Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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LABELLING MACHINES
This invention relates to a machine for automatically
applying labels to objects whilst such objects are
advancing on a conveyor.
5.With a known labelling machine, pressure sensitive
adhesive backed labels are stripped from a backing tape,
bv. passing the tape around an edge of a plate-shaped
dispensing member, and the objects to be labelled are
advanced past such edge so as to receive the labels
10. directly therefrom.
With this arrangement, in order to achieve rapid
yet accurate labelling it will be appreciated that it is
! desirable for the direction and rate of feed of a label
to be matched with the direction and rate of advancement
15. of an object as the label is applied to the object; and
this can only be achieved in the case where the objects
are advanced in continuous manner at constant speed,
by effecting intermittent feed of the labels, unless of
course the label spacing on the backing tape is arranged
20. to coincide with the spacing of the objects which is not
practical in all cases.
Such intermittent feed is normally achieved using
a clutch and brake mechanism coupled to feed rollers for
the label-carrying tape, or with a solenoid mechanism
25. controlling engagement of a nip roller with a tape feed
roller, under the control of devices which sense the
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posi-tions of individual objects and labels.
These known intermittent feed arrangements are
however disadvantageous in that it is difficult to ensure
reliable, trouble-free operation and careful control of
5. the positioning of the labels on the objects whilst
effecting the re~uisite continual acceleration and
deceleration of the label-carrying tape.
An ob~ect of the present invention is to provide a
labelling machine with which labels carried on a backing
10. tape can be stripped therefrom and applied to objects
advancing in continuous manner on a conveyor without
requiring intermittent feed of such tape.
According to the invention therefore there is pro-
vided a labelling machine of the kind with which in use
15. labels are stripped from an advancing backing tape and
automatically applied to objects advancing on a conveyor,
characterised in that said machine has a transfer mech-
anism which has at least one transfer member movable
between a pick-up position at which it is operable to
20. pick up a stripped label, and a release position at which
lt is operable to release such picked-up label for
application to an advancing said object.
With this arrangement, in so far as the rate and~or
direction of movement of the transfer member need not be
25. matched to the rate and/or direction of advancement of
the backing tape it will be appreciated that the operation
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of the transfer mechanism can be so arranged as to ensure
that stripped labels are presented to the advancing
objects in a manner suited to rapid, accurate labelling
even in the case where the rate and/or direction of
5. advancement of the label-carrying backing tape is not
so suited. Thus there is no need to effect inter-
mittent feed of the backing tape and such tape may be
- advanced in continuous manner at a constant or
substantially constant speed. Reliability and accuracy
10. of the labelling operation can therefore be much improved.
Preferably also the movement of the or each transfer
member is effected continuously and at a constant or
substantially constant speed and the rate and direction
of such movement match the rate and direction of advance-
15. ment of the ob~ects at said release position. This maybe achleved by rotatably driving the transfer mechanism
so that the or each transfer member moves through a
circular path through said pick-up and release positions.
In order to achieve smooth pick-up at said pick-up
20- position despite different rates and/or directions of
movement of the transfer member, and the backing tape,
the arrangement may be such that each stripped label
passes to a holding device at which its movement is
arrested until-the transfer member reaches same, and/or
25- the transfer member may move relative to the label during
pick-up at such a speed and/or in such a direction as to
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ensure that smooth pick-up can be achieved. In a
particularly preferred embodiment, stripped labels pass
to a holding device and the transfer member moves into
pick-up relationship therewith in a direction trans-
5. versely to the direction of backing tape advancement.Conveniently, the transfer member may move horizontally
and the backing tape may move either vertically or
horizontally towards the pick-up position.
With regard to the stripping of labels from the
10. backing tape, this may be effected in conventional
manner by passing the tape around an edge of a plate-
shaped member.
Where a holding device is provided as mentioned
above, this may be a suction device. The or each said
I5. transfer member may also constitute a suction device.
Application of reduced pressure to such suction devices
may be controlled on a cyclical basis to enable labels
to be held and released as and when appropriate. It will
be appreciated that the prese~t invention does not
20. necessitate the use of control devices incorporating
sensors responsive to the position of the objects and
labels because intermittent label feed is not required.
However, such control devices may be utilised if desired
and such use thereof may well be advantageous.
25. With regard to the advancement of the objects this
may be effected in any suitable manner although preferably
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the objects are advanced on a rotary turntable through
said second position.
The invention may find application in the context
of the application of pre-printed pressure sensitive
5. adhesive backed labels to,bottles for pharmaceutical
products, and in this case the labelling machine may
incorporate or be used in conjunction with appropriate
auxiliary devices, for example, for pre-printing the
labels, for checking the labels, for filling the bottles,
10. and so on. It is however to be understood that the
invention is not intended to be restricted to this field
of application.
The invention will now be described further by way
of example only and with reference to the accompanying
15. drawings in which:-
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of parts of
;- one form of a labelling machine according to
the invention;
Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the
20. transfer mechanism of the machine to a larger
scale;
Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of part of
the transfer mechanism also to a larger scale;
Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of the labelling
25. machine. 'j
The machine is for use in applying labels 1 to
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objects, which labels 1 are of pressure sensitive adhesive
backed form and are supplied on a backing tape 2. The
tape 2 is fed, by passage of same through driven nip
rollers 3, from a s~pply reel to a take-up reel (not
5. shown). Between such reels the tape 1 passes around
a lowermost horizontal edge of a vertical downwardly
tapered plate-shaped dispensing member 4 so that the
labels 1, which are spaced at regular intervals on the
tape 2, are stripped from the tape 2 and applied one at
10. a time to a holding device 5 from which they are picked
up by moving fingers 6 of a transfer mechanism as
described in more detail hereinafter.
The nip rollers 3 are drivably connected to an
output shaft 16 of a variable speed gear box 8 which is
15. connected to a main drive shaft 7 via a differential 9
operated by a clutch 10 controlled by a control device
11. The speed of the gear box 8 can be adjusted with a
manual control 14 or by a stepping motor 13 which is
also controlled by the device 11. The drive shaft 7
20. may be connected to a motor which drives only the shaft
7, or, alternatively, the shaft 7 may be connected to
the drive for the transfer mechanism described herein-
after.
By pre~adjustment of the speed of the gear box 8,
25. the rate of advancement of the backing tape 2 is pre-
selected in accordance with the desired rate of feed of
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individual stripped labels 1 to the holdinq device 5,
as determined by the rate of movement of the aforesaid
t:ransfer fingers 6. This pre-adjustment of the gear box
8 is used to accommodate different label sizes.
5. The control device 11 is connected to an optical
label sensor 12 which monitors the rate of passage of
the leading edges of the labels 1 on the backing tape
2 and compares this with a signal derived from a sensor
15 which is representative of the rate of movement of
10. the transfer fingers 6. The sensor 15 may be a magnetic
or electromagnetic proximity switch device which operates
whenever elements 15a (e.g. magnetic or magnetised
material) move into close proximity with same. In the
event that the rate of advancement of the labels 1 is
15. sli~htly too slow or fast, as determined in relation to
the rate of movement of the transfer fingers 6, automatic
adjustment of the drive to the feed rollers 3 is appro-
priately modified by the variable speed gear box 8 (with
the stepping motor 13) and /or the clutch 10, under the
20. control of the device 11. The clutch input speed is
limited to approximately 2~ of the differential speed
(assuming that the label length is no greater than lSOmm
and the spacing between labels is 3mm) so that excessive
increase in speed of label feed cannot be effected by the
25. differential to the extent that a label is fed on top of
a previously dispensed label held by the holding device 5.
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Adjustment of the gear box 8 can also be effected manually
as desired with the control 14.
The transfer mechanism, as shown in greater detail
in Fig. 2, comprises a disc-shaped structure 20 which can
5. be rotatably driven on a shaft 21 about a vertical axis
by means of a drive connected to the shaft 21. Such
drive is effected in continuous manner at constant speed.
Above the disc 20 there are four equally circum-
ferentially spaced transfer fingers 6 each of which com-
10. prises an upstanding support 22 which is rotatable aboutits axis relative to the disc 20 and terminates in a pad
23 having an aperture 24 therein. The fingers 6 are
connected to a mechanism 25 with epicyclic characteristics
having a central fixed gear 26 whereby the pads 23
15. maintain a fixed directional orientation during rotation
of the disc 20 du~ to rotation of the supports 22 relative
to the disc 20.
The apertures 24 are connected via internal ways
27 in the supports 22, the disc 20 and the shaft 21, and
20. a swivel joint 28 to a source of pressurised air (not
shown), and venturi devices 29 are provided to produce a
suction effect at the apertures 24 in the pads 23 when
connected to such source of pressurised air.
The aforesaid holding device 5, as shown in greater
25. detail in Fig. 3 comprises a pair of vertically extending
horizontally spaced suction bars 30 which are fixedly
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supported in spaced disposition above the disc 20 and
are connected to an air line. When actuatea, a stripped
label 1 is held between such members agai,nst the front
(i.e. leading)sides thereof by suction.
5. The transfer mechanism is positioned such that the
fingers 6 pass between the suction members 10 from behind,
with the pads 23 facing towards any label 1 held thereto,
as the disc 20 rotates.
It will therefore be seen that a label can be
10. smoothly picked up by each finger 6 if suction is applied
to such finger 6 and the label releases from the holdin~
device 5 as the finger 6 approaches the label 1.
Such control of suction at the pads 23 is effected
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by a valve plate'built into the base of each support 22
i5. and co-operable with a corresponding formation in the
disc 20. As the support 22 rotates relative to the disc
20 air is admitted to and cut off from the venturi 29
as the portions of the airway 27 in the support 22 and
in the disc 20 move into and out of communication with
20. each other on a cyclical basis as determined by the
conformation of the aforesaid valve plate.
In order to ensure release of the label from the
holding device 5, suction may be disconnected from the
device as the finger 6 picks up the label and this may
25. be effected by a cam switch or any other suitable device
operated in synchronism with the rotation of the disc
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20. Alternatively, suction may be applied continuously
to the holding device 5, a pressure reduction valve being
utilised to ensure that the suction is sufficiently weak
to enable labels to be readily picked up by the fingers.
5.The pads 23 are detachable and different inter- -
changeable pads of different sizes and shapes may be
provided for accommodation of different sizes and shapes
of labels.
When a label 1 is picked up by one finger 6, such
- 10. label 1 is advanced to a label applying position 31
(Fig. 4) and a further label 1 is fed to the holding
device 5 ready to be picked up by the next finger 6. It
will be noted that the fingers 6 move perpendicularly to
the direction of feed of labels ta the holding device 5.
15.As shown in Fig. 4, the labelling position 31 is
at-the periphery of a turntable 32 of an ob~ect conveying
system.
With such system objects 33 on a conveyor belt 34
are fed at predetermined intervals, as determined by a
20. screw 35, into compartments of a rotary transfer device
3~ which transfers the ob~ects onto the turntable 32
The objects 33 are held in position on the turntable
(by means not shown) as they are successively moved
through the labelling position 31 at which labels are
25. applied to the ob~ects from successive fingers 6. The
conveyor belt 34, the transfer device 36, the screw 35
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and the turntable 32 are driven continuously at constant
speed throughout.
Label application is effected as suction is dis-
connected from the fingers 6, and a roller or the like
5. may be utilised to press the label in position on the
- article. The fingers 6, or at least the pads 23 thereof
may be spring-loaded so as to be capable of slight
rearward resilient deflection.
Synchronisation of the arrival of the fingers with
10. the arrival of the ob~ects at the labelling position
is effected by virtue of interconnection of the drives
for the turntable 32 and the transfer mechanism.
Adjustment of the relative positioning of the fingers 6
and objects 33 at the labelling position 31 can be
15. effected by means of a phase adjuster 37 (Fia. 2) applied
to the drive for the transfer mechanism.
At the labelling position 31, the pertaining object
33 and finger 6 are moving at the same nominal tangential
speed and in the same direction.
20. The vertical location of the labels 1 relative to
the objects 33 is determined by the vertical positioning
of the labelling system which may be independently adjust-
able.
After labels have been applied to the objects 33,
25. further labels may be applied with further labelling
systems 38 after rotation of the objects if necessary.
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The labelled objects leave the turntable 32 and are
transferred via a further rotary transfer device 39
back to the conveyor 33.
With the arrangement described above it will be
5. appreciated that labels can be rapidly and accurately
applied to the ob~ects whilst the label carrying tape
is driven in a continuous manner, whereby reliable,
trouble-free operation with careful control of label
positioning can be ensured.
10. It is of course to be understood that the invention
is not intended to be restricted to the details of the
above embodiment which are described by way of example
only.
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Thlls, for example, additionally or alternatively to
15. the use of suction in the holding device 5, it is possible
to provide vertical guides in the form of channels along
which opposite side edges of the labels can slide. With
this arrangement in the case where suction is not used,
the labels may be held in position in the guides, before
20. pick-up by the fingers 6, by slight adhesion of the
labels to the guides and/or due to the curvature of the
labels within the straight channels and/or by stops
provided at bottom ends of the channels which limit the
drop of the labels. Such guides may be of a size and
25. shape to suit the requirements of a particular type
of label, and different substitute guides may be used for
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other types of labels.
Also, if desired, instead of advancing the backing
tape vertically downwardly towards the upstanding transfer
fingers 6, it is possible to use an arrangement in which
5. the backing tape is advanced horizontally (and trans-
versely) to such fingers, or even an arrangement in which
the backing tape is advanced vertically upwardly towards
depending transfer fingers.
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