GB2182298A - Impact noise damping in conveying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Bottle conveying apparatus comprises a conveyor belt (1) for conveying bottles along a track, with a transition or an accumulation zone in which an open stream of bottles is changed into a closed stream of bottles. For damping impact noise of the bottles an endless belt (5) is guided obliquely or parallelly to the transport belt (1) in the region of the zone and is provided with damping blades (17) of, for example, rubber or plastics material, which are arranged at a spacing from each other and are flexible parallelly to the transport plane. In the region of the mentioned zone, the blades are movable between the bottles in the open stream and are removable from between the bottles after the closing-up has taken place. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Impact noise damping in conveying apparatus The present invention relates to conveying apparatus and has particular reference to impact noise damping in a zone oftransition from an open to a closed stream of conveyed articles, such as bottles or other glass containers.

Not only is high conveying performance required of single track bottle conveying apparatus within bottlefilling plant, but also great value attached to a low noise level in the plantforboth the comfort of personnel and protection of the environment.A part icuiar source of noise is represented by the collision of individual bottles with each other in transition or accumulation zones, where an open row of bottles changes into a closed row of bottles; see Research Report No. 313, "Planning oflow-noisetransportsys- tems for bottles and glasses", W. Probst, page 65, paragraph 4.1.2. Such zones are,forexample, provided upstream of bottle-sorting stations, filling machines and labelling machines and also in there- gion ofjunctions.

There isthus a need for measures by which, even in the case of different positions of the transition or accumulation zone,the arriving bottles, disposed at aspacing and travelling atthe speed oftheconveyor, are at the transition zone moved carefully against one anotherto form a closed stream travelling at a speed which is appreciably reduced compared with the speed of the conveyor.

According to the present invention there is provided conveying apparatus comprising conveying meanstoconveya stream of articles along atrack with a zone in which initially spaced apart articles are moved together, and impact noise damping means arranged adjacent to said zone and comprising a movable carrier and a plurality of resilient damping elements carried by the carrier and so movable by the carrier in the conveying direction of the convey- ing meansthatat least one of the elements is insertable between each two adjacent ones of said articles while still spaced apart and removable from between those articles on or after movementthereoftogether in said zone.

Through the measure of pushing flexible damping elements, which for example have a low stiffness in the horizontal direction, between the articles, for example bottles, before impact against each other and always between more than two bottles, and through subsequent removal ofthe elements from between the bottles after appreciable reduction ofthe spacings therebetween, direct collision ofthe bottles is prevented and the bottles gently or almost unnoticeably move together at appreciably reduced speed so that noise is considerably lessened.

The damping elements can be arranged on an endless belt which is installed in the region ofthetransition or accumulation zone and extends laterally of the conving means, the belt being arranged to be driven at a speed which corresponds to the speed of the conveying means. In the case of conveying apparatus with a plurality of such zones, a respective noise damping means can be thus arranged at each such zone.

The spacing between the individual damping el ementsarranged on the belt is preferably equal to or smaller than a predetermined pitch spacing of each two bottles, so that secure and trouble4ree operation ofthe noise damping means is ensured.

The damping elements preferably comprise bla des of an inherently resilient material, for example thin coated or uncoated spring steel plate, rubber or plastics material. The elements may, however, comprise bristles.

The noise damping means can be constructed as a constructional unit with its own drive, so that it is movable to other transition or accumulation zones of the bottle conveying apparatus. In the simplest case, however, the drive ofthe conveying means can be used by way of suitable coupling means,forexample a magnetic coupling between a belt ofthe conveying means and the belt, or other carrier with the damping elements.

The apparatus may thus represent a relatively simple and economically operable means bywhich the noise level in bottle transport plant can be now ered with simultaneous maintenance ofa high conveying performance of the plant. Moreover, the com parativelyfragile bottles are treated gently.

Although it is known, from US patent specification No. 2 547 729, to associate a bottle transport belt with an endless belt carrying inherently rigid transport fingers, these transportfingers have the task ofguid- ing bottles, which arrive unordered by way of the transport belt, in ordered manner and at a certain pitch spacing to a round table, from which the bottles pass to a packaging or delivery station. Also known areso-calledtransportstarswhichagain havethe task of bringing conveyed articles, arriving unordered, to a certain pitch spacing orfixing the articles at a certain pitch spacing. The known apparatus do not, however, provide noise damping of bottles moved together.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure t is a schematic plan view of a single track conveyor with equipment for noise damping, in first apparatus embodying the invention; Figure2 is a side elevation, in the direction of arrowl in Figure 1,oftheapparatus; and Figure3 is a schematic plan view of second apparatus embodying the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figures 1 and 2 a carrier in the form of an endless belt 5 which circulates in the region of a transition zone UB laterally, and above the transport plane of, a bottle conveyor belt 1 of a single track conveyor 4 provided with lateral guide rails 2 and 3. The belt 5, which in the illustrated embodiment is constructed as aflat belt but which can be atoothed belt, round belt or a chain, is deflected around a first freely rotatable roller 6 towards the conveyor belt 1 along a path extending at an acute angleto the transport direction 7 ofthe conveyor belt 1.Thereafterthe belt 5 is deflected around a second freely rotatable roller 8 along a path extending parallellyto the belt 1 and then def lectedaroundadriven roller 9 arranged downstream a a zone UB oftransition from an open to a closed dream of bottles. The final run of the belt 5 extends backtothe roller 6. The rollers 6,8 and 9 are rotatable aboutvertical axes and are mounted in respective bearing blocks 11, l2and 13. Fortheguidanceofthe belt 5 along the oblique and the parallel paths, supports 14 and 15, which lie against the inside ofthe belt, can be provided at these paths.

Flexible resilient damping elements, which point towards the conveyor belt 1 and are pivotable parallel to the transport plane ofthe belt 1, are connected with the belt 5. They are arranged one after the other at a spacing which is equal to orsmallerthan the pitch spacing oftwo neighbouring bottles ofthe open stream of bottles, but which substantially exceedsthe damping element thickness. Each damping element is preferably constructed as a damping blade 17, but it can, however, be constructed as a row of bristles. Coming into consideration as material for the damping blade 17 is rubber or plastics material, a bristle material, a coated or uncoated thin spring steel plate or similar material.

The damping blades 17 are pivotable in the horizontal direction with respect to the belt 5 by reason of their resilience, but have a high stiffness in the vertical direction. They can, however, be articulatedly connected with the belt 5. The blades are so dimensioned in their length that they can be introduced into the gap L existing between each two neighbour- ing bottles 16 in the open stream transported on the conveyor belt 1. The damping blades are constructed to be thin at least at theirfree end regions so that, on removal from between the respective bottles, the travel still required for complete closing-up atthe bottles is as short as possible, in the ideal case almost zero.

As Figure 1 shows, the damping blades 17 are, in the region of the obliquely extending path of the belt 5, introduced into the gaps Lfrom the side and re moved from these gaps at the end of the parallelly extending path of the belt 5 so that the bottles can close up at appreciably reduced speed to form the closed stream. For this purpose, the belt 5 moves at a higher speed than the closed stream of bottles. The speed ofthe belt Scan, however, deviate from this according to requirements.

The roller9isdriven bya drive 18 such as a regulable geared motor, which is flanged onto the bearing block 13, or a motor regulable in rotational speed. It is also possible to drive the belt 5 by way ofthecon- veyor belt 1, which is usually constructed as a hinge belt chain. This drive can take place byway ofcoupl- ing means (not shown), by which a driving connection is produced between the conveyor belt 1 andthe roller 9 or by a magnetic coupling. On the use of such a coupling, the roller 9 would be driven through the conveyor belt 1 by means of a wheel arranged on the rim thereof and equipped with mag nets or by means of a chain equipped with magnet plates.

The apparatus described in Figures 1 and 2 can be constructed as independent constructional unit for example the bearing blocks 11 to 13 required forthe rollers 6,8 and 9 can be arranged on a plate 19 (illust rated in chain-dotted lines)fastenable atthe frame 10 of the conveyor 4.

In departure from the arrangement of the belt5 illustrated in Figure 1,the beltS can, as Figure3 shows, be arranged to extend entirely parallel to the conveyor belt 1 at the side facing the conveyor belt, whereby the second roller 8 is not needed. Provided in the region ofthefirst roller is a guide cam 20, which engagesthedamping blades 17 and letsthe damping blades 17 track into the gaps of the open stream of bottles.

In the case of an articulated connection of the damping blades 17 with the belt5,the hinge required for one or more damping blades 17 is constructed in such a mannerthatthe blade or blades connected with the pivotable hinge part are introduced from above between the gaps Land removed from these through rearward and upward pivoting.Arespective guide cam 20, which is constructed to bring aboutthe afore-mentioned pivotfunctions, is to be provided in the region of the first roller 6 for blade introduction into the gaps and in the region ofthe roller9forthe blade removal.

In a modification, the damping elements are fast- ened to the carrier in two rows disposed one above the other. If so desired, two carriers may be arranged one above the other in association with the conveyor 4.

Claims (15)

1. Conveying apparatus comprising conveying means to convey a stream of articles along a track with a zone in which initially spaced apart articles are moved together, and impact noise damping means arranged adjacent to said zone and comprising a movable carrier and a plurality of resilient damping elements carried by the carrier and so movable by the carrier in the conveying direction ofthe conveying means that at least one of the elements is insertable between each two adjacent ones of said articles while still spaced apart and removable from between those articles on or after movement thereof together in said zone.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises and endless belt which is disposed laterallyofthetrackand arranged to be driven atthe same speed as the conveying means, and the damping elements comprise blades conncted to the carrierand arranged atspacingsfrom each other.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the spacing between each two adjacent ones of the damping elements is at most equal to a predetermined pitch spacing of such bottles upstream of said zone.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one ofthe preceding claims, wherein each of the damping elements is made of resilient material.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the resilient material is one of spring steel, rubber and plastics.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each ofthe damping elements comprises a plurality of bristles.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one ofthe preceding claims, wherein each of the damping elements is pivotably connected to the carrier.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any one ofthe preced ing claims, the damping means comprising drive meansforthe carrier and being constructed as a unit movable in position relative to the conveying means.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the carrier is coupled to and drivable by the conveying means.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the carrier is coupled to the conveying means by magnetic means.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the pre- ceding claims, comprising a further plurality of such damping elements carried by the carrier, each damping element of the first plurality being arranged above a respective one ofthe damping elements of thefirst-mentioned plurality.

12. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising a further such carrier and plurality of damping elements arranged abovethefirstmentioned carrier and plurality of damping elements.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises an endless belt disposed above the trackandthedamping elements are movable bythe carrier for insertion downwardly between the articles.

14. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

15. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 3 ofthe accompany- ing drawings.