A BAG OPENING ARRANGEMENT IN AN EMPTYING STATION AND A METHOD THEREOF

Abstract

 Generally, the present invention relates to a bag opening arrangement and a method for opening a bag in an emptying station. The arrangement comprises retaining means arrangeable to lift and/or retain the bag to be opened and opening means arrangeable to cut at least part of sides of the bag to be opened in order to open the bag. The bag to be opened can be arranged on top of support means, which may be located above a hopper.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] Generally, the present invention relates to a bag opening arrangement and a method for opening a bag in an emptying station. In particular, the present invention pertains to an automated bag opening arrangement and an automated method for opening a bag in an emptying station.

BACKGROUND

[0002] In automated processes, the reliability of the equipment's operation is of paramount importance. In industrial processes where bulk bags are handled, various challenges are associated with reliably opening bulk bags. The opening tools may only be suitable for bags containing a certain type of material, for example. Bulk bags containing hard material or hard pieces inside the bag may prevent blades intended for opening from working or the opening of the bag could be insufficient.

[0003] On the other hand, bulk bags containing powdery material might hinder the operation of the opening tools if the material spills over them. This is possible in standard solutions where bags are opened with circular blades placed on the bottom side of bags, for example. In this case, it may be necessary to clean the opening tools before the operation can continue.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The objective is to at least alleviate the problems described hereinabove not satisfactorily solved by the known arrangements, and to provide a feasible bag opening arrangement and a method thereof for reliably and efficiently opening bulk bags in an emptying station.

[0005] The aforesaid objective is achieved according to the present invention as claimed in claim 1.

[0006] Accordingly, in one aspect of the present invention a bag opening arrangement in an emptying station comprises retaining means arrangeable to lift and/or retain the bag to be opened and opening means arrangeable to cut at least part of sides of the bag to be opened in order to open the bag.

[0007] In one embodiment, the opening means comprises at least one cutter selected from the group comprising of a blade, a heat cutter, a laser cutter, and/or a water cutter.

[0008] In another embodiment, at least one heat cutter/laser cutter/water cutter is arranged in connection with a blade. Yet, in an embodiment, the opening means comprises means to provide electricity to the heat/laser cutter(s) and water to the laser cutter.

[0009] In one embodiment, the opening means are arranged to travel along and/or surround the bag on three sides thereof. In an embodiment, the opening means comprises three cutters, which are arranged to surround the bag on three sides thereof. In an embodiment, the cutters are arranged to move along each side. Cutting the bag on its three sides is advantageous, because it ensures efficient emptying of the bag, but keeps the cut bag together so that pieces of the bag do not get mixed with the material of the bag during emptying.

[0010] A round bag is cut, preferably leaving about a quarter of the bag's circumference intact for the same reason.

[0011] In an embodiment, the blade(s) have a straight edge. In another embodiment, at least a part of the blade(s) has toothing for improving cutting.

[0012] In an embodiment, the opening means are arranged to be movable in horizontal level between a contact position and a retracted position in relation to the sides of the bag to be opened. This embodiment is advantageous with embodiments wherein the opening means comprise a blade/blades. It should be understood by a person skilled in the art that in the contact position the opening means are arranged to open the bag. The retracted position of the opening means on its behalf is when the bag to be opened is arranged into the emptying station and/or emptying the bag and/or removing the emptied bag.

[0013] In an embodiment, the opening means comprises three blades, which are arranged to surround the bag on three sides thereof. In an embodiment, at least one blade is placed a different level with the other two blades. This also makes it possible to have a scissor-like cutting function where the bag is cut between two blades.

[0014] In one embodiment, the opening means are arrangeable for a lateral cutting movement in said contact position. The lateral cutting movement is advantageous especially with toothed blades, but it can be used also with straight edge blades and/or heat/laser/water cutters to improve the opening procedure.

[0015] In one embodiment, the arrangement further comprises support means arrangeable to support a bag to be opened from below.

[0016] In one embodiment, the support means are arranged in two sides under the bag. Advantageously, the support means are placed on opposite sides to form a base for a bag.

[0017] In one embodiment, the support means are arrangeable between a support position to support the bag to be opened and an open position for removing the support from the bag.

[0018] In one embodiment, the support means are arranged to be rotated between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane, when moving the support means between the two positions.

[0019] Yet, in one embodiment, the support means are placed on the top of a discharge hopper.

[0020] In another aspect of the present invention, a method for opening a bag in an emptying station comprises at least the steps

• arranging a bag to be opened into the emptying station,
• arranging said opening means to cut at least part of the sides of the bag to be opened in order to open the bag,
• removing the opened and emptied bag from the opening station.

[0021] In one embodiment, the method further comprises steps of arranging the opening means in the contact position in relation to the sides of the bag to be opened, when opening the bag, and in the retracted position after the bag is opened.

[0022] In one embodiment, the bag to be opened is arranged on top of the supporting means, which are arranged in the support position.

[0023] In one embodiment, the method further comprises a step of moving the support means from the support position to the open position after the bag is opened, so that the material can flow out from the bag to the hopper.

[0024] The utility of the present invention follows from a plurality of factors depending on each particular embodiment. The arrangement can be utilized to bags containing various kinds of material, such as powdery, hard pieces, such as metal, round or other shaped pieces.

[0025] A powdery material does not hinder the operation of the opening means, since the opening means are arranged to cut the bag from its sides, not the bottom of it, and thus the present invention may provide a more reliable arrangement for opening bags with less need for maintenance.

[0026] The arrangement can also be arranged with various kinds of opening means or a combination of opening means, such as blades with toothed or straight edges, heat cutters and/or laser cutters.

[0027] The method of cutting only three sides of the bag enables efficient emptying of the bag but keeps the cut bag together so that pieces of the bag do not get mixed with the material of the bag during emptying.

[0028] Different embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED DRAWINGS

[0029] Next the invention is described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings in which

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a bag opening arrangement in an emptying station in accordance with the present invention,

Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of support means and opening means according to an embodiment of the present invention,

Fig. 3 illustrates a top view of support means and opening means according to another embodiment of the present invention,

Fig. 4 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a bag opening arrangement in an emptying station in accordance with the present invention, and Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of support means and opening means according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] The bag opening arrangement 100 of the present invention comprises retaining means 106 which can be arranged to lift and/or retain the bag 104 to be opened, and opening means 107, which can be arranged to cut at least part of sides of the bag to be opened in order to open the bag.

[0032] A person skilled in the art will understand that the opening means are preferably arranged to cut the bag to be opened near the bottom of the bag to ensure efficient emptying of the bag 104.

[0033] The retaining means can be arranged in various ways, but in embodiments depicted in Fig. 1 the retaining means 106 are in the form of a gripper arranged to lift the bag 104 and hold it in place, as well as to remove the emptied bag 104 from the arrangement. Grippers are a known technique and thus not described in more detail in this document.

[0034] In embodiments depicted in Figs. 1 and 2 the arrangement further comprises support means 102, which can be arranged to support a bag 104 to be opened from below. The support means 102 are preferably arranged below the opening means 107.

[0035] In an embodiment, the support means 102 are arranged in two sides under the bag 104. The shape and size of the support means can vary, but preferably the support means 102 are of sufficiently strong steel or similar material.

[0036] In an embodiment, the support means 102 are arrangeable between a support position to support the bag to be opened and an open position for removing the support from the bag.

[0037] In the embodiments depicted Figs. 1 and 2, the support means 102 in the support position may form a plane for the bag 104, or the bag 104 may be supported by e.g. two bars arranged sufficiently close to each other. A skilled person will understand that the support means can also be arranged to other forms for the bag to be opened.

[0038] In an embodiment, the support means 102 are arranged to be rotated between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane, when moving the support means 102 between the two positions thereof. A person skilled in the art will understand that the movement of the support means can be arranged in various ways, such as using pneumatic, hydraulic, or electric means, for example.

[0039] In an embodiment, the support means 102 are placed on the top of a discharge hopper (not shown).

[0040] In an embodiment, the opening means 107 comprises at least one blade, which is arranged to surround the bag 104 on three sides thereof. In an embodiment, the blade has a straight edge, and in another embodiment at least a part of the blade has toothing for improving cutting, as depicted in Figs. 1 and 2.

[0041] In an embodiment, the blade is arranged in an arc shape to surround the bag 104 on three sides thereof. In the embodiment depicted in Fig. 1, the opening means 107 comprising three blades 108, which are arranged to surround the bag on three sides thereof.

[0042] In an embodiment, the opening means are arranged to be movable in horizontal level between a contact position and a retracted position. In an embodiment, the arrangement comprises pneumatic means for moving the opening means between the positions thereof. A skilled person will understand that moving the opening means can also be arranged in some other way, such as using hydraulic means or electric motor(s).

[0043] In an embodiment, at least one blade is placed a different level with the other two blades to enable the movement in horizontal level between the positions of the opening means. This makes it possible to have scissor-like cutting function where the bag is cut between two blades. In this case the height difference between the blades should be kept as small as possible, so that there are no thick uncut parts in the corners of the bag.

[0044] In embodiment depicted in Figs. 1 and 2, the blades 108 are arranged into the opening means 107 so that in the contact position of the opening means 107 the blades 108 do not collide but are able to cut the bag 104 from its three sides without leaving any uncut part or at most a very small uncut part. This can be achieved by arranging the blades into the opening means so that the blades are in contact with each other in the contact position of the opening means.

[0045] In an embodiment, the opening means 107 are further arranged to a lateral movement in the contact position for improving cutting. The lateral cutting movement can be arranged by utilizing pneumatic, hydraulic, or electric means, for example.

[0046] Fig. 3 illustrates a top view of support means and opening means according to another embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment, the opening means 107 comprises at least one laser cutter. In an embodiment, the laser cutter can be arranged to laterally move around the bag to be opened. In the embodiment depicted in Fig. 3, the opening means comprises three laser cutters, which are arranged to surround the bag on three sides thereof, and which are arranged to move along each side.

[0047] In an embodiment, the opening means 107 comprises at least one heat cutter. The heat cutter can be connected to a blade, or it can be used instead of a blade. In an embodiment, the opening means comprises three heat cutters, which are arranged to surround the bag on three sides thereof. Yet, in an embodiment, the opening means comprises means to provide electricity to the heat cutter(s).

[0048] Yet, in another embodiment, the opening means 107 comprises at least one water cutter. A skilled person will understand that the opening means can comprise several different types of cutters, which can be arranged on the same side of the bag, in order to select the appropriate cutting means for bags containing different materials. The opening means can also be arranged so that there are different types of cutters on different sides of the bag.

[0049] Fig. 4 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method in accordance with the present invention.

[0050] At 402, the bag to be opened is arranged into the emptying station. In an embodiment, the bag is lifted by a gripper in its place so that the opening means are surrounding the bag on three sides thereof nearby the bottom of the bag. In an embodiment, the bag is set on top of the support means, which are arranged in the support position to support the bag from the bottom of the bag. In an embodiment, a hopper is located below the bag so that the material of the opened bag will flow into the hopper and from there on.

[0051] At 404, the opening means are arranged in contact position with the bag to be opened for opening the bag. The supporting means are then turned open so that the material can flow out from the bag to the hopper.

[0052] At 406, the opened and emptied bag is removed from the emptying station.

[0053] In an embodiment, the method further comprises a step of arranging the opening means in the retracted position after the bag is opened.

[0054] In an embodiment, the bag to be opened is arranged on top of said supporting means, which are arranged in said support position.

[0055] In an embodiment, the method further comprises a step of moving the support means from the support position to the open position after the bag is opened to enhance emptying the bag.

[0056] In an embodiment, the opening means are arranged in a lateral cutting movement in the contact position to ensure opening of the bag.

[0057] Consequently, a skilled person may on the basis of this disclosure and general knowledge apply the provided teachings in order to implement the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims in each particular use case with necessary modifications, deletions, and additions.

Claims

1. A bag opening arrangement in an emptying station characterized in that, said arrangement comprises

- retaining means arrangeable to lift and/or retain the bag to be opened, and

- opening means arrangeable to cut at least part of sides of the bag to be opened in order to open the bag.

2. The bag opening arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said opening means comprise at least one cutter selected from the group comprising of: a blade, a heat cutter, a laser cutter, and/or a water cutter.

3. The bag opening arrangement according to any of preceding claim, wherein said opening means are arranged to travel along and/or surround the bag on three sides thereof.

4. The bag opening arrangement according to any of preceding claim, wherein said opening means are arranged to be movable in horizontal level between a contact position and a retracted position in relation to the sides of the bag to be opened.

5. The bag opening arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein said arrangement further comprises support means arrangeable to support the bag to be opened from below.

6. The bag opening arrangement according to claim 5, wherein said support means are arranged in two sides under the bag.

7. The bag opening arrangement according to any of claim 5-6, wherein said support means are arrangeable between a support position to support the bag to be opened and an open position for removing the support from the bag.

8. The bag opening arrangement according to claim 7, wherein said support means are arranged to be rotated between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane, when moving said support means between said two positions.

9. The bag opening arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein said support means are placed on the top of a discharge hopper.

10. A method for opening a bag in an emptying station, comprising an arrangement according to any of claims 1-9, comprises at least the steps of

- arranging a bag to be opened into said emptying station,

- arranging said opening means to cut at least part of the sides of the bag to be opened in order to open the bag,

- removing the opened and emptied bag from the emptying station.

11. A method according to claim 10 further comprising steps of arranging said opening means in said contact position in relation to the sides of the bag to be opened, when opening the bag, and in said retracted position after the bag is opened.

12. A method according to any of claim 10-11, wherein the bag to be opened is arranged on top of said supporting means arranged in said support position.

13. A method according to claim 12 further comprising a step of moving said support means from said support position to said open position after the bag is opened.

Drawing