FR2843102A1 - HOUSING ROCKER - Google Patents

Abstract

Box rocker (10) of the type comprising a body, comprising at least one receiving means for a box, and the body being adapted to be rotated about an axis between a first position to receive a box in said at least a receiving means, a second position for emptying the box and a third position in which the empty box can be extracted from the body, characterized in that a box is adapted to be placed in engagement with a receiving means in a generally direction transverse to said axis and the box is removable from the receiving means in a direction generally parallel to said axis.

Description

The present invention relates to box rockers, and, in

  particular, but not exclusively, to caster rockers for emptying casings containing a commodity with roots such as potatoes or carrots. A commodity with roots is generally handled and stored in open boxes of variable sizes, generally adapted to contain various quantities of commodity such as one ton or even two tons. When it is desired to empty said boxes, for example on a processing line for handling the foodstuff, generally a forklift or a similar device is used to load a box on a rocking device

  which empties the food from the box on a processing line.

  When the tilting operation is complete, the forklift removes the empty box and brings it back, for example, to a box warehouse, then takes out another box intended to be emptied. This process which consists in fetching and emptying individual boxes involves interruptions in the distribution of food to the processing chain, which risks leading to a stopping of the processing chain when no more food is distributed. Traditionally, a number of forklifts are used to try to overcome these

distribution interruptions.

  GB-A-2 344 097 describes such a box rocker, mentioned below as being of the specified type, comprising a body, comprising at least one receiving means for a box, and the body being adapted to be rotated around an axis between a first position for receiving a box in said at least one receiving means, a second position for emptying the box and a third position in which the box

vacuum can be extracted from the body.

  An objective of the present invention is to propose

  a new or improved box rocker.

  According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a box rocker of the specified type characterized in that a box is adapted to be placed in engagement with a receiving means in a direction generally transverse to said axis and the box is removable from the means of reception in a generally parallel direction

said axis.

  According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a box rocker of the specified type characterized in that the box rocker is provided with means for extracting the box from the body, said means comprising means for engaging the box at the third position of the body and move the box relative to the body in a direction which is generally parallel

said axis.

  The, or each, box receiving means may include a part of the body adapted to receive a box. The body can be provided with an opening at one of its ends for the passage within it of the box and the body being supported at said one end externally

  at said opening for rotation of the body about said axis.

  The body can be supported at its other end at

by means of an axis.

  The retaining means can be provided to engage the box during rotation to and from said second position to fix the box in engagement with said

restraint.

  The retaining means can be movable between a retaining position for retaining a box in the receiving means and a release position to allow

  the release of the box from the receiving means.

  The retaining means can be movable between said

positions manually.

  Alternatively, the retaining means may be movable between said positions automatically, for example as a result of the rotation of the body towards and

from the first position.

  The retaining means may comprise a pair of axially spaced arms, each pivoting on the body to a position arranged towards the outside of the space to receive a box and the arms being mutually connected, via their ends, by a retaining element adapted to engage a top of a box when in the first position for retaining the box in the receiving means and the arms being provided with spring means for moving the retaining means from the release position to the retaining position and cam means for moving the retaining means to the release position and securing the retaining means

  breast when the body is in the first position.

  The means for engaging the box is a conveyor arranged for rotation with the body about the axis and arranged to transport the box from the body when

  the box is in the third position.

  A power strip can be provided to speed up operation by having a full box disposed on the power strip which can be transported in the tumble section as soon as a box

vacuum was extracted from the body.

  The body can be rotated counterclockwise from the second position to the

third position.

  The first position and the third position can

  be the same angular position of the body.

  An embodiment of the present invention is now described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a rocker arm.

  boxes according to the present invention.

  Figure 2 is an end view of the rocker arm

boxes in Figure 1.

  Figure 3 is an opposite end view of the box rocker of Figure 1, and Figures 4 to 10 are schematic end elevations illustrating different stages of use of the apparatus. Referring to Figures 1 and 3, a box rocker, generally indicated at 10, comprises a chassis 11 mounted on wheels 12 and provided, at its front end, with a drawbar 3 and also provided with a pair front stabilizing legs 14. Rear stabilizing legs can be provided, as indicated in 15, and the stabilizing legs can be telescopic so that they can be spaced from the ground

during towing.

  The chassis it comprises a pair of rear uprights 16 connected at their upper ends by a transverse element 17 and a pair of front uprights 18 connected by a transverse element 19. The uprights 16 and 17 are connected at their upper ends by elements 20

extending longitudinally.

  At the rear, the chassis it is provided with a bearing 20, supported on a transversely extending element 21 fixed to the two rear uprights 16, for a pivot axis 22

  of a generally cylindrical body, in the form of a drum 23.

  The drum-shaped body 23 has front and rear circular arches 24, 25 which are longitudinally connected to each other by spaced apart side members 26 which also define the sides of a receiving means for a box. The basis of the means of reception

  is defined by a conventional conveyor 27.

  A retaining means 29 for retaining a box in the receiving means is provided and comprises a pair of spaced parallel arms 30 connected so as to pivot at the body at 31 and connected to each other by a clamping bar

  for engagement with a top of the cabinet.

  The clamping bar 32 is adapted to a displacement in a retaining position in which it is in engagement with the top of a box in the first position and remains in clamping engagement with the box until it regains the third position which, in the present example, is the same position as the first position, after which the clamping bar 32 is moved into a release position in which it is not in engagement with the top of a box, a once the case has moved to the

third / first position.

  The clamping bar 32 can be moved between said retaining and release positions manually. The position of the clamping bar in the retaining position can be adjustable and, for example, it can be fixed in one desired position among four positions by any suitable means such as a system

with split pin.

  Alternatively, the clamping bar can be moved from the release position to the hold position by spring means and moved from the hold position to the release position by a cam or similar system arranged so that, when the body begins to rotate from the first position, the cam or the like allows the clamping bar to move into the retaining position and, when the body returns to the third / first position, the cam or the like raises arm against the

  elastic stress in the release position.

  At the end of the body 23 opposite the axis 22, the body is supported by engagement of rollers 33, supported on supports 34 on the chassis 11, with the

  outer hoop circumference 24.

  The arch 25 and the arch 24 each have a U-shaped cross section so that the arch 24 is retained axially on the rollers 33 while a chain is driven around the arch 24 and retained in position

  axially thereon thanks to the aforementioned U-shaped section.

  The chain 35 engages a pinion 36 driven in rotation by

an electric motor 37.

  As best shown in Figure 2, the box rocker has a guide means 40 comprising a pair of spaced side plates 41, see Figure 1, and a continuous conveyor 42, omitted in Figure 1 for purposes of clarity, which is driven around rollers 43 at its upper and lower end and which is forced to follow a partially circular path by a desired number of additional rollers 44. The rollers 43, 44 are not driven but the conveyor 42 can rotate around the end rollers under the effect of friction resulting from the product falling from the box when

  is moved from the first position to the second position.

  If desired, any other suitable guide means can be provided to guide the product falling from the

  box when it moves between these positions.

  At the outlet end of the rocker arm having the arch 24, an outlet conveyor 46 is provided, of conventional shape, and is supported on another chassis 47 comprising a pair of spaced parallel uprights 48 and a single horizontal element 49 is designed to connect one of the uprights 48 to a corresponding single upright 18. A transverse element 50 is provided to connect one to the other

  the uprights 48 at their upper ends.

  In use, with reference now to Figures 4 to 10, a box B filled with a commodity is lifted by a forklift truck F as shown in Figure 4 and is distributed in the box rocker receiving means as shown in Figure 5 so that the box B is supported on the conveyor 27. The fork lift truck F is then released and its

  fork is lowered as shown in Figure 6.

  As shown in Figure 7, the motor 37 is then actuated to rotate the body 23 clockwise and therefore rotate the box so that the commodity P begins to come out of the box as shown in the Figure 7 but is guided by the guide means 40 and by a guide wall 26 to not

  not fall on a receiving carrier 51.

  Continued rotation of the body to a second position, as shown in Figure 8, causes the side wall 26 to leave the end of the guide means 40 so that the commodity can begin to fall on the receiving conveyor 51, the food being guided by a guide element 52 disposed under the guide means

carrier 40.

  As shown in Figure 9, after a full rotation to the third position, the direction of rotation of the motor 37 is then reversed so that the body is moved counterclockwise back to the first position and, as shown in Figure 10, the rotation of the body is stopped at the third position which, in the present example, is the same as the first position. The conveyor 27 is then actuated to drive the caisson B from the interior of the receiving means on the other conveyor 46 illustrated in FIG. 1. When the caisson B is located on the other conveyor 46, a forklift can be brought into position to lift the carrier box

  in a direction away from the horizontal member 49.

  If desired, a supply strip can be provided to speed up the operation by having a full box disposed on the supply strip which will be transported in the receiving means as soon as a box

  vacuum will have been ejected from it.

  If desired, the orientation of the body within the chassis can be changed so that the roll bar supported on rollers is located, in Figure 1, at the right end of the device while the axis 22 is located at the left end of the device if you wish to eject

  the commodity from the opposite end of the carrier.

  In the present description "includes" means

  "includes or consists of" and "comprising" means "including

or consisting of ".

  The characteristics described in the description which

  precedes, or the following claims, expressed under

  their specific forms or in relation to a means to perform the described function, or a process or a method for achieving the described result, as appropriate, may, separately, or according to any combination of characteristics, be used to achieve the present

invention in various forms.

Claims (14)

  1. Box rocker (10) of the type comprising a body, comprising at least one receiving means for a box, and the body being adapted to be rotated about an axis between a first position to receive a box in said at least one receiving means, a second position for emptying the box and a third position in which the empty box can be extracted from the body, characterized in that a box (B) is adapted to be placed in engagement with a means of reception in a direction generally transverse to said axis and the box is removable from the reception means   in a direction generally parallel to said axis.   2. Box rocker of the specified type characterized in that the box rocker (10) is provided with means for extracting the box (B) from the body (23), said means comprising means for engaging the box at the third position of the body and move the box relative to the body in a direction which is generally parallel said axis.   3. Box rocker according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the, or each, box receiving means comprises a part of the body adapted to receive a box.   4. Box rocker according to any one of   previous claims characterized in that the body   is provided with an opening at one of its ends for the passage therein of the box and the body being supported at said one end outside of said opening for body rotation around said axis.   5. Box rocker according to claim 4, characterized in that the body (23) can be supported at   its other end by means of an axis (22).   6. Box rocker according to any one of   previous claims characterized in that a means of   retainer (29) is provided to engage the box during rotation to and from said second position to fix   the box in engagement with said retaining means.   7. box rocker according to claim 6, characterized in that the retaining means (29) is movable between a retaining position for retaining a box in the receiving means and a release position for   allow the release of the box from the receiving means.   8. Box rocker according to claim 7, characterized in that the retaining means (29) is movable   between said positions manually.   9. Box rocker according to claim 7, characterized in that the retaining means (29) is movable   between said positions automatically.   10. Box rocker according to claim 8, characterized in that the retaining means (29) comprises a pair of arms (30) spaced axially, each pivoting (31) on the body in a position disposed towards the outside of the space for receiving a box and the arms being mutually connected, via their ends, by a retaining element (32) adapted to engage a top of the box when in the first position for retaining the box in the receiving means and the arms being provided with spring means for moving the retaining means from the release position to the retaining position and cam means for moving the retaining means to the release position and fixing the retaining means in its breast when the body is in the first position. 11. Box rocker according to any one of   previous claims characterized in that the means   for engaging the box is a conveyor (27) arranged for rotation with the body about the axis and arranged to transport the box from the body when the box is in the third position.   12. Box rocker according to any one of   previous claims characterized in that a strip   It can be provided to speed up the operation by having a full box disposed on the supply belt which can be transported in the tumble section as soon as an empty box has been removed from the body. 13. Box rocker according to any one of   previous claims characterized in that the body   is turned counterclockwise   from second position to third position.   14. Box rocker according to any one of   previous claims characterized in that the   first position and third position are the same angular position of the body.