Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H15/00—Overturning articles
  • B65H15/008—Overturning articles employing belts
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
  • B65G47/22—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors
  • B65G47/24—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors orientating the articles
  • B65G47/244—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors orientating the articles by turning them about an axis substantially perpendicular to the conveying plane
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H29/00—Delivering or advancing articles from machines; Advancing articles to or into piles
  • B65H29/38—Delivering or advancing articles from machines; Advancing articles to or into piles by movable piling or advancing arms, frames, plates, or like members with which the articles are maintained in face contact
  • B65H29/40—Members rotated about an axis perpendicular to direction of article movement, e.g. star-wheels formed by S-shaped members
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H33/00—Forming counted batches in delivery pile or stream of articles
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H2301/00—Handling processes for sheets or webs
  • B65H2301/40—Type of handling process
  • B65H2301/42—Piling, depiling, handling piles
  • B65H2301/421—Forming a pile
  • B65H2301/4211—Forming a pile of articles alternatively overturned, or swivelled from a certain angle
  • B65H2301/42112—Forming a pile of articles alternatively overturned, or swivelled from a certain angle swivelled from 180°
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H2404/00—Parts for transporting or guiding the handled material
  • B65H2404/30—Chains
  • B65H2404/31—Chains with auxiliary handling means
  • B65H2404/311—Blades, lugs, plates, paddles, fingers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H2404/00—Parts for transporting or guiding the handled material
  • B65H2404/60—Other elements in face contact with handled material
  • B65H2404/65—Other elements in face contact with handled material rotating around an axis parallel to face of material and perpendicular to transport direction, e.g. star wheel
  • B65H2404/658—Means for introducing material on elements
  • B65H2404/6582—Means for introducing material on elements multiple, i.e. for introducing material selectively, alternatively or simultaneously at different angular positions at the periphery

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for alternating the direction of stacking of flat and flexible objects which are intended to be stacked in order to constitute batches ready to be packaged.
• the invention also relates to the means for implementing the method and to the batching facilities equipped with these means.
• the invention particularly but not exclusively concerns a process used in an industrial installation for building up batches of flat objects, operating at high speed.
• Flat objects are, for example, flexible products which can be deformed according to their thickness, such as hygiene products made of absorbent material.
• the flat objects are arranged substantially parallel to one another, one against the other, so that they can be placed in a box or in a bag of envelope volume, in particular, substantially rectangular parallelepiped, of size as small as possible.
• the built-up lots affect a wedge shape.
• This wedge shape is prejudicial to the packaging of said lots in a reduced volume.
• a radical solution to this problem of forming corner lots consists of alternating the stacking directions of the products.
• this solution is technically difficult to implement.
• the aforementioned hygiene products are produced at rates higher than several hundred products per minute and their output speed from the manufacturing machine is therefore high.
• the invention especially relates to a method, capable of performing a function of alternating products, without affecting the manufacturing process of said products.
• the invention also relates to batch building installations equipped with these means.
• One result which the invention aims to obtain is a method of alternating products which can be implemented without affecting the operation of an existing installation, or involving substantial modification of the installation.
• the subject of the invention is a method for alternating the direction of stacking of flat and flexible objects which are intended to be stacked in order to constitute batches ready to be packaged, this method being in particular characterized in that , to produce sets of products capable of constituting batches of products in which at least two products are arranged head to tail, during the movement of the compartments in front of the loading station, upstream of this station:
• extraction site at a specific site, called extraction site, at least one product is extracted from a compartment in which it has been placed and, - the orientation of each extracted product is changed so that it can, in an empty compartment determined, be placed head to tail in relation to its initial direction of introduction at the loading station and, - At a determined site, called reintroduction site, said redirected product is introduced into a free compartment.
• FIG. 1 in top view, an installation implementing a device for constituting batches of a determined number of products successively from a production machine
• Figure 4 a view along AA of Figure 2.
• the installation 1 comprises a plurality of compartments 1A supported by an element 1 B for movement between at least two stations 1 C, 1 D including, on the one hand, a loading station 1 C of said compartments 1 A with products 3 successively delivered in a defined direction S1 of introduction and, on the other hand, a station 1 D for unloading at least one set E of products capable of constituting a batch 2.
• the installation 1 comprises an endless element 1 B which circulates on return members and carries pallets 1 E arranged so as to constitute compartments 1A able to accommodate the products.
• each extracted product 3 is extracted from a compartment 1A in which it has been placed and, the orientation of each extracted product 3 is modified so that it can, in a given empty compartment 1A, be placed head to tail with respect to its direction of initial introduction S1 at the loading station 1 C and,
• the method of the invention makes it possible to alternate the direction of stacking of at least some of the products.
• Figure 1 there is shown the direction of orientation of some of the products by means of an arrow marked S1 or S2.
• the arrows S1 and S2 are arranged next to products to represent their relative orientation, that is to say with respect to each other.
• the direction S1 of orientation corresponds to the direction of introduction but this is not limiting.
• the direction S2 of a product marked R is opposite to the direction S1 of a product marked 3.
• the product marked 3R is a product that has been returned, while product 3 is a product whose orientation has not been changed.
• the products marked 3R and 3 are therefore arranged head to tail.
• the products 3 are extracted and then reintroduced successively, that is to say that we proceed unitarily.
• each product 3 is reintroduced into a compartment 1A which, relative to the direction of travel, is located upstream of compartment 1A in which the extraction has been carried out.
• extract then reintroduce product 3 out of two.
• a device 1 R groups together the means M1, M2, M3 for implementing the method, these means consisting of: a means M1 for extracting at least one product 3 from the compartments 1A at a determined site A, called the extraction site A and,
• a means M4 for controlling the operation of the aforementioned means M1, M2, M3 in synchronism with the device 1 for constituting batches 2.
• the means M1 of extraction consists of a means M1 of unitary extraction of a product 3.
• the extraction means M1 comprises a motor element 11 and for guiding at least one extraction abutment 12 on a trajectory, called the accompanying trajectory, that is to say a trajectory T3 which intersects the trajectory T2 of the compartments 1A in a plane of projection of these trajectories is oriented in such a way that each extraction stop 12 which comes into contact with a product 3 pushes it out of its compartment 1 A, on the extraction site A, and this at less until said product 3 has been engaged in the means M2 for modifying its orientation.
• the means M2 for modifying the orientation of each product 3 extracted that is to say the means M2 for turning head to tail each product 3 extracted from a compartment 1A, consists of a means M2 for guiding the product 3 on a trajectory T1 curve located in a plane approximately parallel to a plane containing the trajectory T2 of passage of the compartments 1A, between the site A of extraction and the site B of reintroduction in a compartment 1A.
• This means M2 is arranged to receive each product 3 extracted from a compartment 1A by means M1 for this purpose.
• the means M3 of unitary introduction of each product 3 into a free compartment 1A is constituted by a means M3 of displacement of each product 3 on a trajectory T4 which, intersecting the trajectory of the compartments 1A in a plane of projection of these trajectories is oriented in such a way that each product 3 is pushed into compartment 1 A, and this, at least until said product 3 has been completely engaged in said compartment 1A.
• the means M4 for controlling the operation of the aforementioned means M1, M2, M3 in synchronism uses conventional elements for managing the operation of electric motor means and is not described in more detail.
• the means M2 for modifying the orientation of each product 3 extracted from a compartment 1A essentially comprises a set of two belts C1, C2 which, moved by a driving means (not shown), circulate on return members R1 to R9 and have two adjacent strands B1, B2, which strands B1 define a means both of pinching a product 3 according to its thickness and of displacing this product 3 on a substantially curved path T1, these adjacent strands B1, B2 and , for this purpose:
• each extends between site A for extraction of a product 3 from a compartment 1 A and site B for reintroduction of this product 3 into a compartment 1A,
• the means M2 for modifying the orientation of the products comprises a deflection member R1 whose diameter D is such that by a substantial fraction of its circumference, it defines a curved trajectory T1 tangentially connected to the extraction trajectories T3, T4 and reintroduction of products 3.
• the means M2 for modifying the orientation of the products comprises return members R2, R3 which are arranged so as to deflect and separate the belts C1, C2 approximately as far as in a plane substantially tangent to the compartments and thereby to constitute at least partially the means M3 for unitary introduction of each product 3 into a free compartment 1A.
• arrows (not marked) symbolize the direction of rotation or movement of the main members.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)
• Feeding Of Articles By Means Other Than Belts Or Rollers (AREA)
• Pile Receivers (AREA)
• Registering Or Overturning Sheets (AREA)
• Discharge By Other Means (AREA)
• Detergent Compositions (AREA)
• Stacking Of Articles And Auxiliary Devices (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9526731

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Families Citing this family (19)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1998
  • 1998-05-22 FR FR9806627A patent/FR2778898B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1999
  • 1999-05-03 WO PCT/FR1999/001047 patent/WO1999061359A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-05-03 BR BR9906467-7A patent/BR9906467A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-05-03 CN CN99800805A patent/CN1272093A/zh active Pending
  • 1999-05-03 EP EP99916977A patent/EP0998419A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
  • 1999-05-03 JP JP2000550774A patent/JP2002516244A/ja active Pending
  • 1999-05-03 KR KR1020007000689A patent/KR20010022119A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-05-20 AR ARP990102394A patent/AR019558A1/es unknown
  • 1999-05-21 CO CO99031535A patent/CO4880808A1/es unknown
  • 1999-05-21 TW TW088108342A patent/TW446671B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2000
  • 2000-01-21 NO NO20000326A patent/NO20000326L/no not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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