Apparatus and process for packaging products

Abstract

A packaging apparatus includes a frame, a lower tool engaged with the frame and configured to receive one or more supports, and an upper tool configured to engage a film portion with at least one support. The upper tool is movable, upon action of a movement device with flat kinematic system, between a first position in which it picks up a film portion from a supplying station and a second position in which it fixes the film portion on a support housed by a lower tool.

1 . An apparatus for packaging at least one product arranged on a support, said packaging apparatus comprising:
 a supporting frame,   a supplying station of a film borne by said frame and configured to arrange at least one portion of said film at a predetermined pick-up position,   at least one lower tool engaged with the frame and configured to receive one or more supports,   at least one upper tool engaged with the frame and cooperating with the lower tool to engage said film portion with at least one support and making at least one package,   a movement device interposed between the frame and the upper tool, wherein the movement device is configured to move the upper tool between:
 a first position, wherein an active surface of the upper tool is next to the film portion in said predetermined pick-up position and is suitable to receive the same film portion from the supplying station, and 
 a second position, wherein the active surface of the upper tool is aligned with and next to the lower tool to engage said film portion with at least one support and making at least one package, 
   wherein the movement device is configured to move the upper tool between the first and the second position along a predetermined trajectory lying, in use condition of the apparatus, along a vertical plane.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the movement device comprises:
 a driving member configured to rotate around a first rotation axis orthogonal to the vertical lying plane of the predetermined movement trajectory of the upper tool; and   a driven member having one terminal portion hinged to the driving member and a second terminal portion fixed to the upper tool, a first flat hinge constrained to the frame, wherein the driving member is engaged with the first flat hinge to rotate around the first rotation axis;   a second flat hinge, wherein the driven member has:
 a first terminal portion, hinged to the driving member by said second flat hinge interposed between driven member and driving member, and 
 a second terminal portion, fixed to the upper tool; 
   a guiding member engaged via rotation around a second rotation axis parallel to said first rotation axis, said guiding member configured to slidably receive a third portion of the driven member intermediate between said first and said second terminal portion of the same driven member.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the driving member has the shape of a rod whose opposite ends are respectively engaged with the first and with the second flat hinge,   the driven member has the shape of a rod having opposite ends respectively engaged with the second flat hinge and with the upper tool,   the guiding member is a sleeve rotatable with respect to the frame, the interior thereof slidably receiving an intermediate portion of said driven member.   
     
     
         5 .- 6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one actuator member active on the movement device and capable of selectively moving the upper tool from the first position to the second position and from the second position to the first position. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the actuator member is active on the driving member and commands the driving member in rotation around said first rotation axis. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the movement device comprises a first and a second flat kinematic chain both engaged, on one side, with the frame and, on the other side, with the upper tool, wherein said first and second flat kinematic chain are separate and spaced from each other with respect to an axis that is transverse, in particular orthogonal, to the vertical lying plane of the predetermined movement trajectory of the upper tool. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the first flat kinematic chain comprises:
 a first lever configured to rotate around a first rotation axis orthogonal to the vertical lying plane of the predetermined movement trajectory of the upper tool;   a second lever having a terminal portion hinged to the first lever and a second terminal portion hinged to the upper tool;   wherein said second flat kinematic chain comprises:
 a respective first lever configured to rotate around a second rotation axis orthogonal to the vertical lying plane of the predetermined movement trajectory of the upper tool; 
 a respective second lever having a terminal portion hinged to the first lever of the second kinematic chain and a second terminal portion hinged to the upper tool. 
   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the first kinematic chain of the movement device comprises:
 a first flat hinge constrained to the frame, wherein the first lever of the first flat kinematic chain is engaged with the first flat hinge for to rotate around the first rotation axis; 
 a second flat hinge, wherein the second lever of the first flat kinematic chain has:
 a first terminal portion, hinged to the first lever by means of said second flat hinge interposed between first and second lever, and 
 a second terminal portion, constrained to the upper tool by means of a third flat hinge; and 
 
   the second kinematic chain of the movement device comprises:
 a first flat hinge constrained to the frame, wherein the first lever of the second flat kinematic chain is engaged with said first flat hinge ( 93   a ) to rotate around the second rotation axis; 
 a second flat hinge, wherein the second lever of the second flat kinematic chain has:
 a first terminal portion, hinged to said first lever by means of said second flat hinge interposed between first and second lever of the second flat kinematic chain, and 
 a second terminal portion, constrained to the upper tool by means of a third flat hinge. 
 
   
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the first rotation axis of the first flat kinematic chain coincides with the second rotation axis of the second flat kinematic chain. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein at least one of:
 the first and the second kinematic chain are arranged, with respect to the upper tool, symmetric to each other with respect to a plane passing through the first and second rotation axis and placed orthogonally with respect to the lying plane of the predetermined movement trajectory of the upper tool;   the second lever of the first kinematic chain is hinged to an upper portion of the upper tool while the second lever of the second flat kinematic chain is hinged to a lower portion of the upper tool opposite said upper portion; and   the movement device comprises a first actuator member fit on the first lever of the first kinematic chain and configured to rotate said first lever around said first axis, and wherein the movement device comprises a second actuator member fit on the first lever of the second kinematic chain and configured to rotate said first lever around said second axis, wherein the first and the second actuator member are configured to rotate the respective first levers in opposite sense in order to allow a rotation of the upper tool around said first and second rotation axis, wherein the first and the second actuator member are configured to rotate the respective first levers in the same sense in order to allow a translation of the upper tool approaching to and moving away from said first and second rotation axis.   
     
     
         16 .- 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the movement device comprises a guiding member engaged in interposition between the upper tool and the frame, said guiding member being configured for preventing oscillation of the upper tool around the flat hinges at which said upper tool is engaged with the second levers of the first and second flat kinematic chain; and   the guiding member comprises a respective first and second lever constrained to each other by means of a flat hinge, wherein the first lever of the guiding member is also constrained to the frame by means of a further flat hinge while the second lever is constrained to the upper tool by means of a further flat hinge, wherein the flat hinges of the guiding member are placed transverse to the flat hinges of the first and second flat kinematic chain.   
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the movement device comprises:
 a screw hinged to the frame,   a first actuator engaged with the frame and active on the screw, the first actuator being configured to rotate the screw,   a lead screw nut it too engaged via rotation with the screw,   a first lever engaged, at one end, with the lead screw nut by a flat hinge and, at the opposite end engaged by means of a flat hinge with the upper tool,   a second lever engaged, at one end, with the first actuator by means of a flat hinge and, at the opposite end engaged by a flat hinge with an intermediate point of said first lever,   wherein the first actuator is configured to rotate the screw in order to allow the lead screw nut to approach and move away from the first actuator to define at least:
 a grouped condition of said first and second lever wherein the upper tool is approached to the screw, 
 an extended condition of said first and second lever wherein the upper tool is spaced from the screw, 
   wherein the upper tool, in the extended condition, is placed at a distance from the screw greater than a distance present between upper tool and screw in the grouped condition.   
     
     
         21 .- 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the movement device comprises:
 a rod hinged to the frame and extended along a direction orthogonal to the lying plane of the predetermined movement trajectory of the upper tool,   a first lever engaged, at one end, with the rod by a flat hinge,   a motor engaged with the first lever by a flat hinge, said motor being hinged to the first lever at an end opposite to the end at which said first lever is hinged to the rod,   a second lever engaged, at one end, with the rod by a flat hinge and, at the opposite end, engaged with the upper tool by a flat hinge, wherein said first and second lever are configured to define at least:
 one grouped condition wherein the upper tool is brought close to the rod, 
 one extended condition wherein the upper tool is spaced from the rod, 
   wherein the upper tool, in the extended condition, is placed at a distance from the rod greater than a distance present between upper tool and rod in the grouped condition.   wherein said motor is active on said first and second lever to command the grouped condition and the extended condition.   
     
     
         26 .- 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a single upper tool movable along the same trajectory, in use condition of the apparatus lying along a vertical plane, at least between:
 the first and the second position in order to define an outward stroke of the upper tool;   the second and the first position in order to define a return stroke of the upper tool.   
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the supplying station of the plastic film comprises an abutment plate configured to define an abutment surface of the portion of said film at the predetermined pick-up position, wherein the abutment surface of the abutment plate is substantially flat and arranged on a vertical plane. 
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 32 , wherein the movement device is configured so that:
 when the upper tool is in said first position, the active surface of the upper tool is arranged, in use conditions of the apparatus, according to a vertical plane parallel to the abutment surface of the abutment plate;   when the upper tool is in said second position, the active surface of the upper tool is arranged, in use conditions of the apparatus, according to a horizontal plane.   
     
     
         34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the lower tool is movable relative to the frame at least between:
 a packaging position in which the lower tool is aligned with the upper tool,   a loading position, spaced from the packaging position, in which the lower tool is configured to receive said support.   
     
     
         36 .- 38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . A method for packaging at least one product the packaging apparatus of  claim 1 , said method comprising:
 arranging at least one support supporting at least one product on the lower tool placed in the loading position,   moving the lower tool from the loading position to the packaging position,   positioning the upper tool at said first position,   picking up, with said upper tool in said first position, the film portion from the supplying station,   moving, by the movement device, the upper tool from the first position to the second position,   moving the lower tool from the loading position to the packaging position such that upper tool, in the second position, is aligned with and next to the lower tool,   engaging said film portion with the support for obtaining at least one package.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the moving of the upper tool from the first position to the second position and the moving of the lower tool from the loading position to the packaging position are synchronized with each other. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the engaging of the film portion with the support comprises:
 holding said film portion by the upper tool above the respective support,   heating said film portion held above the respective support,   hermetically heat-sealing said film portion to at least one portion of the support for defining a housing compartment of the package within which the product is housed.