Bundling Tool for Waste-Free Bundling of Binding Material

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a bundling tool for waste-free bundling of a bundling good via an endless strap. The tool includes a jaw unit, a lock feeding unit, a pushing and pulling unit, a sensor unit, and a cutting unit. The tool further includes a control unit, which is arranged in a normal operating mode, for a first path portion of the path for the pushing and pulling unit during pushing, to preset a greater advance speed of the end section than for a second path portion following the first path portion wherein the second path portion comprises the part of the path extending back into the lock element in order to provide an improved bundling tool for waste-free bundling of a bundling good, in particular a more reliable, faster and easier-to-operate bundling tool.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A bundling tool for bundling a bundling good through use of a strap, the bundling tool comprising:
 a jaw unit configured for guiding an end section of the strap around the bundling good;   a lock feeding unit configured for providing a lock element for the strap;   a pushing and pulling unit configured for pushing, utilizing a motor, the end section of the strap along a path through the lock element, along the jaw unit with the bundling good gripped by the jaw unit, around the bundling good, and back into the provided lock element, the pushing and pulling unit further configured for the subsequent retraction of the end section of the strap;   a sensor unit configured for detecting the end section pushed back into the lock element;   a cutting unit configured for separating the end section arranged around the bundling good from a remaining section of the strap, the remaining section remaining in the bundling tool; and   a control unit configured to preset, for the pushing and pulling unit during pushing in a normal operating mode, a greater pushing speed of the end section for a first path portion of the path than for a second path portion following the first path portion, the second path portion comprising a part of the path running back into the lock element.   
     
     
         2 . The bundling tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit is designed to:
 in a calibration operating mode for the first path portion for the pushing and pulling unit, preset a lower pushing speed of the end section than in the normal operating mode; and   in the calibration operating mode, determine an equivalent-of-distance for at least the first path portion.   
     
     
         3 . The bundling tool according to  claim 2 , wherein the control unit is further designed to preset as the pushing speed in the first path portion, in the calibration operating mode for the first path portion for the pushing and pulling unit, the pushing speed of the second path portion in the normal operating mode. 
     
     
         4 . The bundling tool according to  claim 2 , wherein the control unit is adapted to determine, in the calibration operation mode, the equivalent-of-distance with a counting of motor steps in the motor of the pushing and pulling unit during pushing of the end section. 
     
     
         5 . The bundling tool according to  claim 4 , wherein the control unit is designed to deactivate the calibration operating mode automatically after the equivalent-of-distance has been determined at least once. 
     
     
         6 . The bundling tool according to  claim 4 , wherein the control unit is designed to activate the calibration operating mode automatically after the bundling tool is switched on. 
     
     
         7 . The bundling tool according to  claim 2 , wherein the control unit is designed to deactivate the calibration operating mode automatically after the equivalent-of-distance has been determined at least once. 
     
     
         8 . The bundling tool according to  claim 7 , wherein the control unit is designed to deactivate the calibration operating mode after the equivalent-of-distance has been determined twice. 
     
     
         9 . The bundling tool according to  claim 8 , wherein the control unit is designed to activate the calibration operating mode automatically after the bundling tool is switched on. 
     
     
         10 . The bundling tool according to  claim 2 , wherein the control unit is designed to activate the calibration operating mode automatically after the bundling tool is switched on. 
     
     
         11 . The bundling tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit, in the normal operating mode, is configured to:
 detect an equivalent-of-time at which the end section pushed back into the lock element is detected by the sensor unit;   check whether the detected equivalent-of-time coincides with an equivalent-of-time stored for pushing by the pushing and pulling unit; and   continue in the normal operating mode only if the two equivalent-of-times coincide.   
     
     
         12 . The bundling tool according to  claim 11 , wherein the control unit is adapted to determine the equivalent-of-time by counting motor steps in the motor of the pushing and pulling unit during pushing of the end section. 
     
     
         13 . The bundling tool according to  claim 12 , wherein the control unit is designed to, in the event of a deviation of the two equivalent-of-times from one another, at least one of:
 activate the calibration operating mode; or   check whether the detected equivalent-of-time is greater or smaller than the stored equivalent-of-time, and, in the case of a greater detected equivalent-of-time, to increase the first path portion with the greater pushing speed of the end section, and, in the case of a smaller detected equivalent-of-time, to decrease the first path portion with the greater pushing speed of the end section.   
     
     
         14 . The bundling tool according to  claim 11 , wherein the control unit is designed to, in the event of a deviation of the two equivalent-of-times from one another, at least one of:
 activate the calibration operating mode; or   check whether the detected equivalent-of-time is greater or smaller than the stored equivalent-of-time, and, in the case of a greater detected equivalent-of-time, to increase the first path portion with the greater pushing speed of the end section, and, in the case of a smaller detected equivalent-of-time, to decrease the first path portion with the greater pushing speed of the end section.   
     
     
         15 . The bundling tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the jaw unit is an exchangeable jaw unit that comprises a fully mechanical jaw unit. 
     
     
         16 . The bundling tool according to  claim 1 , wherein the jaw unit is an exchangeable jaw unit that further comprises at least two different jaw units of different sizes. 
     
     
         17 . A method for automatically calibrating a bundling tool configured to bundle a bundling good via a strap, the method comprising:
 pushing, utilizing a feed motor, an end section of the strap along a path through a lock element and along a jaw unit of the bundling tool back into the lock element;   detecting a reaching of an end position of the end section pushed into the lock element;   determining a number of motor steps of the feed motor required for pushing the end section into the end position;   setting a first pushing speed for the motor steps corresponding to a first path portion of the path for a future pushing; and   setting a second pushing speed, lower than the first pushing speed, for the motor steps of the future pushing corresponding to a second path portion of the path following the first path portion.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein during pushing the end section is pushed around the bundling good. 
     
     
         19 . A method for bundling a bundling good via of a strap, the method comprising:
 pushing an end section of the strap along a path through a lock element and along a jaw unit of a bundling tool back into the lock element, wherein a pushing speed of the end section in a first path portion of the path is greater than in a second path portion of the path following the first path portion.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 separating the end section from a remaining section of the strap remaining in the bundling tool.