GB1152752A - Egg Batching Machine - Google Patents

Abstract

1,152,752. Batching and packing eggs; endless conveyers. BEN NEVIS EGG EQUIPMENT Ltd. 16 Aug., 1966 [18 Aug., 1965], No. 35490/65. Headings B8A, B8C and B8H. Eggs, carried on an endless conveyer 1, Fig. 1, from a grader are individually gripped by arms 10 on an endless moving belt 2 and are transferred to a carrier 28 whereupon each egg is released into one of six positions on the carrier. When all six positions are filled by successive eggs, vacuum cups 40 grip and lower the eggs into one row of a carton 72. The arms 10, connected by a tension spring, close over the ends of the egg at position 10<SP>11</SP>, the arms previously being parted at position 10<SP>1</SP> by downwards movement of pins (19), Fig. 3 (not shown), against cams (25) on the arms, downward movement being effected by a striker (18) engaging on a ramp. When the egg is over channel 29<SP>1</SP> of the carrier 28 striker (18) engages on a fixed ramp (46a), Fig. 2, to part arms 10 and deposit the egg in the channel. This first egg, when on the conveyer 1, engages a flap (150), Fig. 6, to charge a memory unit (104), Fig. 4 (not shown), which, after a delay triggers the extreme left of five solenoids 42 (as shown in Fig. 1) to lower a ramp (46), Fig. 3, over the channel to the right of channel 29<SP>1</SP>, and thus to open the arms of successive members 10, some of which may not carry an egg, to deposit the next egg in the second channel. The remaining channels are successively filled in like manner and the final egg of the batch causes a clutch (110) to be engaged, thereby pivoting the egg carrier downwards and to the left in alignment with a series of cam-operated pushers (50), Fig. 3. At the same time a vacuum manifold (55), Fig. 3, is raised vertically and then turned horizontally so that cups 40 on the manifold align with the eggs on the carrier. The pushers (50) urge the eggs towards the cups 40 on the manifold which then withdraws the eggs horizontally and lowers them vertically into a row of cells in the carton 72. Vacuum to the cups is released, the pushers (50) are withdrawn and the carrier member is returned to its upper position ready for the next batch. An indexing conveyer moves the carton to present the next empty row of cells whilst the next batch of eggs is being carried by the vacuum cups. The extreme left of the ramps 46 may be permanently lowered if there are only five eggs per row in the carton. Drive for the whole apparatus is taken from an electric motor (75), Fig. 4.