GB2132594A - In-line stack feed and collator - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine to stack and collate bars, for example chocolate bars, before passing them to a batch wrapping machine wherein the bars are initially aligned and stacked one above another held in place by side rails 11 and front posts 13. The bars are then taken from the bottom of this pile, one at a time, by pushers 28,29 until a predetermined number have been taken. Another pusher 18 then takes the batch of bars onwards in direction C. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Inline stacked and collator The invention is concerned with a means for the stacking, collating, and dispatch of a flow of elongate bars such as, for example, the continuous output of individually wrapped bars from a highspeed chocolate-bar-wrapping machine.

Conventionally, such a flow is dealt with by semi-skilled manual labour. The labourers collect the incoming bars in multiple-unit batches, and lay these batches out on a conveyor which dispatches them to the batch-wrapping machine. This process has several drawbacks, not least the high cost of a labour-intensive operation. It is also difficult, with certain types of bar product, to lay them out on the conveyor in a properly aligned batch whilst working sufficiently fast to keep up with the output of the bar-producing machine.

In a machine or method embodying the present invention, a flow of elongate bars is initially aligned and stacked one above another, and the bars are then first removed, a unit at a time, from the bottom of the stack, and finally collected, in multiple-unit batches, for dispatch to a batchwrapping machine.

The unit-removing and batch-collecting stages, after the aligning and stacking stage, are accomplished by automatic means. The aligning and stacking may be manually-achieved, but if it too is automated then the invention enables the stacking, collating (i.e. batch-forming) and dispatch of a continuous inflow of bars to be fully automated and so dispense entirely with the conventionally-used manual labour.

The term "bars" used above is not intended to restrict the invention to machines or processes for handling flat-surfaced products. The invention could equally well handle cylindrical rolls, for example, circular-section rolls, and the term "bars" is to be interpreted accordingly.

One machine embodying the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings. It is currently the best way known to the Applicant of putting the invention into practice. It is only one example of forms which the invention might take within its overall scope.

In these drawings: Figure 1 shows the machine diagrammatically and in perspective; Figure 2 shows the chain-drives of the machine, again in diagrammatic perspective; and Figure 3, drawn to an enlarged scale, shows the machine in side elevation and again in diagrammatic form.

Referring initially to Figure 1, a continuous flow of elongate individually-wrapped rectangularsection chocolate coated bars arrives in the direction of arrow A at the infeed end of the machine. The bars, shown in chain line, arrive in an initially substantially horizontal flow at intervals one behind another, and are initially aligned in parallel but non-coaxial relationship by the side rails referenced (11) of the infeed chute.

The chute (12) curves over from horizontal to vertical run, and the side rails (12) curve with it.

Front posts (13) follow the side rails (12) down their vertical run. The front posts (13) stop some way short of the bottom of the vertical run of the chute (12), but the side rails (12) continue down to the bottom of the chute run.

The incoming bars automatically follow the curvature of the chute (12), restrained by the front posts (13) and side rails (11) and stack automatically one above another as indicated, again in chain line, in Figure 1. The front posts (13) stop sufficiently short of the bottom of the chute run to allow one bar at a time to be removed from the bottom of the stack, by pushers whose operating movement is indicated by arrows B. As each bar is so removed, the stack automatically falls down, ready for the next bar to be taken from the bottom of the stack by the forward-moving pushers.

In this particular machine, a batch of four bars is taken, one at a time, from the bottom of the stack, and the entire batch is then collected by a central pusher whose movement is indicated in Figure 1 by the arrow C and which essentially moves in the same direction as the pushers B but collects each four-bar batch and dispatches it the direction of arrow C to a batch-wrapping machine.

Figure 2 shows the way the pushers are driven.

A main roller chain (14) passes over jockey sprockets (15), (16) and around a central sprocket (17) before starting its horizontal conveying run indicated in Figure 2 by arrow C. The chain (14) is driven, and carries a spaced succession of pusher bars (18) only one of which is shown in Figure 2.

The bars (18) ride in a central slot (19) cut into the conveying plate of the machine, and throughout their horizontal conveying run the pushers (18) are supported by rails indicated at (19) in Figure 2.

The jockey sprocket (1 6) can be adjusted up and down to optimise the tension in the chain (14) when in use.

A sprocket (21) is carried on the same shaft as the driven sprocket (17). A chain (22) takes the drive from the sprocket (21) backwards (ie to the left in Figure 2, to the right in Figure 1) to another sprocket (23). Carried on the same shaft as sprocket (23) are two identically-sized sprockets (24), (25) each of which is much larger than sprocket (23). Sprockets (24), (25) drive respective chains (26), (27) each of which carries a spaced succession of pushers (28), (29) around two further sprockets respectively (31), (32).

Sprockets (31) and (32) are each fixed to the same shaft and are each identical to the sprockets (24), (25). The shaft which carries sprockets (31) and (32) is slightly forward of the rotating periphery of sprocket (17), as shown clearly in Figures 2 and 3. Like the pushers (18), the secondary pushers (28), (29) ride on respective supporting rails (33), (34) during their horizontal bar-pushing runs.

The three sets of pushers (18), (29), (29) all run parallel with one another and along the same plane of a common conveying plate (35). The secondary pusher-carrying chains (26), (27) are each spaced equally to either side of the main pusher-carrying chain (14). The relative sizes of the sprockets in the transmission between the pusher-carrying chains are so chosen that a succession of four of the pushers (28), (29) acts on the bars in the stack before one of the pushers (18) appears to take the four bars away in a batch.

As shown, the chain runs are so disposed that the pushers (28), (29) remove individual bars from the stack, and deposit them each a relatively short distance on front of the stack, so that each batch of four bars is already fairly well bunched together before the main pusher (18) appears to take away the batch.

The pushers (28), (29) are of course aligned in successive pairs across the machine. The bars can be kept in alignment, as they are dispatched by the pushers (18), by such means as side walls.

The gear ratio between sprockets (21) and (23) can be varied, to enable the batch count to be varied.

To stop individual bars from "bouncing" as they emerge from the bottom of the stack and are carried forward by pushers (28), (29), rails could be positioned above the conveying plate (35) in the vicinity of the run of the secondary chains (26), (27). These rails could be spring-loaded rather than being rapidly held. The same effect could be obtained with elongate brush "curtains" bearing on the tops of the bar products as they emerge from the stack.

Although only a one-lane output has been described and illustrated, a multiple-lane output might be desirable in some circumstances.

Claims (12)

1. A method of automatically stacking and collating bars, as hereinbefore defined, comprising the steps, automatically performed, of aligning and stacking a flow of elongate bars one above another, removing the bars, a unit at a time, from the bottom of the stack, and collecting the bars into multiple unit batches for despatch to a batch wrapping machine.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the additional step of holding down the bars while they are being removed from the stack.

3. A method of automatically stacking and collating bars substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4. An apparatus to automatically stack and collate bars, as hereinbefore defined, comprising means to align and stack a flow of elongate bars one above another, means to remove the bars, a unit at a time, from the bottom of the stack, and means to collect the bars in to multiple unit batches for despatch to a batch wrapping machine.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the flow of elongate bars is stacked by gravity feed and aligned between side members.

6. An apparatus as claimed in either claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the means to align and stack the flow of elongate bars is a chute defined by side rails and front posts, said front posts being so shorter than the chute that at least one bar may pass beneath them.

7. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the means to remove the bars from the bottom of the stack comprises at least one pusher.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the means to collect the bars in multiple unit batches comprises a second pusher operating at a predetermined slower ratio than said firstmentioned at least one pusher, the ratio being that of the number of bars in each multiple unit batch.

9. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 8, further comprising means to hold down the bars when they emerge from the bottom of the stack.

1 0. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said means to hold down the bars comprises rails.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said rails are spring-loaded downwardly.

12. An apparatus as claied in claim 9 wherein the means to hold down the bars comprises elongate brush curtains adapted to bear on the tops of the bars.

1 3. An apparatus to automatically stack and collate bars substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.