Bottle feeding and processing system

1. A system for feeding and processing/handling bottles ( 1 ) to be conveyed to a device ( 30 ) for entry into a filling machine ( 40 ):

a realignment centrifuge ( 100 ) fed randomly with the bottles ( 1 ) operating at a speed (Vc) greater than an assigned speed (Vp) of reference and having a tangential outlet ( 113 ) extending in a longitudinal direction (X-X) of advancing movement of the bottles ( 1 );

movement devices ( 12 , 13 , 14 ) extending in the same longitudinal direction (X-X) of advancing movement, arranged downstream of said realignment centrifuge ( 100 ) and able to convey the bottles ( 1 ) leaving the realignment centrifuge ( 100 ) and vary the speed of advancing movement thereof;

at least one bottle handling device ( 21 );

wherein

the bottles ( 1 ) leaving the realignment centrifuge ( 100 ) lie horizontally in the longitudinal direction (X-X) of advancing movement, and

said movement devices ( 12 , 13 ) comprise at least

a first device ( 12 ) operated at a first speed (V 12 ) less than the speed (Vc) of the realignment centrifuge ( 100 );

wherein the movement devices further comprises:

a second device ( 13 ) arranged downstream of the first device ( 12 ) and operated with a speed (V 13 ) less than or the same as the speed (V 12 ) of the first movement device;

a third device ( 14 ) operated at a speed (V 14 ) greater than the speed (V 12 ) of the first movement device, depending on and synchronized with the assigned speed (Vp)

said handling device ( 21 ) has a first actuator ( 2 ), provided with gripping means ( 5 ), for gripping a bottle ( 1 ) and designed to rotate in both directions, i.e. clockwise and anti-clockwise, about a respective first axis of rotation (I) parallel to the longitudinal direction (X-X) of advancing movement of the bottles;

a second actuator ( 3 ), which is kinematically connected to the first actuator ( 2 ) and is designed to cause rotation of the first actuator ( 2 ) in both directions, i.e. clockwise or anti-clockwise, about a second axis of rotation II perpendicular to the first axis of rotation (I).

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said movement devices ( 12 , 13 , 14 ) comprise a respective conveyor belt ( 130 , 140 , 150 ) forming a closed loop in the longitudinal direction (X-X) of advancing movement of the bottles ( 1 ).

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein it comprises a fixed base-piece ( 143 ) arranged between the first conveyor belt ( 130 ) or the second conveyor belt ( 140 ) and the third conveyor belt ( 150 ).

4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein said conveyor belts ( 130 , 140 , 150 ) comprise a pair of side shoulders ( 132 , 133 ) extending in the longitudinal direction (X-X) of advancing movement and displaceable relative to each other in the transverse direction (Y-Y).

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein said side shoulders ( 132 , 133 ) are operated by means of a mechanism operated by a handwheel ( 132 a ).

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein it comprises detection means ( 600 ) associated with the devices for the advancing movement and able to detect the downstream or upstream orientation of the mouth ( 1 a ) of the horizontally arranged bottle ( 1 ) advancing in the longitudinal direction (X-X) and emit a corresponding different signal.

7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein said detection means ( 600 ) comprise a telecamera ( 600 ) associated with the third movement device ( 14 ).

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said orientation device ( 21 ) comprises a third actuator ( 4 ) designed to rotate the bottle ( 1 ), in both directions, i.e. clockwise and anti-clockwise, about a third axis of rotation (III) parallel to the vertical direction (Z-Z), namely perpendicular to the second and to the third axis of rotation.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein it comprises support means ( 25 ; 1025 ) on which at least one orientation device ( 21 ) is mounted and which are able to be displaced in both senses of the longitudinal direction of advancing movement, along the transverse axis (Y-Y) and vertical axis (Z-Z).

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein it comprises a programming and control unit ( 500 ) connected to detection sensors ( 125 , 136 ) and to actuators for the movements and/or for adjusting variable parameters.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein it comprises a sensor ( 125 ) mounted inside the realignment centrifuge ( 100 ) and able to detect the level of the bottles ( 1 ) actually present inside said centrifuge and emit a corresponding signal (ΔL) representing the variation in level of the bottles ( 1 ).

12. The system according to claim 10 , wherein said control unit ( 500 ) comprises a first operating module ( 541 ) configured to activate supplying of the bottles ( 1 ) to the realignment centrifuge ( 100 ) depending on said signal (ΔL) representing the level detected.

13. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said control unit ( 500 ) comprises an operating module ( 547 ) configured to receive a signal representing the production reference speed (Vp) operationally associated with the feed apparatus ( 10 ).

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein said operating module calculates the speeds (Vc) of the realignment centrifuge and the speeds (V 12 , V 13 , V 14 ) of the movement devices ( 12 , 13 , 14 ) in accordance with the following relations:

Vc>Vp

V 12 =Vc/K 12 ( K 12>1)

V 13 =V 12 *K 13 ( K 13≦1)

V 14 =V 13 *K 14 ( K 14>1)

where Vc and Vp are expressed in products/minute.

15. The system according to claim 1 , wherein it comprises a distance sensor ( 136 ) able to detect the relative distance existing between the displaceable shoulders ( 132 , 133 ) and send a corresponding signal to the control unit ( 500 ).

16. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit comprises an operating module ( 542 ) which, upon receiving the value detected by the distance sensor ( 136 ), emits corresponding signals for operating an actuator ( 142 ) which activates the mechanism so as to cause the displacement of at least one of the two shoulders ( 132 , 133 ).

17. The system according to claim 1 , wherein it comprises a localization module ( 301 ) designed to detect the initial position of the bottles ( 1 ) and associated with at least one orientation device ( 21 ).

18. The system according to claim 16 , wherein said localization module ( 301 ) receives the signals emitted by the telecamera ( 600 ) for optically detecting the orientation of the bottles ( 1 ).

19. The system according to claim 18 , wherein said localization module ( 301 ) is connected to a control module ( 302 ) which comprises a comparison module ( 303 ) configured to compare the initial position of the bottles ( 1 ), detected by the localization module ( 301 ), with predefined end positions into which the bottles ( 1 ) are to be brought and which are stored in a memory (MEM).

20. The system according to claim 18 , wherein said control module ( 302 ) comprises a calculation module ( 304 ) configured to calculate the amplitude and the direction of the rotations of the first actuator ( 2 ), second actuator ( 3 ) and third actuator ( 4 ) on the basis of the results of said comparisons.

21. A method for feeding and processing bottles to means ( 30 ) for entry into a filling station ( 40 ), which comprises the steps of:

feeding bottles ( 1 ) to a centrifuge ( 100 );

setting a speed (Vc) for extraction of the bottles from the centrifuge ( 100 ) greater than a prefixed speed of reference (Vp);

extraction, from the centrifuge ( 100 ), of bottles ( 1 ) arranged horizontally and aligned in a longitudinal direction (X-X) of advancing movement;

entry of the horizontally arranged bottles ( 1 ) leaving the centrifuge ( 100 ) onto a first movement device ( 12 );

movement of the bottles ( 1 ) in a longitudinal direction (X-X) of advancing movement and at a first speed (V 12 ) less then the speed (Vc) at which they leave the centrifuge;

transfer of the bottles leaving the first movement device ( 12 ) onto a second movement device ( 13 )

operation of the second movement device ( 13 ) at a second speed (V 13 ) less than or the same as the first speed (V 12 ) of the first movement device;

transfer of the bottles ( 1 ) from the first movement device onto a third movement device ( 14 );

movement of the third feed device ( 14 ) at a speed (V 14 ) greater than the speed of the first movement device ( 13 ) and depending on the speed (Vp) of the filling machine;

first rotation through 90° of the handling device in a clockwise/anti-clockwise direction, depending on the preferential orientation of one of the side surfaces ( 1 c ) of the bottle, about a respective first axis of rotation parallel to the longitudinal direction (X-X) of advancing movement of the bottles;

second rotation through 90° of the handling device in a clockwise/anti-clockwise direction about a second axis of rotation (II) at right angles to the longitudinal direction (X-X) of advancing movement of the bottles depending on whether the bottle is oriented front-endwise or back-endwise in the direction of advancing movement (X-X);

displacement of a support ( 25 ; 1025 ) of the handling device ( 21 ) in the transverse direction (Y-Y) towards the screw feeder ( 30 ) with recovery of the height lost/gained by the first rotation in a clockwise/anti-clockwise direction of the handling device ( 21 );

downwards displacement in the vertical direction (Z-Z) of the support ( 25 ; 1025 ) and deposition of the bottle ( 1 ) in the seat ( 30 a ) of the screw feeder ( 30 );

upwards displacement in the vertical direction (Z-Z) of the support ( 25 ; 1025 );

return of the handling device ( 21 ) into the start-of-cycle position.