GB2067150A

GB2067150A - A device for wrapping sweets

Info

Publication number: GB2067150A
Application number: GB8038121A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Nagema VEB
Current assignee: Nagema VEB
Priority date: 1979-12-06
Filing date: 1980-11-27
Publication date: 1981-07-22
Also published as: GB2067150B; DD147653A1; DE3041325C2; JPS56106713A; IT8050307A0; BR8008100A; JPS5940685B2; DE3041325A1; IT1146970B

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for wrapping sweets which makes use of tongs-like holding elements and is provided with a cam disc controlling the opening and closing movements thereof and a means for the temporary delay of the rotary movement of each holding element, which delay does not effect the rotation of the conveyor wheels. It is the object of the invention to bring about, in a continuously driven device, the take-over of the sweets by the holding elements of a conveyor wheel at a relative rest along with an equalisation of varying rotational speeds. According to the invention, this is brought about in that the holding elements 5 are each mounted in a swivel body 12 which is secured to a bearing sleeve 13 in the conveyor wheel 2, which sleeve is provided with a roller lever 15 and bears, with this lever, against a cam disc 17 and in the interior of which there is mounted an adjusting shaft 18 which is connected to the holding elements 5 and which comprises a roller lever 21 which is connected to a cam disc 23 to control the operation of the elements 5. The body 12 is pivoted relative to the wheel by the interaction of the disc and lever 15. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A device for wrapping sweets The invention relates to a device for wrapping sweets which makes use of rotating tongs-like holding elements on a conveyor wheel, which is arranged in the housing on a driving shaft, and comprises a central cam disc for controlling the opening and closing movements through roller levers, which are supported on the latter, on the holding elements and a means for the temporary delay or acceleration of the rotary movement of each holding element, which does not affect the rotation of the conveyor wheels.

The known sweet-wrapping machines are generally equipped with wrapping wheels which comprise holding elements for the reception of the sweets so as to transport them, together with wrappers, to a wrapping station.

These wrapping wheels are driven intermittently since a rest position of the wrapping wheel is necessary for the transfer and the wrapping operation. The holding elements are arranged on the conveyor wheel in such a way that they arrive at the transfer station in an opened state and will then close again.

The opening operation also occurs at the discharge station. In the known constructions, the holding elements, consisting of two grippers, are mounted at the base of shafts in the wrapping wheel. The opening and closing of the holding elements is brought about through a central control cam by means of cam levers, the grippers being interconnected through toothed segments. During a rotation of the shaft, the two grippers are always moved synchronously but in opposite directions (DE AS 1 057 955). The disadvantage of these devices consists in that, due to the intermittent movement of the wrapping wheel, there occurs high stressing and, bound up therewith, wear of the machine parts. But, above all, the performance of the intermittently working machines is limited since, due to inertia, the masses cannot be accelerated to a very high degree.

Furthermore known is a device wherein the wrapping wheel is designed as a continuously rotating transporting means with holding elements for holding the sweets. This transporting means is connected to means for the temporary delay or acceleration of the rotary movement of each individual element, which does not affect the rotation of the entire device. These means are preferably designed as cam-controlled lever mechanisms which are arranged so that they can be pivoted about axes which lie outside the rotational centre of a toothed wheel serving as the transporting means (DD PS 1 5 534). With this device, it is impossible to bring about a high-capacity continuous wrapping operation, since only a limited number of holding elements can be provided in this way on the transporting means.

On a device having a larger number of holding elements, the technical expenditure for the control of the lever mechanisms is too high.

There is furthermore known a device for the continuous wrapping of sweets in which the wrapping wheel co-operates with a gripper wheel. The sweets are picked up from a singling plate by means of the holding elements of the gripper wheel and, after a partial rotation, are provided with a wrapper. The partially wrapped sweets are then transferred to the wrapping wheel proper (DD PS 1 34 621). This device pre-supposes that the rotational speeds of the rotating conveyor wheels are equal. However, this renders a maximum utilisation of the machine impossible, since the maximum capacity of the singling plate cannot be exploited.

The invention therefore aims at increasing the capacity of these continuously working devices.

It is therefore the object of the invention to bring about, in a continuously driven device having a plurality of holding elements, the take-over of the sweets from the singling plate and the discharge thereof into a following wrapping wheel by the holding elements of a conveyor wheel at a relative rest along with an equalisation of varying rotational speeds.

According to the invention this is brought about in that each of the holding elements is mounted in a swivel body which is provided on the outside of the conveyor wheel and which is secured on a rotatable bearing sleeve in the conveyor wheel, which sleeve extends axially parallel to the driving shaft and which is provided with a radial roller lever on the inside of the conveyor wheel and bears therewith against a central stationary cam disc for the initiation of a temporary swivel movement and inside which there is pivotally mounted an axial adjusting shaft which is connected to the holding elements through toothed segments and which comprises at its end, projecting from the bearing sleeve, a radial roller lever which is connected to another central stationary cam disc for the transmission of the opening and closing movements.By this means, the reception and discharge of the sweets in continuously working devices having a plurality of holding elements is in an advantageous manner temporarily delayed and accelerated by means of the holding elements at the take-over and discharge points irrespective of the rotational speed of the conveyor wheel. This allows the rotational speed of the conveyor wheels to vary so that a maximum adaptation to the processing capacity of the co-operating conveyor wheels is possible. The throughput rate of the sweets in the device is thus increased.

The invention will be explained in an exemplified embodiment with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an elevation Figure 2 shows a partial section.

The device for the continuous wrapping of sweets is substantially composed in series of a horizontal singling plate 1, a gripper wheel 2, which is vertical thereto, and a wrapping wheel 3. On the circumference of the singling plate, there are pockets 4 for the reception of sweets B. The gripper wheel 2 and the wrapping wheel 3 are provided with radial holding elements 5, 6 for taking hold of the sweets.

The gripper wheel 2 is arranged in a housing 7 in such a way that the sweets can be taken from the pockets 4 of the singling plate 1 by means of the holding elements 5. The wrapping wheel 3 is associated with the gripper wheel 2 so that the sweets are transferred from the holding elements 5 into the holding elements 6. The solution according to the invention is realised on the gripper wheel 2, which is the subject of the following description.

In the housing 7, there is mounted the gripper wheel 2 with a shaft 8 on ball bearings 9 in a flange 10. At the free end of the shaft 8, there is secured a driving wheel 11 which is connected to a drive not shown.

Each of the holding elements 5 of the gripper wheel 2 is mounted in a swivel body 1 2 arranged on the outside. This swivel body 1 2 is secured to a bearing sleeve 1 3 which extends axially parallel to the driving shaft 8 and which is arranged in the gripper wheel 2 so as to be rotatable in ball bearings 14. On the inside of the gripper wheel 2, the bearing sleeve 1 3 is provided with a radial double roller lever 1 5. The roller lever 1 5 bears, with a respective roller 16, against a central double cam disc 1 7 which is provided on the outside of the flange 10.

In the interior of the bearing sleeve 13, there is located an axial adjusting shaft 1 8.

This adjusting shaft 1 8 is mounted in antifriction bearings 1 9 and 20. The rear end of the adjusting shaft 1 8 projects from the bearing sleeve 1 3 and comprises a radial roller lever 21. The roller lever 21 bears, with a roller 22, against another cam disc 23 which is secured to the flange 10. Each of the holding elements 5 consists of two tongs parts 5a, 5b which are secured in the swivel body 1 2 on two adjacent tongs shafts 24, 25.

The tongs shafts 24, 25 are mounted in ball bearings 26 and are connected together through respective toothed segments 27, 28 secured thereon and an outwardly secured extension spring 29. Through the tongs shaft 24, there is produced the driving movement from the adjusting shaft 1 8 by means of a toothed segment 30, which is secured thereon and meshes with another toothed segment 31 on the adjusting shaft 18, (and) the opening and closing movements of the tongs parts Sa, 5b.

The mode of operation of the device will be described hereinafter: The sweets B situated on the singling plate 1 in the pockets 4 are picked up by the holding elements 5 of the gripper wheel 2.

Following a rotation of the gripper wheel 2 through approximately 200 , the sweets B pass into the reception zone of the holding elements 6 of the wrapping wheel 3, in which the wrapping of the sweets takes place. This further work cycle is not the subject of the invention, so that there is not need for any further description thereof. This wrapping operation with the aid of the described conveying means is carried out in a continuous procedure. With the aid of the gripper wheel 2 designed according to the invention, this continuous working process is advantageously supported in that the varying rotational speeds between the singling plate 1 and the gripper wheel 2 are equalised between these and the wrapping wheel 3.Prior to the take-over of the sweets B from the pockets 4 of the singling plate 1, the holding elements 5 pass into the zone of the take-over point in the opened state. The holding elements 5, which initially project normally radially to the outside on the gripper wheel 2, are swung backwards relative to the direction of rotation during the inlet movement to the take-over point and a short time following this movement. By this means, there is brought about an adaptation to the varying rotational speeds, on the one hand, and a favourable approximately vertical take-over position. During the time in which the holding elements 5 are in the favourable take-over position, these elements close and grasp a sweet B from the pocket 4.In this position of the holding elements 5, which has swung in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the gripper wheel 2, the sweets are transported to the wrapping wheel 3. In the inlet zone of the wrapping wheel 3, the swivel position of the holding elements 5, which differs from the normal position, is equalised again by a forward swivel movement so that the different rotational speed can also be equalised at this point. At the same time, an opening movement of the holding elements 5 is initiated so as to render possible the removal of the sweets by the holding elements 6 of the wrapping wheel 3. The procedure of the opening and closing as well as the swivelling of the holding elements 5 will be described in detail hereinafter.

During the rotation of the gripper wheel 2, the rollers 16, 22 of the respective roller levers 15, 21 roll on the associated cam discs 17, 23. As the holding elements 5 are opened or closed, a swivel movement is initiated from the cam disc 23 on the adjusting shaft 1 8. As a result, the toothed segment 30, which is in engagement with the toothed segment 31, also changes its position. This leads to a rotation of the tongs shaft 24, the tongs shaft 25 being simultaneously moved through the toothed segments 27, 28. Due to the movement initiated on the tongs shafts 24, 25, the tongs parts 5a, 5b open while overcoming the spring force exerted by the extension spring 29. Independently of the opening and closing movements produced.

The holding elements 5 can also be swivelled in their radial position. To this end, a rotary movement is transferred from the double cam disc 1 7 through the double roller lever 1 5 to the bearing sleeve 1 3. The swivel body 12, which is secured to the bearing sleeve 13, with the holding elements 5 is by this means swivelled in or opposite to the direction of rotation of the gripper wheel 2 so that the advantages already described arise during the take-over of the sweets from the singling plate and during the transfer thereof into the wrapping wheel 3.

Claims

1. A device for wrapping sweets which makes use of rotating tongs-like holding elements on a conveyor wheel, which is provided in the housing on a driving shaft, and comprises a central cam disc for controlling the opening and closing movements through roller levers, which are supported thereon, on the holding elements and a means for the temporary delay or acceleration of the rotary movement of each holding element, which does not affect the rotation of the conveyor wheels, characterised in that the holding elements (5) are each mounted in a swivel body (12), which is arranged on the outside of the conveyor wheel (2) and which is secured to a rotatable bearing sleeve (13) in the conveyor wheel (2), which sleeve extends axially parallel to the driving shaft (8) and is provided, on the inside of the conveyor wheel (2), with a radial roller lever (15) and bears, with this lever, against a central stationary cam disc (17) for the initiation of a temporary swivel movement and in the interior of which there is pivotally mounted an axial adjusting shaft (18) which is connected to the holding elements (5) through toothed segments (27, 28, 30, 31) and which, projecting from the bearing sleeve (13), comprises at its end a radial roller lever (21) which is connected to another central stationary cam disc (23) for the transmission of the opening and closing movements.

2. A device for wrapping sweets substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.