Apparatus for the mechanized replacement of the sealing and cutting modules in the machines for the sealing of products in trays

Abstract

Apparatus for the mechanized replacement of the sealing and cutting modules in the sealing station of machines for the packaging of products in trays, with said station comprising a lower mold with seats for the support of the edges of the trays with product and that by way of motion means is cyclically raised and lowered vertically with respect to an upper mold which supports in the lower part said modules by way of hooking and releasing means so that said modules can be removed and replaced in a selective manner, characterized in that said hooking and releasing means of the modules are provided between the upper plate of each module and the respective hooking plate of the upper mold, with complementary mechanical engaging means of such a kind and oriented so as to be coupled and uncoupled individually and/or simultaneously, imparting to each said module an approaching and separating vertical movement with respect to said hooking plate of the upper mold.

1 . An apparatus for the mechanized replacement of the sealing and cutting modules in the sealing station of machines for the packaging of products in trays, with said station comprising a lower mold with seats for the support of the edges of the trays with product and that by way of motion means is cyclically raised and lowered vertically with respect to an upper mold which supports in the lower part said modules by way of hooking and releasing means so that said modules can be removed and replaced in a selective manner, characterized in that said hooking and releasing means of the modules are provided between the upper plate of each module and the respective hooking plate of the upper mold, with complementary mechanical engaging means of such a kind and oriented so as to be coupled and uncoupled individually and/or simultaneously, imparting to each said module an approaching and separating vertical movement with respect to said hooking plate of the upper mold. 
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , provided with electric power and signal circuits connected to the sealing unit of each module, which in conjunction with the replacement of each module must be opened and closed, characterized in that said circuits abut against supplementary electric coupling means, vertically oriented and also arranged on the upper plate of the modules and on said hooking plate, all in such a way that while the hooking and releasing operations of a module are carried out simultaneously the operations of closing and opening of said electric circuits are carried out as well, and so that all of these operations can be easily unified mechanized and automated, using the lower mold and the respective rising and lowering means. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that:
 each said module is provided at the top and perpendicularly to an own upper plate of a component such as male of at least one mechanical engaging whose component, complementary and for example female, is provided on a hooking plate of said upper mold which carries hooked underneath the various modules, being provided of forced orientation means for properly orienting said modules with respect to the hooking plate and to said molds;   said upper plate of each module and said hooking plate carry complementary parts of multi-polar electric coupling, of the plug and outlet type, perpendicular to said plates and connected to the power supply and electric control means of the sealing unit of each module;   some locking and unlocking means are provided on at least one of said plates to cooperate with said complementary mechanical engaging parts;   a template is finally provided to be mounted with the forced orientation means, in one of the empty seats of the lower mold and said template is provided with means for effecting the hooking or the release of a module to or from said hooking plate and is provided with means for activating or deactivating said locking and unlocking means, using the rising and lowering movement of the lower mold with said template.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the upper plate of each module carries integral on the upper part and perpendicularly, a shank of cylindrical shape, with round base, which ends with a frustum conical head and with rounded edges and which is laterally provided, at opposite positions, with rectilinear grooves, being provided that the hooking plate is provided for each module with a hole of diameter such to be crossed with good accuracy by said cylindrical shank of the module and such that, at successful entry of the shank into the hole, the side grooves of the same shank would protrude from the upper face of the hooking plate on which levers are pivoted guided by means and urged in the closing by a spring which leads said levers to protrude with a part of their inner sides, within said hole, so that when in said hole said shank of the module is engaged and raised, the tapered end of said shank would progressively enter between said levers separating them until bringing them to cooperate with the cylindrical part of the same shank and when the side grooves of said shank reach the height of the levers, the latter snap enter in said grooves firmly fixing the module under the hooking plate. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein inside said mechanical engaging shank guide means are provided as well as the counteracting spring for the sealing assembly of each module and on the plate of said sealing assembly is integral perpendicularly an anti-rotation pin which passes through a slot provided on the upper plate of the module and which protrudes perpendicularly from the latter to be able to removably engage in a corresponding seat of the hooking plate to prevent also the rotation of each module around the axis of the mechanical engaging that fixes the module itself to the hooking plate. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein said template has the shape of a parallelepiped and inverted box, made with any thermosetting plastic material, provided with a flat upper wall on which it is intended to rest the lower part of a module and peripherally surrounded by an edge in relief for containing the same module, being the same template provided with comfortable side gripping handles, being provided with downward extensions of its own side walls, with which it engages the perimeter of the seat of the lower mold for properly centering therein the same template which with own corner portions rests on the upper face of the plate with the seats of the lower mold, which in this way takes over the mechanical support function of the template, being provided on one of said corner portions of the template a projecting vertical pin which engages a hole provided only on one of the portions with which said plate supports the corner areas of the same template, so that the latter results arranged on the lower mold with a forced and useful orientation for properly cooperating with a module both in the hooking step and in the releasing one to or from said hooking plate of the upper mold. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the template is provided laterally, for example on the half of one of its sides, with a first plate which extends above the peak of the same template and that carries open on the upper part a vertical and median slit in which a side reference of the module is inserted to be hooked or released, being provided that in opposed and parallel to said first plate, the template carries laterally fixed a second rectangular and projecting plate which carries two upwardly open slits in which a corresponding pair of side references of the same module are engaged which in this way is properly oriented with respect to the template and with respect to the hooking plate of the upper mold. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the template used for releasing a module has the first side plate higher than said second plate and the same first plate is provided at the top with oblique sides adapted to cooperate with end extensions of said levers operating on the hooking plate for locking the mechanical engaging of each module, to determine the mutual separation of said levers in contrast with the action of the respective closing spring, with the resulting output of said levers from the side slots of the shank of the module and the consequent releasing of the same module that by falling on the near peak of the template, lowers said slots so that when the lower mold with the template comes down with the released module and said levers gradually close, said levers slide on the cylindrical portion and then on the conical portion of the shank, returning to the projecting position within the hole of the hooking plate, useful for the snap cooperation with the new module to be hooked. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , characterized by comprising sensors or micro-switches and a respective electric and/or electronic circuit to ensure that in the event of non-compliance with the orientation protocol of the template on the lower mold and of the module on the same template, the movement of the lower mold is automatically stopped and acoustic and/or visual signals are activated to indicate the type of malfunction occurred. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the plug and the outlet of said vertical electric coupling are provided with respective insulating bodies that cross the respective vertical windows provided on the upper plate of the module and on the hooking plate and said insulating bodies are provided with respective base widening which are respectively maintained abutting under the upper plate and above said hooking plate, by driving screws and by respective counteracting springs whose thrust force is greater than the coupling friction of the electric coupling in question, the whole in such a way that when the upper plate of a module is raised against the hooking plate, the plugs fit into the corresponding bushings of the electric coupling and the protruding parts of the insulating bodies of said coupling touch each other and push away their bases from the plates, forming a clearance of a width such as to compensate for the clearance that is formed between the same plates during the work cycle of the module and which derives from the clearances existing between said hooking levers and the corresponding slots of the shank engaged by said levers, so that during the same working cycle of the module said insulating bodies move through respective apertures remaining always in contact one with the other, with no relative axial movements between the plugs and the respective outlet bushings.