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
• • 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
  • B65B23/00—Packaging fragile or shock-sensitive articles other than bottles; Unpacking eggs
  • B65B23/10—Packaging biscuits
  • B65B23/12—Arranging, feeding or orientating the biscuits to be packaged
  • B65B23/14—Forming groups of biscuits
• • 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
  • B65B35/06—Separating single articles from loose masses of articles
  • B65B35/08—Separating single articles from loose masses of articles using pocketed 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
  • B65B59/00—Arrangements to enable machines to handle articles of different sizes, to produce packages of different sizes, to vary the contents of packages, to handle different types of packaging material, or to give access for cleaning or maintenance purposes
  • B65B59/001—Arrangements to enable adjustments related to the product to be packaged
• • 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
  • B65B59/00—Arrangements to enable machines to handle articles of different sizes, to produce packages of different sizes, to vary the contents of packages, to handle different types of packaging material, or to give access for cleaning or maintenance purposes
  • B65B59/005—Adjustable conveying means

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an apparatus for grouping products and/or separating discrete batches, for packaging.
• the invention can be applied in the food industry, for grouping and/or separating discrete batches of snacks and biscuits. However, the invention can also be employed in other industrial sectors where it is necessary to separate a plurality of individual products into a single package or to group discrete batches of products.
• the products are arranged in the configuration of a layer before retrieving the layer and inserting it into a package, for example by way of a pick-and-place system,
• an ordered batch of products is created in order to then push it, or load it, into a package, for example by way of a pusher.
• the products arriving from the production line are brought by feeder conveyor belts, so as to be arranged in single file, and subsequently they reach a system of pockets, conveniently contoured, each one of which is adapted to contain a single product.
• Such pockets are mounted on the belt of a portioning device which is arranged at 90° with respect to the belt that brings the products in single file.
• the portioning device as soon as it receives a product in one of its pockets, advances by one position, or step, so as to present a new, empty pocket at the conveyor belt.
• this portioning device which is commonly known as a "race track”
• the products, which on the conveyor belt were in single file are located arranged side by side, at a fixed distance which is determined by the distance between the walls of the pockets.
• Such fixed distance determines an ideal configuration so that, for example, a pick-and-place system can take the batch in order to insert it into a tray, or a pusher can push the necessary number of products out of the portioning device to make up the batch to be packaged.
• the latter can be split.
• the portioning device is flanked by another, at a distance such that it is possible to send a first batch to the pockets of a first portioning device, and a second batch to a second portioning device.
• the pockets are contoured and mounted so as to be presented before the conveyor belt as if they were part of a single portioning device, although in reality they belong to two different portioning devices, driven by independent motors.
• the second portioning device seamlessly continues the operation at the loading point, presenting the respective empty pockets one after the other, ready to be occupied by products arriving from the conveyor belt, in order to form a second batch.
• the first portioning device transfers the first batch to the pickup point of the pick-and-place system.
• the first portioning device stops momentarily and the first batch halts, at such pickup point, for a sufficient time for the operation carried out by the pick-and-place system.
• the first portioning device brings its set of empty pockets to the point for conveying, queuing up with the second portioning device, within a period of time that prevents packaging discontinuities.
• the portioning device is driven by electronic motors which are actuated by product-presence photocells on the arriving belts.
• the operation and the adjustment of the system of portioning devices is managed by a controller via software.
• the pockets moved by the portioning devices are expensive and numerous, because each single pocket is adapted to contain a single product and they have specific contours made especially for each individual type of product.
• the number of pockets and the associated contours also have the function of compacting the products in order to form the batch to be packaged.
• the aim of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for grouping products and/or separating discrete batches, for packaging, which is capable of improving the known art in one or more of the above mentioned aspects.
• an object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for grouping products and/or separating discrete batches, for packaging, that eliminates the need to use two portioning devices for the operations to package the products.
• Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for grouping products and/or separating discrete batches, for packaging, that eliminates the need to have individual pockets for the formation of batches of products and which reduces the overall number of pockets, for the same number of portioned products.
• a further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for grouping products and/or separating discrete batches, for packaging, that can be easily adapted to different types of product.
• Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for grouping products and/or separating discrete batches, for packaging, that is highly reliable, easy to implement and of low cost.
• an apparatus for grouping products and separating discrete batches, for packaging which comprises a portioning device which has:
• said apparatus being characterized in that said portioning device comprises at least one curved section which is curved substantially outward from said transverse profile of said belt, between two of said rollers.
• FIG. 1 is an overall view of an apparatus for grouping products and/or separating discrete batches, for packaging, according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus in Figure 1 in a first operating application
• FIG. 3 is a side view of an apparatus for grouping products and/or separating discrete batches, for packaging, according to the invention, in a second operating application,
• FIG. 4 is a side view of the apparatus in Figure 1 in a third operating application.
• an apparatus for grouping products and/or separating discrete batches, for packaging, according to the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 1.
• the apparatus 1 comprises a portioning device 10.
• the portioning device 10 is arranged, in operation, downstream of a conveyor belt 11 for products 12.
• the conveyor belt 11 brings the products 12 to the portioning device
• the portioning device 10 has: - a belt 13 which can slide between a plurality of movement and transmission rollers 14,
• partitions 15 are all identical.
• rollers 14 defines the transverse profile of the belt 13.
• transverse profile in the present description, means the projection of the belt 13 onto a plane perpendicular to the rollers 14.
• the belt 13 comprises at least one curved section 16 which is curved substantially outward from the transverse profile of the belt 13, between two of these rollers 14.
• This curved section 16 is directed downward.
• the separator partitions 15 extend outward from the transverse profile of the belt 13.
• the portioning device 10 comprises a shape 17, inside of the transverse profile of the belt 13, at the curved section 16, which is adapted to determine its curvature.
• the shape 17 extends between the two rollers 14 that are arranged at the ends of the curved section 16.
• the shape 17 has a profile shaped like a circular arc.
• the portioning device 10 comprises, outside of the transverse profile of the belt 13 and at the curved section 16, a chute 18.
• the chute 18 has the same curvature as the shape 17 and as the section 16, is arranged at a distance from the belt 13 which is comparable to the height of the partitions 15, and has a width that is comparable to the width of the belt 13.
• the chute 18 has an upper end 19, which is arranged proximate to and below the conveyor belt 11, in a first embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, and a lower end 20, which is arranged at a portion 21 that can be opened by horizontal sliding.
• the openable portion 21 is for example a horizontal plane and/or shutter.
• the openable portion 21 is arranged proximate to the conveyor belt 11.
• the portioning device 10 has a belt 13 which comprises a substantially horizontal section 22, above the curved section 16.
• the conveyor belt 11 can be arranged as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4, in order to provide batches of products 12 in the portioning device 10 with the individual products 12 arranged vertically, or it can present a different configuration, as shown schematically in Figure 3, in order to provide batches of products 12 in the portioning device 10 with the individual products 12 arranged horizontally, one above the other; in such case it will have a sliding direction arranged substantially at 90° with respect to the transverse profile of the portioning device 10.
• a belt 23 for conveying packages 24 there is, for example, a belt 23 for conveying packages 24.
• At least one of the rollers 14 is a driving roller and can be actuated both in one direction of rotation and in the opposite direction.
• the apparatus 1 comprises a portioning device 10 and a swiveling conveyor belt 11 .
• the term “swiveling” in the present description means that the conveyor belt 11 is capable of lifting and/or lowering its end that is proximate to the portioning device 10, as indicated by the arrow 30 in the figures.
• the swiveling of the conveyor belt 11 is achieved by way of lifting means that are conventional, which are synchronized with the movement of the portioning device 10 and controlled by software for controlling the entire apparatus 1.
• the products 12 are conveyed by the conveyor belt 11 toward the portioning device 10.
• the products 12, on entering the chute 18, are compacted, arranging themselves beside each other by virtue of gravity, and by virtue of the presence of the partitions 15 batches are formed with a predetermined number of products 12 arranged vertically.
• the openable portion 21 Once a batch fully occupies the openable portion 21, the latter is opened, allowing the batch to fall into an underlying package 24, which is brought into position by the belt 23 for conveying packages.
• time to unload the batch is greater than the time for conveying the portioning device 10, it is possible to allow the unloading of the batch while continuing to feed the portioning device 10, in the following manner.
• the belt 11 is directed vertically, and is lifted one step upward in order to feed the portioning device 10.
• the belt 11 is lowered by one step in order to continue feeding the new space 25 of the portioning device 10, returning to the starting configuration, with the belt 13 advancing once again, one step at a time.
• the apparatus 1 makes it possible to carry out packaging at speeds comparable to those of the apparatuses now on the market, but using a single portioning device.
• the products 12 are conveyed by the conveyor belt 11 toward the portioning device 10, into a space beside the openable portion 21, the space on the right in Figure 3.
• the sliding direction of the conveyor belt 11 is substantially at 90° with respect to the transverse profile of the belt 13, and is proximate to the openable portion 21.
• the swiveling of the conveyor belt 11 is carried out in order to stack the products, one over the other, within a single space 25.
• the conveyor belt 11 is lifted one step, if necessary, for each product in the stack, starting from the starting level.
• the belt 13 advances by one step in the direction of the arrow 32, and the belt 11 is lowered by a number of steps equal to the number performed in order to build the previous stack in the space 25, from the lower level.
• the batch exiting from the openable portion 21 falls, for example, into an underlying package 24, which is brought into position by the belt 23 for conveying packages.
• the batches made up which exit from the openable portion 21, can be packaged according to any conventional method.
• the apparatus according to the invention can be used for grouping products and separating discrete batches of different types of product, from snacks and biscuits to body care and perfumery products.
• the apparatus 1, according to the invention, is managed and controlled by software.
• the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects by providing an apparatus for grouping products and/or separating discrete batches, for packaging, that eliminates the need to have two portioning devices for the operations to package the products.
• an apparatus for grouping products and/or separating discrete batches, for packaging has been devised that eliminates the need to have individual pockets for the formation of batches of products and which reduces the overall number of pockets, for the same number of products conveyed.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Control And Other Processes For Unpacking Of Materials (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=66589685

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Family Cites Families (14)

• 2019
  • 2019-02-12 IT IT102019000001979A patent/IT201900001979A1/it unknown
• 2020
  • 2020-01-16 WO PCT/EP2020/050978 patent/WO2020164844A1/en unknown
  • 2020-01-16 US US17/428,729 patent/US20220097885A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2020-01-16 EP EP20700509.1A patent/EP3924262A1/de not_active Withdrawn

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