FR2999547A1 - DEVICE FOR GROUPING AND MOVING PRODUCTS - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for grouping and moving products, said device comprising a plurality of receiving elements (4) each designed to receive a product, at least one of said receiving elements (4) being connected to a strip (2; 3) endlessly by a fixing device, said endless band (2; 3) being itself driven in displacement by a shaft (14). The device is remarkable in that said receiving elements (4) are interconnected and in that said fixing device comprises a first part fixed to the reception element of complementary shape to a second part fixed on said strip. (2; 3) endless, the two complementary shapes of parts associating by translation in a direction of association which is in a plane (P) perpendicular to the direction (Dp) of displacement of the products.

Description

The invention relates to a device for grouping products and to move them.

It relates more particularly to a device comprising elements adapted to each accommodate a single product, said elements being linked in displacement to an endless belt, said endless belt being driven in displacement by at least one drive shaft. By "endless band" will be understood any substantially flat element (of the type of belt, chain or mesh with flat links connected to one another ...) which is sufficiently flexible to follow a curved course in a closed circuit. Document FR 2 948 315 discloses such a device, which is designed in particular for moving preforms, each preform being driven while being gripped by its neck.

At the origin of the invention, a displacement device similar to that described in this document was adapted to group and move products of the bottle or flask type, resting at their bottom on a conveyor belt. In such an installation, the products are not seized by their collar. Also, the reception elements are not elements that ensure a suspension of the product, but elements of U-shaped cell type open towards the outside of the device (that is to say the outside of the device). space defined by the endless band) into which each bottle or bottle fits. It is necessary to change the reception elements when the dimensions of the products to be conveyed change - for example when going from the conveying of champagne bottles to the conveying of bottles of shampoo. To change the reception elements, the operation requires long periods of immobilization: indeed, it is often necessary to dismantle one by one the reception elements, which are each fixed to the endless band, as it is for example described in the document FR 2 948 315. The invention aims to propose a clever design of the reception elements to allow a rapid change of the latter by others when necessary.

The invention relates for this purpose to a device for grouping and moving products of the aforementioned type, said device comprising: - several reception elements designed to each receive a product, - at least one of the reception elements being connected to a band endlessly by a fixing device, the endless belt being itself driven in displacement by a shaft. The device according to the invention is remarkable in that the reception elements are connected to each other and in that the fixing device comprises a first part fixed to the reception element of complementary shape to a second part fixed on said endless band, the two parts of complementary shapes associating by translation along a plane of association, perpendicular to the direction of movement of the products. Thanks to the fact that the reception elements are interconnected, it is not necessary to disassemble them one by one to replace them by others: all do not have to be connected to the band endless to be moved- just hang one of them to the endless band for all the others to follow the movement of the endless band. Thus, by linking together the reception elements, this allows easier dismantling because only one of them needs to be linked to the endless band, instead of all as described in the state of the art. the technique. Furthermore, the trick of providing, as a fixing device, two elements of complementary shapes which are assembled by translation, allows an association of the elements without particular tools, which makes it easier to join or separate the first and second parts between them.

The fact that they can be disengaged by translation in the direction of association which is part of a plane (P) which is perpendicular to the direction of movement of the endless belt ensures a safety in the assembly: the first and second parts are unlikely to disengage during an acceleration or deceleration of the endless belt.

Thus achieved, the invention provides a solution that allows a faster, simpler change of the home elements, while ensuring the robustness of the assembly.

The invention may also comprise the following features taken separately or in combination: said reception elements may comprise a plate; - Bearing systems may be provided at each end of the plate, - each rolling device may comprise two wheels which are inclined to substantially form a V; the device may comprise a rail formed by a bulge running along the path of the reception elements, the two said wheels being placed on either side of the said bulge when the receiving element is fixed on the said strip without end; - The bulge may extend over a portion of an edge of the device which is pivotally mounted to release at least one of said bearing systems mounted at one end of said plate; - The plate may comprise at least one light adapted to allow passage to a gripping hook of a tool; the second part of the fixing device may comprise a rod oriented in the association direction, the rod comprising at its ends portions having a first shape, and the first part of the fixing device having a shape complementary to the first form of the ends of said second part. The invention also relates to a method for changing the first reception elements of a device as defined above, which is remarkable in that it comprises the following steps; - Implementation of a tool for moving the home elements in said direction of association of the two parts of the fixing device, - release of an end of said home elements, - movement of the tool according to said direction of association until disengagement of the two parts of the fixing device, - clearance of the reception elements in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said endless belt.

According to the invention, the method may also comprise a step according to which the reception elements are inclined before being disengaged in said transverse direction.

To be able to be executed, the invention is explained in a sufficiently clear and complete manner in the following description which is, in addition, accompanied by drawings in which: FIG. 1 shows the device according to the invention for profile and elevation, - Figure 2 is an enlargement of the device of Figure 1, after a first step to change the home elements, - Figure 3 shows a set of reception elements released in the upright position, - Figure 4 is an enlargement of a part of the reception elements, two of which have been voluntarily removed to better see the device that allows the attachment of the reception gear on an endless band, - Figure 5 is a view on the side of the fixing device, the two parts of the fixing device being disengaged from one another and the receiving element being disengaged while being positioned straight; FIG. 6 shows a variant of disengagement of the receiving element, the clearance being made by inclining the reception element relative to its position when it is mounted on the endless belt, and FIG. 7 shows a receiving element train which is released from the device while being inclined. In the following description, the terms "lower", "higher", "high", "low", etc. are used with reference to the drawings for greater ease of understanding. They should not be understood as limitations of the scope of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a device according to the invention, which comprises a frame 1, including a perforated top plate 11 and a lower perforated plate 12 also, the plates 11 and 12 being parallel to each other. The trays 11 and 12 each have a rectangular peripheral shape 13. The trays 11 and 12 are kept at a distance by means of 4 columns 14 whose ends are located at the corners of the plates 11 and 12, the columns 14 being sandwiched between the two plates 11 and 12. On each column 14, are mounted two toothed wheels, one above the other. Among the columns 14, two columns are driven in rotation about their axis by motors 16 - the rotation drive of the two columns 14 also causes the rotation of the two toothed wheels mounted on the columns 14.

Two endless bands 2 and 3 are mounted around the upper and lower gears 14. The endless belts 2 and 3 have, on one of their two faces, notches 20 which fit between the teeth of the toothed wheels. In this way, when the toothed wheels are rotated, the endless belts 2 and 3 advance. In accordance with the invention, the device comprises several reception elements 4 for receiving several products, each reception element 4 being able to receive a product. The elements 4 home are all interconnected by articulated links (not shown in the figures). It may, for example, be chain links, so that the chain matches the curved shape of the endless band 2 or band 3 when the element 4 is in a turn (ie say at the level of a toothed wheel). The elements 4 home each have a cell 40 own to accommodate a product. The cell 40 is a block which has a housing 42, whose section is here of substantially semi-elliptical shape as can be seen in the figures. The products are housed in the housings 42 of the cells 40.

The receiving elements 4 also each comprise a plate 41, on which the cell 40 is fixed. The plates 41 each comprise and at each end of the rolling systems.

As can be seen in particular in FIGS. 5 and 6, which show an enlargement of one end of the receiving element 4, a rolling system comprises two wheels 50 which are inclined to form a V which is open up. In other words, the "V" formed by the wheels 50 points downwards.

In this way, the wheels 50 can be positioned on either side of a bulge-shaped rail 6 which is formed protruding on the periphery of the plates 11 and 12. In other words, the upper plate 11 has a bulge 6 peripheral on its underside, and the lower plate 12 has a peripheral bulge 6 on its upper face. Thus, when the bearing systems are engaged astride the upper and lower bulges, the receiving elements are "wedged" between the upper plate 11 and the lower plate 12 of the frame 1. The wheels 50 of each system 5 allow a movement of the elements 4 host on a loop circuit defined by the bulges 6. To ensure the movement of the elements 4 home, at least one of the elements 4 home is connected to a band 2 or 3 without end. It should be noted that, in the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the device comprises two endless bands for driving two trains each composed of a plurality of reception elements 4 which are interconnected. A single train 7 has been shown to simplify the reading of the figures. It is the lower band 3 which drives the train 7 of elements 4 home.

We will now be interested in a fixing device 8 which connects the endless band 3 to the train 7 of elements 4 home.

Figure 4 shows an enlargement of the strip 3. The fastening device 8 comprises two parts of complementary shapes which combine to make the attachment. The device 8 comprises a first part 80 which is fixed to the element 4 of reception, and more precisely which is fixed on the plate 41 of the element 4 home. FIG. 4 does not show that the first part 80 is fixed on the plate 41, since the plate 41 has been voluntarily removed in order to better see the fixing device 8. The latter is also visible in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The first part 80 of the device 8 comprises two female parts 80 having a housing of shape complementary to that of a male part 81. Said male part 81 belongs to the second part 82 of the fixing device 8, the second part 82 being fixed on the endless belt 3, as can be seen in FIG. 4, 5 or 6.

The second part 82 of the fixing device 8 more exactly comprises a rod 83 which is fixed on the endless belt 3. At each end of the rod 83 are a male piece 81, on which are fixed the female parts 80 of the first part of the fastener device 8.

The shapes of the pieces 81 males and 80 females are such that the pieces 81 and 80 (respectively male and female) associate by translation in a direction which is part of a substantially vertical plane P, that is to say a plane P which is perpendicular to the direction Dp of displacement of the endless belt 3 (corresponding to the direction of movement of the products).

More exactly, the pieces 81 males and 80 females associate by translation in a direction that can be vertical or inclined relative to a vertical axis, in particular 45 ° as will be seen later. The association can also be done by rotating the male parts with respect to the female parts.

The plane P is illustrated in FIG. 2, as is the direction Dp in advance of products.

In order to allow the combination of male parts 81 and female parts 80, it is expected that the device can allow a vertical movement of the elements 4 home to hang the train 7 or unhook. To do this, and as can be seen in particular in Figures 2 and 3, the upper plate 11 has, on its periphery, an edge 9 pivotally mounted. The edge 9 has a section of the bulge 6, so that the bulge has a pivoting portion, to release the wheels 50 of the rolling system located in the upper part of the elements 4 home. It can be provided that the device comprises several pivoting edges 9, as shown in FIG. 1. Thus, if the device comprises two trains 7 as is the case in the present example (the second train has not been represented but has been described above), the two trains can be changed simultaneously because there are two places in the device for releasing the two upper parts of the two trains, to allow clearance of the male parts 81 and 80 females of the device 8 for fixing by translation vertical position of the two trains 7. To ensure a certain security in the mounting of the train or trains 7 in the device, the 9 pivoting edges are secured in their closed position, that is to say in the position in which the bulge n is not interrupted on the periphery of the upper plate 11.

To do this, holding fingers 90, movable between two positions, allow to lock the or 9 pivoting edges in the closed position. The holding fingers 90 (also called "grasshopper") are provided at each end of the pivoting edges 9. Figure 1 shows the holding fingers 90 locking the edges 9 in the closed position, when the fingers are in the lowered position. Figure 7 shows for example the fingers 90 in the raised position, releasing the pivoting edges 9, which are shown in the open position in this figure. We will now be interested in the train 7 of elements 4 host, and in particular how the elements are designed to facilitate their removal.

The reception elements 4 comprise plates 41 which, as previously seen, carry the cell 40 which houses a product and which is equipped at its upper and lower ends with a system of bearings with two wheels. The plates 41 also include lights, at least a round shaped light 43 formed substantially in the vicinity of the middle of the plate. The plate may also include other lights of different or identical shapes, such as round lights 44 or lights 45 of substantially rectangular shape (see Figure 4). The light 43 round function is to pass through a hook 55 of a tool 51 (see Figures 5 and 6). The tooling 51 has been shown in all the figures except FIG. 4. It is a transverse bar 52 on which are fixed two handles 53 making it possible to manipulate the bar 52. It is at the back of the bar 52 that there is (the) hook (s) 55. Locking elements 54 located at the ends of the bar, allow to maintain the hooks 55 when they are inserted in the slots 43.

There are two ways to remove the train 7 from elements 41 home to replace it with another one: these two ways are now described. It is proposed to replace the train 7 by another train comprising, for example, the elements 4 home with cells of different shapes and sizes, for example to adapt the device to the formation of batches of products that are shapes and of different sizes. The train 7 is mounted on the device as illustrated in FIG. 1, with the two upper and lower bearing systems nested on the upper and lower bulges 6 of the lower 12 and upper 11 trays. The first step is to set up the tooling 51 on the train, by inserting the hooks 55 in the slots 43 of the plates 41 of the elements 4 home. Once this is done, the locking elements 54 of the tool are actuated. Then, the upper part of the reception elements 4, that is to say the upper rolling systems of the reception elements 4, are released by opening the edges 9. To do this, the holding fingers 90 in position are tilted to the unlocking position, so that the edge 9 pivots to open.

The tooling is then moved vertically and horizontally, that is to say in the direction that disengages the wheels 50 from the bulge 6 and the male parts 81 from the female parts 80 of the fastener device 8. The train 7, released, can then be evacuated laterally, as shown in Figures 5 and 2 or 3. There is also another possibility: in the case where it is difficult to lift the train 7, for example because of a certain size of the device, it is possible to lift the train 7 with the tool 51, but just to clear the 81 male parts of the parts 80 females.

The bearing systems of the home elements 4 are rested around the lower bulge 6, and the train is tilted in an inclined direction, as shown in FIG. 6. The train 7 is then evacuated laterally in the tilted position, as shown. in Figure 5.

It will be understood from the foregoing description how the invention makes it possible to simply solve a train change, without having to change the home elements one by one. Thanks to the fact that they are all connected to each other, and to the ingenious fixing device, it suffices simple tooling to seize the entire train and replace it with another. The invention is however not limited exclusively to the embodiment shown in the figures, and concerns any equivalent embodiment. 25

Claims (9)

CLAIMS1 Device for grouping and moving products, said device comprising: - several elements (4) home designed to each receive a product, - at least one of said elements (4) home being connected to a strip (2; 3 endlessly by an attachment device (8), said endless band (2; 3) being itself driven in displacement by a shaft (14), characterized in that - said receiving elements (4) are connected between them and in that said fixing device (8) comprises a first part (80) fixed to the complementary form receiving element (4) to a second part (81) fixed on said strip (2; 3) endless, the two parts (80, 81) of complementary shapes associating by translation along an association direction which is in a plane (P), perpendicular to the direction (22) of movement of the products. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said elements (4) host comprises a plate (41). 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that systems (5) of bearings are provided at each end of said plate (41). 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that each device (5) bearing comprises two wheels (50) which are inclined to substantially form a V. 5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a rail formed by a bulge (6) running along the path of the elements (4) home, the two said wheels (50) being placed from and further said bulge (6) when the host member (4) is attached to said endless band (2; 3). 6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the bulge (6) extends over a portion of an edge (9) of the device which is pivotally mounted to release at least one of said systems (5) bearings mounted at one end of said plate (41). 7 Device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the plate (41) comprises at least one slot (43) adapted to allow passage to a hook (55) for gripping a tool (51). 8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said second portion (82) of the fixing device (8) comprises a rod (83) oriented in the direction of association, said rod (83) comprising its ends of the portions (81) having a first shape, and in that said first portion (80) of the fastener has a shape complementary to said first shape (81) of the ends of said second portion (82). 9. A method for changing the first reception elements of a device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises the following steps; - Establishment of a tool (51) for moving the elements (4) home in said direction (Da) of association of the two parts (80, 82) of the fixing device, - release of an end said accommodating elements (4), - moving the tooling (51) along said association direction (Da) until the two parts (80; 82) of the fastening device (8) are disengaged; receiving elements (4) in a direction transverse to the direction (Dp) of movement of said endless band (2, 3). Method according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises a step according to which the receiving elements (4) are inclined before being disengaged in said transverse direction.