BACKGROUND a. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for filling cups, and to an apparatus for filling cups. b. Related Art

Some known machines for filling cups with liquid products, such as yoghurts, work on an index/dwell principle in which the cups are moved to a first station and are stationary (“dwell”) while an operation (for example, filling with liquid) is carried out. The cups are then moved to, and held stationary at, a subsequent station at which another operation (for example applying foils to the cups) is carried out. This method limits the output of the machine due to intermittent movement of the cup with liquid. The lower the viscosity of the liquid, the slower the index needs to move, and therefore the slower the output rate.

Typically, linear machines have slats with holes for receiving cups. The slats are bolted to a drive chain and movement of the chain moves the slats. The normal output of a four-lane linear machine is up to about 200 cups per minute depending on liquid viscosity. If cup sizes need to be changed, there is considerable downtime while the previous slats are unbolted and replacement slats are bolted on.

Alternatively, rotary index/dwell machines can be used, in which cups are received in holes disposed around a rotatable annulus or wheel. The annulus or wheel can be replaced quicker than can the slats on a linear machine, but maximum output is typically lower, about 150 cups per minute.

In other known machines, cups are moved continuously along a path, without dwelling at the stations. Cups may be added to a conveyor, filled, sealed with a foil and removed from the conveyor without interrupting the movement of the conveyor. In these cases, the speed of movement is again limited by the viscosity of the liquid, and also the speed at which empty cups can be loaded and filled cups can be unloaded at the start and end of the path respectively. Examples of such machines are described for example in US 4042148, WO 2016/088023, EP 1759996 and WO 2015/121838.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or reduce at least some of the above-mentioned limitations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect, the present invention resides in a method of filling cups, the method comprising:

providing a cup dispenser for dispensing a plurality of cups;

providing at least one reservoir containing a product, and a plurality of movable nozzles for dispensing product from the or each reservoir;

providing a foil dispenser;

providing a sealing unit;

moving a cup holder with a plurality of cup-receiving sites to a first position relative to the cup dispenser;

(a) dispensing a cup from the cup dispenser to each of said plurality of cup-receiving sites on the cup holder while holding the cup holder stationary in the first position;

(b) moving the cup holder from the first position to a second position;

(c) while the cup holder is moving to the second position, dispensing product from the nozzles into the cups and moving the nozzles towards the second position to keep each nozzle positioned above or within a cup;

(d) moving the cup holder from the second position to a third position;

(e) while the cup holder is moving from the second position to the third position, applying a foil from the foil dispenser to each of said cups, and using the sealing unit to seal each dispensed foil on the respective cup; and

(f) when the cup holder reaches the third position, removing the sealed cups to a packing area. We have found that by using a combination of dwell and constant motion, the cup filling apparatus may be made to operate faster and more flexibly than conventional linear or rotary machines that use index/dwell operation. For example, the CWM 200L four-lane linear machine, from CWM Automation Ltd, is capable of filling and sealing up to 200 cups/min; the CWM 150R rotary machine, from CWM Automation Ltd, is capable of filling and sealing up to 150 cups/min. Apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, with four lanes and a smaller footprint, is capable of filling and sealing up to 240 cups/min regardless of viscosity.

The inventive apparatus is preferably chainless, which produces less wear. Cup holders can be readily mounted and dismounted, providing quick changeover between different packing sizes compared with conventional linear machines.

The method may further comprise moving the nozzles upwards as they dispense product to the cups, to maintain a constant distance between each nozzle and the surface of the product in each cup. The product is preferably a liquid, but may be a powder, a foam or any other flowable material.

Preferably, the cup holders are moved at constant speed from the first position to the third position. The cup holder may be held stationary at the third position when removing the sealed cups.

Preferably, the method further comprises returning the cup holder to the first position after removal of the sealed cups. The method may comprise, while the cup holder is moving to the second or third position, moving a further cup holder with a plurality of cup-receiving sites to the first position. In these ways, the apparatus can operate substantially continuously.

To that end, the method may further comprise repeating steps (a) to (f) for the further cup holder. The method may comprise repeating these steps continuously for subsequent cup holders.

The method may further comprise moving the cup holder to a service area, where the cup holder can be inspected or removed and replaced, for example to provide cup receiving sites of a different size. When a plurality of cup holders are disposed at and/or between the first, second and third positions, the method may comprise moving each of the plurality of cup holders to the service area, for example to gather all of the cup holders together in the service area or to bring the cup holders to the service area in quick succession.

The method may comprise dispensing a cup from the cup dispenser to each of the cup-receiving sites on at least two cup holders simultaneously while holding the at least two cup holders stationary in the first position. Similarly, the method may comprise removing the sealed cups from each of at least two cup holders simultaneously while holding the at least two cup holders stationary in the third position. The at least two cup holders may be spaced apart during movement from the first position to the third position as the cups are filled and sealed, and the spacing may be reduced between the at least two cup holders at the first position and/or the third position. In these ways, steps that operate with the cup holders in dwell can be performed in parallel on a group of cup holders simultaneously, while steps that operate when the cup holders are moving can be performed in series on the cup holders in the group successively.

From a second aspect, the invention provides an apparatus for filling cups, the apparatus comprising:

a continuous track having a series of selectively energisable electromagnetic coils;

a plurality of cup holders on the track, each cup holder having a plurality of cup-receiving sites;

each cup holder provided with a magnetic mover for moving the cup holder along the track independently of the other cup holders in response to selective energising of the electromagnetic coils;

a cup dispenser for dispensing a plurality of cups to cup-receiving sites on a cup holder when the cup holder is in a first position relative to the cup dispenser; a plurality of movable nozzles for dispensing product from a reservoir to cups on the cup holders; a foil dispenser for applying foils to cups on the cup holders; a sealing unit for sealing foils on cups on the cup holders;

a release assembly for lifting and moving sealed cups from the cup holders; an outfeed transporter for moving sealed cups away from the track;

actuators for operating the nozzles, the foil dispenser, and the sealing unit; and

one or more controllers configured to cause energising and de-energising of the electromagnetic coils and operation of the actuators to:

move a cup holder to the first position; and

(a) dispense a cup from the cup dispenser to each of said plurality of cup receiving sites on the cup holder;

(b) move the cup holder from the first position to a second position;

(c) while the cup holder is moving to the second position, dispense product from the nozzles into the cups and move the nozzles towards the second position to keep each nozzle positioned above or within a cup;

(d) move the cup holder from the second position to a third position;

(e) while the cup holder is moving from the second position to the third position, apply a foil from the foil dispenser to each of said cups, and then seal each dispensed foil on a cup using the sealing unit; and

(f) actuate the release assembly to lift the sealed cups from the cup holder and deposit the sealed cups on the outfeed transporter when the cup holder is in the third position.

Preferably, the nozzles are movable upwards and downwards, so that the nozzles can be kept a constant distance from the fill level in the cups during filling.

Preferably, the or each controller is arranged and adapted to cause movement of the cup holders at constant speed between the first position and the third position.

The cup dispenser may be arranged and adapted to dispense cups into the cup receiving sites of two or more cup holders at the same time.

The foil dispenser is preferably arranged and adapted to apply foils to a plurality of cups at a time. Similarly, the sealing unit is preferably arranged and adapted to seal the foils on a plurality of cups at a time.

The release assembly is preferably arranged and adapted to grip and lift cups from two or more cup holders at the same time and place them on the outfeed transporter.

Preferred and/or optional features of each aspect of the invention can also be used, alone or in appropriate combination, in the other aspect also.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows front and rear perspective views of apparatus for filling cups in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows the track and cup holders of the apparatus of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a view of the cup dispensers of the apparatus of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 shows the movable nozzles of the apparatus of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 illustrates the foil applicator of the apparatus of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 shows the sealing unit of the apparatus of Figure 1 ;

Figure 7 shows the release assembly of the apparatus of Figure 1 ;

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1 ;

Figure 9 is a sectional view along the line A-A of Figure 8; and

Figures 10-14 are detailed views of, respectively, the cup dispenser, nozzle carriage, rotary foil dispenser, sealing unit, and the lift and grip assembly of the apparatus shown in Figure 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to Figures 1 and 8, apparatus 2 for filling cups includes a continuous track 4 (best shown in Figure 2) mounted on a chassis 24. The track 4 has a series of selectively energisable electromagnetic coils (not shown) within a cover 28. Suitable tracks 4 are known in the art; for example the iTrak ^® system from Rockwell Automation, Inc. Magnetic movers are mounted on the track and each can be moved, independent of the other magnetic movers, by selective energising of the electromagnetic coils.

A plurality of cup holders 6 (in this example, 12 cup holders) are secured to magnetic movers 26 mounted on the track 4. A programmable controller 22 controls the movements of each cup holder 6. In this example, each cup holder 6 has four cup receiving sites 8 for receiving and holding cups. In this embodiment, each cup receiving site 8 is a hole, but it will be understood that alternative sites could be provided by suitable walls or projections on the cup holders.

A cup dispenser 10 (Figure 3) is mounted at a first position on the chassis 24 for dispensing cups to the cup-receiving sites 8 on the cup holders 6 by a mechanism well known per se. In this example, the cup holder 10 has eight cup-dispensing passages and dispenses cups to the cup-receiving sites 8 on two cup holders 6 while the cup holders 6 are in dwell beneath the cup dispenser 10.

Adjacent to the cup dispenser 10 is mounted a nozzle carriage 32 (Figure 4) which carries a plurality (in this example, 4) of movable nozzles 12. Each nozzle 12 is connectable via a pipe 34 to a reservoir for a liquid (not shown) and will dispense liquid (for example, yoghurt or custard) from the reservoir under pump pressure or gravity. The nozzles 12 are provided on a rise and fall mechanism 52 which allows the nozzles 12 to be raised during a filling operation to maintain a constant distance between the nozzle 12 and the top surface of liquid in a cup.

Adjacent to the nozzle carriage 32 is a foil dispenser carriage (Figure 5) which carries a foil dispenser 14. Preferably, the foil dispenser includes moveable foil applicators. In this example, the foil dispenser 14 has four rotary foil applicators 44 for applying foils to filled cups.

Adjacent to the foil dispenser 14 is a movable sealing unit 16 (Figure 6) for sealing foils on cups. The sealing unit 16 is mounted on a sealing unit carriage 38 and in this example carries four sealing heads 48.

Adjacent to the movable sealing unit 16, a release assembly 18 is provided (Figure 7) for lifting and gripping sealed pots and depositing them on the outfeed transporter 20 (an endless belt, in this example). The release assembly 18 is mounted on a sub chassis 40 on the chassis 24.

Movements and/or operations of the cup dispenser, nozzles, foil dispenser, sealing unit, and release assembly are controlled by actuators, such as servomotors and solenoids, and are in this example electronically tied in to the movement of the cup holders on the track by the controller 22.

An example filling and sealing process is illustrated in Figures 9-14. Initially, a pair of cup holders 6 are moved on the track to dwell at the first position (Figure 10). Flere, each cup-receiving site 8 is under a stack of cups 42 in the cup dispenser 10. Actuation of the cup dispenser 10 causes a cup 42 to drop into each cup-receiving site 8.

After receiving the cups, the cup holders 6 are moved with constant motion to a second position towards the outfeed transporter. Each of the cup holders 6 moves separately and independently away from the first position, so that the cup holders 6 become approximately equally spaced apart as they move towards the nozzles 12. The nozzles 12 are lowered and, while a cup holder 6 is moving to the second position, liquid is dispensed from each nozzle 12 into a corresponding cup 42 (Figure 1 1 ). The nozzles move with the cup holder 6 to keep each nozzle 12 positioned above or within a cup 42. In this embodiment, the nozzles rise as they are moved with the cup holders, maintaining a substantially equal distance from the top surface of the liquid in the cups, creating a cleaner fill. After filling the cups, the nozzles rise and return to their initial position, ready to repeat the filling process for the next cup holder 6.

After the cups have been filled, the cup holder 6 continues to move, from the second position to a third position, during which transition the foil dispenser 14 applies foils 46 to the cups 42 (Figure 12). The foil dispenser has four rotary foil applicators 44, each of which takes a foil 46 from a stack and deposits on top of a cup 42. The speed of the applicators 44 of the foil dispenser 14 are matched to the speed of the cup holder 6 so that good alignment of foil 46 and cup 42 is achieved. After application of the foils, the foil dispenser 14 is returned to its initial position to repeat the foil application process.

Referring now to Figure 13, the movable sealing unit 16 has four sealing heads 48. The sealing unit 16 is movable linearly on the sealing unit carriage 38. Each of the sealing heads 48 is applied to the moving cups and foils while the speed of the movable sealing unit 16 (and therefore the sealing heads 48) is substantially matched to the speed of the cup holder 6 to produce a clean seal. Fleat and/or pressure seals the foils 46 to the rims of the cups 42 in a manner known per se.

After sealing of the cups, the cup holders 6 continue to move to the third position, where they enter the release assembly 18 (Figure 14) and dwell. Once a pair of cup holders 6 have reached the release assembly 18, the sealed cups 42 are lifted from both cup holders 6 of the pair simultaneously by lift pads 54 via lift stems 56 using partial vacuum or releasable adhesion, and then gripped by gripping mechanisms 50 and deposited on the outfeed transporter 20 where they exit the machine to a packing area.

While the cup holder 6 is moving from the first position where the cup dispenser is located, another cup holder is moved to the first position and the process continues. After the sealed cups have been removed by the release assembly, the empty cup holders 6 move away from the third position and pass around the bottom of the track 4 to be recycled to the first position. In this embodiment the cups, after being dispensed, are moved at a constant speed from the first position, through the second position and to the third position where they are ejected. The cups do not dwell at the second position. In this way, the transit speed of the cups from the first to the third position is maximised.

Because the cup holders dwell (i.e. are temporarily stationary) at the first position, cups can be dispensed from the cup dispenser in a repeatable and safe manner. The stacks of cups in the dispenser can readily and safely be replenished, since the stacks are substantially static. Similarly, removal of the cups from the cup holders while the cup holders dwell at the third position minimises potential damage to the filled cups. Independent movement of the cup holders allows the dispensing and removal steps to be performed with pairs of cups holders simultaneously, which mitigates the delay caused by the dwell time at these stations.

It will be understood that additional steps may be included in the process; for example lids may be applied after sealing of the foils and before the cups are deposited on the outfeed transporter. Preferably, such steps are performed while the cup holders are in motion, although it is also possible to introduce further dwell points if desired.

The apparatus 2 can be readily re-configured for use with cups of different sizes, by causing all of the cup holders 6 to move to a service area. The service area may be a part of the track 4 between the cup dispenser and the release assembly, or may be a dedicated area accessed by a branch of the main track 4. When in the service area, the cup holders 6 can be quickly and conveniently removed and replaced with other cup holders with different sized cup receptacles.

It will be appreciated that the cup dispenser, filling mechanism, foil dispenser, sealing unit and release assembly described above are examples only, and that any other suitable arrangements could be used instead.

For instance, instead of a rotary foil dispenser, a static foil dispenser could be used that dispenses foils onto the cups as they pass beneath the foil dispenser. Instead of a sealing unit with movable heads, a static sealing unit, for example with a heated roller, could be used to seal the foils to the cups.

Further modifications and variations not explicitly described above can also be contemplated without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.