected to a vertical glide piece 220 or substantially vertical glide piece 220. The conveyor 210 may, for example, be connected to the vertical glide piece 220 via an arm 240, made of e.g. a substantially rigid material such as a metal (steel for example), and a slider 230 or sliding bracket 230 or any other means for gliding enabling the conveyor 210 to move vertically along the vertical glide piece 220 and preventing substantial horizontal movement of the conveyor 210 along the vertical glide piece 220. Alternatively, the conveyor may be connected directly to the sliding means 230.

The arm 240 may, for example, have a height X of a dimension substantially equalling the height Y of the container such that the conveyor may be placed substantially at the bottom of the container e.g. in the case when the container is empty.

The height Z of the vertical glide piece 220 above the means for gliding 230 may be substantially larger than the height of the container Y such that the conveyor 210 may move vertically from the bottom to the top of the container 150.

In connection to the device 130, a container 150 may be positioned in which a first number of packaging products 250 may be placed. E.g. the container may be partially full and for example already comprising 10 packaging products such as for example glass beer and wine bottles.

A second number of packaging products 140 may be placed on the conveyor 210 from the sorting unit 120 e.g. via a gravitational fall from the sorting unit 120 onto the conveyor 210. Alternatively, the second number of packaging products 140 may be placed on the conveyor 210 from the sorting unit 120 e.g. via a robot arm. Alternatively, the second number of packaging products

140 from the sorting unit 120 onto the conveyor may be placed by any other means for placing.

Figure 3 shows a second view ("side view") of a device 130 according to an embodiment of the invention. The device 130 comprises a vertical glide piece 220, means for gliding 230, an arm 240 and a conveyor 210 comprising a motorized conveyor pulley 310 in order to provide a rotational movement of the belt 330 of the conveyor.

Additionally, the conveyor may comprise a roller 320 such that the belt may be tensioned between e.g. the motorized conveyor pulley 310 and the roller 320. The tension of the belt 330 may be of a magnitude such as to enable a softening of the touch-down of a second number of packaging products 140 (e.g. a glass bottles) received by the belt 330 of the conveyor 210 from the sorting unit 120. Additionally or alternatively, the belt 330 may be made of a material softening the touch-down of the glass bottle. For example, the belt 330 may be made of a material including rubber and/or other flexible and soft materials.

A container 150 may be positioned in connection to the device 130. In the container 150 a first number of packaging products 250 may be placed. E.g. the container may be partially full and for example already comprising 10 packaging products such as for example glass beer and wine bottles.

The motorized conveyor pulley 310 is adapted to provide a force between the belt and the first number of packaging products of a magnitude such that the height of the conveyor on said vertical glide piece above the bottom of the container is automatically determined by the first number of packaging products 250 in the container 150.

Figure 4 shows an example on the automatically determination of the conveyor 210 height above the bottom of the container 150.

In figure 4 a) is illustrated a container 150 and a conveyor 210 comprising a motorized conveyor pulley 310 and possibly a roller 320. Additionally, the container 150 may include a first number of packaging products 250 which in this example is 5 e.g. glass bottles.

A second packaging product 140A ₁ e.g. a glass bottle, received from the sorting unit 120 by the conveyor 210 is illustrated on the belt 330. Due to the rotational movement of the belt 330, the glass bottle 140A is moved from the conveyor 210 into the container 150 e.g. via a gravitational fall of a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the motorized conveyor pulley 310.

The volume of the bottle 140A is smaller than or equal to the volume in which the bottle 140A lands and thus the bottle may be placed in the container 150.

A second packaging product 140B ₁ e.g. a glass bottle, received from the sorting unit 120 by the conveyor 210 is illustrated on the belt 330 of figure 4 b). Due to the rotational movement of the belt 330, the glass bottle 140B is moved from the conveyor 210 into the container 150. However, the volume in which the glass bottle 140B is landing may be smaller that the volume of the glass bottle140B.

As indicated in figure 4 c), the rotational movement of the belt 330 provided by the motorized conveyor pulley 310 exerts a force Fc on the bottle 140B. As a consequence, the bottle exerts a force Fb = -Fc on the conveyor. As the force Fb has a component Fb, v in the vertical direction, the conveyor 210 may be lifted up a distance on the vertical glide piece 220 e.g. such that the conveyor 210 subsequently is placed above the glass bottle 140B and such that the bottle 140B is placed in the container 150 via a gravitational fall of a

distance substantially equal to the diameter of the motorized conveyor pulley 310 as indicated in figure 4 d).

In figure 4 e), a third glass bottle 140C is received from the sorting unit 120 and via the rotational movement of the belt 330, it is placed in the container

150. Through the gravitational pull Fg in the bottle 140C, it may exert a horizontal force on the bottle 140B. Additionally, the bottle 140B may be in contact with the belt 330. Thereby, the belt 330 may exert a further horizontal force on the bottle 140B. Thus, the bottle 140B may thus be moved a distance under the belt 330 away from the bottle 140C e.g. to the other side of the container 150. Thus, the bottle 140C is enabled to fall down into the vacant volume as indicated in figure 4 f).

Thus, in general the device 130 according to the invention is able to receive a second number of packaging products 140 from a sorting unit 120 e.g. via a gravitational fall from the sorting unit to the conveyor 210, and from there the device 130 is able to place the second number of packaging products 140 into the container 150 by a gravitational fall of a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the motorized conveyor pulley 310.

Additionally, the device 130 according to the invention is able to safely and automatically place a second number of packaging products 140 in the container. Further, the maximal height of the conveyor 210 above the first number of packaging products 250 is kept at a distance substantially equal to the height of the motorized conveyor pulley 310.

Figure 5 shows a device according to an embodiment of the invention 130. The device according to the embodiment of figure 5 comprises all the technical comprised in the embodiment of figure 3 and further comprises a balance weight 510 connected to the arm 240 through which the conveyor 210 is connected to the vertical glide piece 220. Alternatively, the balance

weight may be connected directly to the conveyor 210. The balance weight 510 may be connected to the arm 240 via a number of pulleys 52O ₁ 530 and via a cable, e.g. a metal cable such as a steel cable.

The effect of the balance weight 510 may be, for example, to reduce the force required from the motorized conveyor pulley 210 in order to increase the height of the conveyor 210 via the vertical glide piece 220 as described above. The balance weight may, for example, have a mass substantially identical to the mass of the conveyor 210 or the mass of the conveyor 210 and the arm 240. Thereby, the gravitational pull in the conveyor 210 or the conveyor 210 and the arm 240 may be substantially equalized by the gravitational pull in the balance weight 510 and thus the mass required lifted by the motorized conveyor pulley 310 is reduced and thereby the force required by the motorized conveyor pulley 310 is reduced.

Alternatively, the mass of the balance weight 510 may be smaller than the weight of the conveyor 210 or the conveyor 210 plus the arm 240. Thereby, the gravitational pull in the conveyor 210 or the conveyor 210 and the arm 240 may be reduced by the balance weight 510 and thus the mass required lifted by the motorized conveyor pulley 310 is reduced and thereby the force required by the motorized conveyor pulley 310 is reduced.

In an additional embodiment of the invention, the rotational movement of the belt 330 is of a magnitude such that a first packaging element received from the sorting unit 120 by the belt 330 is not in direct physical contact with a second packaging element received from the sorting unit 120 by the belt 330. Thus, the rotational movement of the belt may, for example, be tuned to the frequency by which the packaging elements (e.g. glass bottles) are received from the sorting unit 120 such that a first glass bottle does not fall on top of an already received second glass bottle. Thereby, breaking of the packaging elements is further prevented.

Figure 6 shows a conveyor belt 330 according to an embodiment of the invention, in the embodiment, the belt 330 comprises a number of brushes 610, The brushes may be arranged in lines as indicated in figure 6 a). The length of the brushes may, for example, vary as indicated in figure 6 b). Alternatively, the length of the brushes may be the substantially identical. Variation in the length of the brushes as indicated in figure 6 b) may be used to reduce the movement of a bottle 140 as it is transported with the belt 330 towards the container 150 thereby reducing the risk of a bottle 140 unintentionally falling of the belt 330. Additionally, the brushes may have a length and/or a hardness such as to soften the reception of one or more bottles 140 from the sorting unit 120 and thereby reducing the risk of a bottle 140 breaking upon touch-down on the belt 330.

Figure 7 shows a method 700 according to an embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment, the method starts in step 710. In step 720, the belt 330 of the conveyor 210 receives a first bottle 140A from the sorting unit 120 for example via a gravitational fall of said first bottle 140A from said sorting unit 120 to said belt 330. The first bottle 140A is translated towards an end of the belt 330 by the rotationai movement of the belt 330. In step 730, if the first bottle 140A is sufficiently translated by the rotational movement of the belt 330, a second bottle may be received by the belt 330 from the sorting unit 120 in order to prevent a collision between said first bottle 140A and said second bottle 140B. The second bottle (and any number of subsequent other bottles) may follow the first bottle to the container according to the embodiment.

In step 740, the first bottle 140A is placed in the container 150, for example via a gravitational fall of a maximal distance of substantially the diameter of the motorized conveyor pulley 210.

If there is room for the first bottle 140A where it lands, step 750, e.g. in the container 150 or on top of a number of other bottles 250, the method according to the invention may return to step 730.

If the volume of the bottle is larger than the volume in which it lands, steps 760, then the rotational movement of the belt 330 provided by the motorized conveyor pulley 310 exerts a force Fc on the bottle 140A. As a consequence, the bottle exerts a force Fb = -Fc on the conveyor.

Jn step 770, the conveyor is lifted up due to the force Fb exerted by the bottle on the conveyor due to a component of the force in the vertical direction Fb,v. The distance which the conveyor 210 may be lifted up on the vertical glide piece 220 may be such that the conveyor 210 subsequently is placed above the glass bottle 140A and the bottle 140A may fall into the vacant volume of the container 150.

Subsequently, the method according to the embodiment may return to step 730.

A number of steps of the embodiment may be performed simultaneously. For example, step 730 may be performed simultaneously with steps 740 - 750 (alternatively 760).

Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described and shown, the invention is not restricted thereto, but may also be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject-matter defined in the following claims.

In general, any of the technical features and/or embodiments described above and/or below may be combined into one embodiment. Alternatively or additionally any of the technical features and/or embodiments described

above and/or below may be in separate embodiments. Alternatively or additionally any of the technical features and/or embodiments described above and/or below may be combined with any number of other technical features and/or embodiments described above and/or below to yield any number of embodiments.

In device claims enumerating several means, several of these means can be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims or described in different embodiments does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

It should be emphasized that the term "comprises/comprising" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.