GB2281272A - Transferring containers onto a conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for transferring containers, such as plastics milk containers, from the pack in which a plurality of such containers are provided and placing them in single file on a conveyor belt. The apparatus includes a back plate (18) on which a pack of bottles is received. The pack is moved upwardly over the back plate (18) by an elevating platform (28). The uppermost row of containers is swept by a sweep arm (26) onto a guide plate (24) which guides the row of bottles onto the conveyor (12). <IMAGE>

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING CONTAINERS ONTO A CONVEYOR This invention relates to a method and apparatus for transferring containers onto a conveyor. In particular, but not exclusively, it relates to a method and apparatus for removing containers from the package in which a plurality of such containers are provided and placing them in single file on a conveyor belt.

Plastics bottles, of the type in which, for example, milk and orange juice are sold in supermarkets and which may be used to contain almost any liquid, are sold by the manufacturer in substantially rectilinear packs wrapped in a "bag" of plastics material. The number of bottles contained in such packs varies according to the size of the bottle. For example, two pint oval bottles are sold in packs containing 144 bottles, four pint oval bottles in packs of 104 and six pint bottles in packs of 65. When such bottles are to be filled at a bottling plant, they must be placed, usually in single file, on a conveyor for transport through the filling machinery. For the filling machinery to function efficiently, it is important that the bottles are loaded quickly and in the correct orientation onto the conveyor.However, handling of the bottles is difficult because they are very light and hence are prone to falling or being blown over.

Also, the removal of the "bag" of plastics wrapping from the pack before the bottles are placed on the conveyor can cause the bottles to fall over or become misaligned.

Hitherto, the pack of bottles has been loaded horizontally onto apparatus for feeding the bottles onto a conveyor such that the bottles stand on their bases. However, this has the disadvantage that, when the plastics bag is removed, the bottles tend to fall over and become misaligned because they are not well supported, thus creating delays in the filling process.

Moreover, because they are free-standing, the bottles are susceptible to being blown or knocked over.

It is also known to load the pack onto a slope which is at an angle of about 45" such that the longitudinal axis of the bottles is at about 45" to the horizontal. In this case, the bottom row of bottles in the pack is removed onto the conveyor either manually or mechanically and the next row of bottles in the pack slides down the slope to replace the bottom row, from where it can be subsequently removed onto the conveyor.

With this arrangement, the removal of the bag can cause the bottles to become misaligned and also the output from such arrangements is not particularly fast.

Therefore, there exists a need for a method and apparatus in which the bag containing the pack of bottles can be removed easily and without causing the bottles to be misaligned and in which the bottles are placed on the conveyor quickly and efficiently.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for transferring containers from a pack to a filling plant, the pack comprising a plurality of rows of said containers located side by side with the base of each container positioned on a basal plane, wherein the apparatus comprises: a conveyor; at least one support surface extending in a direction substantially parallel to the run of the conveyor and mounted obliquely with respect to the conveyor, the support surface (in use) receiving a pack of containers such that the basal plane of the pack is substantially parallel to the plane of said support surface; a guide surface which extends from the top of said support surface towards said conveyor; means for moving the pack of containers generally upwardly along said support surface; and means for moving the uppermost row of containers from said support surface onto said guide surface, the arrangement being such that, in use, successive rows of said containers are ejected from the top of the support surface onto said guide surface and are guided thereby so as to be received on said conveyor in single file.

In one embodiment, the means for moving the uppermost row of containers comprises a member arranged to move in a direction transverse to the run of the conveyor. In this embodiment, the guide surface preferably is curved and slopes inwardly and downwardly from the top of the support surface towards the conveyor. The curved guide surface may be a curved plate.

In another embodiment, the means for moving the uppermost row of containers comprises a member arranged to move in a direction substantially parallel to the run of the conveyor. In this embodiment, the guide surface is preferably a bottle twist which extends from the top of the support surface towards the conveyor.

The conveyor may have spaced lugs between which the rows of containers are received. The means for moving the pack of containers generally upwardly may comprise a movable platform.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transferring containers from a pack to a filling plant, the pack comprising a plurality of rows of said containers located side by side with the base of each container positioned on a basal plane, wherein the method comprises: placing said pack on a support surface such that the axes of said rows of containers are substantially parallel to the run of a conveyor and the basal plane of the pack is oblique with respect to the horizontal; moving the pack of containers generally upwardly along said support surface; and moving the uppermost row of containers from said support surface onto a guide surface which extends from the top of said support surface towards said conveyor; the arrangement being such that successive rows of said containers are ejected from the top of the support surface onto said guide surface and are guided thereby so as to be received on said conveyor in single file.

In one embodiment, the uppermost row of containers may be moved from said support surface onto said guide surface in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the conveyor.

In another embodiment, the uppermost row of containers may be moved from said support surface onto said guide surface in a direction substantially transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyor.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a pack of two pint oval bottles: Figure 2 is a schematic side view of a first apparatus in accordance with the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a schematic end view looking in the direction of the arrow II of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a partial schematic perspective view of a modification of the apparatus of Figure 2; Figure 6 is a schematic plan view of a second apparatus in accordance with the present invention; Figure 7 is a partial schematic perspective view of a preferred construction of sweep arm used in the apparatuses of Figs. 1 and 6;; Figure 8 is a schematic end view of a third apparatus in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 9 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus of Figure 8.

Referring to Figure 1, plastics bottles 1 for containing liquids such as milk, orange juice, etc, are produced in a rectilinear pack 2 containing a plurality of bottles 1 wrapped in polythene. The number of bottles 1 in a pack 2 depends on the size of the bottle. For example, two pint oval bottles come in packs containing 144 bottles, the pack measuring approximately 945 x 1200 mm. Four pint oval bottles come in packs in containing 104 bottles, the pack measuring approximately 1048 x 1183 mm and six pint oval bottle packs contain 65 bottles and measure approximately 950 x 1183 mm.

Referring now to Figure 2, in a first embodiment in accordance with the present invention, apparatus 10 comprises a bottle handling unit 11 which has a conveyor 12 arranged to run through the unit 11 in the direction of arrow 13. The conveyor 12 is driven by means of a drive unit 14 and includes on its upper surface a plurality of equally-spaced lugs 15 (see Figure 3). The apparatus includes control panels such as panel 101 for controlling the operation of the apparatus.

As shown in Figure 3, the unit 11 comprises two substantially identical sides 16, 17, each arranged to receive a pack of bottles. Each side 16, 17 includes a back plate 18, 19 which, as explained in more detail below, supports the bases of the bottles received in the unit 11. Back plates 18, 19 are arranged such that they are at an angle of preferably between 45" and 90 , more preferably 80" and 90-, and most preferably 85" to the horizontal. Doors 20, 21, preferably constructed of clear plastics material, preferably acrylic, close sides 16, 17 respectively. The gaps between the back plates 18, 19 and the doors 20, 21 respectively define areas 22, 23 for receiving a pack of bottles.

Each side 16, 17 also includes an inwardly-sloping radiused plate 24, 25 and a sweep arm 26, 27 arranged on a cylinder 26a, 27a to be moveable backwards and forwards in the direction towards and away from the doors 20, 21. The sweep arms are preferably driven pneumatically.

Referring now to Figure 4, the apparatus also includes elevating platforms 28, 29 located between the back plates 18, 19 and the doors, 20, 21, respectively.

The platforms 28, 29 are driven up and down, as indicated by arrow 30, by means of drives 31, 32 and a chain arrangement (not shown). The drives 31, 32 are arranged so that the platforms 28, 29 move in the downward direction more quickly than in the upward direction. Each of the drives 31, 32 may be a geared electric motor incorporating a clutch-brake unit.

Alternatively, the drives may be raised and lowered pneumatically by means of air cylinders, or hydraulically.

The areas 22, 23 for receiving packs defined between doors 20, 21 and back plates 18, 19 are also delimited at each end by guide bars 33, 34. In an alternative arrangement (not shown), guide bars 33, 34 are present at only one end of the apparatus; a trolley which serves as a bottle support unit, and is movable towards and engageable with the main apparatus, is used at the other end to support the bottle packs and to delimit the areas 22, 23. Where such a trolley is used, it is preferably adapted to be positioned at the forward end of the apparatus with respect to conveyor direction 13.

As can also be seen from Figure 4, the radiused plates 24, 25 slope downwardly towards the conveyor 12 such that the portion of the plates adjacent the conveyor 12 is substantially vertical. Each side 16, 17 of the apparatus includes a photoelectric switch 37, 38 and a sensor 39 is located adjacent the conveyor 12 so as to be able to be activated by lugs 15 on the conveyor. The function of the photoelectric switches 37, 38 and sensor 39 will be described below.

In use, the guide bars 33, 34, platforms 28, 29 and back plates 18, 19 must be adjusted so that the machine can receive the selected size of bottle pack.

The back plates 18, 19 are movable towards and away from the doors 20, 21 by rotating handles 39 according to the height of the bottle to be used. In some embodiments, handle 40 is replaced by an automatic mechanism for adjusting the back plates. The back plates are preferably adjusted so that there is a gap of 20 mm between the top of the bottle and the door; this allows easy removal of the bag without causing the bottles to become misaligned, although it will be appreciated that the exact gap will vary according to the nature of the bottle used in the machine.

Platforms 28, 29 are adjustable to permit the platform area to be extended or retracted to suit different bottle sizes. Alternatively, the platforms may be removable and available in different sizes so that the appropriate size of platform can be placed in the apparatus for any given bottle pack. Also the gap between guide arms 33, 34, which are preferably held in place by means of wing nuts or the like, can be adjusted to accommodate variations in bottle height.

Once the above adjustments have been made so that the bottle pack can be snugly received, the machine is ready for operation. When a trolley unit is used in conjunction with the main machine, as described earlier, the trolley is wheeled into place adjacent the conveyor 12 and is locked to the frame of the main machine before the machine is operated.

With the door 20 open, a pack is placed on the platform 28. The bases of the bottles abut the back plate 18 and the handles of the bottles face the same direction as the direction of movement of the conveyor 12 (this allows labels to be attached to the correct face of the bottles at a later stage in the bottling process). Because the pack is loaded at an acute angle, the bottles lean on one another and hence do not easily become misaligned and cannot be blown over.

Where a trolley bottle guide unit is employed, this gives additional support to the bottle packs, particularly with large packs, at the forward end of the machine (with respect to direction 13).

A first control button (not shown) is then pressed to close the door 20. If preferred, the door 20 can be arranged to operate under manual control. The bag is then cut by an operator standing between the drive unit 14 and the unit 11, i.e. at the forward end with respect to the conveyor direction 13. Three cuts are preferred, these being arranged to intersect and being along the top, the side proximal to the conveyor 12 and the bottom of the pack. Where a trolley bottle guide unit is employed, this preferably includes a pivotal arm which functions as an equivalent delimiting means to the guide arms 33, 34; when a bag cutting operation is to be performed, the pivotal arm is swung away from the main body of the machine to facilitate the cutting operation. After cutting, the bag can be removed from the opposite end of the machine, i.e. the rearward end with respect to direction 13. Because of the snug fit of the pack in the machine and, and more importantly, the almost vertical disposition of the pack, the bottles do not become displaced when the bag is removed.

The operator can inspect the bottles through the clear door 20 and can remove any seriously damaged bottles or, if a bottle is misshapen, use an air gun to inflate the bottle to return it to its proper shape.

After this, a second control button (located, for example, in panel 101) can be pushed to start the machine.

The conveyor 12 moves until a lug 15 activates sensor 39 which causes the conveyor to stop. At the same time, the platform 28 is elevated by its drive 31 until the first row of bottles in the pack reaches the top of the radiused plate 24 and activates the photoelectric switch 37. This causes drive 31 to stop and sweep arm 26 to travel inwardly. The sweep arm 26 contacts the tops of the top row of bottles and pushes that row, base first, away from the pack and over radiused plate 24. Because of the curvature of plate 24, the bottles fall base-first onto conveyor 12. The row of bottles removed from the pack is received between adjacent lugs. The rearmost lug will support the rearmost bottle in the row and prevent it from falling over when the conveyor advances.

After a time delay sufficient to allow the bottles to fall onto the conveyor 12, the conveyor advances until the next lug activates sensor 39 to stop an empty portion of conveyor within the unit 11.

The arm 26 returns along cylinder 26a and the platform 28 is raised until the next row of bottles activates the photoelectric switch 37.

The process is then repeated with the subsequent rows of bottles being swept onto the conveyor until all of the bottles in the pack received on side 16 of the machine have been moved onto the conveyor. When this occurs, the other side 17 of the machine is activated and the bottles contained therein are moved onto the conveyor in the same way as described for side 16.

When no bottles are left, platform 28 raises until a lug on a drive chain (not shown) for platform 28 activates a top limit sensor. This causes the drive 31 of platform 28 to be reversed so that the platform is lowered until it reaches a lower limit sensor whereupon drive 31 stops and door 20 opens to receive the next pack of bottles. The platform is lowered more quickly than it is raised.

It will be appreciated from the above that the bottles can be removed from the pack and placed in single file on the conveyor for further transport through the filling plant.

If a problem occurs during the operating cycle, the appropriate side of the apparatus can be stopped by pressing a third control button (not shown) whereupon the platform will be brought to a halt.

As mentioned, after slitting and removal of the bag, it may be necessary to open the doors to remove or to inflate a misshapen bottle. In such circumstances, the doors can be opened manually or, for example, by switching a three-position switch (not shown) to the "door open" position. Then, after appropriate action has been taken, the doors can be made to close either manually or by turning the switch to the "door close" position. Once the doors have been closed, the three-position switch can be released whereupon it will centre itself to the "Auto" position ready for when the second control button is depressed. At any time, should both sides of the apparatus need to be stopped, an "emergency stop" button (not shown) can be depressed.To avoid overloading of the conveyor, the apparatus may also include a bottle build-up switch (not shown), located between the output of the apparatus and the filling plant, which will automatically stop the apparatus if it detects that the conveyor is full.

Figure 5 illustrates a modification to the apparatus shown in Figure 4. This modification comprises two curtains 41a, 41b flexible material, preferably lightweight plastics material, which are suspended above conveyor 12 and between radiused plates 24, 25 over the length of unit 11. Preferably, the bottom of curtains 41a, 41b is located approximately 300 mm above conveyor 12. The function of curtains 41a, 41b is to arrest slightly the fall of the bottles over radiused plates 24, 25. This ensures that the row of bottles is received more evenly onto conveyor 12 and thus reduces the possibility of bottles falling over and jamming the apparatus 10.

Figure 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the two sides 116, 117 of the bottle handling unit 111 are arranged in series on the conveyor 112, rather than being positioned backto-back as in the first embodiment. In use, the machine functions in substantially the same way as the first embodiment. However, owing to the modified arrangement of the sides, the bags are cut by an operator so as to be removed from the machine in the direction of the arrows X and Y. An advantage of this embodiment is that loading of bottle packs takes place on one side of the conveyor only; thus an operator has less distance to move when loading packs and removing bags. It will be appreciated each side 116, 117 of the unit 111 can be provided with a single curtain similar to curtains 41a, 41b to control the fall of the bottles onto conveyor 112.

A preferred construction of the or each sweep arm of the first and second embodiments is illustrated in Fig. 7.

The sweep arm 42 comprises an elongate plate member 43 which extends the length of the apparatus and has downwardly-extending inner 44 and outer 45 flanges.

Outer flange 45 is larger than inner flange 44 and serves to contact a row of bottles to sweep it over the adjacent radiused plate. Suspended beneath plate member 43 and between flanges 44, 45 is an elongate pressure plate 46 arranged to be moveable vertically, Preferably, pressure plate 46 is made of sheet metal.

In use, pressure plate 46 is moved upwardly by the uppermost row of a pack of bottles as that pack is itself moved upwardly over the back plate of the apparatus. Upward movement of plate 46 activates the photoelectric switch which causes the sweep arm 42 to travel in the direction of arrow 47.

Pressure plate 46 applies a downward force to the uppermost row of bottles and thus ensures that it is flat and level at its point of discharge onto the adjacent radiused plate, regardless of any variations in bottle shape or capacity. This reduces the possibility of the bottles becoming misaligned when they are swept onto the radiused plate.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a third embodiment in accordance with the present invention. In this embodiment, the arrangement for moving the uppermost row of bottles from a pack to the conveyor is altered.

As shown in Figure 8, the unit 211, which is arranged to receive a pack of bottles, includes a back plate 218, doors 220, an elevating platform 228 and guide bars 233 which are substantially identical to those described in the first embodiment.

However, rather than including a radiused plate and a sweep arm which is arranged to be moveable backwards and forwards in the direction towards and away from the doors, the machine has a sweep arm 226 arranged on a cylinder 226a to be moveable backwards and forwards in the direction of the run of the conveyor. As in the first embodiment, the sweep arm 226 is preferably driven pneumatically.

The machine 211 also includes a bottle twist 240 which runs from the top of the back plate 218 to the conveyor. The bottle twist is arranged to twist the bottles received thereon so that they are received base first on the conveyor.

In use, a pack of bottles is loaded into the apparatus in the same way as described for the first embodiment. However when the elevating platform 228 moves the pack upwardly so that the first row of bottles reaches the top of the back plate 218, the sweep arm 226 is activated and moves along the cylinder 226a in the direction of the run of the conveyor. This causes the uppermost row of bottles to be moved, in the direction of the run of the conveyor, on to the bottle twist 240. At this point, the bottles are aligned so that their bases abut the back plate. However, as they travel down the bottle twist to the conveyor, the bottles are twisted so that they are received on the conveyor base first.

It will be appreciated that a plurality of the machines in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention could be arranged in series on a conveyor.

Normally the machine will be situated at the start of the conveyor system of the filling plant, allowing sufficient space on either side for the doors 20, 21 to open and close, and with adequate room for the storage of bottle packs. The apparatus takes up a minimal floor area because the areas which receive the packs are arranged near vertically. The conveyor 12 may require a "crossover" conveyor unit with its own independent drive to convey the bottles on to the next stage in the filling process.

In certain embodiments, the conveyor 12 may have a moving belt arranged on either side thereof which travel in the same direction as the conveyor. These belts clamp the bottles in position as they are moved along the conveyor. Such belts may extend the entire length of the conveyor or just for a part thereof.

Preferably, such belts converge slightly within the bottle handling unit so that they grip the bottles received on the conveyor.

If required, the bag may be cut by means of, for example, a hot wire. The bag could then be removed either manually or mechanically.

It will be appreciated that the apparatus is not limited to conveying plastics bottles onto a conveyor; almost any container could be used, provided it is resilient enough to pass undamaged over the radiused plates and onto the conveyor.

Claims (16)

CLAIMS:

1. Apparatus for transferring containers from a pack to a filling plant, the pack comprising a plurality of rows of said containers located side by side with the base of each container positioned on a basal plane, wherein the apparatus comprises: a conveyor; at least one support surface extending in a direction substantially parallel to the run of the conveyor and mounted obliquely with respect to the conveyor, the support surface (in use) receiving a pack of containers such that the basal plane of the pack is substantially parallel to the plane of said support surface; a guide surface which extends from the top of said support surface towards said conveyor; means for moving the pack of containers generally upwardly along said support surface; and means for moving the uppermost row of containers from said support surface onto said guide surface, the arrangement being such that, in use, successive rows of said containers are ejected from the top of the support surface onto said guide surface and are guided thereby so as to be received on said conveyor in single file.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for moving the uppermost row of containers comprises a member arranged to move in a direction transverse to the run of the conveyor.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said member includes an elongate plate arranged, in use, to apply a downward pressure to said uppermost row of containers.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said guide surface is curved and slopes inwardly and downwardly from the top of the support surface towards the conveyor.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said curved guide surface is a curved plate.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, further comprising a sheet of flexible material arranged to hang over said guide surface such that, in use, said sheet contacts a row of containers as it is guided by said guide surface, thereby temporarily to arrest the fall of said containers onto said conveyor.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for moving the uppermost row of containers comprises a member arranged to move in a direction substantially parallel to the run of the conveyor.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said guide surface is a bottle twist which extends from the top of said support surface towards said conveyor.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said conveyor has spaced lugs between which the rows of containers are, in use, received.

10. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said means for moving the pack of containers generally upwardly comprises a movable platform.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, which further comprises a trolley unit which is movable towards and engageable with the main apparatus and is adapted to serve as a bottle support unit.

12. A method for transferring containers from a pack to a filling plant, the pack comprising a plurality of rows of said containers located side by side with the base of each container positioned on a basal plane, wherein the method comprises: placing said pack on a support surface such that the axes of said rows of containers are substantially parallel to the run of a conveyor and the basal plane of the pack is oblique with respect to the horizontal; moving the pack of containers generally upwardly along said support surface; and moving the uppermost row of containers from said support surface onto a guide surface which extends from the top of said support surface towards said conveyor; the arrangement being such that successive rows of said containers are ejected from the top of the support surface onto said guide surface and are guided thereby so as to be received on said conveyor in single file.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the uppermost row of containers is moved from said support surface onto said guide surface in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the conveyor.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the uppermost row of containers is moved from said support surface onto said guide surface in a direction substantially transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyor.

15. Apparatus for transferring containers from a pack to a filling plant substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, Figures 2-4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.

16. A method for transferring containers from a pack to a filling plant substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.