FR2561634A1 - Automatic dispenser of stacked disks and particularly of container closing caps - Google Patents

Abstract

Device ensuring the automatic dispensing in particular of container closing caps. The device is constituted by a moving part 1 pivoting about a vertical axis 2 supporting the stack of caps to be dispensed on a gallery 11 in front of a vertical circular face 8 centred on the axis 2, a knife 10 penetrating during the pivoting of the part 1 above the lowest cap in order to separate it from the stack; the said cap then being received by a lower gallery 13 from which it spontaneously drops onto the container to be covered during the return of the part 1 to its rest position. The invention may be used for the automatic closing of jars, three identical devices being installed at 120 DEG from each other around the stack of caps to be dispensed.

Description

AUTOMATIC DISPENSER FOR STACKED AND PARTY DISCS
CULARLY OF CONTAINER SHUTTER CAPSULES.

 There are different mechanical means for distributing stacked discs and in particular for sealing jar capsules.

 Among those which are known, there may be mentioned those which include jaws which enclose the stacks of the capsules with the exception of the last capsule, the stack resting on fingers arranged at 1200 which are simultaneously erased, spontaneously dropping the last capsule, the whole stack being retained by the jaws which enclose it; these jaws opening to let the stack descend, when the fingers previously erased returned to the rest position to receive the stack released by said jaws.

 Such a device has the disadvantage that the spontaneous fall of the last capsule, when the fingers release it, is not always done regularly. Not only does it happen that it does not fall, but, when it does fall, it often happens that it does not fall parallel to itself, which sometimes causes it to fall out of the container which must receive it. Indeed, the capsules are often found adhering more or less to each other during storage due to the anti-corrosion varnish which covers them.

 It follows that their separation is not always carried out regularly.

 The device which is the subject of the invention makes it possible to avoid these drawbacks.

For this, the fingers which support the stack of capsules and which retract in order to drop the last capsule are provided with a separating member which, during their erasure, penetrates between the capsules stacked above the last of the latter. this so as to detach it mechanically enough to ensure its perfect separation from the stack, even if it was previously partially glued.

 Such an operation, if carried out alone, would still show drawbacks. Indeed, it can happen, in the event of intense bonding of the capsules between them, that each of the three separating fingers placed at 120 "around the pile of capsules does not cause the takeoff in a perfectly simultaneous manner. The capsule is then again detached not parallel to itself, which affects its good positioning on the container to be closed.

 It has therefore been provided that during its separation, the capsule thus detached from the stack first falls on intermediate lower fingers, which can receive the capsule in any way. But these same fingers which erase themselves in a perfectly synchronous manner in turn release the previously detached capsule which then falls spontaneously and necessarily parallel to itself on the container to be closed.

 The accompanying drawings, given by way of example only, show an embodiment of the subject of the invention.

 Figure 1 is a schematic view of the device object of the invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic plan view showing the organization of three identical devices according to the invention placed at 1200
One from the other around the pile of objects to be distributed and acting simultaneously.

 As shown, the device comprises the horizontal part 1, which follows the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and which is movable around the vertical axis 2 located at one of its angles and carried by the frame 3.

 An operating member, such as the pneumatic actuator 5 makes it possible to drive the part I in rotation about the axis 2 by means of the stud 6 secured to the piston of the actuator 5 and articulated on the plate 1 thanks to the axis 9 located at the adjacent angle of the previous angle.

 This jack can be double-acting or can be simply fitted with the return spring 7.

 The part 1, which constitutes the essential of the device which is the subject of the invention, has its face 8, opposite to that which contains the axes 2 and 9, in a circular shape whose radius is center on the main axis of rotation 2 , said face 8 being provided at its upper edge, at the angle opposite the axis 2, on the diagonal of the upper face of the parallelepiped, of the separator knife 10, the thickness of which is equal to the height of which it is necessary to raise the stack of objects to be distributed to separate from it the lowest object 15, said knife being sharpened at its upstream angle 16 in the direction of the arrow (A) and overhanging in front of the circular face 8 of a sufficient distance for said knife 10 to be able to penetrate into the stack of objects to be distributed at the level of the last object it is adorned with the adjacent object, at the same time as supporting on its upper face the other objects in the stack.

 The circular face 8 comprises, at a distance from the lower face of the knife 10 equal to the thickness of the object 15 to be separated, an overhanging gallery It supporting, at rest, the stack of objects to be distributed which is located in this position, tangent to said circular face 8; said gallery II, which develops horizontally in front of said face 8, ending in line with the knife 10 by the cutaway 12 which itself ends tangent to said circular face -8 in the axis of the knife 10.

 The circular face 8 further comprises at its base, at a distance from the upper gallery 11 always greater than the height of an object to be distributed, a second gallery 13 which develops horizontally in front of the lower circular face (8a), extension of the face 8, in line with the knife 10 and which ends in line with the gallery 11 by the cutaway 14 which itself ends tangent to the circular face (8a) at the precise point of tangency of the object to be distributed 15 with said face when the part I has returned to its rest position.

 The mobile device thus constituted, which plays the role of two-stage separator-distributor, is articulated on the frame 3 which carries it and which carries the column 4 integral with the latter and whose base is flush with the upper surface of the parallelepiped 1 tangent internally the circular axis of the face 8.

 The device being thus constituted, three identical devices are placed on the same horizontal plane set at 1200 from one another (Figure 2) so as to contain freely, but without excessive play, the stack of objects to be distributed, such as container closure capsules, inside the columns 4 which guide it.

 The stack of said capsules, which tangents the column 4 and the upper circular arc of the face 8, is thus carried by the upper gallery 11, the part I being at rest. When the latter moves horizontally around the axis 2 under the impulse of the jack 5, the separating knife 10 is brought into the stack by its angle to the smart 16 at exactly the height of the upper surface of the lower capsule, forcing it to separate from the stack, even if it was stuck to the neighboring capsule, raising the stack to the thickness of the knife 10.The lower capsule, thus separated remains supported by the gallery 11 until '' that the rotation of the piece I brought the point of tangency to said capsule with the circular face 8 to be in the axis of the knife 10, at the point where the gallery 11 ends in the cutaway 12 which is itself tangent at this point to the circular face 8.

 The three devices being simultaneously in this same position, the capsule 15, no longer supported by the gallery 11 which has thus evaded, will spontaneously fall.

 It will then be received by the lower gallery 13, located on the same vertical, in the axis of the knife 10, and on which it will be held horizontally by the three devices and always also maintained in the axis of the stack thanks to the tangency with the circular face 8 which it constantly keeps at each of the three identical devices which support it.

 During this first phase of the cylinder 5 cycle the last capsule, and only it, will be transferred from the upper gallery 11 to the lower gallery 13. In the second phase of the cylinder cycle 5, the piece 1 will be brought back to its position of rest. The capsule 15, while remaining stationary and horizontal on the lower gallery 13 will then be brought to the level where this gallery ends in the tangency of the cutaway 14 with the lower circular arc (8a) of the face 8.

 It follows that the capsule will fall spontaneously again, no longer being retained by the gallery 13. It will fall horizontally, the movement of the three devices being simultaneous. And it will still be guided in its fall by its tangency with each of the circular faces (8a). It will therefore always fall in the axis of the pile.

 It is understood that the invention is not limited to the example which has been given, any variant, considered as equivalence, which cannot modify its scope.

 The invention can be used to ensure the automatic distribution of all circular surfaces, such as discs and in particular of all capsules or caps of canned containers for example, this distribution being able to be synchronized with any device capable of automatically bringing the containers under the distributor thus constituted.

Claims (1)

CLAIMS 1 ") - Device allowing the distribution of rigid circular surfaces such as discs or caps for closing containers stored in stacks, Characterized by the fact that each of the similar elements composing it is set at 1200 at the periphery of the stack objects to be distributed, this is guided by the three vertical columns (4), to which the said stack is tangent, and carried by the three mobile parts (I) which are driven by a rotation movement sufficient to bring the knife ( 10) that each piece (1) carries, to penetrate the upper surface of the lowest object of the stack so as to detach it from the object which surmounts it, said object being thus capable of spontaneously leaving the stack when the movable part (1), which supports it permanently, returns to its original place, the rotary movement back and forth in the horizontal plane of the latter being controlled by any suitable means, such as the pneumatic cylinder (6) d have the movement in expansion is recalled by the spring (7).  20) - Device according to claim 1,  Characterized by the fact that the moving part (1) is a rectangular parallelepiped made movable around the vertical axis (2) located near one of the angles of its horizontal plane, controlled by the jack (5) by the intermediate of the stud (6) articulated on the vertical axis (9) located at the adjacent angle of the previous angle, the vertical side of the parallelepiped (1) opposite to the side containing the two angles thus defined, being curvilinear along a radius centered on the axis (2), said face (8) being provided at its upper edge, at the angle opposite to the axis (2) on the diagonal of the upper face of the parallelepiped, with the separating knife ( 10) whose thickness is equal to the height at which it is necessary to raise the stack of objects to be distributed in order to separate from it the lowest object (15), said knife being sharpened at its upstream angle (16) in the direction of the arrow (A) and overhanging in front of the circular face (8) by a sufficient distance for said knife (10) can penetrate into the stack of objects to be distributed at the level of the last, which it separates, and then support on its upper face the stack whose lowest object (15) has been separated; said circular face (8) comprising, at a distance from the lower face of the knife (10) equal to the thickness of the object (15) to be separated, a gallery (11) supporting, at rest, the stack of objects to distribute which is, in this position tangent to said circular face (8); said gallery (II), which develops horizontally in front of said face (.8), ending to the right of the knife (10) by the cutaway (12) which itself ends tangent to said circular face (8) in the axis of the knife (10).  3) - Device according to claim 2,  Characterized by the fact that the circular face (8) is provided at its base, at a distance from the first gallery (II) always greater than the height of an object to be distributed from a second gallery (13), developing horizontally in front of the circular face (8a), extension of the face (8), to the right of the knife (10) and ending - to the right of the gallery (11) by the pan cut (14) which itself ends tangent to the circular face (8a) at the precise point of tangency of the object to be dispensed (15) with said face when the part (I) has returned to its rest position.  4) - Device according to claim 3,  Characterized by the fact that the column (4) integral with the frame (3) which carries the axis (9) and the jack (5) is flush with its base the upper surface of the parallelepiped (1) and tangent internally the circular arc of the face (8).  5) - Device according to all of the preceding claims,  Characterized by the fact that, three identical devices being distributed at 1200 to one another around the stack of objects to be distributed, this is retained and guided by the columns (4), the object (15) the lower, tangent to the face (8) constituted by said circular face, resting on the gallery (it), the rotary movement of the piece (1) in the direction of the arrow (A) causing the knife (10) to penetrate into the stack at the upper surface of the object (15) to be separated, retaining it on the gallery (11) while the stack is raised by the height equal to the thickness of the knife (10); the continuation of the rotary movement of the part (1) bringing the separate object (15) at the point of tangency of the cutaway (12) and the circular face (8), thus letting the object (15) escape previously separate, which spontaneously falls on the lower gallery (13), the pile itself being retained by the knife (10) on the upper face of which it rests; the return to its rest position of the part (1) bringing the separated object (15) to the point of tangency of the cutaway (14) with the lower circular face (8a), extension of the face (8), at the level from which the separated object (15) spontaneously falls, being thus released by the three devices set at 1200 which constantly guided it and kept it in the axis of the pile, having constantly kept it tangent to the circular surfaces of the circular faces (8 ) and (8a) of each of the devices.