IT202100012758A1 - Bar conveyor, particularly for the food industry. - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

of the invention entitled:

"Bar conveyor, particularly for the food industry?

The present invention relates to a bar conveyor, particularly for the food industry.

Bar conveyors are known, used in particular in the food industry both inside particular systems (driers, coolers, leaveners, ovens, etc.) and as a ?conveyor? to connect machinery of the same or of different plants to each other.

These known bar conveyors generally comprise a plurality of of metal bars, which are provided in their terminal sections with blocks of plastic material (fins) for the guide of the bars themselves along rails constrained to structural elements of the plant, and bear welded at the ends links of chains linked together and configured so as to carry out more? functions: in fact they keep the bars bound together, while allowing them limited relative movements towards, away from and angular; furthermore they can be provided with teeth which can be engaged by gear wheels for moving the chains, and therefore the entire bar conveyor, along the guide rails.

An example of these well-known bar conveyors? described in EP 2248741 .

In these known bar conveyors the distance between them ? determined by the pitch of the chains welded to their ends? and is generally chosen so as to satisfy medium requirements in terms of the dimensions of the products to be transported, in the sense that excessive distances between bars do not allow the transport of products that are too small, while reduced distances in order to transport small-sized products excessively limit the radius number of curves that the bar conveyor must be able to perform.

The ideal would be to be able to create bar conveyors for each plant with a pitch defined on the basis of the configuration of the plant and the products to be transported, but what? would it lead to excessive variability? of conveyors with unacceptable production costs and moreover it would make the conveyors too rigid, which would not lend themselves to being used in plants intended to transport products of various sizes.

Because of this ? in general it is preferable to adopt an average distance between the conveyor bars, equal to about 32-36 mm, as it is considered a good compromise between conflicting needs. Obviously, in line with this choice, the links of the chains are also made and welded to the ends. of the bars.

Other solution? to make the conveyors having a standard distance between the bars and to weld to each bar an additional intermediate bar having the ends? do you fold 90? in order to be butt-welded to the traditional conveyor bars. Is this solution? proved valid in the sense that it made it possible to reduce the distance between the bars of a traditional conveyor, but at the same time yes? proved laborious and expensive for the necessity? to bend the additional bars and weld them to the conveyor bars, which could also weaken and deform as a result of the welds.

Another known solution consists in applying plastic or stainless steel nets between the conveyor bars, which in practice close off the space delimited by adjacent bars.

Is this solution too? proved valid from the point of view of the use of the bar conveyor for small-sized and/or soft products, but at the same time it highlighted its limitations due to the difficulty? cleaning the conveyor, especially if this ? intended for its use in the food industry.

Purpose of the invention? to create a bar conveyor, particularly for the food industry, which eliminates all the drawbacks recognizable in the state of the art.

In particular, the purpose of the invention? to modify a traditional type of bar conveyor, and what? a conveyor in which the bars are spaced apart to an extent compatible with the particular nature and/or size of the products to be transported, so as to achieve it with bars closer together.

Another purpose of the invention? to create a conveyor with closely spaced bars, which can arrange itself according to a curved pattern with a radius of curvature similar to that of traditional conveyors, and that is? with widely spaced bars.

Another purpose of the invention? to create a conveyor with close bars, which does not involve cleaning operations anymore? more complex and expensive than those required for widely spaced bar conveyors.

Another purpose of the invention? to modify a traditional bar conveyor into a more closely spaced bar conveyor, in a simple, practical and low cost way.

All these objects and others which will result from the following description are achieved both jointly and severally with a bar conveyor as defined in claim 1.

The present invention is hereinafter further clarified in some of its preferred embodiments shown for purely exemplifying and non-limiting purposes with reference to the attached tables of drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a portion of the bar conveyor according to the invention,

figure 2 shows it in perspective view in a different configuration, figure 3 shows in perspective view a flap of the conveyor in a first embodiment,

figure 4 is a perspective view of an additional flap of the conveyor in a first embodiment,

figure 5 is a perspective view of a flap of the conveyor according to the invention in a second embodiment,

figure 6 shows it in a third embodiment,

figure 7 shows it in a fourth embodiment,

figure 8 is a perspective view of an additional flap in a second embodiment,

figure 9 is a perspective view of a flap of the conveyor according to the invention in a fifth embodiment,

figure 10 shows in perspective view an additional flap in a third embodiment,

figure 11 shows it in perspective view in a sixth embodiment, figure 12 shows it in this sixth embodiment in a different perspective view,

Figure 13 shows in perspective view a portion of the bar conveyor according to the invention using flaps in this sixth embodiment, and

Figure 14 is a perspective view of a portion of a bar conveyor using Genovese-type chains.

As can be seen from fig. 1, the bar conveyor according to the invention ? of the same type of conveyor described in EP 2248741, and more? particularly includes a plurality? of bars 2, which are bound to each end? to a chain link 4.

Pi? particularly, each link 4 ? obtained from an essentially U-shaped steel plate with two arms 6,6?, which in the apical section are closer together and in the distal section are further spaced apart so as to house the apical section of the link 4 a upstream, with reference to the forward direction of the conveyor, indicated by the arrow 8 in fig.1.

Furthermore, the outer arm 6 of each link 4 is affected by a tooth 10 which protrudes outwards to be engaged in the traditional way by a toothed wheel 12, which with its rotation around its axis, which is? orthogonal to the transport plane defined by the bars 2, makes the bar conveyor advance along guide rails 14.

The concatenation between the various links 4 provides in the traditional way that the end section of each bar 2 passes through a hole obtained at the end? distal of each arm 6,6? of each link 4, to then be welded to the tooth 10, which develops from the external arm 6, and at the same time passes through two slots 16, obtained at the end? apical of arms 6,6? of the adjacent upstream link, so that the various links 4 are constrained to each other but at the same time can perform limited reciprocal longitudinal movements, necessary because? the conveyor can make curved paths.

Similarly to known bar conveyors, also in the conveyor according to the present invention each pair of adjacent bars 2? associated, close? of each mesh 4 and therefore in the vicinity? of each end? of each bar 2, a flap 18, made of plastic material, which has the function of connecting adjacent bars to each other, while allowing them a certain mobility? reciprocal, and in certain cases to constrain them in a sliding manner to the guide rails 14. For this purpose, each tab 18, illustrated in detail in fig. 3 in a first embodiment, has a hole 20 on one side (in the drawings this hole 20 is shown open, but could also be closed) and an open slot 22 on the opposite side, along which it can scroll the bar 2 adjacent to the valley, and cio? the bar that passes through the slots 16 obtained in the apical portion of the arms 6,6? of that mesh 4 and engages in the holes obtained at? distal of arms 6,6? of the adjacent mesh downstream.

However, unlike the fins of traditional conveyors, the fins 18 of the bar conveyor according to the invention are involved, in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 3, by a third hole 24, located in a central position in the flap 18, at the same level as the upstream hole 20 and the downstream slot 22. It can? be completely separated from? slot 22 or pu? communicate with this through an opening 26 with a height lower than the diameter of the bars 2.

The function of this third hole 24 ? to receive a third bar 2?, that when the conveyor ? operating on a rectilinear section and has its bars 2 more spaced apart from each other, it is in a position substantially equidistant from the adjacent bars 2, which are the bars of a traditional conveyor, and constitutes an intermediate bar 22, which practically halves the distance between the adjacent bars 2.

In this way, without modifying the characteristics of a traditional bar conveyor, but simply replacing the traditional sliding flaps of the conveyor along the guide rails 14 with the flaps 18 according to the invention, Is it possible to double the number of bars of the conveyor and therefore make it suitable for transporting products of small dimensions and/or with a much thicker consistency? tender.

In practice, and unlike traditional bar conveyors, in the conveyor according to the invention the tabs 18 perform a new function, not provided in traditional conveyors, and that is the support function of an intermediate bar 2?.

From a constructive point of view, each fin 18 ? made of plastic material with a traditional injection process. The making of the central hole 24 for the engagement of the additional bar 2? ? obtained with a dowel to be applied to the mold when this central hole 24 must be obtained, and to be removed when this central hole 24 is not? required.

In this way ? It is possible to obtain with the same mold both traditional fins without a central hole 24 and fins 18 provided with a central hole 24, which when not? required would constitute an unwanted receptacle of dirt and would make it more? difficult to clean the bar conveyor.

How to ? said, the central hole 24 can? be circumferentially closed, and in this case the? engagement by the additional bar 2? ? obtained by axial insertion, or, as indicated in the drawings, pu? be communicating with the slot 22 through the opening 26, and in this case the engagement by the additional bar ? obtained by snapping for lateral insertion.

Also the buttonhole 22 can? be advantageously made with an interchangeable insert, which in this way allows to make wings 18 with slots 22 having different lengths, in order to be able to make bar conveyors able to arrange themselves on curved paths with different radii of curvature.

? it should be noted that in the bar conveyor according to the invention, similarly to traditional bar conveyors of this type, two bars 2 are associated with each fin 18, which are welded to two adjacent links 4 and therefore the number of fins 18 ? equal to half of the number of links 4 of each chain.

There? implies that each intermediate bar 2? halves the distance between two bars 2 associated with the same fin 18 but does not halve the distance between two adjacent bars 2 associated with two different fins 18.

To this end, the invention can advantageously provide for the use of additional tabs 28, which in practice have no function of sliding constraint of the conveyor to the guide rails 14, but have the sole function of supporting an intermediate bar 2? between adjacent bars 2 associated with different fins 18.

This additional fin 28, illustrated in FIG. 4 has in practice the shape of the central horizontal band of the fins 18 and that is? ? interested in one end? by an open hole 20 for the fixed engagement of a bar 2 of the conveyor, ? interested in? the other extremity? by an open slot 22 for the sliding engagement of the adjacent bar 2 and ? affected centrally by a hole 24, which pu? be closed or communicating with the slot 22, due to the constraint of the additional bar 2?.

In a different embodiment of the wings 18, illustrated in figs. 5 and 6, the upper part 30 of each flap 18, which has the function of lateral containment of the products placed on the bar conveyor and can generally be affected by a ventilation opening 32, according to the invention it can? be provided, in addition or in place of this ventilation opening 32, with one or more? holes 34 engagement by additional bars 36 which, being placed at a higher level than the plane defined by all the other bars 2,2?, have the function of pusher or pushing bar for the products placed on the bars 2,2?.

In fig. 5 ? illustrated is a flap 18 with a single hole 34 made in its upper part 30 for the insertion of a push bar 36, while in fig. 6 ? illustrated the flap 18 with two superimposed holes 34, for the insertion of a pair of push bars 36.

These thrust bars 36 can be mounted on each flap 18 or even every several flaps, according to the requirements, which are generally linked to the dimensions of the products to be transported.

In the drawings push bars 36 with a circular section have been indicated and consequently also the holes 34 obtained in the upper part 30 of the fins 18 for their engagement are circular, but the invention foresees that these push bars 36 can also have different sections and that therefore also the holes 34 have a correspondingly different shape.

In fig. 7 ? illustrated is a flap 18 of the bar conveyor according to the invention with the upper part 30 having a reduced height. It can be used when the type of products to be transported does not require side containment sides. Conversely, in fig. 8 ? illustrated an additional flap 28 provided, like the flap 18, with an upper edge 30 affected by a ventilation opening 32.

The invention, however, provides all the possible combinations of characteristics and what? flaps 18 and additional flaps 28 with or without vent openings 32, with or without holes 34 for push bars 36 and with or without a top guard.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 the? fin 18? ? made in such a way as to highlight two staggered and partially overlapping portions, and what? a portion, which constitutes a real side rail and ? affected by the lateral hole 20 and by the central hole 24, and a portion without a side and preferably partially superimposed inside the assembled conveyor, which is affected by a hole extending the hole 24 and by the slot 22 and extends downwards to form the sliding engagement element with the guide rail 14.

This subdivision of the flap into two staggered and partially overlapping portions allows the use of flaps of a single type, which partially interpenetrate during the packing of the conveyor in the curvilinear paths. However, the same subdivision can be adopted also for the additional fins 28, such as ? illustrated in fig.10.

The same principle of halving the pitch of the bars 2 of a conveyor thanks to the new function performed by the fins 18 associated with the links 4, and in particular to the function of supporting the intermediate bars 2? not bound to the links 4 of the handling chains, ? also applicable to a different embodiment of the fins, illustrated in figs.

11.12.

? it should be specified that the flaps 18 and the additional flaps 28, due to their asymmetry linked to their particular way of functioning, must be different according to whether they are applied to one side or to the other side of the bar conveyor. It follows that they require different molds for their realization by injection and also imply for the producer and for the user the need to to store fins of the two different types in the warehouse.

In this regard, the invention also provides, in the embodiment illustrated in figs. 11 and 12, that the wings can be indifferently mounted on the right side or on the left side of the bar conveyor. In particular, each flap 40 has a symmetrical shape with respect to a horizontal center line and comprises a flat shaped portion 42, elongated vertically and presenting a recess on one side, which corresponds on the opposite side to a protrusion affected by a hole 20?, similar to the hole 20 of the previous embodiments.

Three raised portions extend orthogonally from the flat portion 42 of the flap 40 and more? precisely two substantially cylindrical portions 44, placed at the ends? of the flat portion 42 and a third central portion 46, of an irregular shape, in which a hole 24? is obtained, similar to the hole 24 of the previous embodiments, and an open slot 22?, similar to the slot 22 of the previous embodiments.

It is easily recognized that, similarly to the previous embodiments, the hole 20? ? intended to be engaged by a bar 2 integral with a link 4, the buttonhole 22? ? intended to be engaged in a sliding manner by the bar 2 welded to the link 4 downstream, and the hole 24? ? intended to be engaged by an additional bar 2? placed between the previous 2 bars.

Can the two protruding portions 44 be affected by a hole 34? of engagement of a push bar 36 but also have the additional function of delimiting with the protruding central portion 46 passages for the guide rails 14, along which the bar conveyor must be able to slide.

Pi? particularly, the passage for the guide rail ? the one defined by the lower protruding portion 44 and by the central protruding portion 46 and, thanks to the symmetry of the fin 40, this can? be mounted in the two configurations rotated 180? and then can? be mounted on both the right and left side of the bar conveyor.

Obviously the flap portion 40 located above the bars 2,2?, which does not perform any function of tying the conveyor to the guide rails 14, can perform the function of a side rail for containing the products on the conveyor itself, as well as a support for a possible push bar 36.

In fig. 13 ? Illustrated is a portion of the conveyor bar utilizing flaps in this embodiment.

The description just given highlights a particular characteristic of the conveyor according to the invention, namely the fact that the chains and the lugs are linked to the bars 2 independently of each other, in the sense that there is no direct link between the lugs 18,28,40 and links 4. What? allows to apply the fins, regardless of the embodiment adopted, also to chains of different types, and in particular to a type of chain defined as ?Genoese?, formed by ring links 4?, linked together, each bearing a welded bar 2.

Conveyors of this type are generally used on different types of systems, in which the chains run along rectilinear guides and are engaged by gear wheels having an axis of rotation parallel to the loading surface of the conveyor.

In fig. 14 ? illustrated a portion of a belt conveyor moved by Genoese-type chains.

The present invention ? been illustrated and described in some of its preferred embodiments, but it is understood that executive variants can be made to them in practice without however departing from the scope of production of the present patent for industrial invention.

Claims (11)

1. Bar conveyor, in particular for the food industry, comprising a plurality of of bars (2) sustained near? of their extremities? by fins (18,18?,40) of constraint sliding to guide rails (14) and fixed at the ends? with chain links (4,4?) engageable by handling means and configured in such a way as to allow limited reciprocal approach movements between said bars (2), each of said fins (18,18?,40) presenting on one side a first hole (20,20?) for the stable connection of a bar (2) bound to a chain link (4,4?) and on the other side a slot (22,22?) for the sliding connection of a bar (2) constrained to the link (4) adjacent downstream, with reference to the direction of advancement of said chain, characterized by the fact that each of said tabs (18,18?,40) ? involved between said first hole (20,20?) and said slot (22,22?) by a second hole (24,24?), substantially equidistant from said first hole (20,20?) and from said slot (22, 22?) and intended for the constraint of an additional bar (2?), which is arranged between two bars (2) fixed to two adjacent links (4) and not ? attached to any link. 2. Bar conveyor according to claim 1 characterized in that said first hole (20,20?) formed on one side of each tab (18,18?,40) ? open due to the snap constraint of the corresponding bar (2). 3. Bar conveyor according to one or more? of the preceding claims characterized by the fact that said central hole (24,24?) obtained in each tab (18,18?,40) communicates with the corresponding lateral slot (22,22?) for the lateral snap insertion of said bar additional (2?) through said slot (22,22?). 4. Bar conveyor according to one or more? of the preceding claims characterized by the fact that each flap (1818?,40) ? provided with an upper part (30) facing upwards and affected by at least one hole (34,34?) for the constraint of a corresponding push bar (36) placed at a higher level than the remaining bars (2,2 ?) of the carrier itself. 5. Bar conveyor according to one or more? of the preceding claims characterized by the fact that each fin (18,18?,40) ? obtained by injection of plastic material into a mold provided with a removable insert for making said central hole (24,24?). 6. Bar conveyor according to one or more? of the preceding claims characterized by the fact that said fin (18,18?,40) ? made by injection of plastic material into a mold provided with more? interchangeable inserts for making buttonholes (22,22?) of different lengths. 7. Bar conveyor according to one or more? of the preceding claims characterized in that it comprises additional fins (28) to be interposed between adjacent bars (2) associated with adjacent fins (18,40), said additional fins (28) presenting at one end a first hole (20) for fastening a bar (2) associated with an upstream flap and at the end? opposite a sliding slot (22) of a bar (2) associated with the fin (4) adjacent downstream and a central hole (24) interposed between said first end hole? (20) and said slot (22) for the constraint of an additional bar (2?) which is interposed between two bars (2) associated with two adjacent flaps (18,40). 8. Bar conveyor according to one or more? of the preceding claims characterized in that said additional flaps (28) are provided with an upper containment side and possibly with a lower portion for sliding connection to a guide rail (14). 9. Bar conveyor according to one or more? of the preceding claims characterized in that each tab (18,18?,28,40) ? made in two staggered and partially overlapping parts, configured in such a way as to allow their partial interpenetration when the conveyor is working. packed. 10. Bar conveyor according to one or more? of the preceding claims characterized in that each fin (40) has a symmetry with respect to the horizontal median plane and comprises a shaped flat portion (42) with mainly vertical development and a central portion (46), partially superimposed on said flat portion (42) , which ? affected at both ends? by a protrusion (44) configured to cooperate with said central portion (46) to define an engagement passage of said guide rail (14). 11. Bar conveyor according to claim 10 characterized in that said projection (44) is affected by a hole (34?) engageable by said push bar (36).