ES2377630A1 - Machine and method for filling boxes with baskets of pre-spilled horticultural products. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Machine and method for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged horticultural products. The machine of the invention being of the type comprising a conveyor belt (n) through which the pre-packed baskets that are to be arranged in the boxes arrive successively and a distributor (5) that unitarily takes the boxes from a suspended pile and it leads them to the station in which it is to be filled with said prepackaged baskets, centers its characteristics in that the baskets arrive inside a box already grouped in one or more rows of length equal to that of the side of the box parallel to the mentioned row, while in the case of formations with an even number of rows, these, together simultaneously inside said box, can be divided and classified simultaneously, according to two opposite directions perpendicular to the mentioned rows, in order to arrange the baskets under possible protrusions protruding horizontally from the edge of the box or even to clear the central area of the bottom in which they will receive rows of posterior baskets. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

Machine and method for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products.

The present invention relates to a machine and to a method, designed to automatically fill boxes or trays of any material (wood, plastic, cardboard) with baskets pre-packaged fruits and vegetables.

Currently, according to one of the filling methods of more widespread boxes, baskets, already meshed and aligned to what along the inclined plane of a discharge channel or tape conveyor, successively arrive one at a time directly to the inside the box in which, after completing each row, move transversely to allow row formation successive

Another method of filling provides that two pallets opposite take in pairs the rows of baskets already formed and the transport up to the box, where they are deposited by fall opening towards the bottom.

The problem observed in both modes of operation mentioned above is in the dump of some baskets when arriving at the box and the necessary presence of Someone who relocates them in a timely manner so that Do not obstruct the following baskets.

It is the objective of the present invention to solve such inconvenience through a machine and a method with which be able to obtain automatic filling of the boxes quickly and sure, that is, with a high production per hour and without obstacles currently caused by the frequent overturning of baskets

Such an invention generally provides that the baskets arrive inside a box or tray already grouped in one or more rows of length equal to the side of the box parallel to the row or to the mentioned ranks and that, in the case of formations with a even number of rows, these, together simultaneously inside said box, can be distributed and classified simultaneously, according to two opposite directions perpendicular to the mentioned rows, in order to arrange the baskets below possible projections that protrude horizontally from the edge of the box towards the interior or even just to clear the central area of the bottom allowing the arrival of subsequent rows of baskets.

These and other features of this invention are described below with the help of eleven drawing illustrations in which, for information purposes only and non-limiting, are represented:

Figure 1 showing, according to a view axonometric from above, the machine devised as a whole and from the arrival side of the prepackaged baskets;

Figure 2 showing, according to a view axonometric from above, the machine of figure 1 from the side out of full boxes;

Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 show the most significant parts and the operation of the equipped group to arrange the baskets in formations and to download those formations in the box to be filled;

Figures 9, 10 and 11 show the conformation and the operation of the group equipped to direct the discharge of each formation of baskets in the box and to classify, when it is necessary, the rows;

Figures 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 schematically show some stages of the filling method devised

From the attached drawings and in particular of figures 1 and 2 showing two views of the machine in its set, it follows that the two groups that constitute the nucleus of the machine, being directly before filling the boxes, (group 3 of figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and group 4 of the Figures 9, 10, 11), act in conjunction with an N tape conveyor of pre-packaged C baskets and a distributor 5 of known guy who takes the first box at the bottom every time of a suspended battery and leads it to the station fill.

Examining in detail said group 3 of the Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, the one destined to group the baskets that go to download simultaneously in the box to be filled, it note that the horizontal plane 11 on which they are arranged previously said formations, is adjacent and coplanar to the lane 10 located in line with the conveyor belt N (figure 1) of the Incoming prepackaged baskets.

Said lane 10 is defined on the sides by a plate 21 that, operated by a cat of its own, is hidden moving vertically, and by a plate 20 whose horizontal displacements, due to the effect of cat 200, allow, having previously lowered said plate 20, the transverse transfer of each row of baskets formed by stopping against wall 12 adjustable. To plate 20, which moving horizontally releases the lane 10 pushing transversely on plane 11 each row formed, it opposes the plate 22 which, adjustable thanks to the jack 220 own, allows to center each formation of baskets with respect to the previous box and the organs that must carry out the transfer, is that is, the thrust member 34, which travels horizontally by effect of cat 350 and vertically by effect of cat 340 as well as the fork 36 shovel that, housed under plane 11 and powered by the own 360 jack, it extends protruding horizontally from said plane to receive the formation of baskets that will be dropped later in the underlying box simply by retracting with respect to the baskets and the organ 34 of push against which they lean.

Just during the download of the formation of baskets in the box to be filled, said group 3 acts together with group 4 of figures 9, 10 and 11 comprising a couple of elements 40 that, each formed as a channel inverted that has a vertical wall of greater length with with respect to the opposite and parallel wall, they are arranged with the Longer walls facing each other. Said elements 40, when it is necessary, move horizontally and simultaneously, actuated each by a hydraulic cylinder 400 or own solidarity tire to a support structure 41, with opposite linear movements to get away or to get closer.

Following the order of the schematic drawings that from figure 12 to figure 21, these show as many stages of machine operation. It follows that baskets C carried by conveyor belt N arrive on lane 10 of arrival of the grouping station 1 forming, between the organ 20 thrust and plate 21 concealed vertically, a row of length equal to the side of the box to be filled parallel to the mentioned row. In this case, each row consists of two baskets, the first of which stops frontally against a 12 adjustable element.

Completed the first row of two baskets (Figures 12 and 13), a timer of known type, not shown in the figures and located at the end of tape N, detects the stop of the third basket and order the brief investment of the rotation of the tape N to distance the third basket from which precedes, at this time the vertical plate 21 slides below of horizontal plane 11 to allow element 20 to push transversely the first row of baskets until the rail is released 10 and allow the formation of the next row, having returned previously the thrust element 20 in a lateral sliding position and having previously left the plate 21 for the retention of the New incoming baskets.

To limit downtime and accelerate the production, the height of the plate 21 and the conformation of the thrust element 20 are such that they allow the latter exceed plate 21 when it is elevated (figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8).

As can be deduced from Figure 14, the second row of baskets is pushed by element 20 until it is lean against the preceding row and next to it continues until the contact of said first row against the adjustable plate 22 which acts in conjunction with element 20 to focus the formation of the two rows of baskets with respect to the P1 box opposite and at a lower level at the filling station.

The thrust member 34 is activated (Figure 15) to push the two rows of baskets into the tunnels 40 of group 4 and above the fork 36 shovel, which already it has come out from under plane 11 until it is below said tunnels which strokes the longest walls in Contact.

Said formation of baskets C is pushed until the stopping stopping the first baskets of the two rows against an element 43 arranged frontally and which is part of the group 4, as can be seen in figure 11.

As understood from Figure 16, the sudden retraction of the blade 36 while the baskets above it are retained by the thrust member 34 temporarily stopped at the end of the route, determines the fall of said baskets C arriving at the underlying box P1 accompanied and guided by the vertical walls of the tunnels 40.

Then, (figure 17), the drive simultaneous and opposite of cylinders 400 determines the distance reciprocal of the two tunnels 40 whose longer walls push the respective rows of baskets C up to the two opposite limits of the box, that is, under those horizontal protrusions of cardboard which, placed along the smaller sides, are exceeded by such case for the shorter sides of said tunnels.

The elements 40 then remain in the Open position reached to guide the descent of the next formation of baskets that completes the filling of the box.

At this time, the pushing element 20, operating in the manner described above and acting in conjunction with the 22 adjustable plate, proceed (figures 16, 17, 18 and 19) to grouping of the second formation of baskets constituted, in this case, for three rows of two baskets each.

To accelerate production times, said clustering starts (figure 16) when push group 34 is at the end of the round trip and this is thanks to the fact that you can perform the raised turn by the piston 340 that allows you exceed the baskets already placed behind, having left previously blade 36 bifurcated between the two longest walls of the open elements 40, (figure 20), the group 34 pushes the baskets on said shovel until the arrest against the end of tour 43 of group 4 (figure 8).

The sudden retraction of the blade 36 causes the baskets on top of it retained by the pushing body 34 descend by fall, guided by the longer walls of the two tunnels 40 (figure 21) to complete the filling of the box underlying.

At this time, to allow removing the box fill and place an empty one, the complete group 4 rises, just as in Figure 11, along the vertical guide 42 and by the jack 420.

An operating control system 6 completes the machine providing both the coordination of operations and the necessary controls of operation by means of sensors, microswitches and electrical and electronic components of type known that, although not shown graphically, they are necessarily present.

Maintaining the characteristics of the various machine groups involved in the completion of the cycle of production, the operations of such groups are organized with regarding the dimensions of the baskets and boxes that are going to fill each time, synchronizing even in a way that avoid downtime for the benefit of the productivity of the machine.

The present method for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products is characterized because it includes the following stages:

one.

verify the position of the baskets;

2.

raise the concealed plate 21 vertically that delimits lane 10 of arrival of the baskets at station 1 of grouping of the machine and place the adjustable plate 22 on the retention position of the dimension of a first formation of baskets

3.

train on arrival lane 10, powered by a conveyor belt N, a row of baskets C equal to the side of the box P to be filled parallel to the mentioned row;

Four.

briefly reverse the direction of rotation of the conveyor belt N when said row has been composed, in order to distance the last basket from the next to arrive;

5.

lower the concealed plate 21 until it slides down below grouping plane 11;

6.

actuate the pushing element 20 to push transversely the row of baskets outside lane 10 of arrival;

7.

raise the concealed plate 21 and remove the element 20 of thrust;

8.

form on row 10 of arrival a row of baskets C equal to the previous row just formed;

9.

briefly reverse the direction of rotation of the conveyor belt N when said row has been composed, in order to distance the last basket from the next to arrive;

10.

lower the concealed plate 21 until it slides down below grouping plane 11;

eleven.

actuate the pushing element 20 to push transversely the row of baskets against the previous waiting row and continue until the latter meets plate 22 adjustable;

12.

cause the blade 36 to come out forked by on top of the box P to be filled;

13.

actuate the pusher group 34 to push the formation of the baskets on the blade 36 and inward of two 40 tunnel-like elements, in close position, up to the stop against a front element 43;

14.

raise the concealed plate 21 and remove the element 20 of thrust;

fifteen.

suddenly remove the forked blade 36 from under the baskets causing the fall inside the box P underlying that will be filled;

16.

distance the rows of baskets by pushing them towards the two opposite sides of the box by means of the two elements 40 operated simultaneously and in the opposite way each by a own hydraulic or pneumatic actuator;

17.

group on the plane 11 three parallel rows of baskets repeating stages 2 to 10;

18.

raise plate 34 above the dimension of the rows of baskets using a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator and return it elevated to its initial position after baskets

19.

lower plate 34;

twenty.

cause the blade 36 to come out forked by on top of the box P to be filled;

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twenty-one.

actuate said plate 34 to advance the formation of the baskets on the blade 36 and until it meets the detention element 43;

22

suddenly remove the forked blade 36 from under the baskets causing the fall inside the box P underlying and precisely in the area defined by the two longer walls of the elements 40 that follow open;

2. 3.

raise said elements 40 to leave the interior of the full box;

24.

remove said box and place the next box empty.

Claims (39)

1. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products, of the type comprising a conveyor belt (N) or other equivalent means through which the pre-packaged baskets to be arranged in the boxes and a distributor (5) arrive successively ) of known type that takes a box each time from the bottom of a suspended battery and drives it to the station where it will be filled with said pre-packaged baskets, characterized in that the baskets reach the inside of a box or tray already grouped in one or more rows of length equal to that of the side of the box parallel to the mentioned row or rows and because, in the case of formations with an even number of rows, these, together simultaneously inside said box, can be distributed and classified simultaneously, according to two opposite directions perpendicular to the mentioned rows, in order to arrange the baskets below possible projections that protrude horizontally from the edge from the box or even to clear the central area of the bottom where rows of subsequent baskets will be received. 2. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products, according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a group (3) equipped to arrange the baskets in formations and to discharge said formations in the box to be filled. 3. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a group (4) equipped to guide the discharge of each formation of baskets in the box and to classify, when necessary, the rows 4. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products, according to claim 2, characterized in that said group (3) comprises a lane (10) of arrival of the baskets from the conveyor belt (N) and formation of each row of baskets, said lane having a length equal to at least that of the side of the box parallel to the lane itself. 5. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products according to claim 4, characterized in that said arrival rail (10) is delimited frontally by a stopping element (12) of the baskets stopping. 6. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products according to claim 5, characterized in that said stop element (12) is adjustable. 7. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products according to claim 4, characterized in that said arrival rail (10) is laterally delimited by a pushing element (20) and by a vertically concealed plate (21), both are operated by hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders. 8. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products according to claim 7, characterized in that, to limit downtime and accelerate production, the height dimension of the plate (21) and the conformation of the element (20 ) of thrust are such that they allow the latter to exceed the plate (21) when it is raised. 9. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products according to claims 4 and 7, characterized in that said vertically concealed plate (21) separates said rail (10) from a grouping plane (11) in which the baskets They are arranged in formations. 10. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products according to claim 9, characterized in that said grouping plane (11) is delimited, by the opposite part of the plate (21), by an adjustable plate (22) which, actuated by its own hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, acts in conjunction with the pushing element (20) to center the formation of baskets with respect to the box to be filled. 11. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products, according to claims 9 and 10, characterized in that under said clustering plane (11) a bifurcated blade (36) is housed which, when necessary, extends protruding horizontally from such a plane (11) disposing above the box to be filled located at a lower level in the filling station. 12. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products according to claim 11, characterized in that a thrust member (34) that is part of the group (3) moves horizontally, driven by a hydraulic cylinder (350) or pneumatic, to push a formation of baskets up to the fork (36) bifurcated and moves vertically, driven by a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder (340), to exceed the baskets already placed behind. 13. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products according to claim 3, characterized in that said group (4) comprises a pair (40) of elements having at least one vertical wall arranged in a position such that said walls They are parallel to each other.

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14. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products according to claim 13, characterized in that said walls move away or come into contact respectively when said elements (40) move horizontally and simultaneously with opposite linear movements to move away or to approaching, each operating by a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder (400) of its own. 15. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products, according to claims 11 to 14, characterized in that when the fork (36) forked extends extending horizontally from the plane (11), it is arranged under par (40) of elements, precisely, and if they are in contact, thread the vertical walls while, if they are in an open position, it is arranged between said vertical walls. 16. Machine for filling boxes with baskets of pre-packaged fruit and vegetable products, according to claims 13 and 14, characterized in that the elements (40), both when in contact and when in an open position, are closed frontally, on the part opposite to the entry of the baskets, by a stop element (43) stopping the baskets themselves. 17. Method for filling boxes with baskets of prepackaged fruit and vegetable products, characterized in that it comprises the following stages:

one.

raise the vertically concealed plate (21) that delimit the lane (10) of arrival of the baskets and place the plate (22) adjustable in the retention position of the dimension of a first formation of baskets;

2.

form on the arrival lane (10), fed by a conveyor belt (N), a row of baskets (C) equal to side of the box (P) to be filled parallel to the row mentioned;

3.

briefly reverse the direction of rotation of the conveyor belt (N) when said row has been composed, with the in order to distance the last basket from the next one in arrive;

Four.

lower the concealed plate (21) until it slides below the grouping plane (11);

5.

actuate the pushing element (20) to push transversely the row of baskets outside the lane (10) of arrival;

6.

raise the concealed plate (21) and remove the element (20) thrust;

7.

form on the arrival lane (10) a row of baskets (C) equal to the previous row just formed;

8.

briefly reverse the direction of rotation of the conveyor belt (N) when said row has been composed, with the in order to distance the last basket from the next one in arrive;

9.

lower the concealed plate (21) until it slides below the grouping plane (11);

10.

actuate the pushing element (20) to push transversely the row of baskets against the previous waiting row and continue until the latter meets the plate (22) adjustable;

eleven.

cause the blade (36) to branch out on top of the box (P) to be filled;

12.

actuate the pusher group (34) to push the formation of the baskets on the shovel (36) and towards the inside of two elements (40) as a tunnel in contact until the stop against a front element (43);

13.

raise the concealed plate (21) and remove the element (20) thrust;

14.

remove the fork (36) forked from under the baskets causing the fall inside the underlying box (P) that it's going to fill up;

fifteen.

distance the rows of baskets by pushing them towards the two opposite sides of the box using the vertical walls of the two elements (40) actuated simultaneously and in a manner each one opposed by a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator own;

16.

group on the plane (11) three parallel rows of baskets repeating steps (2) to (10);

17.

raise the plate (34) above the dimension of the rows of baskets by means of a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator and return it elevated to its initial position on the baskets

18.

lower the plate (34);

19.

cause the blade (36) to branch out on top of the box (P) to be filled;

twenty.

actuate said plate (34) to advance the formation of the baskets on the shovel (36) and even meet the detention element (43);

twenty-one.

suddenly remove the fork (36) forked from under the baskets causing the fall inside the box (P) underlying and precisely in the area defined by the two longer walls of the elements (40) that follow open;

22

raise said elements (40) to exit the full box dimension;

2. 3.

remove said box and place the next box empty.