Systems with film speed control and related devices, methods and computer program products

Abstract

Methods, computer program products and apparatus for producing encased products using a sensor assembly that generates a signal associated with when additional sealed casing is needed based on a tautness of the sealed film proximate the sensor assembly and directs at least one servomotor to increase film-drive speed. The increase may optionally be for a short time of less than one second in response to a detected need for additional sealed casing to thereby temporarily increase casing production speed and avoid a need for an excess amount of tubular casing in a buffer.

1 . A method for sealing flat roll stock into shaped casing for encasing target products, comprising:
 forming tubular casing from flat roll stock;   automatically moving the tubular casing using a film drive assembly with drive belts powered by at least one servomotor;   electronically generating a signal associated with when additional sealed casing is needed using a sensor assembly residing downstream of the film drive assembly based on a tautness of the sealed film proximate the sensor assembly; then   electronically directing the at least one servomotor to increase film-drive speed.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the directing is carried out to increase film drive speed for a short time of less than one second in response to a generated signal to thereby temporarily increase casing production speed and avoid a need for an excess amount of tubular casing in a buffer. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the short time is between about 0.1 ms and 5 ms. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the increase in film-drive speed is instantaneous with when the signal is generated, and wherein the increase in film-drive speed is above an immediately prior average film drive speed used for automatically moving the tubular casing. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor assembly comprises a follower that contacts an outer surface of the tubular casing, wherein the electronically generating is carried out using the follower, and wherein the follower pivots when the tubular casing increases in tautness to cause the signal to be generated to thereby indicate a need for additional sealed casing. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the sensor assembly comprises an elongate flag member that reciprocates over a proximity sensor based on movement of the follower to generate the signal that causes the electronically directed increase in film drive speed. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising monitoring for a number of generated signals and generating an alert when there are a plurality of signals within a defined time period to thereby indicate a potential equipment malfunction and/or need for adjustment. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising monitoring for tubular casing pulled upstream of the sensor assembly using a sensor or encoder upstream of the sensor assembly in a direction closer to a clipper, the clipper having a voider assembly for providing a voiding operation on tubular packaging prior to clipping, wherein the sensor or encoder monitors tubular casing pulled by it. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor or encoder is a rotatable encoder that contacts an outer surface of the tubular casing, the method further comprising allowing operation in an intermittent or continuous run mode,
 wherein, in the intermittent mode, the encoder is used to detect when tubular casing is being pulled during filling and during voiding, encoder movement is not used to direct the film drive system to supply a defined amount of tubular casing but instead a defined amount of tubular casing is supplied and input from the sensor assembly is deactivated or overridden, and   wherein, in the continuous mode, tubular casing is supplied at a defined speed that is adjusted every defined number of cycles based on an amount of tubular casing pulled as detected by the encoder, and wherein film drive speed can be adjusted based on input from the sensor assembly associated with tubular casing tension and/or tautness, and wherein, during voiding, the sensor assembly may be used and/or a defined length of tubular casing can be supplied to accommodate for tubular casing used during voiding.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor assembly has a follower that resides between first and second longitudinally spaced apart casing contact members held on a horn residing inside a sealed tubular casing, wherein the electronically generating is carried out using the follower, wherein the follower contacts an outer surface of the tubular casing and pivots when the tubular casing increases in tautness to directly or indirectly generate the signal. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the follower comprises a downwardly curved shape and an upper surface thereof abuts an outer surface of the tubular casing. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first and second casing contact members are configured to have downwardly extending lobes configured so that a lower surface of the contact members extends a greater distance beyond an outer diameter of the horn than an opposing upper surface. 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for packaging products using tubular casings formed from flat roll stock for encasing products therein, comprising:
 a horn;   a forming collar residing about the horn, the forming collar configured to cooperate with a roll of flat casing material to force the flat casing material to take on a shape with long edge portions of the casing material residing proximate each other;   a seal assembly held a longitudinal distance in front of the forming collar in cooperating alignment with the horn;   a film drive system residing proximate the seal assembly in communication with the horn, wherein the film drive system comprises at least one servomotor; and   a sensor assembly residing upstream of the film drive system in communication with the film drive system, wherein the sensor assembly is configured to generate a signal associated with an increase in tautness of tubular casing associated with a deficient amount of tubular casing relative to a tautness associated with a sufficient amount of tubular casing to cause the film drive system to increase film-drive speed.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the film drive speed is increased for a short time of less than one second in response to a respective generated signal to thereby temporarily increase production speed and avoid a need for an excess amount of tubular casing in a buffer. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the short time is between about 0.1 ms and 5 ms. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the increase in film-drive speed is instantaneous with when the signal is generated, and wherein the increase in film-drive speed is above an immediately prior film drive speed. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the sensor assembly comprises a follower that contacts an outer surface of the tubular casing, wherein the sensor assembly is configured to generate the signal using the follower, and wherein the follower pivots when the tubular casing increases in tautness to cause the signal to be generated to indicate a need for additional sealed casing. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising an elongate flag member that is attached to the follower and reciprocates over a proximity sensor based on movement of the follower to generate the signal that causes the increase in film drive speed. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising a controller that monitors for a number of generated signals within at least one defined time period to thereby indicate a potential equipment malfunction or need for adjustment, and wherein the controller is configured to generate an alert when there are a plurality of detected signals with the at least one defined time period. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising at least one sensor or encoder upstream of the sensor assembly to monitor when casing is pulled by it or them. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a clipper with a voider assembly residing upstream of the sensor assembly proximate a discharge end of the horn; and   at least one controller in communication with the at least one servomotor of the film drive assembly, the sensor assembly and the voider assembly, wherein the at least one controller is configured to control timing of a voiding operation to deactivate or override the sensor assembly signal during a voiding operation and to direct the film drive assembly to advance a fixed length of tubular casing during a respective voiding operation.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising at least one controller configured to allow the film drive system to have selectable intermittent or continuous run modes. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising first and second longitudinally spaced apart casing contact members held on the horn residing inside a sealed tubular casing proximate the sensor assembly, wherein the sensor assembly comprises a follower that contacts an outer surface of the tubular casing and pivots when the tubular casing increases in tautness to directly or indirectly generate the signal. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the follower comprises a downwardly curved shape and an upper surface thereof abuts an outer surface of the tubular casing. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the first and second casing contact members are configured to have downwardly extending lobes configured so that a lower surface of the contact members extends a greater distance beyond an outer diameter of the horn than an opposing upper surface. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising a bracket assembly having laterally extending slots and longitudinally extending slots, the sensor assembly held by the bracket assembly, wherein the sensor assembly comprises a follower that resides on one side of the bracket assembly attached to a flag member residing on an opposite side of the bracket assembly with a shaft laterally extending through a longitudinally extending slot, the bracket assembly holding a sensor that generates a signal when the follower is pushed down by an increase in tautness of film and pivots to rotate the shaft to move the flag member over the sensor to thereby generate the signal. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , further comprising a clipper with a voider assembly residing upstream of the sensor assembly proximate a discharge end of the horn, wherein the bracket assembly also holds an encoder at a level above the follower and at a distance apart from the follower, closer to the clipper, wherein the encoder resides above the horn and the follower resides below the horn. 
     
     
         28 . A computer program product for operating a packaging apparatus that can accommodate different casing materials and different horn diameters to provide encased elongate products, the computer program product comprising:
 a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in said medium, said computer-readable program code comprising:   computer readable program code configured to provide a plurality of different predetermined operational modes for an apparatus that releaseably mounts different diameter horns and respective different size forming collars to supply different sized tubular casings from flat roll stock;   computer readable program code configured to detect a signal from a sensor assembly residing upstream of a film drive assembly having at least one servomotor that powers the film drive assembly, wherein the signal is associated with an increase in tautness of tubular casing from a tautness associated with an average production film drive speed; and   computer readable program code configured to direct at least one servomotor to increase film speed relative to an immediately prior film speed.   
     
     
         29 - 32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . A packaging system using flat roll stock sealed into shaped casing for encasing target products, comprising:
 a horn;   a forming collar residing about the horn, the forming collar configured to cooperate with a roll of flat casing material to force the flat casing material into a defined shape;   a casing sealer held a longitudinal distance in front of the forming collar;   a film drive system residing proximate the casing sealer in communication with the horn, wherein the film drive system comprises at least one servomotor;   a sensor assembly residing upstream of the film drive system in communication with the film drive system, wherein the sensor assembly is configured to generate a signal associated with an increase in tautness of tubular casing associated with a deficient amount of tubular casing relative to a tautness associated with a sufficient amount of tubular casing to cause the film drive system to increase film-drive speed; and   at least one processor configured to detect a respective generated signal from the sensor assembly based on a tautness of the sealed film proximate the sensor assembly then instantaneously direct the at least one servomotor to increase drive speed, wherein, optionally, the casing sealer is a heat-seal heater.   
     
     
         34 . (canceled)