GB2242184A

GB2242184A - Registering articles

Info

Publication number: GB2242184A
Application number: GB9006543A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keith Talmadge
Original assignee: Reed Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: Reed Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 1990-03-23
Filing date: 1990-03-23
Publication date: 1991-09-25
Anticipated expiration: 2010-03-23
Also published as: GB9006543D0; GB2242184B

Abstract

Apparatus for registering articles, eg. stacks, in position for cartoning comprises a support (2) for receiving a product P, a drive means (3) for moving the support (2) along an arcuate path and a guide means (4) disposed adjacent to the arcuate path to position the product P. The drive means (3) is arranged to move the support (2) at a speed to cause the product P to engage the guide means (4), whereby the guide means (4) guides the product P into position. This ensures that the correct position of the product for dropping into a box B is achieved at the end of the movement of the support (2) if the product P is initially incorrectly located or misaligned on the support (2). <IMAGE>

Description

PRODUCT TRANSFER APPARATUS The invention relates to product transfer apparatus for moving a product to a desired position.

It is known to load a stack of paper sheets into a carton by engaging the stack and pushing it horizontally into the carton. With this loading system the stack may be incorrectly positioned and the sheets may be misaligned with each other and thus interfere with closure of the carton.

According to the invention there is provided product transfer apparatus comprising a support for receiving a product, drive means for moving the support along an arcuate path to position the product, and guide means disposed adjacent to the arcuate path, the drive means being arranged to move the support at a speed to cause the product to engage the guide means, whereby the guide means guides the product into position.

The invention also provides a method of transferring a product, the method comprising receiving the product on a support, moving the support along an arcuate path, the support being moved at a speed to cause the product to engage guide means disposed adjacent to the arcuate path, whereby the guide means guides the product into position.

With such an arrangement, if the product is initially incorrectly located or misaligned on the support, operation of the product transfer apparatus ensures that the correct position is achieved at the end of the movement of the support. The guide means is engaged by the product to provide guidance into the correct position. As well as performing a positioning function, the guide means will generally also tend to stabilise the product on the support during the movement along the arcuate path.

The product may be a single article or a plurality of articles. It is envisaged that the apparatus will be particularly useful for positioning a product in the form of a stack of sheet-like articles such as paper sheets, for example for loading such a stack into a receptacle such as a carton. The paper sheets can be accurately located in the carton whilst any initial misalignment of the sheets is corrected. Furthermore, the guide means will normally tend to prevent the paper sheets from becoming dislodged, e.g. flying outwardly, during the movement of the support, so that the stability of the stack is advantageously maintained.

Thus a preferred method comprises loading a stack of sheet-like articles into a receptacle.

In a preferred arrangement, the support has an upwardly facing surface for receiving the product thereon, and is arranged such that the surface faces downwardly after movement of the support along the arcuate path. Release of the correctly positioned product by the support can thus be simply achieved by reversing the direction of movement of the support. In use, the product will be received on the upwardly facing surface of the support which is then moved along the arcuate path, through an angle of substantially 180o, to a position in which the surface faces downwardly and the product is released in the correct position. Thus the apparatus has a "flip-over" action and is particularly suitable for loading open topped receptacles or cartons.

For simplicity of design, the arcuate path is preferably part-circular, the support having a fixed pivotal axis. It is preferred for the support to be spaced from the pivotal axis, so that in use the product received on the support is spaced from the axis rather than overlapping it.

The guide means will normally be located generally outwardly of the arcuate path of the support. It is desirable that the guide means should not interfere with any arrangements for feeding the product to and from the support (product infeed and outfeed). Accordingly the guide means may be spaced, e.g. upwardly, from the support in its receiving position and also spaced, e.g.

upwardly, from the position adopted by the product after the arcuate movement. The guide means will normally be appropriately adapted for the particular product to be transferred, and may take the form of one or more guide rails of e.g. part-circular shape. In the case of a stack of circular articles, such as tachographs, the guide means may consist of a pair of laterally spaced guide rails arranged to be engaged by respective circumferentially spaced portions of the stack during the arcuate movement thereof. Such an arrangement produces accurate guidance and stability.

Although the drive means may take various forms, in a preferred embodiment it comprises a pneumatic rotary cylinder. This can provide the necessary speed of movement of the support whilst being reversible to return the support to the product receiving position after each transfer operation.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevation view of product transfer apparatus in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

The product transfer apparatus 1 comprises a support 2 for receiving a product P such as a stack of paper sheets, a pneumatic rotary cylinder 3 for driving the support 2 through substantially 180 about the axis of the cylinder 3, and a pair of laterally spaced guide rails 4 for guiding the product during the rotational movement. An infeed mechanism (not shown) is provided to push the product P from a feed tray 5 onto an upwardly facing surface of the support 2 against two laterally spaced upright locating posts 6 disposed in a radially inner region of the support. The upstream ends 4a of the guide rails 4 are upwardly spaced from the support 2 when in its initial position to avoid interference with the infeed of the product P onto the support.

The apparatus has at its downstream end a product receiving channel 7 arranged substantially perpendicularly to the plane in which the product is rotationally moved. An outfeed mechanism (not shown) is provided to locate an open-topped box B for receiving the product beneath the support 2 when in its final position. Arrow 8 indicates the direction in which the box B is moved along the channel into and out of position. In order to avoid interference with the box moving along the channel 7 the downstream ends 4b of the guide rails 4 are upwardly spaced from the channel 7 and from the upper portions of the box. The guide rails are supported from above by support member 9.

Figure 1 shows the support 2 and product P in an initial position 10, an intermediate, substantially vertical position 11 (dotted lines), and a final position 12 (dotted lines). In use, the rotary cylinder 3 drives the support 2 at a speed sufficient to cause the product P, such as a stack of paper sheets, to move outwardly against the guide rails 4 which then guide the product to position 12 where the support is arrested and the product drops into position in the box B. The rotary cylinder 3 reverses its action and the support 2 is returned empty to the initial position where it receives another product P from the infeed mechanism.

At the same time the loaded box B is conveyed along the channel 7 and a new box is brought into position in time to receive the next product P from the support 2.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Product transfer apparatus comprising a support for receiving a product, drive means for moving the support along an arcuate path to position the product, and guide means disposed adjacent to the arcuate path, the drive means being arranged to move the support at a speed to cause the product to engage the guide means, whereby the guide means guides the product into position.

2. Product transfer apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support has an upwardly facing surface for receiving the product thereon, and is arranged such that the said surface faces downwardly after movement of said support along the arcuate path.

3. Product transfer apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the arcuate path is part-circular, the support having a fixed pivotal axis.

4. Product transfer apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the support is spaced from the pivotal axis, so that in use the product received on the support is spaced from the axis.

5. Product transfer apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the guide means is located generally outwardly of the arcuate path of the support.

6. Product transfer apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the guide means is spaced from the support in its receiving position and also spaced from the position adopted by the product after the arcuate movement.

7. Product transfer apparatus as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the guide means comprises a pair of laterally spaced guide rails.

8. Product transfer apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the drive means comprises a pneumatic rotary cylinder.

9. A method of transferring a product, the method comprising receiving the product on a support, moving the support along an arcuate path, the support being moved at a speed to cause the product to engage guide means disposed adjacent to the arcuate path, whereby the guide means guides the product into position.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the guide means is located generally outwardly of the arcuate path of the support.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the product comprises a stack of sheet-like articles.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the stack of sheet-like articles is loaded into a receptacle.

13. Product transfer apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

14. A method of transferring a product substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.