The present invention relates to carrier pucks, such as carrier pucks for receiving and supporting articles to be moved along a processing line.

A carrier puck may be used to receive and support an article, for instance a bottle, as it moves on a conveyor along a processing line, for instance an automatic or semiautomatic bottling line.

A conventional carrier puck may comprise a one-piece body with an aperture formed therein, the aperture being shaped and dimensioned to conform to the outer dimensions of a specific type of article which the carrier puck is designed to receive and support. For example, the aperture may have a circular cross section for receiving a cylindrical bottle.

Since the aperture of the conventional carrier puck is shaped and dimensioned for a specific type of article, each different type of article requires its own specifically designed carrier puck. Because a carrier puck cannot be reused for different types of article, there is significant wastage when a new type of article (e .g., of a new shape and/or size) is introduced. For instance if a new bottle with a square cross section replaces an existing cylindrical bottle, all of the carrier pucks used with the existing cylindrical bottles will become defunct and will likely be discarded.

Also, typically, the aperture of the conventional carrier puck is dimensioned for a loose fit of the article which the carrier puck is designed to receive and support, so that said article can be placed and removed easily. For example, the conventional carrier puck might include a cylindrical aperture with an inner diameter of 152 mm to accommodate a cylindrical bottle with an external diameter of 150 mm. Consequently, the conventional carrier puck neither supports the article in a particularly stable manner nor locates it particularly precisely.

In one aspect, the invention provides a carrier puck for an article of any one of a plurality of different sizes and/or shapes, comprising: a support for supporting the article thereon; and a plurality of locating members for locating the article between them on the support, wherein a first one of the locating members is movable so as to reduce a separation distance between it and another one of the locating members. Optionally, a second one of the locating members is movable so as to reduce a separation distance between it and another one of the locating members. Optionally, each of the first and second locating members is movable towards the other of the first and second locating members.

Optionally, a third one of the locating members is movable so as to reduce a separation distance between it and another one of the locating members.

The plurality of locating members may further comprise a fourth locating member, and in which each of the third and fourth locating members is movable towards the other of the third and fourth locating members.

Optionally, the movable locating member, or each of the movable locating members, is pivotally connected to the support.

Optionally, the first and second locating members are pivotally connected to the support at respective positions which are equidistant from a centre of the receiving space.

Optionally, the third and fourth locating members are pivotally connected to the support at respective positions which are equidistant from a centre of the receiving space.

The carrier puck may further comprise a first linkage arranged such that actuation thereof causes the movable locating member, or each of the movable locating members, to rotate.

Optionally, the first linkage comprises a rectangular arrangement of four actuation links, the first locating member being connected to the third locating member and to the fourth locating member via first and second ones of the actuation links, respectively, and the second locating member being connected to the third locating member and to the fourth locating member via third and fourth ones of the actuation links, respectively.

The carrier puck may further comprise a clutch arranged to connect the movable locating member to, or respective clutches arranged to connect each of the movable locating members to, the first linkage. The carrier puck may further comprise a second linkage, the second linkage comprising a coupling link arranged to couple together the first and second locating members so that displacement of the first locating member is proportional to displacement of the second locating member. The second linkage may further comprise a second link, the second link being arranged to couple together the third and fourth locating members so that displacement of the third locating member is proportional to displacement of the fourth locating member.

In a second aspect, the invention provides a method of moving, along a processing line, an article of any one of a plurality of different sizes and/or shapes, comprising: providing, on a conveyor of the processing line, the carrier puck; placing the article on the support of the carrier puck; causing the, or each, movable locating member to move so as to reduce a separation distance between it and another one of the locating members; and advancing the conveyor to thereby move the article, supported by the puck, along the processing line .

The method may further comprise : actuating, via an actuation means of the processing line, the first linkage of the carrier puck in order to cause the, or each, movable locating member to move so as to reduce a separation distance between it and another one of the locating members. The actuation means may comprise a pneumatic piston.

In a third aspect, the invention provides a processing line assembly comprising: two or more stations for processing articles; at least one of the carrier pucks; and a conveyor for transporting said at least one carrier puck between the stations.

The processing line may further comprise actuation means arranged to actuate the first linkage thereof in order to cause the, or each, movable locating member to move so as to reduce a separation distance between it and another one of the locating members. The actuation means may comprises a pneumatic piston.

The puck, or the method, may further comprise any one or more features or steps of the preferred embodiments of the present invention which will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is an underneath view of a carrier puck in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, showing four locating members thereof when retracted;

Figure 2 is an enlarged partial section through the carrier puck of Figure 1 , along the line A-A, showing a shaft to which one of the locating members is connected; and

Figure 3 is an underneath view of the carrier puck of Figures 1 and 2, showing the four locating members thereof when pivoted inwards.

Referring mainly to Figures 1 and 3, in a first embodiment of the present invention there is a carrier puck 100 suitable for receiving and supporting an article of any one of a plurality of different sizes and/or shapes. For example, the carrier puck 100 may be used for supporting a bottle as it travels along a bottling line.

The carrier puck 100 comprises a flat, hollow, generally rectangular base 105 for supporting the article, four rectangular sidewalls 1 10a,b,c,d extending upwards therefrom and a flat, generally rectangular top cover 1 15 (see Figure 2) with a circular aperture 120 formed through it. Four arms 125a,b,c,d (other embodiments may include more or fewer arms), which act as locating members, are pivotally connected to the base 105. The four arms 125a,b,c,d can be used to locate and centre the article on the base 105.

Each of the arms 125a,b,c,d is mounted on a respective vertical shaft such that it can rotate about a vertical axis.

Referring briefly to Figure 2, each of the shafts is rotatably connected to the base 105 near a respective corner thereof. Each of the shafts is hollow and is connected to the base 105 by a respective pin which extends vertically upwards through the hollow centre of the shaft. As shown in Figure 1 , in a retracted orientation each of the arms 125a,b,c,d extends, from its respective shaft, in a direction approximately parallel to an adjacent side of the base 105. Accordingly, when retracted, the arms 125a,b,c,d bound an inner rectangular area on top of the base 105 for receiving the article.

Referring to Figures 1 and 3, a respective gripping jaw 135a,b,c,d is pivotally connected to the end of each arm, having a pivot axis which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the arm. Each jaw 135a,b,c,d is elongate and has approximately twenty degrees of rotational travel about its pivot axis, centred at an upright orientation of the jaw 135a,b,c,d. In the upright orientation of the jaw 135a,b,c,d, the longitudinal direction of the jaw 135a,b,c,d extends in a direction approximately parallel to the pivot axis of the arm to which it is connected. In use, the jaws 135a,b,c,d will engage with the article in order to locate it on the base 105.

The carrier puck 100 comprises a first linkage by which the four arms 125a,b,c,d can be moved. The first linkage comprises four links 140a,b,c,d, each extending in a direction approximately parallel to an adjacent side of the base 105, so as to provide a generally rectangular arrangement of the links 140a,b,c,d.

Each of the links 140a,b,c,d is a flat elongate member pivotally connected at its ends to respective ones of the arms 125a,b,c,d, via respective crank mechanisms and clutches.

A respective crank 145a,b,c,d is coupled to each of the arms 125a,b,c,d, via a respective clutch 150 (see Figure 2). The pin which extends through the arm 125a,b,c,d, extends further upwards through the clutch 150 and then through the crank 145a,b,c,d. Each of the cranks 145a,b,c,d is pivotally connected to two of the links 140a,b,c,d, at respective connection points which are offset from the arm's vertical axis of rotation; the two links are angularly offset by ninety degrees. Two of the links 140b,d, which extend in parallel directions, include outwardly projecting portions 155, 156. The first linkage can be actuated via one of the outwardly projecting portions 155 in order to move the arms 125a,b,c,d in a first direction of rotation, into the inner rectangular region (as shown in Figure 3) so as to reduce a separation distance between the locating members, thereby to grip and centre the article on the base 105. The first linkage can be actuated via the other one of the outwardly projecting portions 156 in order to move the arms 125a,b,c,d in the opposite direction of rotation, out of the inner rectangular region and back towards the retracted orientations, so as to release the article.

As noted above, each of the arms 125a,b,c,d is rotatable by the linkage via a respective friction clutch 150. The friction clutches 150 provide torque control in order to prevent the arms 125a,b,c,d exerting too much force on the article as they move into the inner rectangular region to grip and centre the article on the base 105. Since the friction clutches allow the arms 125a,b,c,d to slip relative to the first linkage, there is no need to take account of the size of the article when actuating the first linkage. That is, because of the friction clutches 150 the first linkage can be actuated through its full range of travel, in order to move the arms 125a,b,c,d into the inner rectangular region to grip and centre the article on the base 105, irrespective of the size of the article supported on the base 105 (e.g., the bigger the article, the more the arms 125a,b,c,d will slip relative to the first linkage).

Also, the clutches potentially allow each of the arms 125a,b,c,d to be in a different orientation, since the arms 125a,b,c,d can potentially slip by different amounts relative to the first linkage, thereby allowing different shapes of articles to be gripped by the arms 125a,b,c,d.

The carrier puck 100 comprises a second linkage for coupling the arms 125a,b,c,d together into diagonal pairs. Accordingly, when moved by the first linkage, both arms in a pair move in the same direction of rotation and by substantially the same amount. This can help centre the article at a centre point of the inner rectangular region. As will be appreciated from Figures 1 and 3, the arms 125a,b,c,d are pivotally connected to the base 105 at respective positions which are equidistant from the centre point.

The second linkage comprises two coupling links 160a,b, a respective one for each of the diagonal pairs of the arms 125a,b,c,d. Each of the coupling links 160a,b extends inside the base 105 and is pivotally connected at each of its ends via a respective upwardly extending pin to a respective one of the arms 125a,b,c,d in its pair. Since the second linkage couples the arms 125a,b,c,d together into pairs, rather than coupling all four arms together, the carrier puck 100 is able to centre irregularly shaped articles, such as oval bottles. Each of the coupling links 160a,b is a flat elongate member which passes through opposite right angles such that it has a laterally offset middle portion. Accordingly, the coupling links do not obstruct a central aperture 165 through the base 105, through which a label can be applied, from below, to the bottom of the article in situ.

The present invention may be embodied in different carrier pucks. In one embodiment a carrier puck similar to that of the first embodiment has three arms, instead of four, which are pivotally connected to the base at respective points which form the corners of an equilateral triangle. In that embodiment, the first linkage comprises three links in a generally triangular arrangement. That embodiment may be more suitable than the first embodiment for supporting an article having a triangular or hexagonal shape, for example .

In some embodiments, only one of the arms is movable, in which case the movable arm can locate the article against a fixed locating member. The fixed locating member may be another arm, or may be some other part of the carrier puck such as an inner surface of a sidewall thereof.

In another aspect of the present invention, a carrier pack according to a preferred embodiment of the invention may be used in a processing line (not shown) . Accordingly, the invention provides a processing line assembly comprising a plurality of stations for processing articles. In one example, the articles are bottles and a first one of the stations is for filling the bottles, with a second one of the stations being for capping the bottles. There may be other stations, e .g. for applying labels to the bottles. The assembly includes at least one carrier puck 100 according to preferred embodiments of the invention, for supporting the bottles, and a conveyor for transporting the bottles, in the carrier pucks 100, between the stations.

Operation of the processing line assembly involves providing, on the conveyor, one of the carrier pucks 100. One of the bottles is then placed in the carrier puck 100, and the conveyor is advance until the bottle, in the carrier puck 100, reaches a station for locating and centring the bottle. The locating and centring station comprises a proximity sensor which detects the presence of the bottle, in the carrier puck 100, and halts the conveyor. The locating and centring station further comprises actuation means, which in this case includes a pneumatic cylinder, which is actuated in order to cause the, or each, movable locating member of the carrier puck 100 so as to reduce a separation distance between it and another one of the locating members, thereby to locating and centring the bottle. The conveyor is then advanced to move the bottle, supported by the puck, along the processing line to be processed at the next one of the stations.