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
  • B65B35/36—Arranging and feeding articles in groups by grippers
• • 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
  • B65B11/00—Wrapping, e.g. partially or wholly enclosing, articles or quantities of material, in strips, sheets or blanks, of flexible material
• • 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
  • B65B35/40—Arranging and feeding articles in groups by reciprocating or oscillatory pushers
  • B65B35/405—Arranging and feeding articles in groups by reciprocating or oscillatory pushers linked to endless conveyors
• • 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
• • 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
  • B65B35/54—Feeding articles along multiple paths to a single packaging position
• • 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
  • B65G47/52—Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices
  • B65G47/68—Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices adapted to receive articles arriving in one layer from one conveyor lane and to transfer them in individual layers to more than one conveyor lane or to one broader conveyor lane, or vice versa, e.g. combining the flows of articles conveyed by more than one conveyor
  • B65G47/681—Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices adapted to receive articles arriving in one layer from one conveyor lane and to transfer them in individual layers to more than one conveyor lane or to one broader conveyor lane, or vice versa, e.g. combining the flows of articles conveyed by more than one conveyor from distinct, separate conveyor lanes
• • 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
  • B65B2220/00—Specific aspects of the packaging operation
  • B65B2220/14—Adding more than one type of material or article to the same package

Definitions

• the present invention is in the field of conveying products within an industrial processing line. It relates more particularly to a method and a device for supplying products, able to produce sets that contain products of different types.
• the device is placed before a shrinkwrapper, in order to realize burdens of products of different types, or a packager, for example.
• existing solutions require complicated installation.
• a dedicated production line is often needed, which increases production costs and lead times, and requires a large volume of production of identical burdens to cushion investments.
• Document DE202005019906 proposes a device in which packages composed of different bottles are created from individual conveyors each carrying a different type of bottle. This installation is very little flexible, can not adapt to an existing installation, and requires a dedicated device for each type of set that we want to create.
• the document DE102009037833 proposes a device for distributing products from homogeneous sets in heterogeneous sets.
• the present invention aims to overcome at least in part these disadvantages by bringing from the side of the flow subsequently sequenced in successive groups and in the end queue which defines the edge of said flow, products of a type different from the others.
• the flow subsequently separated into longitudinally distant groups is formed of several longitudinal rows next to one another, two of them forming the two end queues, or edge queues.
• the cyclic transfer mentioned above thus brings products by transverse thrust from an accumulation surface located on the side of the conveyor into one of the edge queues. This transfer thus makes it possible to complete and finalize the flow by adding a file on its side.
• a continuous flow of products of different types A and B can be formed on the conveyor in a simple and flexible manner, requiring little adaptation with respect to a line containing only one type of product, and a downstream machine can for example pack assemblies containing products of different types. Indeed, it may be sufficient to provide an opening on the side of an existing conveyor so that different products are brought against the flow already created upstream.
• the transfer of the products B can take place to a queue dedicated to the products B, making it possible to form two separate files, one composed of products A and the other of products B.
• the lane of edge which receives the products of a type different from those already present in the flow, is homogeneous
• the product line A can be interrupted, and the transfer of products B to the product line A at its interruption, to form a queue that comprises successively type A products and type B products.
• the flow of products in the edge line is stopped to receive in said queue of products of another type, then the circulation is resumed.
• the products A can be loaded on the conveyor upstream of the transfer of the products B, the products A can alternatively be brought on the conveyor from an area opposite the one where the products B are brought.
• each of the queues receives products by transverse transfer.
• the method can be implemented by a device requiring little adaptation with respect to a line usually used to process only products A, the speed of said conveyor can be slowed, preferably to a standstill, during the transfer of products B, then increased to a nominal value greater than the advance speed of the queues in a machine downstream, to limit the risk of falling products during the transfer of products B on the conveyor.
• the process of constituting a set of products of different types A and B may further comprise the following steps:
• This transfer is transversal and is done by bringing products into the queue defining an edge of the flow. It is thus possible to obtain sets composed of products of different types, whether in the same file or from one file to another.
• the process of constituting a set of products of different types A and B may further comprise the following steps:
• assemblies comprising three types of products of different types can be formed in a simple and reliable manner, and by using a flexible installation adaptable to a line usually used to treat only one type of products.
• products B of a second accumulation surface can be transferred to the conveyor as soon as the products of the first accumulation surface are all transferred, thus the supply of the conveyor in products B can be continuous, even when a accumulation surfaces are empty.
• the present invention also relates to a device for implementing a method according to the invention, comprising a conveyor provided with at least two lanes, that is to say having at least two separate lanes for the circulation, in each one of them, from a wide line of a single product.
• This device is characterized in that it comprises at least one accumulation surface disposed immediately adjacent and flush with said conveyor, and means for transferring products from said accumulation surface to the conveyor, on the most important corridor. close to the accumulation surface, said transfer means preferably being a thrust means.
• the device according to the invention allows the constitution of sets of products of different types from one file to another.
• the device for implementing a method according to the invention may comprise at least a second accumulation surface disposed on the same side of said conveyor as the first accumulation surface, and the transfer of the products to the conveyor may be do it continuously, even when one of the accumulation surfaces is empty. It can also be envisaged that the device has a succession of accumulation surfaces disposed along the conveyor, one upstream of the other, and the products that bring the upstream surface are transferred to a queue which is further than that to which the products brought by a surface of downstream accumulation. In other words, each surface along the edge of the conveyor feeds a circulation corridor, each time one step further to the edge as one advances in the flow. Again, each accumulation surface brings the products in the end of the flow line at this point, the flow can be further completed downstream on the same side through another surface and so on;
• said conveyor may comprise a variable speed motor from a speed almost zero, for the purpose of transferring the products from the accumulation surface, to a maximum speed, with a view to conveying said products downstream, thus the risk of drop of products during their transfer is reduced,
• said conveyor may comprise a queue stop means configured to temporarily stop the products upstream of said stop means of said queue to allow the transfer means to transfer at least one product from the accumulation surface to said file, thus making it possible to produce sets of different types of products in the same queue, for example a product line of type A in which one or more type B products are inserted periodically,
• said accumulation surface can be arranged on a shuttle that can be moved autonomously, so that the transfer of the products can take place at a relative speed between the accumulation surface and the reduced or even zero conveyor,
• the device for implementing a method according to the invention may comprise disbursing means capable of supplying said accumulation surface from a box, preferably a robot capable of simultaneously grasping the assembly or a subset of the products B of a box, constituting a simple and flexible means of supplying the accumulation surface,
• the device for implementing a method according to the invention may further comprise an input conveyor, disposed substantially parallel to the conveyor on the other side of the accumulation surface with respect to said conveyor, and a means for transferring said inlet conveyor to the accumulation surface, which allows a supply of the fully automated accumulation surface.
• the advantage provided by the present invention is the possibility of constituting heterogeneous sets of products, of different types, by means of a simple installation, inexpensive, and effective in continuous operation.
• this solution is very easily adaptable to existing installations, since it is sufficient to bring an accumulation surface against the main conveyor, and to transfer from the product side into the queue or traffic corridor then the most close.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a device according to a first embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a device according to a second embodiment of the invention.
• the device according to FIG. 1 comprises at least one accumulation surface 1 feeding a conveyor 2 with a certain type of products 3.
• Upstream of each accumulation surface 1 may be a conveyor, not shown, supplying the accumulation surface 1 with a flow of products 3 along the opposite edge to that at which the surface is against the conveyor 2.
• the products 3 can remain there for a certain time, or be immediately transferred to the conveyor 2 via a transfer means, not shown.
• the products 3 are transferred from their accumulation surface 1 to the conveyor 2 so that a machine 4 placed downstream of the device, for example a shrinkwrapper, can form bundles of products 3 each comprising different types of products 3 for example by periodically creating longitudinal spacings.
• the transfer means pushes the products 3, transversely to this direction in advance, an accumulation surface 1 to a particular line of the conveyor 2, namely the line closest to the surface, which determines the future placement of each type of product in the burdens at the output of the machine 4 downstream.
• a product stream 3 is thus obtained which has queues comprising products 3 of different types from one file to the other.
• the products 3 are conveyed on the conveyor 2 and brought into the downstream machine, of the wrapping machine type, in several lanes or rows which extend parallel to the direction of the conveyor 2, one next to the other.
• the products 3 brought from an accumulation surface 1 on the conveyor 2 in a displacement transverse to this direction by the transfer means are then found in the queue or the corridor which is closest to the edge of the conveyor 2, and which is therefore the edge line of the flow that moves the conveyor 2.
• the products transferred transversely from the accumulation surface complete the flow by the side.
• the accumulation surfaces 1 can be located on each side of the conveyor 2, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and / or one upstream of the other, as illustrated in FIG. 2.
• the use of two accumulation surfaces 1 allows the downstream machine 4 to constitute bundles comprising at least two products of different types. As illustrated in fig. 2, it is also possible to have more than two accumulation surfaces 1, for example four around the conveyor 2, to form bundles with multiple products
• the products 3 provided by the upper accumulation surface 1 constitute the edge edge of the flow which is at the top, and those provided by the lower accumulation surface 1. constitute the stream's edge lane that is the lowest at the bottom. It is therefore possible to constitute the entire flow supplied to the downstream machine by means of transverse transfers coming from one edge or both edges of the conveyor 2, the latter only moving the products received by the side and constituting the flow. of products, each accumulation surface bringing the products against the end line at this location.
• FIG. 2 it is the two accumulation surfaces 1 located in the right of the figure which bring the products 3 which will each form the end column of the final flow, respectively, the first from the top for the accumulation surface 1 at the top right and the first from the bottom for the accumulation surface 1 at the bottom right .
• the products 3 of the accumulation surface 1, of a different type from the others in the product stream 3 on the conveyor 2 are therefore, after their transverse transfer on the conveyor 2, in one of the two longitudinal rows. edge of the multifilament flow of products 3 on the conveyor 2.
• the transfer means may for example be robotic gripping arms of a row of products 3, able to transfer a row to a queue of the conveyor 2.
• the transfer means may also be simple means of thrusting the rows of products 3 , pushers, plates or others.
• the transfer means acts cyclically, so that each cycle a longitudinal group of at least one product 3 is brought into the stream delivered to the downstream packaging machine.
• the rows of products 3 transferred from the accumulation surfaces 1 to the conveyor 2 may be larger or smaller. They may concern only a product 3 or, on the contrary, a large number of products 3.
• the edge of the stream where the products 3 are transferred laterally from the accumulation surface 1 downstream can be homogeneous. and then only include products 3 of the type provided by the accumulation surface 1, or be heterogeneous and include products 3 brought by the accumulation surface 1 and products 3 of another type brought into this queue from upstream.
• the device according to the invention makes it possible to implement a method of constituting a set of different products 3, comprising the following steps which can be performed at the same time:
• the products 3 can be transferred to different rows of the conveyor 2 according to their type A or B.
• the products 3 can also be transferred onto a single line of the conveyor 2, which will be a heterogeneous line of products A and B.
• the edge line that is to say one of the transverse end queues of the flow, comprises products 3 of a first type coming transversely from an accumulation surface 1, then products 3 of a second type from an accumulation surface 1 on the same side, upstream or downstream.
• the device according to the invention allows the downstream machine 4 to form different types of bundles composed of products 3 of different types.
• the burdens obtained may include different types of products 3 in the direction transverse to the conveyor 2, and identical in the longitudinal direction to the conveyor 2. All the burdens at the output of the machine 4 will then be identical.
• sets of products 3 of four different types are made.
• the four different types of products come from four different accumulation surfaces 1, from which they are transferred to four adjacent rows of the conveyor 2, symmetrically between the two sides of the conveyor 2, respecting that the accumulation surface 1 further downstream contributes to the queue of the final stream that is closest to it, and which will therefore be the lane edge at that location.
• the machine 4 downstream can then constitute, for example, bundles of a row of four products 3 of different types, or two rows of four products 3 of different types.
• the burdens at the output of the machine 4 downstream may be composed of different products 3 not only in the direction transverse to the conveyor 2, but also in the longitudinal direction to the conveyor 2. It is also possible that different burdens are obtained, for example an alternation of bundles composed of different types of products 3.
• a conveyor 2 with two files one of the files being composed of a single type of products 3 and the other file of an alternation between two types of products 3.
• the device according to the invention makes it possible, if necessary, to form adjacent files of products 3 which are of a different type from one file to the other thanks to a compact installation, and thus to easily achieve in the machine 4 downstream bundles of products 3 composed of 3 different products.
• the solution is flexible and makes it possible to easily change the composition parameters of product bundles 3.
• An existing product treatment line 3 can be adapted according to the invention, a dedicated line is therefore no longer required to produce burdens composed of 3 different products.
• the device according to the invention makes it possible to use any type of accumulation surface 1, independently of the upstream installation for each line and particularly the methods used to fill the accumulation surfaces 1.
• the device according to the invention can be used downstream from a line on which products 3 are already present.
• the conveyor 2 can carry products 3 coming from upstream. the device, and the device to transfer products 3 to one or more free queues of the conveyor 2, and / or to one or more queues comprising free spaces for the insertion of products 3.
• At least one accumulation surface 1 may consist of the surface of an autonomously movable shuttle, or of a table carried by a shuttle which is detachable.
• a shuttle which is detachable.
• At least one accumulation surface 1 can be supplied by a disbursing means, able to feed said accumulation surface 1 from at least one box, for example a robot capable of simultaneously gripping the whole or a subset of the products B of a box. As soon as a crate is empty, it can be replaced by another crate, to continue feeding the accumulation surface 1.
• At least one accumulation surface 1 can be fed by an input conveyor of one or more parallel lines.
• a pushing means for example a robotic arm, is arranged so as to push the products arriving through the inlet conveyor onto the accumulation surface.
• a thrust means may comprise several thrust faces, so as to be able to push a batch of several files at a time.
• the means for transferring the accumulation surface to the conveyor 2 is configured to push several queues at a time, if several queues of identical type products are required on the conveyor 2.
• the thrust means comprises several vertical walls spaced from the value of the spacing of the files, and held together by a board horizontal disposed above said walls, to form a plurality of inverted U side by side.
• the conveyor 2 can then accelerate, to resume its nominal speed, to transport the flow of products 3 downstream.
• the conveyor 2 at the level of the zone where the at least one transverse transfer takes place, comprises several bands, each dedicated to a line and possibly having a speed of its own, or comprises at least one band dedicated to the circulation of the edge line. It is thus possible to slow the edge of the edge of the line to compensate for the insertion of products from the side compared to the other files.
• the method for obtaining a heterogeneous queue may then comprise the following steps:
• This file can be the only queue of the stream, or can be a queue among several files constituting the final stream.
• the cycler actuates a stop, it has across the flow, or at least across the corridor for receiving the products from the side, which has the effect that it stops the products 3 arranged upstream of said stop .
• the products 3 downstream of the abutment continue their movement, and go downstream. There is thus created a free space in the queue, between the last product 3 going downstream, and the first product 3 stopped by the stop.
• a batch of type B products 3 can then be transferred transversely from an accumulation surface to the right of said file, in the free space thus formed.
• Such a batch of products 3 of type B may consist of a single product 3 of type B, or of several products 3 of type B.
• the cycler then clears the stop, which has the effect of letting go 3 products of type A which had remained blocked by the stop.
• the cycler actuates again the stop, to insert the next batch of products 3 type B, and so on.
• a heterogeneous queue is thus formed consisting successively of products 3 of type A and of products of type B.
• a product line may be constituted by lateral transfer from an accumulation surface 1 to the conveyor 2, or it may come from the upstream part of the device.
• a product line may in particular be fed from an upstream machine on the conveyor 2, this conveyor then receiving other products by lateral transfer from the accumulation surface.
• all the queues on the conveyor 2 at the end of the process can come integrally accumulation surfaces 1 disposed on the side of the conveyor 2 or not.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Attitude Control For Articles On Conveyors (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=58455220

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 2016
  • 2016-12-27 FR FR1663415A patent/FR3061160B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2017
  • 2017-12-22 CN CN201780077552.4A patent/CN110072787A/zh active Pending
  • 2017-12-22 CA CA3045590A patent/CA3045590A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2017-12-22 US US16/474,045 patent/US20190367199A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2017-12-22 WO PCT/FR2017/053842 patent/WO2018122526A1/fr unknown
  • 2017-12-22 EP EP17838054.9A patent/EP3562767A1/fr not_active Withdrawn

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