GB2208636A

GB2208636A - Device for the continuous taking & conveying of sweets

Info

Publication number: GB2208636A
Application number: GB8817179A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Werner Kmoch; Peter Pietsch; Albrecht Rohrdanz
Original assignee: Nagema VEB
Current assignee: Nagema VEB
Priority date: 1987-08-17
Filing date: 1988-07-19
Publication date: 1989-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 2008-07-19
Also published as: BR8804032A; IT1226631B; DE3820139C2; IT8848168A0; GB8817179D0; JPS6458626A; GB2208636B; JPH0662149B2; DD263271A1; DE3820139A1

Description

J 2208636 Device for the continuous taking of sweets The invention relates

to a device for the continuous taking of sweets, consisting of a gripper wheel having a plurality of retaining elements arranged on the circumference for the grasping of the sweets and their further conveying to the subsequent processing station.

Devices for the continuous taking of sweets are already known in which the sweets. cut from a continuous length of sweet material are grasped in the state of movement by the engaging members of a chain conveyor and fed at constant intervals to a packa ging station. Such a solution is described in DE-OS- 32 16 770. This solution has the disadvantage that chain conveyors are unsuitable for use in the high-output range due to their relatively great wear properties. Furthermore chain conveyors require very much space and are subject, due to their open style of construction, to a high degree of soiling and consequently are very trouble-prone.

Furthermore in DD-PS 147,653 a solution is represented in which the sweets situated in the pockets of the singling plate of a sweet-packing machine are taken up by the retaining elements of the gripper wheel and transported into the reception region of the retaining elements of a wrapper wheel. The disadvantage of this solution consists in that use is practicable only for distinct and set goods for packing and no equalisation of speed is possible between the reception of the goods for packing and the transfer to the following processing station.

- 2 The aim of the invention consists in substantially increasing the output of the sweet packing machines, especially in the packing of soft caramels.

The problem of the invention consists in having the sweets, which are cut from a continuous length of sweet material, taken by the retaining elements of a gripper wheel steplessly regulably without speed losses, even in the case of variable speed of the continuous length of sweet material, and accelerating them to the speed of through-put of the following processing station.

The problem is solved in accordance with the invention in that the outer retaining element in each case is secured on a bolt which is axially displaceably associated with a hollow shaft, the hollow shaft is pivotably arranged in the rotatably mounted housing, the bolt rests in the housing on a stationary pot-shaped cam and the inner retaining element is in each case secured on the hollow shaft, the hollow shaft being in shape-engaging connection within the housing with a lever arm pivotably mounted in the housing while on the free end of the lever arm a cam roller is arranged which is in operative connection with a basic cam and with an inner pivot cam and an outer pivot cam. On the basic cam a threaded bush is secured with which there is associated a threaded spindle arranged in the radial direction in relation to the basic cam, on the free end of which threaded spindle a rotatably mounted retaining fitting is fitted, the inner guide bolt of which is in operative connection with the inner pivot cam and the outer guide bolt of which is in 4 i operative connection with the outer pivot cam.

On the hollow shaft a toothed wheel is secured which is in engagement with a toothed segment fitted on the lever arm and possesses a transmission ratio of 2: 1. Thus it is possible to adapt the sweet- packing machine, with constant processing rate in the high-output range, steplessly without stoppage times to different speeds of the continuous material length, and thus substantially to increase the output of such machines.

The invention is to be explained in greater detail by reference to an example of embodiment.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE 1 shows a section through the device according to the invention, FIGURE 2 shows a representation of the cam block with shift mechanism.

The device according to the invention consists essentially of the gripper wheel 1, on the circumference of which several outer retaining elements 2 and inner retaining elements 3 are arranged. The outer retaining element 2 is secured to the bolt 4 which is axially displaceably mounted in the hollow shaf t 5. The bolt 4 lies at its free end against the pot-shaped cam 6 under spring stress of the compression spring 7. The axial displacement of the bolt 4 in the hollow shaft 5 is effected by means of the sliding spring 8. The hollow shaft 5 is pivotably mounted in the housing 9. The inner retaining element 3 is secured to the hollow shaft 5 which is in operative connection with the lever arm 10, which is pivotably mounted in the housing 9. The cam roller 11 is fitted on the lever arm 10 and rests on the set cam path of the basic cam 12, the inner pivot cam 13 and the outer pivot cam 14, the basic cam 12, exactly like the pot-shaped cam 6, being firmly connected with the spindle 15. The inner pivot cam 13 and the outer pivot cam 14 are arranged displaceably in a specific range on the basic cam 12. The threaded bush 16, which is in engagement with the threaded spindle 17, is fitted on the basic cam 12. The retaining fitting 18, with the inner guide bolt 19 and the outer guide bolt 19', is situated on the free end of the threaded spindle 17. Finally the toothed wheel 20, which is in engagement with the toothed segment 21 of the lever arm 10, is also secured on the hollow shaft 5.

The manner of operation of the device is as follows By rotation of the gripper wheel 1 about the spindle 15 in the direction of feed of the continuous length the cam roller 11 runs the set cam path, which results from the basic cam 12, the inner pivot cam 13 and the outer pivot cam 14. At the same time the bolt 4, which is under spring stress by the compression spring 7, runs the cam path of the pot-shaped cam 6. The configuration of the cam path resulting from the basic cam 12, the inner pivot cam 13 and the outer pivot cam 14 has the effect that the pivoting movement is transmitted by way of the cam roller 11 from the toothed segment of the lever arm 10 pivotably mounted in the housing 9 to the toothed wheel 20 and thus to the hollow shaf t 5. Thus the inner retaining element 3, which is a 1 secured to the hollow shaft 5, is Pivoted contrarily of the direction of rotation of the gripper wheel 1, at the point of acceptance of the sweets B cut from the continuous length (negative relative movement). This pivoting movement of the hollow shaft 5 is at the same time transmitted positively by way of the sliding spring 8 to the bolt 4 and thus to the outer retaining element 2. The bolt 4, which rests under spring stress of the compression spring 7 on the cam path of the pot-shaped cam 6, is pushed axially out of the housing 9 before the acceptance of the sweets B at the acceptance point, whereby the retaining elements 2, 3 are ready to receive the sweet B. The acceptance of the sweet B takes place in that the bolt 4, in accordance with the course of the cam path of the pot- shaped cam 6, again slides back axially into the housing 9. In the further rotation of the gripper wheel 1 and thus the further running of the cam roller 11 on the common cam path of the basic cam 12, the inner pivot cam 13 and the outer pivot cam 14, the negative relative movement is converted, due to the configuration of the cam path, into a positive relative movement (pivoting movement of the retaining elements 2; 3 in the direction of rotation of the gripper wheel 1). Thus the sweet B is brought to the speed of the subsequent working stage. By rotation of the threaded spindle 17 it is possible to modify the course of the cam path by means of the guide bolts 19; 19' fitted on the retaining fitting 18, the inner guide bolt 19 being in operative connection with the inner pivot cam 13 and the outer guide bolt 19' being in operative connection --6 - A with the outer pivot cam 14. With the modification of the cam path 12 which results from the cam block of the basic cam 12, the inner pivot cam 13 and the outer pivot cam 14, the pivot movement of the hollow shaf t 5 is reduced or increased, by way of the cam roller 11 and the lever arm 10, the toothed segment 21 of which is in engagement with the toothed wheel 20, and thus so is the negative or positive relative movement of the retaining elements 2; 3. Thus it is possible to adapt the acceptance device steplessly even in the case of a variation of the speed of the continuous length while the machine is running.

Claims

C L A I M S l.) Device for the continuous taking of sweets, consisting of

a gripper wheel having a plurality of retaining elements arranged o n the circumference for grasping the sweets and conveying them further to the subsequent processing station, characterised in that in each case the outer retaining element (2) is secured on a bolt (4) which is axially displaceably allocated to a hollow shaft (5), the hollow shaft (5) is pivotably arranged in the rotatably mounted housing (9) and the bolt (4) rests in the housing (9) on a stationa'ry pot-shaped cam (6) and the inner retaining element (3) is in each case secured on the hollow shaft (5), the hollow shaft (5) being connected in shapeengaging manner within the housing (9) with a lever arm (10) pivotably mounted in the housing (9) an a cam roller (11) being arranged at the free end of the lever arm (10), which roller is in operative connection with a basic cam (12), with an inner pivot cam (13) and with an outer pivot cam (14).
2.) Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that a threaded bush (16) is secured on the basic cam (12), with which bush there is associated a threaded spindle (17) arranged in a radial direction in relation to the basic cam (12), on the free end of which spindle a rotatably mounted retaining fitting (18) is fitted, of which the inner guide bolt (19) is in operative connection with the inner pivot cam (13) and the outer guide bolt (19') is in operative connection with the outer pivot cam (14).
3.) Device according to Claim 1. characterised in that on the hollow shaf t (5) a toothed wheel (20) is secured which is in engagement with a toothed segment (21) fitted on the lever arm (10) and has a transmission ratio of 2: 1.
4.) A device for the continuous taking of sweets, substantially as described with reference to the accompanyin drawings.

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