GB2220400A

GB2220400A - Transferring articles transversely from a conveyor

Info

Publication number: GB2220400A
Application number: GB8824686A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Renzo Francioni
Original assignee: Cavanna SpA
Current assignee: Cavanna SpA
Priority date: 1988-07-05
Filing date: 1988-10-21
Publication date: 1990-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 2008-10-21
Also published as: DE3841240A1; CH674186A5; NL8802653A; FR2633909B1; GB2220400B; IT8821232A0; FR2633909A1; IT1226153B; GB8824686D0

Description

r-, 1 -3.-) j_,., 2 0 4 0 lu A METHOD OF PICKING UP PASTRY ARTICLES FROM A

CONVEYOR BELT, AND A PACKAGING MACHINE

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a method of picking up pastry articles being delivered on a conveyor belt of a packaging machine and held back by a detent overlying the conveyor belt, by means of a transfering device comprising a plurality of paddles carried at pitch distances on an endless chain having a working run which extends above the conveyor belt in a transverse direction thereto.

In the field of pastry article packaging machines there exists a need to pick up the pastry articles being conveyed on a conveyor belt crosswise to the belt. The pastry articles, which are generally elongate in shape, are delivered in a transverse Lay on said belt and in random succession. They are taken to a detent against which they abut to usually form a short queue of waiting articles. Each of these must be picked up.. one by one. upon its abutting the detent. The article picking up is performed by a transfering device which has a plurality of paddles carried at pitch distances on an endless chain stretched between two pulleys and having a working run which extends transversely above the conveyor belt. Any paddle in the chain, when brought to the working run, will engage a pastry article abutting the detent and pick it up crosswise to the belt. to then drop it into a respective receptacle on a receptacle belt conveyor.

This procedure. while being in many ways satisfactory and widely employed. still has a weLL-recognized drawback brought forward by a very high pickup rate.

In such a circumstance, in fact, the chain paddles must be placed at a considerable distance apart, in order for an arriving paddle to allow for the article following an article just picked up to abut the detent. As a result, for a given overall size, the transfering device is bound to have a limited number of paddles driven at a high speed. As may be appreciated, this leads to an arriving paddle striking the article to be picked with some force.. and possibly damaging it.

The problem that underlies this invention is to provide a method of the type specified above which has such features as to meet the above-noted demand and overcome the cited drawback.

This problem is solved by a method as indicated being characterized in that it comprises a step wherein the paddles are slowed down on approaching the conveyor belt to thereby increase the paddle pitch across the detent.

Further features and the advantages of the method according to the invention will be more clearly understood by having reference to the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, to be taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:

Figure 1 is an elevation detail view of a pastry article packaging machine; Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views of the same detail as shown in Figure 1, taken at two successive stages of its operation; and Figure 4 is an enlarged scale perspective view of a detail of the machine shown in Figure 3.

With reference to the drawing views, the numeral 1 designates a pastry article packaging machine. The pastry articles, collectively designated 2, have substantially the form of a flattened elongate parallelepipedon of predetermined length and width.

The machine 1 comprises, within a frame 3, a conveyor belt 4 having a direction X-X for pastry articles 2 arriving, for example, from an oven or a preceding packaging machine which has packaged them individually.

The articles 2 are laid crosswise on the conveyor belt 4 and guided by means of strips 5 affixed to the frame 3. The guiding strips 5 are terminated a short distance away from a detent 6 affixed to the frame at a location above the belt 4. Said distance slightly exceeds the width of the articles.

A short queue 7 of articles 2 forms against the detent 6.

The machine 1 comprises a transfering device 8 carried on the frame 3 which is operative to pick up from the conveyor belt 4, in a transverse direction thereto, that pastry article 3 in the queue 7 which abuts directly against the detent 6.

The transfering device 8 comprises a plurality of paddles, all designated 9, which are arranged along an endless chain 10 of a two-chain conveyor generally indicated at 11.

The chain 10 is closed into a substantially oval loop trained around two mutually spaced-apart pulleys 12, and has a working run 13 and a return run 15. The working run 13 extends above the belt 4 along a direction Y-Y perpendicular to the direction X-X, thereby the paddles 9 of the working run 13 will travel a working path 14 which interferes with the article 2 abutting the detent 6.

The paddles 9 of the working run 13 of the chain 10 travel a first section 16 of the path 14 wherein they will approach and intercept the article, a second section 17 across the detent 6 wherein they will pick up the article from the belt, and a third section 18 wherein they will take the article away from the belt.

Each paddle 9 is supported on the chain 10 by an articulated quadrilateral 19 lying in the same plane as the chain 10 and being subjected to the action of a drive means 20 to change its configuration in a manner to be described.

The articulated quadrilateral 19 comprises a fixed side 21 which has one end 22 pivoted directly to a link 10a of the chain.10 and the opposite end 23 connected to another link 10b of the chain via a connecting rod 24.

The quadrilateral 19 comprises a moving side 25 having opposed ends 26 and 27 which are connected to the ends 22 and 23 of the fixed side 21 by respective rocker arms 28 and 29. The paddle 9 is attached to the end 26 of the moving side.

The drive means 20 for the articulated quadrilateral 19 comprises a crank lever 30 which has one end 31 rigid with the end of the rocker arm 29 pivoted to the end 23 of the fixed side and the opposite end 32 provided with a pin 33. The pin 33 is guided with limited clearance in a track 34 which is formed on a plate 35 fast with the frame 3.

The track 34 has a shape which substantia.Lly reproduces that of the chain 10 and has a lower portion 36 which runs substantially alongside the working run 13, a straight upper portion 37 which runs substantially alongside the return run 15. The two portions, 36 and 37, are interconnected smoothly by two halfcircular portions 34.

Defined on the lower portion 36 is an inclined section 39 which causes the crank lever 30 to turn in a clockwise direction, and hence, the rocker arm 29 to pivot accordingly.

The quadriLateraL 19 changes its configuration causing the paddLe 9 to acceLerate its motion.

It shouLd be noted that the section 39 Locates aLong the Lower portion 36 such that the acceLerated motion wiLL take pLace as the paddLe 9 traveLs the articLe pick-up section 17 of its path 14.

ALso defined on the Lower portion 36 is an incLined section 40 at an opposite angLe from that of the section 39. The incLined section 40 causes the crank Lever 30 to turn in a countercLockwise direction, and hence, the rocker arm 29 to pivot accordingLy. The quadriLateraL 19 changes its configuration back to the originaL one, thus cleceLerating the paddLe 9 motion.

It shouLd be noted that the section 40 is Located aLong the portion 36 such that the cleceLeration wiLL take pLace as the paddLe 9 traveLs the away section 18 of its path, preparatory to traveLLing a return path 41 back to above the beLt 4.

Thus, the incLined section 39 wiLL act on the paddLes 9 Located at the beLt 4 to acceLerate their motion. On the other hand, the incLined section 40 wiLL act on those paddLes which are moving away from the beLt 4 and are to be broughs.'back to the beLt 4 through the return run_15, to retard their motion.

AdvantageousLy, the machine 1 comprises a unit 42 provided with a rotary cam striker 43 which traveLs through a circuLar path 44 interfering with an articLe 2 downstream from the beft 4. The unit 42 is supported on the frame 3 such that the striker 43 wiLL faciLitate the separation of an articLe 2 from its paddLe 9 upon the Latter compLeting its away path 18.

That separation couLd be hindered, in fact, by some particuLar sticky contact occurring between the articLe and the paddle during the acceleration imparted by the paddle on the article in the pick-up section.

The method of this invention, as implemented on the machine disclosed hereinabove, will be now described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Pastry articles 2 being delivered on the conveyor belt 4 and abutting against the detent 6 are picked up, one by one, by each paddle 9, which travels a first approaching section wherein it is still out of contact with the article, an article pick-up section 17 wherein it picks up the article from the belt, and an article removal section wherein a paddle takes the article away from the belt.

It should be noted that the method comprises a step wherein the paddles arriving at the belt are slowed down to increase the paddle pitch distance across the detent, that is to increase the distance from a paddle arriving at the belt to a paddle which has just picked up an article from the belt.

The decelration of the oncoming paddle to the belt and acceleration of the paddle moving away-from the belt produce an increase of the pitch between the two paddles, thereby an article in the queue to be picked up will readily reach the detent and be ready for engagement by the oncoming paddle.

The method according to the invention affords the major advantage of providing for a high rate of article pick-up from the.delivery conveyor belt, and an uncommonly gentle article pick-up action.

In addition, the machine as implemented can have compact size dimensions.

Further, due to the limited speed of the chain, it is to be expected that the inventive machine can operated smoothly, faultlessly and without costly maintenance for a long time.

Understandably, a skilled person in the art may, in order to meet specific contingent demands, introduce a number of modifications and changes without departing from the true scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

1

Claims

1. A method of picking up pastry articles (2) being delivered on a conveyor belt (4) of a packaging machine (1) and held back by a detent (6) overlying the conveyor belt (4), by means of a transfering device (8) comprising a plurality of paddles (9) carried at pitch distances on an endless chain (10) having a working run (13) which extends above the conveyor belt (4) in a transverse direction thereto, characterized in that it comprises a step wherein the paddles (9) are slowed down on approaching the conveyor belt (4) to thereby increase the paddle (2) pitch across the detent (6).

i. A pastry article (2) packaging machine (1) of a type comprising, within a machine frame (3), a conveyor belt (4) for delivering the pastry articles (2), a detent (6) on said belt (4) for said oncoming pastry articles (2)., a transfering device (8) comprising a plurality of paddles (9) arranged at pitch distances along an endless chain (10) having a working run (13) which extends above.the belt (4) crosswise thereto to pick up a pastry article (2) held back by the detent (6), characterized in that the paddles (9) are supported on the chain (10) via an articulated quadrilateral (19) under control by a drive means (20).

3. A packaging machine according to Claim 2, characterized in that the articulated quadrilateral (19) comprises a fixed side (21) associated with the chain (10) and a moving side (25) associated with the paddle (9), as well as two interconnecting rocker arms (28,29), the drive means (20) acting on one of said rocker arms (28,29).

4. A packaging machine according to Claim 3, characterized in that saiddrive means (20) comprises a crank lever (30) 1 4 made fast at one end (31) with one end of a rocker arm (29) being pivoted to the fixed side (21), and is provided at the opposite end (32) with a pin (33) engaged in a track (34) formed on the frame (3).

5. A packaging machine according to Claim 4, characterized in that said track (34) includes two inclined sections (39,40) set at opposite inclination angles for moving the crank lever (30) angularly in opposite directions, respectively a paddle (9) decelerating direction and paddle (9) accelerating direction.

6. A pastry article packaging machine substantially as herein describ ed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Published 1989 at The Patent Office, State House, 66/71 High Holborn. Iondon WCIR 4TP. Further copies maybe obtainedfrom The Patent Office. Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5'3RD. Printed by Multiplex bechniques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent, Con. 1/87

6. A packaging machine according to Claim 5, c,haracterized in that the paddle (9) decelerating inclined section (39) acts on paddles (9) oncoming to the conveyor belt (4).

7. A packaging machine according to Claim 6, characterized in that the paddle (9) accelerating inclined section (40) acts on paddles (9) positioned at the conveyor belt (4).

8. A packaging machine according to Claim 7, characterized in that it comprises a cam-type striker (43) mounted on the frame (3) and acting on the articles (2) to separate them from the paddles (9).

- io- Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows A pastry article packaging machine comprising a machine frame, a conveyor belt for delivering the pastry articles, a detent on said belt for said oncoming pastry articles, a transferring device comprising a plurality of paddles arranged at pitch distances along an endless chain having a working run which extends above the belt crosswise thereto to pick up a pastry article held back by the detent, characterised in that the paddles are supported on the chain via an articulated quadrilateral under control by a drive means.

2. A packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the articulated quadrilateral comprises a fixed side associated with the chain (10) and a moving side associated with the paddle (9), as well as two interconnecting rocker arms, the drive means acting on one of said rocker arms.

3. A packaging machine according to claim 2, wherein said drive means comprises a crank lever made fast at one end with one end of a rocker arm being pivoted to the fixed side, and is provided at the opposite end with a pin engaged in a track formed on the frame.

4. A packaging machine according to claim 3, wherein said track includes two inclined sections set at opposite inclination angles for moving the crank lever angularly in opposite directions, respectively a paddle decelerating direction and paddle accelerating direction.

1. 1 5. A packaging machine according to claim 6, wherein a cam-type striker is mounted on the frame for acting on the articles to separate them from the paddles.