High-speed loading / unloading of objects

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and an apparatuses for loading and unloading objects into/from corresponding cavities in holders at a high count rate. For loading, a plurality of objects are present on an object path which mutually converges with a holder path. For unloading, the object path mutually diverges from the holder path. Integration of this method and apparatus respectively into a method of manufacturing unleaky containers and a corresponding apparatus for leak testing containers is also proposed.

1 . Method of manufacturing closed, unleaky containers comprising:
 manufacturing closed, untested, containers;   loading said containers into holders;   leak-testing said containers in a leak-detection step;   rejecting containers determined as leaking in said leak-detection step together with their corresponding holder;   unloading unrejected containers from said holders;   accepting said unrejected containers as unleaky containers,   
       wherein said unloading comprises:
 conveying holders along a holder path, each holder comprising at least one cavity, each cavity having an unloading-direction, and at least some of said cavities comprising a container loaded in said cavity; 
 picking up said containers sequentially from the holders in a pickup area; 
 transporting the collected containers along an object path extending from said pickup area; 
 configuring said object path and said holder path to mutually diverge in a direction parallel to said unloading-direction as distance along said object path from said pickup area increases; 
 transporting a plurality of containers simultaneously at different positions along said object path, and conveying a plurality of holders simultaneously at different positions along said holder path. 
 
     
     
         2 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the object path is configured to withdraw from the holder path in a direction parallel to said unloading-direction as distance along said object path from said pickup area increases. 
     
     
         3 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the holder path is configured to withdraw from the object path in a direction parallel to said unloading-direction as distance along said object path from said pickup area increases. 
     
     
         4 . Method according to  claim 1 , comprising subsequently depositing said containers in a deposition area downstream of said pickup area. 
     
     
         5 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said object path and said holder path is at least one of: linear, curved, rotary. 
     
     
         6 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least part of said holders comprise more than one of said cavities, and more than one of said containers are picked up from said more than one cavities of said holder. 
     
     
         7 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said transporting and said conveying is carried out continuously. 
     
     
         8 . Method according to  claim 7 , wherein said transporting and said conveying are mutually synchronous. 
     
     
         9 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein respective containers on the object path travel in said pickup area at a velocity in a plane perpendicular to the unloading-direction substantially equal to the velocity in a plane perpendicular to the loading-direction of the respective holders on the holder path in said pickup area. 
     
     
         10 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the object path is configured to withdraw from the holder path in a direction parallel to said unloading-direction as distance along said object path from said pickup area increases and wherein the position of the containers on the object path in a direction parallel to the loading-direction is controlled by at least one of: a cam arrangement, pneumatically, by electric motors, hydraulically. 
     
     
         11 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the holder path is configured to withdraw from the object path in a direction parallel to said unload-direction as distance along said object path from said pickup area increases, and
 wherein the position of the holders on the holder path in a direction parallel to the loading-direction is controlled by at least one of: a cam arrangement, pneumatically, by electric motors, hydraulically.   
     
     
         12 . Method of manufacturing closed, unleaky containers comprising:
 manufacturing closed, untested, containers;   loading said containers into holders;   leak-testing said containers in a leak-detection step;   unloading said containers from said holders;   rejecting containers determined as leaking in said leak-detection step;   accepting unrejected containers as unleaky containers,   
       wherein said unloading comprises:
 conveying holders along a holder path, each holder comprising at least one cavity, each cavity having an unloading-direction, and at least some of said cavities comprising a container loaded in said cavity; 
 picking up said containers sequentially from the holders in a pickup area; 
 transporting the collected containers along an object path extending from said pickup area; 
 configuring said object path and said holder path to mutually diverge in a direction parallel to said unloading-direction as distance along said object path from said pickup area increases; 
 transporting a plurality of containers simultaneously at different positions along said object path, and conveying a plurality of holders simultaneously at different positions along said holder path. 
 
     
     
         13 . Apparatus for leak-testing containers comprising:
 an apparatus for loading objects into cavities in holders;   a leak testing apparatus situated downstream of the apparatus for loading objects into cavities in holders;   an apparatus for unloading objects from holders situated downstream of the leak testing apparatus;   a rejection mechanism for rejecting containers determined as leaking by the leak testing apparatus and operated based on an output thereof, said rejection mechanism being situated either between the leak testing apparatus and the apparatus for unloading objects from holders, or being situated downstream of the apparatus for unloading objects from holders;   a container input for providing containers as objects to the apparatus for loading objects into cavities in holders;   a container output for receiving containers from the apparatus for unloading objects from cavities in holders in turn;   a holder conveyor for conveying holders to, through, and from each of the apparatus for loading objects into cavities in cavities in holders, the leak detection apparatus, and the apparatus for unloading objects from holders in turn,   
       wherein said apparatus for unloading objects from holders comprises:
 at least one holder conveyor for conveying holders to, through, and from a pickup area, each holder having at least one cavity and each cavity having an unloading-direction; 
 a transport arrangement for transporting objects from the pickup area, and comprising a plurality of movable releasable object supports, the positions of the object supports defining an object path for transporting objects from the cavities in the holders on the at least one holder conveyor, said object path and said holder conveyor being configured to mutually diverge in a direction parallel to said loading-direction at increasing distance from the pickup area. 
 
     
     
         14 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the holder conveyor is an endless conveyor. 
     
     
         15 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the apparatus for loading objects and the apparatus for unloading objects both comprise a rotary holder conveyor and a rotary transport arrangement. 
     
     
         16 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the object supports are movable at least parallel and perpendicular to the loading-direction, and wherein the object path is configured to withdraw from the at least one holder conveyor at increasing distance from the pickup area. 
     
     
         17 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the object supports are movable at least perpendicular to the loading direction, and wherein the conveyor is configured to withdraw from the at least one holder conveyor at increasing distance from the pickup area. 
     
     
         18 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , further comprising an object output defining a deposition area downstream of said pickup area. 
     
     
         19 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein at least one of the holder conveyor and the transport arrangement are at least one of: linear, curved, rotary. 
     
     
         20 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein each holder is provided with more than one of said cavities, and wherein the transport arrangement is arranged to pick up containers from each of said plurality of cavities in a respective holder. 
     
     
         21 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein each holder comprises a shock-absorbing member of a soft material selected from the group consisting of nylon, silicone rubber, and natural rubber. 
     
     
         22 . Apparatus according to  claim 21 , wherein the shock-absorbing member is situated at the open end of the cavity, forming an extension thereof and being arranged to interact with an abutment in the form of a flange of a container. 
     
     
         23 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the object supports are movable at least parallel and perpendicular to the loading-direction, and wherein the object path is configured to withdraw from the at least one holder conveyor at increasing distance from the pickup area, and wherein the shape of the object path is at least partially defined by at least one of a cam arrangement, hydraulics, pneumatics, and electric motors. 
     
     
         24 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the object supports are movable at least perpendicular to the loading direction, and wherein the conveyor is configured to withdraw from the at least one holder conveyor at increasing distance from the pickup area, and
 wherein the shape of the holder path is at least partially defined by at least one of a cam, hydraulics, pneumatics, and electric motors.   
     
     
         25 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the releasable object supports comprise suction cups or grippers opening parallel or perpendicular to the insertion direction. 
     
     
         26 . Apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the transport arrangement is arranged to transport respective containers opposite respective holders and synchronously therewith.