EP1352836A1 - Articles collating system - Google Patents

Articles collating system Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1352836A1
EP1352836A1 EP03252276A EP03252276A EP1352836A1 EP 1352836 A1 EP1352836 A1 EP 1352836A1 EP 03252276 A EP03252276 A EP 03252276A EP 03252276 A EP03252276 A EP 03252276A EP 1352836 A1 EP1352836 A1 EP 1352836A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
conveyor
collating
articles
article
collating conveyor
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP03252276A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1352836B1 (en
Inventor
Robert c/o Ishida Europe Limited Bennett
Colin c/o Ishida Europe Limited Buckley
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Ishida Europe Ltd
Original Assignee
Ishida Europe Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ishida Europe Ltd filed Critical Ishida Europe Ltd
Publication of EP1352836A1 publication Critical patent/EP1352836A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1352836B1 publication Critical patent/EP1352836B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
    • B65B35/00—Supplying, feeding, arranging or orientating articles to be packaged
    • B65B35/30—Arranging and feeding articles in groups
    • B65B35/44—Arranging and feeding articles in groups by endless belts or chains

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a collating system, typically for small, light articles such as packets of crisps and other snack foods.
  • collate such articles by means of an infeed conveyor which drops articles from a small height onto a collating conveyor.
  • the collating conveyor moves intermittently, such that it is stationary when an article is landing on it, and then moves by a predetermined amount, coming to rest before the next article lands.
  • the amount of movement may be selected to be less than the length of an article, so that a shingled (overlapping) array results.
  • articles tend to be emerging from the infeed conveyor with significant velocity. There is thus a tendency for articles to bounce and skid as they land on the collating conveyor. Thus they may end up in incorrect positions and/or configurations, and may disturb the arrangement of articles already on the belt.
  • the present invention provides a method of collating articles by means of a collating conveyor and an infeed conveyor which is arranged to drop the articles onto an upstream region of the collating conveyor.
  • the articles leave the infeed conveyor with a downstream component of motion (in addition to a forward component).
  • the motion of the collating conveyor is controlled such that an article lands on the upstream region when it is decelerating.
  • the collating conveyor accelerates and moves to convey the article downstream by a predetermined amount, decelerating again as a subsequent article is landing.
  • the amount of displacement in each cycle may be automatically variable. Typically there will be a multiplicity of short displacements, to produce a shingled array, followed by a long displacement to introduce a gap before another shingled array is produced.
  • a product detector e.g. employing a photocell
  • Detection will generally occur at a location spaced some way upstream of the collating conveyor.
  • time interval there is a (known) time interval between detection and the arrival of an article on the collating conveyor, during which the motion of that conveyor can be adjusted.
  • the invention provides apparatus for carrying out the above method, including an infeed conveyor assembly and a collating conveyor, with a control device for controlling the displacement of the collating conveyor.
  • An infeed conveyor assembly includes a first infeed conveyor 10 which leads to an upwardly-sloping inclined conveyor 12.
  • a collating conveyor 14 commences adjacent the downstream end of the inclined conveyor 12, at a slightly lower level. In this example, all three conveyors are shown as belt conveyors.
  • the conveyors 10,12 of the infeed assembly may run at constant speed. They generally run at the same speed as each other. Their speeds may be variable. They are shown as driven by respective drive motors 16,18.
  • the collating conveyor 14 is driven by its own drive motor 20, under the control of a computer 22.
  • a product detector 24 e.g. employing a photocell detects the passage of products along the first infeed conveyor 10. When a product is detected, the detector sends a signal to the computer 22.
  • side guides 26 at each lateral side of the collating conveyor 14. In this example they also extend along the inclined conveyor 12.
  • the two conveyors 10,12 of the infeed assembly run at the same, constant speed.
  • the computer 22 controls the operation of the motor 20 for the collating conveyor 14 in a cyclic fashion.
  • one cycle involves a total displacement somewhat less than the length of one article.
  • the cycle includes an acceleration phase and a deceleration phase.
  • the synchronisation by means of the detector 24 is such that an article 30 which comes off the downstream end of the inclined belt 12 contacts the collating conveyor 14 when this is decelerating. This deceleration is selected to provide controlled braking for the article.
  • the first article 30 in an array thus lies flat on the collating belt.
  • a shingled array consists of four articles.
  • the computer 22 causes the collating conveyor 14 to perform a long displacement (in the same time as the short displacement, or at least, terminating with its acceleration phase when the product 38 is leaving the inclined conveyor 12 just as is the case after a short stroke).
  • this fifth product 38 is the first product of next shingled array.
  • Fig. 6 shows two completed shingled arrays 40,42 spaced by a gap 44.
  • the speed and position of the collating conveyor 14 can be accurately controlled, so an article can be accelerated and positioned at any desired point between its ends.
  • the movement of the article can be made to follow a desired speed profile, e.g. cycloidal, trapezoidal or sine or modified sine movement profiles.
  • suitable speed profiles enables precise, stable and controlled movement of the articles in the shortest possible time.

Landscapes

  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Control Of Conveyors (AREA)
  • Branching, Merging, And Special Transfer Between Conveyors (AREA)
  • Separation Using Semi-Permeable Membranes (AREA)
  • Medicines Containing Plant Substances (AREA)
  • Attitude Control For Articles On Conveyors (AREA)
  • Control And Other Processes For Unpacking Of Materials (AREA)
  • Refuse Collection And Transfer (AREA)
  • Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)
  • Manipulator (AREA)
  • Container Filling Or Packaging Operations (AREA)
  • Seal Device For Vehicle (AREA)

Abstract

A feed conveyor (12) discharges successive articles (30, 32, 34, 36) such as packets of snack foods so that they drop, with forward and downward components of motion, onto a collating conveyor (14). The motion of the collating conveyor (14) is cyclically controlled (using a computer (22) and motor (20)) in synchronism with the arrival of articles (detected by a detector (24)) so that the conveyor is decelerating when an article lands on it. This leads to reliable placement of articles, which can be used to form shingled arrays.

Description

  • The present invention relates to a collating system, typically for small, light articles such as packets of crisps and other snack foods.
  • It is known to collate such articles by means of an infeed conveyor which drops articles from a small height onto a collating conveyor. The collating conveyor moves intermittently, such that it is stationary when an article is landing on it, and then moves by a predetermined amount, coming to rest before the next article lands. The amount of movement may be selected to be less than the length of an article, so that a shingled (overlapping) array results.
  • Because of the need for high speed operation, articles tend to be emerging from the infeed conveyor with significant velocity. There is thus a tendency for articles to bounce and skid as they land on the collating conveyor. Thus they may end up in incorrect positions and/or configurations, and may disturb the arrangement of articles already on the belt.
  • The present invention provides a method of collating articles by means of a collating conveyor and an infeed conveyor which is arranged to drop the articles onto an upstream region of the collating conveyor. The articles leave the infeed conveyor with a downstream component of motion (in addition to a forward component). The motion of the collating conveyor is controlled such that an article lands on the upstream region when it is decelerating. Subsequently, the collating conveyor accelerates and moves to convey the article downstream by a predetermined amount, decelerating again as a subsequent article is landing.
  • The amount of displacement in each cycle may be automatically variable. Typically there will be a multiplicity of short displacements, to produce a shingled array, followed by a long displacement to introduce a gap before another shingled array is produced.
  • There may be a product detector (e.g. employing a photocell) which detects articles on the infeed conveyor and provides signals to control the operation of the collating conveyor. Detection will generally occur at a location spaced some way upstream of the collating conveyor. Thus there is a (known) time interval between detection and the arrival of an article on the collating conveyor, during which the motion of that conveyor can be adjusted.
  • In a second aspect the invention provides apparatus for carrying out the above method, including an infeed conveyor assembly and a collating conveyor, with a control device for controlling the displacement of the collating conveyor.
  • An embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings:
  • Fig. 1 is a plan view of a collating system embodying the invention;
  • Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the assembly; and
  • Figs. 3 to 6 are partial side elevations showing the apparatus in different phases of operation.
  • An infeed conveyor assembly includes a first infeed conveyor 10 which leads to an upwardly-sloping inclined conveyor 12. A collating conveyor 14 commences adjacent the downstream end of the inclined conveyor 12, at a slightly lower level. In this example, all three conveyors are shown as belt conveyors. The conveyors 10,12 of the infeed assembly may run at constant speed. They generally run at the same speed as each other. Their speeds may be variable. They are shown as driven by respective drive motors 16,18. The collating conveyor 14 is driven by its own drive motor 20, under the control of a computer 22. A product detector 24 (e.g. employing a photocell) detects the passage of products along the first infeed conveyor 10. When a product is detected, the detector sends a signal to the computer 22.
  • As shown, there may be side guides 26 at each lateral side of the collating conveyor 14. In this example they also extend along the inclined conveyor 12.
  • In normal operation, the two conveyors 10,12 of the infeed assembly run at the same, constant speed. Thus when the detector 24 detects a product, that product will be reaching the end of the inclined conveyor 12 a fixed interval later. The computer 22 controls the operation of the motor 20 for the collating conveyor 14 in a cyclic fashion. During the production of a shingled array, one cycle involves a total displacement somewhat less than the length of one article. The cycle includes an acceleration phase and a deceleration phase. The synchronisation by means of the detector 24 is such that an article 30 which comes off the downstream end of the inclined belt 12 contacts the collating conveyor 14 when this is decelerating. This deceleration is selected to provide controlled braking for the article. The first article 30 in an array thus lies flat on the collating belt. Because it has landed in a controlled fashion, there is little risk that it will have skidded and twisted. Thus it should be lying centrally, with its axis parallel to the conveying direction. The succeeding article 32 lands with its leading edge on the first article 30, and its trailing edge on the conveyor 14. A further plurality of articles are added behind to produce a shingled array. In this example, a shingled array consists of four articles. When the fifth article 38 is detected by the detector 24, the computer 22 causes the collating conveyor 14 to perform a long displacement (in the same time as the short displacement, or at least, terminating with its acceleration phase when the product 38 is leaving the inclined conveyor 12 just as is the case after a short stroke). Thus this fifth product 38 is the first product of next shingled array. Fig. 6 shows two completed shingled arrays 40,42 spaced by a gap 44.
  • The speed and position of the collating conveyor 14 can be accurately controlled, so an article can be accelerated and positioned at any desired point between its ends. The movement of the article can be made to follow a desired speed profile, e.g. cycloidal, trapezoidal or sine or modified sine movement profiles. The use of suitable speed profiles enables precise, stable and controlled movement of the articles in the shortest possible time.

Claims (6)

  1. A method of collating articles (30, 32, 34, 36) by means of a collating conveyor (14) and an infeed conveyor (14), wherein the infeed conveyor (10,12) is arranged and operated so that articles (30, 32, 34, 36) leave it with a downstream component of motion and drop onto an upstream region of the collating conveyor (14); and wherein the motion of the collating conveyor (14) is cyclically controlled (22) such that it is decelerating when an article (30) lands on it, and it then accelerates and moves through a predetermined displacement to convey the article downstream by a predetermined amount, decelerating again as a subsequent article (32) is landing.
  2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the collating conveyor (14) is controlled (22) so that there are a multiplicity of displacements shorter than the length of an article (30, 32, 34, 36) in the conveying direction to produce a shingled array, followed by a displacement longer than said length to introduce a gap before another shingled array is produced.
  3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2 employing a product detector (24) which detects articles (36) on the infeed conveyor (10, 12) and provides signals to control the operation of the collating conveyor (14).
  4. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the motion of the collating conveyor (14) has a speed profile selected from cycloidal, trapezoidal, sine and modified sine movement profiles.
  5. Apparatus for carrying out the method of any preceding claim including an infeed conveyor assembly (10, 12) and a collating conveyor (14), with a control device (20, 22) for controlling the displacement of the collating conveyor (14).
  6. Apparatus according to claim 5 including a computer (22) coupled to the collating conveyor (14) and adapted to control its operation.
EP03252276A 2002-04-11 2003-04-10 Articles collating system Expired - Lifetime EP1352836B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0208389 2002-04-11
GBGB0208389.7A GB0208389D0 (en) 2002-04-11 2002-04-11 Collating system

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1352836A1 true EP1352836A1 (en) 2003-10-15
EP1352836B1 EP1352836B1 (en) 2006-01-04

Family

ID=9934688

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP03252276A Expired - Lifetime EP1352836B1 (en) 2002-04-11 2003-04-10 Articles collating system

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1352836B1 (en)
AT (1) ATE314972T1 (en)
DE (1) DE60303087T2 (en)
DK (1) DK1352836T3 (en)
ES (1) ES2256675T3 (en)
GB (1) GB0208389D0 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2008034488A1 (en) * 2006-09-21 2008-03-27 Focke & Co. (Gmbh & Co. Kg) Method of, and apparatus for, handling nappies

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2046711A (en) * 1979-03-09 1980-11-19 Metal Box Co Ltd Method and apparatus for forming a stack of generally flat articles from a shingled stream
US4238024A (en) * 1978-07-17 1980-12-09 Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Conveyor device
US5430994A (en) * 1992-05-14 1995-07-11 Focke & Co. (Gmbh & Co.) Apparatus for feeding packs, especially bag packs, to a collective packer

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4238024A (en) * 1978-07-17 1980-12-09 Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Conveyor device
GB2046711A (en) * 1979-03-09 1980-11-19 Metal Box Co Ltd Method and apparatus for forming a stack of generally flat articles from a shingled stream
US5430994A (en) * 1992-05-14 1995-07-11 Focke & Co. (Gmbh & Co.) Apparatus for feeding packs, especially bag packs, to a collective packer

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2008034488A1 (en) * 2006-09-21 2008-03-27 Focke & Co. (Gmbh & Co. Kg) Method of, and apparatus for, handling nappies
US8056304B2 (en) 2006-09-21 2011-11-15 Focke & Co. (Gmbh & Co.) Method of, and apparatus for, handling nappies

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE60303087D1 (en) 2006-03-30
DE60303087T2 (en) 2006-08-31
EP1352836B1 (en) 2006-01-04
GB0208389D0 (en) 2002-05-22
DK1352836T3 (en) 2006-05-15
ATE314972T1 (en) 2006-02-15
ES2256675T3 (en) 2006-07-16

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