GB2043013A - An article accumulator in the form of a sinuous conveyor line - Google Patents
An article accumulator in the form of a sinuous conveyor line Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2043013A GB2043013A GB7908800A GB7908800A GB2043013A GB 2043013 A GB2043013 A GB 2043013A GB 7908800 A GB7908800 A GB 7908800A GB 7908800 A GB7908800 A GB 7908800A GB 2043013 A GB2043013 A GB 2043013A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- conveyor line
- accumulator
- sinuous
- articles
- limbs
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/34—Devices for discharging articles or materials from conveyor
- B65G47/46—Devices for discharging articles or materials from conveyor and distributing, e.g. automatically, to desired points
- B65G47/51—Devices for discharging articles or materials from conveyor and distributing, e.g. automatically, to desired points according to unprogrammed signals, e.g. influenced by supply situation at destination
- B65G47/5104—Devices for discharging articles or materials from conveyor and distributing, e.g. automatically, to desired points according to unprogrammed signals, e.g. influenced by supply situation at destination for articles
- B65G47/5109—Devices for discharging articles or materials from conveyor and distributing, e.g. automatically, to desired points according to unprogrammed signals, e.g. influenced by supply situation at destination for articles first In - First Out systems: FIFO
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
- B65G2201/02—Articles
- B65G2201/0235—Containers
- B65G2201/0244—Bottles
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Attitude Control For Articles On Conveyors (AREA)
Abstract
An accumulator for a conveyor arrangement is formed by a sinuous conveyor line 4, 5 arranged to accommodate a single row of articles and extending between an inlet gate 27 for diverting articles from a main conveyor line 2 and an outlet gate 28 for diverting articles back on to the main conveyor line. Preferably the sinuous conveyor line comprises a series of substantially straight limbs 3 arranged side by side with alternate limbs driven in opposite directions and guide members for transferring an article reaching an end of a limb to the start of an adjacent limb in the direction of movement of an article. <IMAGE>
Description
SPECIFICATION
Conveyor Arrangement
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an accumulator for a conveyor arrangement and has an important application to a conveyor arrangement for transporting articles in a single line between a series of stations at which operations are performed on the articles.
In such conveyor arrangements a line of articles of identical or similar size, for example, bottles, tins, cans or cartons are transported between stations at which the articles are washed or sterilised, filled with a product, seaied or closed, labelled and examined before being taken to a further station where groups of the finished articles are packaged or crated. One of the disadvantages of such conveyor arrangements is that an accident or malfunction occurring at one of the stations, for example, breakage or damage of an article, spillage or foaming of the contents of an article, or the jamming of one or more articles, often requires the conveyor to be temporarily halted, not only at the station at or near to which the accident happened but also at all the previous and subsequent stations in the line.It has been found that the cumulative effect of these stoppages of the whole conveyor line over a given period represents a considerable loss of production.
BACKGROUND ART
To overcome this disadvantage it has been proposed-to provide a so-called "accumulator" or buffer table onto which the articles may be diverted when such an accident happens. An accumulator of this kind consists of a flat holding area alongside the conveyor surrounded by a barrier, with a device at an inlet end for guiding articles from the conveyor into the holding area and a device at the other outlet end for guiding the articles back on to the conveyor. One such device which has been proposed for use at the outlet end takes the form of a guide rail arranged at an angle of some six to eight degrees to the conveyor line and this results in a relatively large "dead space" in the holding area which cannot be occupied by articles, so that from 10% to 30% of the holding area may be wasted.
Another disadvantage of such accumulators is that when a large number of articles have accumulated in the available space of the holding area, so that it is almost filled, they may become jammed and the delay in clearing the jam may far exceed the delay which would have otherwise been caused by the original accident. Apart from the delay, it is further disadvantage that manpower needs to be continuously available to clear any jam that may occur.Moreover, with the known form of accumulator there is no guarantee that the first articles to be diverted into the holding area will be the first article to be guided back onto the conveyorline and this may be disadvantageous if the contents of the article are adversely affected
by a relatively long delay, for example, tins of paint
which may form a "skin" on the upper surface if the lid is not put on the tin within a predetermined time.
An object of this invention is to provide an
accumulator for a conveyor arrangement which
reduces or eliminates at least one of the above
mentioned disadvantages.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention an accumulator for a conveyor arrangement comprises a sinuous conveyor line arranged to accommodate a single row of articles and extending between an inlet gate for diverting articles from a main conveyor line and an outlet gate for diverting articles back on to the main conveyor line.
Preferably the sinuous conveyor line comprises a series of substantially straight limbs arranged side by side, with alternate limbs arranged to be driven in opposite directions, and means for transferring an article reaching an end of a limb to the start of an adjacent limb in the direction of movement of an article.
With an accumulator in accordance with the invention "dead space" is substantially eliminated, and moreover the first article to be diverted from the main conveyor line will be the first article to be returned to it.
The means for transferring an article from one limb to an adjacent limb of the sinuous conveyor line may comprise arcuate guide members located at the ends of the limbs.
The sinuous conveyor line may advantageously comprise a first portion and a second portion arranged end to end, with a further limb connecting the first portion to the second portion.
Separating the sinuous conveyor line into two portions in this way reduces the pressure which would otherwise be put on the end portions of the limbs of the sinuous conveyor line when those limbs are replete with articles.
Barriers may be provided between adjacent limbs of the sinuous conveyor line to confine the articles to the limbs on which they are travelling.
Such a barrier may comprise a relatively thin member extending parallel to the longitudinal edges of two adjacent limbs of the sinuous conveyor line. The barriers may be suspended from frameworks extending above the sinuous conveyor line.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an accumulator in accordance with the invention;
Figure 2 is plan view of the accumulator shown in Figure 1 in association with a main conveyor line; and
Figures 3 and 4 are plan views of a particular form of the inlet and outlet gates shown in Figure 2, but drawn to a larger scale than that Figure.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE
INVENTION
Referring in the first instance to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the accumulator comprises a sinuous conveyor line 1 arranged alongside a main conveyor line 2 at one side thereof, and having a series of straight limbs 3 of a first portion 4 of the sinuous conveyor line 1 arranged side by side and extending substantially parallel to the main conveyor line 2. A second portion 5 of the sinuous conveyor line 1 also has a series of straight limbs 6 arranged side by side and extending substantially parallel to the main conveyor line 2.
The limb 3 of the first portion 4 which is most distant from the main conveyor line 2 is connected to the iimb 6 of the second portion 5 which is most distant from the main conveyor line 2 by a further straight limb 7 which extends the whole length of the two portions 4 and 5. Each of the limbs 3 and 6 and the further limb 7 comprises a slat-band conveyor having a multiplicity of slats 8 hingedly connected together in an endless band as can be appreciated from Figure 1 in which the uppermost part of the endless slat-bands can be seen.
The limb 3 adjacent the main conveyor line 2 and alternate limbs 3 in a direction away from the main conveyor line 2 as well as the further limb 7 are arranged to be driven in the direction indicated by the arrows 9 and 10 by an electric motor 11.
The remaining limbs 3 are arranged to be driven in the direction indicated by the arrows 12 by an electric motor 1 3. The limbs 6 of the second portion 5 are arranged to be driven in a similar fashion in the direction indicated by the arrows 14 and 1 5 by the electric motors 1 6 and 17. The main conveyor line 2 is arranged to be driven in the direction indicated by the arrows 1 8 by an electric motor (not shown).
At each end of the limbs 3 of the first portion 4 are provided arcuate guide members 19 arranged to transfer articles 20, for example tins as shown in Figure 1, being conveyed by one limb 3 to the adjacent limb 3 which is moving in the opposite direction. Similarly, arcuate guide members 21 at opposite ends of the limbs 6 of the second portion 5 are arranged to transfer an article 20 being conveyed by one limb 6 to an adjacent limb 6 which is moving in the opposite direction. Further arcuate guide members 22 at opposite ends of the limb 7 are arranged to transfer an article 20 from the outermost limb 3 to the limb 7 and transfer an article from the limb 7 to the outermost limb 6.
Barriers 23 suspended from a plurality of frameworks 24 extending transversely across the sinuous conveyor line 2 are arranged to confine the articles to the particular limb 3 or 6 on which they are travelling and prevent them moving laterally on to an adjacent limb. Each barrier 23 comprises a relatively thin member extending parallel to the longitudinal edges 25 of the two adjacent limbs and suspended above those longitudinal edges 25. The barriers 23 may be formed from resilient material to prevent damage to the articles.
An inlet gate 27, at the upstream end of the main conveyor line 2, is arranged so that it can be moved between a position in which it allows the article 20 to pass along the main conveyor line 2 and a position (shown in dotted line) in which the articles 20 are diverted on to the first portion 4 of the sinuous conveyor line 1. An outlet gate 28, at the downstream end of the main conveyor line 2, is arranged so that it can be moved between a position in which it allows articles 20 to pass along the main conveyor line 2 and a position (shown in dotted line) in which articles 20 on the second portion 5 of the sinuous conveyor line 1 are diverted back onto the main conveyor line 2.
The inlet gate 27 and the outlet gate 28 are pivotally mounted and depend from a suitable framework (not shown) extending above and across the main conveyor line 2.
Thus by controlling the positions of the gates 27 and 28 the sinuous conveyor line 1 can be brought into use when required. When production line is operating normally, the inlet gate 27 and the outlet gate 28 are in the positions shown in full line and the articles 20 travel along the main conveyor line 2. When an accident occurs at a position downstream of the outlet gate 28, the inlet gate 27 is moved to the position shown in dotted line so that the articles are diverted on to the sinuous conveyor line 1. The outlet gate 28 is maintained in the position shown in full line so that the articles 20 are prevented from returning to the main conveyor line 2.The time taken for the articles 20 to detour up and down the limbs 3, 6 and 7 of the sinuous conveyor line 1 provides a period during which the accident can be dealt with, without stopping the main conveyor line 2 upstream of the accident. The outlet gate 28 is then moved to the position shown in dotted line to allow the articles 20 to return to the main conveyor line 2.
Although the inlet gate 27 and the outlet gate 28 may be controlled manually, it is preferable that they are controlled automatically in response to sensing devices downstream of the outlet gate 28. Further sensing devices (not shown) may be arranged to reset the gates to positions shown in full line when sinuous conveyor line 1 has been cleared of articles, for example, by speeding up the main conveyor line 2 downstream of the outlet gate 28.
While the conveyor arrangement so far described utilizes one sinuous conveyor line 1, it is possible to employ a second sinuous conveyor line 31 on the other side of the main conveyor line 2.
As before the sinuous conveyor line 31 may be constructed in two portions 34 and 35 formed respectively by a series of straight limbs 33 and 36. The two portions 34 and 35 are connected by a further straight limb 37 and the limbs 33, 36 and 37 are driven by electric motors 41, 43, 46, 47.
The second sinuous conveyor may be arranged to operate in the manner previously described, further inlet and outlet gates (not shown) being provided for this purpose. The combined arrangement of sinuous conveyor lines 1 and 31 may also be provided with an inlet gate 57 as shown in Figure 3 and an outlet gate 58 as shown in Figure 4. The inlet gate 57 is generaily triangular in shape and is mounted on a shaft 59 pivotally supported on a framework (not shown) extending above the main conveyor line 2, so that pointed end 60 of the triangle away from the shaft 59 is directed upstream of the main conveyor line 2. The edges 61 and 62 of the inlet gate 57 are provided with a wear-resistant strip.The inlet gate 57 is arranged to pivot between a position in which the edge 61 diverts articles 20 travelling along the main conveyor line 2 on to the sinuous conveyor line 1 and a position in which the edge 62 diverts the articles on to the sinuous conveyor line 31.
The outlet gate 58 is also generally triangular in shape and is mounted on a shaft 64 pivotally supported on a framework (not shown) extending above the main conveyor line 2, so that its pointed end 65 is directed upstream of the main conveyor line 2. An arcuate wall 66, of wear resistant material, is secured to the end 67 of the triangle.
The outlet gate is arranged to pivot between a position in which the arcuate wall 66 diverts articles travelling on the sinuous conveyor line 1 back on to the main conveyor line 2 and a position in which the arcuate wall 66 diverts articles travelling on the sinuous conveyor line 31 back on to the main conveyor line 2.
Thus by controlling the outlet gates 57 and 58 either the sinuous conveyor line 1 or the sinuous conveyor line 31 can be brought into use. The gates 57 and 58 may be controlled manually or automatically in response to suitable sensing
devices.
When two sinuous conveyor lines 1 and 31 are
present on either side of the main conveyor line 2 they can be utilized alternately, or can be utilized separately, one sinuous conveyor being used for
one type of product and the other sinuous
conveyor being used for another type of product.
in this latter case the products in transit on the two sinuous conveyor lines 1 and 31 can be held,
stored or released as required by operating the
inlet and outlet gates in the appropriate manner.
The use of a sinuous conveyor line 1 or 31 in
accordance with the invention is also
advantageous in that the articles present on the
sinuous conveyor line are maintained in the
attitudes in which they leave the main conveyor
line 2 and are fed back on to the main conveyor
line in the same attitude. This is particularly
important when the operation to be performed on
an article is the attachment of an adhesive label
and the labels need to be attached to the articles
in uniform positions. The sinuous conveyor lines 1
and 31 also avoid jostling of the articles which
could cause damage to the finish of the articles or
to labels attached thereto.
Claims (14)
1. An accumulator for a conveyor arrangement
characterized by a sinuous conveyor line (1) arranged to accommodate a single row of articles (20) and extending between an inlet gate (27) for diverting articles from a main conveyor line and an outlet gate (28) for diverting articles back on to the main conveyor line.
2. An accumulator as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that the sinuous conveyor line (1) comprises a series of substantially straight limbs (3 or 6) arranged side by side, with alternate limbs arranged to be driven in opposite directions, and means (19, 21) for transferring an article reaching an end of a limb to the start of an adjacent limb in the direction of movement of an article.
3. An accumulator as claimed in Claim 2, characterized in that the means for transferring an article from one limb to an adjacent limb comprises arcuate guide members (19, 21) located at the ends of the limbs.
4. An accumulator as claimed in Claim 2 or
Claim 3, characterized in that the sinuous conveyor line (1) comprises a first portion (4) and a second portion (5) arranged end to end, with a further limb (7) connecting the first portion to the second portion.
5. An accumulator as claimed in any one of
Claims 2 to 4, characterized in that barriers (23) are provided between adjacent limbs (3, 6 or 7) to confine the articles to the limbs on which they are travelling.
6.An accumulator as claimed in Claim 5, characterized in that a barrier comprises a relatively thin member (23) extending parallel to the longitudinal edges (25) of two adjacent limbs on the sinuous conveyor line.
7. An accumulator as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6, characterized in that the barriers (23) are suspended from frameworks (24) extending above the sinuous conveyor line.
8. An accumulator as claimed in any preceding claim, characterized in that the inlet gate (27) comprises a member movable between a position which allows articles to travel along the main conveyor line and a position in which the articles are diverted on to the sinuous conveyor line.
9. An accumulator as claimed in any preceding claim, characterized in that the outlet gate (28) comprises a member movable between a position in which articles on the sinuous conveyor line are diverted on to the main conveyor line and a position which allows articles to travel along the main conveyor line.
10. An accumulator as claimed in any one of
Claims 2 to 9, characterized in that the limbs (3, 6 or 7) of the sinuous conveyor line (1) are arranged to extend parallel to the run of the main conveyor line with which the accumulator is to be associated in use.
11. An accumulator as claimed in any preceding claim, characterized in that the sinuous conveyor line (1) is a slat band conveyor.
12. An accumulator substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
13. An accumulator arranged in association with a main conveyor line substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
14. An accumulator arranged in association with a main conveyor line having a second accumulator arranged in association therewith substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB7908800A GB2043013B (en) | 1979-03-13 | 1979-03-13 | An article accumulator in the form of a sinuous conveyor line |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB7908800A GB2043013B (en) | 1979-03-13 | 1979-03-13 | An article accumulator in the form of a sinuous conveyor line |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB2043013A true GB2043013A (en) | 1980-10-01 |
| GB2043013B GB2043013B (en) | 1983-01-06 |
Family
ID=10503837
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB7908800A Expired GB2043013B (en) | 1979-03-13 | 1979-03-13 | An article accumulator in the form of a sinuous conveyor line |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2043013B (en) |
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2232948A (en) * | 1989-04-28 | 1991-01-02 | Haas Franz Waffelmasch | Wafer block accumulator |
| US5125782A (en) * | 1989-06-22 | 1992-06-30 | Sol Goldschmidt | Facility for storing items along parallel channels |
| US5232081A (en) * | 1990-09-25 | 1993-08-03 | Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. | Sampler for many samples and sample rack start/stock unit |
| FR2907107A1 (en) * | 2006-10-17 | 2008-04-18 | Renault Sas | STORAGE DEVICE |
-
1979
- 1979-03-13 GB GB7908800A patent/GB2043013B/en not_active Expired
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2232948A (en) * | 1989-04-28 | 1991-01-02 | Haas Franz Waffelmasch | Wafer block accumulator |
| GB2232948B (en) * | 1989-04-28 | 1992-10-14 | Haas Franz Waffelmasch | Interstage wafer block accumulator. |
| US5125782A (en) * | 1989-06-22 | 1992-06-30 | Sol Goldschmidt | Facility for storing items along parallel channels |
| US5232081A (en) * | 1990-09-25 | 1993-08-03 | Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. | Sampler for many samples and sample rack start/stock unit |
| FR2907107A1 (en) * | 2006-10-17 | 2008-04-18 | Renault Sas | STORAGE DEVICE |
| WO2008047019A1 (en) * | 2006-10-17 | 2008-04-24 | Renault S.A.S | Storage system |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB2043013B (en) | 1983-01-06 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 732 | Registration of transactions, instruments or events in the register (sect. 32/1977) | ||
| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |