FR2754799A1 - Conveyor for bottles and flasks - Google Patents

Abstract

The conveyor for bottles (1) with collars (2) round their necks (3) has a blower chamber (4) for an air flow to move the articles and a supporting rail (5) which interacts with the collars. The blower chamber is made from a housing and a movable plate (8), with seals (10) for the joints between the two. The housing has side panels (11, 12) reinforced by lengthwise members (14, 15), supporting cross-members (9), and consists of a cover (13) over regularly-spaced arched supports (27). The seals between the cover and plate are formed by the lengthwise members and/or by joints (16) on the panel edges which interact with them. The lengthwise members are made e.g. from aluminium extrusions with smooth and curved outer surfaces to prevent the collection of dust.

Description

 The present invention relates to a device for conveying objects such as, in particular, bottles, flasks or the like.

 However, although more particularly intended for such applications, it may also be intended, in general, for any object having an end provided with a protuberance.

 Currently, in the field of conveying, it is known to transport the bottles by blowing an air flow over one or more parts of their surface and thus ensuring their movement in a given direction.

 According to a preferred embodiment of this process, said bottles are propelled by an air jet acting at their neck.

 The corresponding devices generally include a blowing chamber and a support rail. The blowing chamber is supplied by fans and makes it possible to compress the air introduced, the latter then being projected towards the neck of the bottles by means of slots, provided on the surface of said blowing chamber.

 The structure of said slots makes it possible to orient the projected air flow and thus ensure the transport of the bottles in the desired direction.

 The support rail cooperates with a protrusion provided at the neck of the conveyed bottles and participates in their guidance. It is generally subject to the underside of the blowing chamber, also called an apron.

 In order to improve the guidance of the bottles, the devices described above usually additionally comprise lateral guides, facing the trajectory of the body of said bottles. In most known installations, they are subject to the apron.

 In order to be effective, it should be noted that said lateral guides most often require a fine and meticulous adjustment, adapted to each profile of the bottle transported.

 Although these conveying methods constitute a solution offering numerous advantages for the transfer of bottles, the devices currently known however have drawbacks. Indeed, their blowing chamber is in one piece and is therefore not easily accessible.

 Consequently, it cannot be easily or quickly cleaned while in the fields where said devices are used, namely in particular the food industry, the requirements in terms of hygiene are increasingly high.

 The object of the present invention is to provide a device for conveying objects having a protuberance at their neck, comprising a blowing chamber, which overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks and of which said blowing chamber is easily accessible in particular in order to simplify its cleaning.

 Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for conveying objects having a protuberance at their neck, comprising a blowing chamber and lateral guides of the transported objects, which makes it possible to clean said blowing chamber without altering the adjustment of said lateral guides and generate maintenance time savings.

 Another object of the present invention is to provide a conveying device which does not have an area which can cause dirt retention.

 Another object of the present invention is to provide a conveying device whose robustness is improved.

 An advantage of the present invention is to be easily modular and to be able to integrate without difficulty into an industrial installation.

 Another advantage of the present invention is to present a simplified adjustment.

 Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear during the description which follows which is given only for information and which is not intended to limit it.

 The present invention relates to a device for conveying objects such as, in particular, bottles, flasks or the like, having a protuberance at their neck, comprising a blowing chamber, allowing the projection of an air flow capable of entraining said objects, and a support rail, cooperating with said objects at said protuberance, characterized in that said chamber consists of a body and an apron, removable relative to said body, said support rail being subject to said apron .

 The present invention will be better understood on reading the following description, accompanied by the appended figure which illustrates the transverse profile of an exemplary embodiment of a device for conveying objects in accordance with the invention.

 The present invention relates to a device for conveying objects such as, in particular, bottles, flasks or the like.

 However, although more particularly intended for such applications, it may also be intended, in general, for any object provided with an end having a protuberance.

 As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying device according to the invention makes it possible to transport objects 1 having a protuberance 2, in particular annular, at their neck 3, for example in a direction substantially orthogonal to the plane of the figure.

 For this, in known manner, said device comprises a blowing chamber 4, allowing the projection of an air flow capable of driving said objects 1, according to the desired conveying direction. It also comprises a support rail 5, cooperating with said objects 1 at their protuberance 2, said support rail 5 being oriented in said conveying direction.

 Thanks to the device according to the invention, said objects 1, directed substantially vertically, are thus transferred under said blowing chamber 4, for example. from a shaping plant to a filling plant.

 Said blowing chamber 4 has, in particular, at its lower face a channel 6 provided with slots, for example, on its side walls. Said slots not shown in the figure, are capable of allowing the projection of said air flow towards the neck 3 of the objects 1, the latter circulating in said channel.

 Said support rail 5 consists, in particular, of two upper ramps 30, made of plastic and / or stainless steel which, with the air flow oriented, make it possible to guide said objects 1 along their path.

 According to the invention, said chamber 4 consists of a body 7 and an apron 8, removable relative to said body 7. Said support rail 5 is secured to said apron 8, the latter also defining, in particular, said channel 6.

 The blowing chamber 4 is thus easily accessible, by dismantling said apron 8, and its cleaning and the removal of the products used for this purpose are simplified.

 According to the illustrated embodiment, the device according to the invention comprises support crosspieces 9, integral with said body 7 in particular provided inside the latter, said apron 8 being subject to said crosspieces 9 in a removable manner. It also includes means 10 for sealing the connection between said deck 8 and said body 7.

 Said blowing chamber 4 is provided, for example, substantially quadrangular and said body 7 consists, in particular, of two lateral sides, 12, and of a cover 13.

 Said support crosspieces 9 extend, for example, between said lateral flanks 11, 12, and are provided regularly spaced along the blowing chamber 4, in the conveying direction of the objects 1.

 Said means 10 for sealing are constituted, in particular, by two longitudinal members 14,15, provided laterally along said body 7 and integral in leaktight manner with said body 7, and by seals 16, provided along said deck 8, able to cooperate with said beams 14.15.

 The latter thus make it possible to ensure a sealed connection between said body 7 and said apron 8 and to avoid any loss of air detrimental to the quality of the blowing.

 Said beams 14, 15, oriented in the conveying direction, are secured, for example, to the lateral flanks 11, 12 of the body 7 and are provided outside of the latter. As for the seals 16, they are provided on the longitudinal edges of said deck 8.

 According to the particular embodiment illustrated, said longitudinal members 14, 15 have at least one groove 17, capable of receiving said seals 16. Said body 7 is sandwiched between said longitudinal members 14, 15 and said cross member 9, provided integral with each other.

 In order to promote the guiding of objects 1, the device according to the invention further comprises, for example, lateral guides 19, in particular consisting of at least one guide ramp 20, provided along said device, facing with respect to the body of said objects 1 and to the support rods 31 of said guide ramp 20. The transverse position of said guide ramps 20 is, for example, adjustable in the direction of the arrows marked 21 while the vertical position of said ramps 20 is , for example, adjustable according to the direction of the arrows marked 22.

 According to the illustrated embodiment, said lateral guides 19 and said apron 8 are independent and thus allow access, after dismantling of said apron 8, to the interior of the blowing chamber 4 without risking disrupting said lateral guides 19, this saving time during maintenance.

 For this, said beams 14, 15 are, for example, capable of supporting said lateral guides 19. To this end, they are provided, in particular, with housings 23 by means of which said lateral guides 19 are subject to said beams 14, 15 at the upper ends of the support rods 31.

 Thus, said beams 14, 15 allow, at the same time, to ensure the seal between the body 7 and the removable deck 8, thanks to said grooves 17, as well as to support, in particular, said lateral guides 19, independently of said removable deck 8, thanks to said housings 23. They also make the device according to the invention more modular.

 According to the illustrated embodiment, said longitudinal members 14, 15 are of substantially quadrangular section and the groove or grooves 17 are provided on their inner lateral face, that is to say those located opposite the trajectory of objects 1.

 As for the housings 23, they are located, for example, on their underside.

 Said beams 14, 15 also have, in particular, one or more secondary housings 32, capable of allowing the device to be held by the floor and / or the ceiling of the room in which it is installed. They may also be provided, optionally, with a groove 33, capable of allowing the embedding of any cheeks 36.

 Said secondary housings 32 are provided, for example, on the external lateral face of said housings 14, 15 while said grooves 33 are situated on their lower side.

 In addition, said beams 14, 15 and said cross member 9 are subject to each other, in particular, by means of a screw-nut system in which the head of the screw cooperates with at least one third housing 34, provided in said beams. 14, 15.

 Said beams 14, 15 consist, for example, of an aluminum profile having, in particular, a curved upper face so as to avoid the accumulation of dirt.

 According to the particular embodiment illustrated, said support rods 31 and said guide ramp 20 cooperate with one another by articulation in rotation to ensure the adjustment of the transverse position of said guide ramp 20 relative to said objects 1, in particular as a function of the horizontal section of these.

 More specifically, said support rods 31 are, for example, articulated in rotation about substantially vertical axes 40 and said guide ramp 20 is articulated in rotation relative to axes 41, substantially vertical, eccentric relative to said axes of rotation 40 rods 31 and subject to said rods 31.

 Thus, according to the angular offset chosen, the distal end of the guide ramp 20 is more or less distant from said objects 1 while its support rod 31 or the part of the support rod 31 lying along said axis of rotation 40 remains in the same position.

 Such a rotational movement makes it possible to simplify the adjustment of said lateral guides 19, in particular in the presence of cheeks 36.

According to the illustrated embodiment, said support rod 31 of said lateral guides 19 is, for example, in the form of a U,
One of the branches being along said axis of rotation 40 and the other making it possible to ensure the vertical positioning of said guide ramps 20, articulated in rotation around said other branch.

 However, said deck 8 is subject to said cross member 9, in particular, by means of at least one screw 24 and, advantageously, by means of two said screws 24, offset with respect to the axis of symmetry 25 of the objects I conveyed, in order to avoid. shocks at the upper neck area. Said screws 24 are provided, in particular, at the level of channel 6 in which the neck 3 of said objects 1 circulates, provided in the middle part of said apron 8.

 It should be noted that the present structure makes it possible to reinforce the robustness of the device and, in particular, to avoid the adjustment of the upper ramps 30 constituting the rail 5.

 Indeed, when passing trains of bottles, flasks or the like, at high speed, these can exert strong stresses on the lateral guides 19. In the previously known devices, these forces are directly transferred to the bulkhead while, according to the invention, said forces are taken up by the support frame 9, at its lateral ends, and therefore do not bear on said deck 8, thus preventing the upper ramps 30 from being adjusted.

 Furthermore, according to the particular embodiment illustrated, the cover 13 of said body 7 is provided, optionally, in a U shape thus defining a chute 26 between said lateral flanks 11, 12 of said body 7. The latter may in particular be able to accommodate different electric cables and / or others and be closed at its upper part.

 The advantage of such an arrangement is that it makes it possible to avoid using an independent chute, located above and / or next to the blowing chamber 4, and consequently to define an interstice where could accumulate soiling.

 Said support crosspieces 9 are constituted, for example, by the lower branch of a hoop 27, possibly in two parts, secured to said cover 13. Said hoop 27 runs, in particular, said lateral flanks 11, 12 of the body 7 and has attachment points 35 with said cover 13.

 Said attachment points 35 may also serve, optionally, as points for holding the device on the ceiling of the room in which it is installed, in particular by means of rods not shown in this figure.

 The invention thus makes it possible to reduce the external screws.

 Naturally, other implementations, within the reach of those skilled in the art, could have been envisaged without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims (10)

 1. Device for conveying objects (1), such as, in particular, bottles, flasks or the like, having a protrusion (2) at their neck (3), comprising a blowing chamber (4), allowing projection an air flow capable of driving said objects (1), and a support rail (5), cooperating with said objects (1) at said protuberance (2), characterized in that said chamber (4) consists of a body (7) and an apron (8), removable relative to said body (7), said support rail (5) being secured to said apron (8).  2. Device according to claim 1, comprising:  - support sleepers (9), integral with said body (7), said apron (8) being removably secured to said sleepers (9),  - Means (10) for sealing the connection between said deck (8) and said body (7).  3. Device according to claim 2, wherein said means (10) for sealing are constituted by two beams (14, 15), provided laterally along said body (7) and integral sealingly with said body (7 ), and by seals (16), provided along said deck (8), able to cooperate with said beams (14, 15).  4. Device according to claim 3, wherein said beams (14, 15) have at least one groove (17), adapted to receive said seals (16).  5. Device according to claim 3, wherein said body (7) is sandwiched between said beams (14, 15) and said crosspiece (9), provided integral with each other.  6. Device according to claim 3, further comprising lateral guides (19), capable of facilitating the guiding of objects (1), and in which said longitudinal members (14, 15), provided with housings (23), are able to support said lateral guides (19).  7. Device according to claim 6 wherein said side guides (19) consist of at least one guide ramp (20), provided along said device, facing the body of said objects (1) and support rods (31) of said guide ramp (20), said rods (31) and said ramp (20) cooperating with each other at least by articulation in rotation so as to ensure the adjustment of the transverse position of said ramp (20) with respect to said objects (1).  8. Device according to claim 2, wherein said apron (8) is secured to said crosspiece (9) by screwing.  9. Device according to claim 2, wherein said body (7) has two lateral flanks (li, 12) and a cover (13), said cover (13) provided in a U, defining a chute (26) between said lateral flanks (11, 12).  10. Device according to claim 9, wherein said crosspieces (9) are constituted by the lower branch of a hoop (27) secured to said cover (13).