GB2150922A

GB2150922A - Apparatus for delivering biscuits, cakes and the like to stacks

Info

Publication number: GB2150922A
Application number: GB08430759A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Eberhard Weckend; Wolfgang Girndt; Werner Bohme
Original assignee: Nagema VEB
Current assignee: Nagema VEB
Priority date: 1983-12-08
Filing date: 1984-12-05
Publication date: 1985-07-10
Also published as: DD235787A3; DE3437008A1; CH664937A5; GB2150922B; FR2556179A1; GB8430759D0; FR2556179B1; DE3437008C2

Abstract

An apparatus for the right-way-round transfer of flat, long-keeping biscuits, cakes and the like Z, preferably rusks, arriving in rows on a cooling belt 1 into obliquely downwardly sloping shafts 3 having axially parallel side walls for the forming of stacks, comprises, upstream of the sloping shafts, a centring chute 2 which is divided by steeply rising separating webs 2b into an equal number of individual channels 2a, the bottoms 2c of the channels falling away obliquely on one side towards these webs in such a way that the centre of gravity of the rusks causes them to pass over the webs into the individual channels at the exit from the chute and to come to rest with their sides against the webs. A monitoring device 2f acts through a motor and a positioning rod 2d to adjust laterally the chute 2. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for the right-way-round transfer of flat long-keeping biscuits, cakes and the like Field of application of the invention The invention relates to an apparatus for the right-way-round transfer of flat, long-keeping biscuits, cakes and the like, preferably rusks, arriving in rows on a cooling belt, into obliquely downwardly sloping shafts having axially parallel side walls, for the forming of stacks Characteristics of the known technical solutions A method of forming a plurality of adjacently disposed stacks of upright, flat, long-keeping biscuits, cakes and the like, preferably rusks, directly following on form a multi-row cooling belt disposed downstream of the baking oven, has already been proposed.

Where this method is concerned, the rusks arrive lying in several rows and slide obliquely downwardly into an upright position transversely of the feed means and from row to row they are progressively collected into stacks along one path. The corresponding apparatus is so constructed that the cooling belt has at the end an obliquely downwardly inclined sloping shaft sub-divided by side walls by extending over the entire width of the cooling belt. Mounted under the cooling belt and adapted to engage the obliquely sloping shaft a a right-angle thereto is an angular reciprocating transverse pusher with a correspondingly obliquely rising bottom plate. At the same height as this bottom plate there is a similarly inclined transverse conveyor with separating webs provided at the intake end with a retaining barrier (DOS 32 47 420).

This apparatus has the disadvantage that axial wandering away of the incoming rows of rusk on the cooling belt, the width of the sub-divided sloping shafts has to be somewhat increased in order to obviate the problem of trouble connected with the feeding of rusks into the sloping shafts. This necessary widening of the sloping shafts leads to a laterally disordered feed, so that the stack building up at the end of the shaft becomes correspondingly untidy. A further disadvantage is the fact that with relatively large axial movement, the front of the rusks strikes the side walls and further feeding becomes blocked.

Object of the invention The object of the invention is to form properly quality-controlled stacks and so to avoid problems during the packaging process, so enhancing the output of such manufacturing and packaging lines.

Statement of the substance of the invention The problem on which the invention is based resides in axially orientating the rusks which arrive in a recumbent position without hindrance upon entry into the sloping shafts and prior to stack formation. According to the invention, this is achieved in that upstream of the sloping shafts there is a centring chute with an equal number of individual channels, the individual channels being sub-divided by steeply rising separating webs, and having a spirally extending channel bottom which falls away obliquely on one side towards these separating webs in such a way that the rusks move with their centre of gravity over the separating webs and slide into the individual channels at the exit from the centring chute so that they come to rest in such a way as to be orientated laterally against the separating webs.Thus, the individual rusks are advantageously and automatically orientated so that with minimal expenditure, perfect stacks can be formed having smoothly extending sides. According to a further feature of the invention, the feeder chute is disposed to be transversely adjustable.

This has the favourable result that with relatively large axial movement of the rows of rusks arriving on the cooling belt which go beyond the tolerance allowed by the individual channels, a travel-free infeed can be guaranteed by transverse adjustment of the feeder chute. In order to compensate for the axially offset individual channels in relation to the subsequent sloping shafts when the centring chute is adjusted, the walls of the subsequent sloping shafts initially consist of flexible baffles fixed at the top on the separating webs and at the bottom of the fixed walls. In order to automate the process of adjusting the centring chute, there is according to the invention, above the cooling belt, an optical monitoring device which evaluates the axial movement of the rows of rusks in order to control the centring chute by means of a positioning motor.

Embodiment An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure I is a side view; Figure 2 is a view in the direction of the arrow y in Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a section on the line A-A in Fig. 1; Figure 4 is a section on the line B-B in Fig. 1; Figure 5 is a plan view in the direction of the arrow x in Fig. 1 with the centring chute adjusted for eccentric movement of the wire belt, and Figure 6 as above, in a position when the wire belt is centred.

The apparatus consists substantially of an obliquely downwardly sloping centring chute 2 adjacent a horizontal cooling belt 1 and behind which there are axially parallel adjacently disposed shafts 3 which slope away at the same angle of inclination. At the end of the sloping shafts 3 is a stacking device 4 which will be described in greater detail in the following section.

The cooling belt 1 is composed of a wire belt 1a and conveyor rollers 1 b, of which Fig. 1 shows only the rear conveyor roller. Disposed on the rear part of this cooling belt 1 at the top is a pressureapplying belt 1c which secures the position of the incoming rusks Z. The subsequent centring chute 2 has, corresponding to the rows arriving on the cooling belt 1, individual channels 2a which are sub-divided by steeply rising separating webs 2b.

The channel bottom 2c of these individual channels 2a is so constructed that it extends spirally and in such a way as to fall away obliquely on one side to the associated separating webs 2b. The angle of inclination and the path followed by the channel bottom 2c is thereby so chosen that the rusks Z, at the end of the centring chute 2, are properly aligned when they come to rest against the corresponding separating web 2b. The centring chute 2 is mounted for transverse adjustment on a position rod 2d of a positioning motor 2e. This positioning motor 2e communicates via a conductor system not shown with a visual monitoring device 2f disposed above the cooling belt 1. The walls of the subsequent sloping shafts 3 consist firstly of flexible guide plates or baffles 3a which are secured at the top to the separating web 2b and at the bottom to the fixed walls 3b.

The stacking device 4 located at the end of the apparatus consists in detail of an abutment lever 4a, transverse pusher 4b and stack shafts 4c extending in the working direction of the transverse pusher 4b. Disposed at the end of the stacking shafts is a retaining barrier 4d for the rusks Z. The stacking device 4 is further supplemented by a pivotally mounted two-armed clamping spring 4e for each sloping shaft 3, the clamping spring having an air which extends forwardly to the incoming rusks Z while the other arm engages behind the rusk Z in the sloping shaft 3.

The way in which the apparatus described operates can be ascertained from the following part of this description. Lying in rows on the cooling belt 1, the rusks Z arriving from the baking oven, not shown, leave the cooling belt 1 and then slide obliquely downwardly first into the individual channels 2a of the centring chute 2 which is thereby constantly adjusted transversely by the monitoring device 2f via the positioning motor 2e and by means of the positioning rod 2d that the centre of gravity of the incoming rusks Z causes them to slide over the separating webs 2b and into the individual channels 2a.

It is necessary thereby to distinguish between two substantially different operating conditions which are shown in Figs. 5 and 6 respectively. Fig.

5 shows the position of the centring chute 2 when the wire belt 1a has moved aside. This movement of the wire belt 1a and the thus necessary positioning adjustment of the centring chute 2 can be seen particularly easily by comparison with the view in Fig. 6, in which the wire belt 1a is running in a centred position. On the centring chute 2, the rusks Z then move sideways due to the path taken by the channel bottom 2c, until they come to rest against the separating webs 2b. The centring chute 2 is thereby sufficiently adjusted for any sideways movements of the rows due to inaccurate positioning on the cooling belt 1 and any axial deviation of the cooling belt 1 itself to be compensated. This transverse adjustment of the centring chute 2 corresponds to a coarse adjustment, while an accurate centring or alignment of the individual rusks Z occurs automatically on the centring chute 2.

Upon leaving the centring chute 2, the rusks Z slide with their sides resting on the guide plates or baffles 3a, and then on the walls 3b until they reach the area of the stacking device 4. In the stacking device 4, the rusks Z come to rest on the abutment lever 4a and are passed into the stacking shaft 4c by the transverse pusher 4b. The retaining barrier 4d thereby prevents them falling back out of the stacking shaft 4c. Alternatively, further slipping of the subsequent rusks Z is prevented by the clamping spring 4e in that the rear arm of the clamping spring 4e protrudes into the sloping shaft 3 and, in the other extreme position, leaves the sloping shaft 3 again, its forward arm resting thereby on the rusk Z which is situated in front, so that only one rusk can slide to the abutment lever 4a. By reason of this device which straightens up the rusks Z, stacks of rusks are expediently formed which have smoothly extending side faces.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the right-way-round transfer of flat objects e.g. long-keeping biscuits, cakes and the like, preferably rusks, arriving in rows on a cooling belt, into obliquely downwardly sloping shafts having axially parallel side walls for the forming of stacks, characterised by, disposed upstream of the sloping shafts (3), a centring chute (2), which is subdivided by steeply rising separating webs into an equal number of individual channels (2a), the bottom of the individual channels falling away obliquely towards these separating webs (2b) on one side and extending spirally so that the centre of gravity of the objects (Z) causes them to slip over the separating webs (2b) into the individual channels (2a) and to come to rest at the exit from the centring chute (2) with their sides against the separating webs (2b).

2. An apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that the centring chute (2) is adapted for transverse adjustment.

3. An apparatus according to Claim 2, characterised in that after the centring chute (2), the walls (3b) of the subsequent sloping shafts (3) consist initially of flexible guide plates or baffles (3a) which are secured at the top of the separating webs (2b) and at the bottom to the fixed walls (3b).

4. An apparatus according to Claims 2 and 3, characterised in that above the cooling belt (1) there is a visual monitoring device (2f) for evaluating the axial movement of the rows of objects, in order to control the centring chute (2) by means of a positioning motor (2e).

5. Apparatus for the right-way-round transfer of flat objects substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.