Device for storing and taking out blanks.

The invention relates to an apparatus for storing a supply of blanks made of thin cardboard for hinge-lid boxes (hinge-lid packs) and for the removal of individual blanks, a blank stack takes place in a blank magazine with bottom discharge opening and downwardly converging lateral conveying members receiving such that the lower blanks of the blank stack to be kept in a concave position and removed by a sampling member having a plurality of rotatable planetary gears and a cooperating with this sun and transported away by the sun.

Such a device is known by DE-24 36 354. The stationary, rotatable sun gear are in this embodiment two opposed planet wheels associated. These cover with its peripheral surface in each case the lower cut of the blank stack. On the circumference of the planet gears suction bores are arranged for this purpose. The voltage applied to the lateral surface of the planet gear blank is passed in further rolling on the circumference of the sun gear and supplied from this a removal track.

Which the blank magazine in the lower region limiting lateral conveying members are formed in one embodiment of this known device as a downwardly converging conveyors. These detect the blanks in the region of its narrow end edges in the central portion thereof, ie, at edges of a front wall on the one hand and a lid inner tab of the blank on the other hand. The planet gears - and accordingly the sun gear - are formed as two spaced-apart suction disks which detect the blank only in the region of lateral folding tabs. As with a conventional blank for hinge-lid packs, the lateral folding tabs are divided from one another by a plurality of longitudinal and transverse cuts, it is difficult to sufficiently maintain the blanks on curved or cylindrical bearing surfaces and to transport. For this reason, the known device has not proven itself in practice.

The invention has the object to further develop the above-described apparatus and improve in that the blanks in the removal from the blank magazine by the planet gears, and during the further transport a more accurate and trouble-free management experience, considering the special design of the lateral folding tabs ,

To achieve this object, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the planet gears with their peripheral surfaces detect a blank respectively exclusively in a central bearing region between lateral folding tabs, namely in the field of cutting-central strip.

Even the sun and another inventively effective Abförderorgan, namely a Abförderrad, get contact with the blanks exclusively in the field of cutting-median strip without contact with the lateral folding tabs. This trouble-free transport of the blanks is effected, since the lateral folding tabs are not covered by the funding bodies. The downwardly converging conveying elements of the blank magazine detect the blanks only in the region of the blank middle strip to end edges.

The planet gears are configured with the inventive device, that during the movement for extracting a blank from the blank magazine, a collision with the conveying elements, especially with lateral support belts, is avoided. The planet gears are for this purpose with radial grooves between the blanks sensing provided holding areas.

Further features of the invention relate to the design of the gear for the movement of the sun wheel, the planet wheels and the conveyor disc.

An embodiment of the device according to the invention is explained in detail based on the drawings. It shows:<dl id="dl0001"><dt>Fig. 1</dt><dd>a blank magazine and dispenser for the blanks and a portion of a packaging machine in a schematic side view,</dd><dt>FIG. 2</dt><dd>a lower part of the blank magazine and dispenser on a larger scale, also in side view,</dd><dt>Fig. 3</dt><dd>Sun gear and planet gears as part of the removal device on a further enlarged scale, also in side view,</dd><dt>Fig. 4</dt><dd>a vertical section through the removal device including gears,</dd><dt>Fig. 5</dt><dd>a blank for folding cartons in the deployed position,</dd><dt>Fig. 6</dt><dd>a schematic representation of the transfer of a blank according to FIG. 5 of a planet to the sun.</dd></dl>

The embodiment illustrated in the drawings is concerned with the handling of blanks 10 made of thin cardboard, namely concrete such for the production of hinge-lid boxes, or hinge-lid packs for receiving cigarettes. A stock of such blanks, namely, a blank stack 11, is received in a blank magazine 12. This upright is provided at the bottom with a discharge opening. 13 The respective lower blank 10 of the blank stack 11 is the blank magazine removed through the removal opening 13 and 12 supplied via a cut-sheet 14 of the packaging machine. In the present embodiment of FIG. 1 in the conveying direction downwardly inclined cut-sheet 14 is above a plate-shaped folding turret 15 with vertical axis of rotation. The blanks 10 are successively conveyed in pockets of this folding turret.

To remove the blanks 10 from the blank magazine 12 is an extraction unit 16. This consists of a fixed pivoted so central sun gear 17 and more - in the present embodiment, two - planetary gears 18, 19. These rotate at a continuous speed around the sun 17 and also around its own axis. The diametrically opposite planet wheels 18, 19 are disposed at a coaxially rotating with the sun gear 17 carrier, namely on a rotor 20th

The stacked with precise relative position blanks 10 are in the region of a lower Entnahmeabschitts 21 brought by exerting pressure on the end edges in a concave shape with decreasing downward curvature radius. The arrangement is such that the respective lower blanks 10 corresponding to an outer envelope, ie equivalent to external trajectory of the planet gears 18, 19, are (approximately) circular arc deformed.

The blanks 10 are moved downwardly for this purpose in the region of the removal section 21 by converging downwardly conveying members, namely, by support bands 22, 23, whose mutually facing conveying strands 24, 25 are used for supporting the end edges 26, 27 of the blanks 10. The support belts 22, 23 are driven in the sense of a downward conveying movement, preferably with a speed which is approximately 10% higher than the removal opening 13 directed conveying movement of the blank stack eleventh The support bands 22, 23 are formed as a toothed belt and guided by guide rollers 28, 29 and driven. The inclination of the conveying strands 24, 25 is about 6 ° to the vertical.

Directly in the area of ​​the removal opening 13, a separate support member for the blanks 10 is arranged, namely fixed lugs 30, 31. These form a support surface for the end edges 26 and 27 of the blanks 10th

For the removal of blanks 10, the planetary gears are moved by corresponding rotational drive of the rotor 20 about a central axis of rotation of the sun gear 32 17th At the same time, the planetary gears 18, 19 rotate around its own axis. The relative movements are coordinated so that arranged on the periphery of the planetary gears 18, 19 holding members for the blanks 10 - in the present embodiment sucker 33 and suction holes - each a blank 10 erfasssen thereof at the end portion, namely adjacent to the peripheral edge 26. The drive is so designed so that the rotor 20 with the planet gears 18, 19 rotates in the counterclockwise direction. The planet gears 18, 19 self-clockwise.

The detected from the planetary gear 18 blank 10 is applied with further rotation of the rotor 20 to the periphery of the pinion 18 due to the independent rotation thereof. The first detected end of the blank (adjacent to the rim edge 26) eventually reaches the periphery of the sun gear 17 and is also of this detected by holding members, namely suction 34th A simultaneous venting of the sucker 33 of the planetary gear 18 causes that now the blank is transferred from the sun gear 17 10 gradually.

The blanks shown here 10 for hinge-lid boxes or hinge-lid packs have a characteristic structure, which results from FIG. 5. A central blank part is substantially formed by a front wall 35, a bottom wall 36 and a subsequent back wall 37th This is followed close corresponding blank parts of a cover 38th Lateral portions of the blank 10 are made of folding tabs, namely arranged on either side of the central portion side flaps 39 and 40 and corner tabs 40, 41. This belonging to a standard blank 10 folding tabs are divided by transverse cuts 43 and by longitudinal sections 44 and diagonal cuts 45th These differently oriented cuts lead to problematic behavior of the folding tabs 39..42 when the blank 10 is brought into an arcuate shape. Fig. Figure 6 shows an S-shaped formation of the blank 10 during a phase of transfer of a planetary gear 18, 19, 17, to the periphery of the sun gear As seen, parts of the folding tabs, especially the corner tabs 41, 42, directed tangentially.

To avoid the consequent risk of impairment of the blanks 10, do not apply the effective organs of the blank magazine 12 and the extraction unit 16 exclusively in a central region of the blank 10 to, at least in the region of the lateral folding tabs 39..42. In FIG. 5, a cutting-center strip 46 is indicated by hatching. This forms the contact region of the organs of blank magazine 12 and extraction unit 16 and ends on both sides at a distance from the lateral folding tabs.

The planet gears 18, 19 are formed in a special way to avoid during the removal of blanks 10 from the blank magazine 12 a collision with the supporting bands 22, 23 and the lugs 30, the 31st To this end, along the circumference of the planet gears 18, 19, trough-shaped recesses 47 are formed. These extend in the direction axially parallel to and spaced circumferentially from each other. The recesses 47 are arranged so that the lower end of the extraction section 21, namely, the rollers 29 with the support belts 22, 23 and the lugs 30, 31, respectively enter into a recess 47, when a planetary gear 18, 19 is moved past.

The depressions 47 define support portions 48 on the periphery of the planetary gears 18, 19. In the region of these holding portions 48 suckers 33 are arranged, preferably in each case several adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the planetary gear 18, 19 and optionally in the circumferential direction. Instead of the above vacuum cleaner 33 also suction holes can be attached here. The holding portion 48 is curved in a cylindrical shape corresponding to the outer periphery of the planet wheel 18, 19. In the present embodiment, each planet gear 18, 19 is provided with three holding portions 48, which are arranged along the circumference at equal distances from one another. Centrally located between supporting webs 49, which also have a cylindrical outer surface and are using this on the circumference of the planet gear 18, 19th The support ribs 49 are here without holding or suckers. A recess 47 is accordingly in each case between a holding portion 48 and a support web 49. The picked up by a planetary gear 18, 19 blank 10 is placed against the outer surface of the holding portions 48 and the supporting webs 49th

The cylindrically shaped sun gear 17 is provided with a plurality along the circumference spaced equidistantly holding portions 50th These are each provided with a plurality of suction cups 34 or suction bores - distributed in the axial direction - equipped, for detecting the blank 10th

The funded by the sun gear 17 in the circumferential direction blanks 10 are on the opposite to the blank magazine 12 (bottom) Page 14 transported into the cut-sheet for this purpose a separate working Abförderorgan with the sun gear 17 together. It involves one or two spaced axially spaced transport rollers or discs 51, 52. These are located on the circumference of the sun gear 17th The transport disks 51, 52 are driven in the conveying direction. The blank 10 is therefore between the circumference of the sun gear 17 and the transport disks 51, 52 carried away in the cut-sheet 14. Here, the blank 10 is first detected and moved by conveyor rollers 53, 54th

To align the subsequent transport of the individual blanks to the working cycle of the packaging machine includes according to the embodiment of FIG. 1 an endless conveyor to the feed rollers 53, 54, namely a conveyor belt 55, which determines the spacing and the subsequent conveying speed of the blanks 10. The conveyor belt 55 is provided for this purpose with carriers 56, respectively detect a blank 10 at the rear.

All organs of the extraction unit 16 are moved by a central drive. For this purpose, the extraction unit 16 is attached to a part of a machine frame, namely, at a (upright) support wall 57. The discoidal rotor 20 is provided with a hollow shaft 58 in a bearing 59 of the support wall 57 rotatably supported. In the hollow shaft 58 a drive shaft 60 extends for the sun gear 17. The planet gears 18, 19 are axially parallel to the supporting pin 61, 62 supported rotatably, which are unilaterally mounted on the rotor projecting 20th

A central drive wheel 63 is driven by a motor, not shown. The drive wheel consists of two individual wheels 64, 65 (toothed wheels) with different diameters. The single wheel 64 transmits rotational movements to the drive shaft 60. The single wheel 65 is in driving connection with the hollow shaft 58th

The rotational movement of the planet gears 18, 19 around its own axis is effected from the drive shaft 60 of the sun gear 17th A arranged on the drive shaft 60 gear 66 is engaged with mating gears 67, 68, each associated with a planetary gear 18, the nineteenth

The transport discs 51, 52 are mounted on a common shaft 69th This is supported by the hollow shaft 58 driven by a gear 70 in connection with a further gear 71 on the shaft 69. The drive is transmitted between them by a toothed belt 72nd

The free side of the extraction unit 16 is supported in a stationary pivot bearing 73, via a supporting pin 74 on the free side of the sun gear 17th

The dimensions are chosen so that the axial width of the sun gear 17 or the peripheral surface of the width of the blank middle strip 46 is about. The formed with significantly smaller width planet gears 18, 19 are located centrally relative to the sun gear 17 and also to the blank magazine 12, the transport discs 51, 52 are arranged at such a distance from one another that between the transport discs 51, 52, a planetary gear 18, 19 in the rotational movement can also be received temporarily. Thus a cylindrical support sleeve 75 of the planet gears 18, 19 can be non-contact moves past the inner transport disc 51 in rotational movements, it is provided with a one-sided recess 76th Size and shape of this recess 76 are the motion of the planetary gears 18, 19 and the support sleeve 75 meet. The maximum distance between the transport discs 51, 52 is also not greater than the width of the blank middle strip 46th

Also, the support bands 22, 23 of the blank magazine and the lugs 30, 31 are formed with a width and disposed such that they become effective exclusively in the region of the blank middle strip 46th The dimension of the support bands corresponding to the width of the planetary gears 18, 19th

The mounted in the region of the sun gear 17 and the planetary gears 18, 19 holding members for the blanks, in the present case suckers 33, 34 are supplied in a known manner with vacuum. A suction line 78 for suction holes or suction cups 33 of the planet gears 18, 19 leads from a fixed ring channel 79 via the rotating with the planetary gear 18, 19 support sleeve 75 to the peripheral surface of the planet gear 18, the nineteenth

The suction cups 34 of the sun gear 17 is provided by a likewise fixed channel ring 80 which is arranged in the region of the fixed pivot bearing 73rd From this a suction line 81 in the sun gear 17 leads to its peripheral surface.