NL2027175B1 - Article Packing Method and Apparatus - Google Patents
Article Packing Method and Apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- NL2027175B1 NL2027175B1 NL2027175A NL2027175A NL2027175B1 NL 2027175 B1 NL2027175 B1 NL 2027175B1 NL 2027175 A NL2027175 A NL 2027175A NL 2027175 A NL2027175 A NL 2027175A NL 2027175 B1 NL2027175 B1 NL 2027175B1
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- Prior art keywords
- portioned
- conveyor
- articles
- formation
- article
- Prior art date
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B35/00—Supplying, feeding, arranging or orientating articles to be packaged
- B65B35/30—Arranging and feeding articles in groups
- B65B35/44—Arranging and feeding articles in groups by endless belts or chains
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B35/00—Supplying, feeding, arranging or orientating articles to be packaged
- B65B35/56—Orientating, i.e. changing the attitude of, articles, e.g. of non-uniform cross-section
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B5/00—Packaging individual articles in containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, jars
- B65B5/06—Packaging groups of articles, the groups being treated as single articles
- B65B5/061—Filled bags
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/02—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors
- B65G47/04—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles
- B65G47/06—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from a single group of articles arranged in orderly pattern, e.g. workpieces in magazines
- B65G47/08—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from a single group of articles arranged in orderly pattern, e.g. workpieces in magazines spacing or grouping the articles during feeding
- B65G47/082—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from a single group of articles arranged in orderly pattern, e.g. workpieces in magazines spacing or grouping the articles during feeding grouping articles in rows
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/22—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors
- B65G47/26—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual articles
- B65G47/30—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual articles during transit by a series of conveyors
- B65G47/31—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual articles during transit by a series of conveyors by varying the relative speeds of the conveyors forming the series
Abstract
An article packing method and machine for packing articles into a packing container receive articles from a supply flow in a supply direction onto a portioning conveyor to provide portioned sets of a predetermined number of overlapping articles in a portioned flow. ln each portioned set, each article overlaps a directly succeeding article and adjacent articles are separated by an intraset distance. Adjacent portioned sets are separated by an interset distance that is larger than the intraset distance. The intraset distance and the interset distance are provided by controlling the velocity of the portioning conveyor. A portioned set is discharged from the portioning conveyor onto an extraction conveyor while controlling a velocity of the extraction conveyor at a velocity associated with the velocity of the portioning conveyor. The portioned set is subsequently extracted from the portioned flow and discharged onto a formation surface by controlling a velocity of the extraction conveyor at a velocity that is sufficient to provide said portioned set onto the formation surface before a first article from a succeeding portioned set is discharged from the portioning conveyor onto the extraction conveyor. The portioned set is finally provided from the formation surface into the packing container.
Description
-1- Article Packing Method and Apparatus
[01] The invention relates to an article packing method and apparatus for packing articles into a packing container. The articles are provided in a supply flow of articles and sets of articles are provided into the packing container.
[02] Such article packing methods and machines are very generally known. The articles can be any object or product to be packed, and may, for instance, be in the form of bags of crisps, sweets, etcetera. There are highly automated packing machines for packing high volumes of articles in a high volume of packing containers, such as packing boxes. These machines, and corresponding methods, are laid out for articles having specific dimensions to be packed into packing containers of specific dimensions for a specific configurations of articles packed in the packing containers. The degree of flexibility for packing another type of articles, or having another type of packing containers, or having another arrangement of articles in the packing boxes is very limited, and may require a large investment in time, tools and/or components to make the machine suited therefore. Such investment is quite often too high to do the effort.
[03] To allow for more flexibility and processing of lower volume articles, there are packing machines known that have a limited degree of automation. Some pre-arrangement of articles may be provided onto a conveyor, but subsequently it requires manual labor to provide the articles into packing containers and set the arrangement of the articles in the packing container by hand.
[04] It is an objective of the invention to provide an article packing method and machine that provides an enhanced degree of process automation, while still allowing for process flexibility.
[05] It is another or alternative objective of the invention to provide an article packing method and machine that allows handling and packing various types of articles, in various types of packing containers, in various sorts of configurations.
[06] It is yet another or alternative objective of the invention to provide an article packing method and apparatus that allows for consecutively processing relatively small batches of products and/or packing containers.
[07] It is yet another or alternative objective of the invention to provide a method and machine that provide for a low cost automation of packing lines.
[08] In an aspect the invention provides for an article packing method for packing articles into a packing container, wherein the method comprises 40 - providing articles in a supply flow of articles in a supply direction to a portioning
-2- conveyor such that the articles can be arranged in the supply direction on the portioning conveyor in a manner that an article overlaps a directly succeeding article by controlling a velocity of the portioning conveyor at an appropriate velocity in relation to the supply flow; - receiving articles from the supply flow onto the portioning conveyor to provide portioned sets of a predetermined number of overlapping articles in a portioned flow of articles in the supply direction on the portioning conveyor, wherein, in each portioned set, each article overlaps a directly succeeding article and adjacent articles are separated by an intraset distance as measured between leading ends of adjacent articles, wherein adjacent portioned sets are separated by an interset distance as measured between leading ends of a last article in a portioned set and a first article in a succeeding portioned set, and wherein the intraset distance and the interset distance are provided by controlling the velocity of the portioning conveyor to have the interset distance larger than the intraset distance; - discharging a portioned set from the portioning conveyor onto an extraction conveyor and receiving said portioned set in the portioned flow from the portioning conveyor in the supply direction onto the extraction conveyor while controlling a velocity of the extraction conveyor at a velocity associated with the velocity of the portioning conveyor; - extracting said portioned set received in the portioned flow on the extraction conveyor in the supply direction from the portioned flow and discharging said portioned set from the extraction conveyor onto a formation surface by controlling a velocity of the extraction conveyor at a velocity that is sufficient to provide said portioned set onto the formation surface before a first article from a succeeding portioned set in the portioned flow is discharged from the portioning conveyor onto the extraction conveyor; - receiving said portioned set from the extraction conveyor in the supply direction onto the formation surface; and - providing said portioned set from the formation surface into the packing container.
[09] In another aspect the invention provides for an article packing apparatus for packing articles into a packing container, wherein the apparatus comprises a portioning conveyor configured to allow receiving articles provided in a supply flow of articles in a supply direction to the portioning conveyor such that the articles can be arranged in the supply direction on the portioning conveyor in a manner that an article overlaps a directly succeeding article by controlling a velocity of the portioning conveyor at an appropriate velocity in relation to the supply flow; an extraction conveyor, and a formation surface, wherein the article packing apparatus is configured for - providing articles in a supply flow of articles in a supply direction to a portioning conveyor such that the articles can be arranged in the supply direction on the portioning conveyor in a manner that an article overlaps a directly succeeding article by controlling a velocity of the portioning conveyor at an appropriate velocity in relation to the supply flow; - receiving articles from the supply flow onto the portioning conveyor to provide portioned sets of a predetermined number of overlapping articles in a portioned flow of 40 articles in the supply direction on the portioning conveyor, wherein, in each portioned set,
-3- each article overlaps a directly succeeding article and adjacent articles are separated by an intraset distance as measured between leading ends of adjacent articles, wherein adjacent portioned sets are separated by an interset distance as measured between leading ends of a last article in a portioned set and a first article in a succeeding portioned set, and wherein the intraset distance and the interset distance are provided by controlling the velocity of the portioning conveyor to have the interset distance larger than the intraset distance; - discharging a portioned set from the portioning conveyor onto an extraction conveyor and receiving said portioned set in the portioned flow from the portioning conveyor in the supply direction onto the extraction conveyor while controlling a velocity of the extraction conveyor at a velocity associated with the velocity of the portioning conveyor; - extracting said portioned set received in the portioned flow on the extraction conveyar in the supply direction from the portioned flow and discharging said portioned set from the extraction conveyor onto a formation surface by controlling a velocity of the extraction conveyor at a velocity that is sufficient to provide said portioned set onto the formation surface before a first article from a succeeding portioned set in the portioned flow is discharged from the portioning conveyor onto the extraction conveyor; and - receiving said portioned set from the extraction conveyor in the supply direction onto the formation surface; and to allow - providing said portioned set from the formation surface into the packing container.
[10] The article packing method and apparatus according to the invention provide a portioned set of articles on the formation surface, which can then be easily handled further for packing into the packing container. It is only an easy adjustment in the method and machine to provide for a portioned set having a different number of articles. Further, it is very straightforward to design the packing machine such that articles of various size can be handled so that a very general purpose packing method and machine results.
[11] In an embodiment, the formation surface is provided by a formation conveyor and said portioned set is received from the extraction conveyor onto the formation conveyor while controlling a velocity of the formation conveyor at a velocity associated with the velocity of the extraction conveyor.
[12] In an embodiment, the intraset distance is provided by controlling the velocity of the portioning conveyor at a first velocity in relation to the supply flow, the interset distance is provided by controlling the velocity of the portioning conveyor at a second velocity in relation to the supply flow, and the second velocity is larger than first velocity.
[13] In an embodiment, the step of receiving a portioned set from the portioning conveyor onto the extraction conveyor comprises controlling the velocity of the extraction conveyor at a velocity equal to the velocity of the portioning conveyor.
[14] In an embodiment, the step of extracting said portioned set on the extraction conveyor from the portioned flow comprises controlling the velocity of the extraction conveyor at a third velocity larger than the second velocity.
40 [15] In an embodiment, the step of receiving said portioned set from the extraction
-4- conveyor onto the formation conveyor comprises controlling the velocity of the formation conveyor at a velocity equal to the velocity of the extraction conveyor.
[16] In an embodiment, the step of providing said portioned set from the formation surface into the packing container comprises - providing a back stop after said portioned set as seen in the supply direction and moving the back stop and said portioned set relatively towards one another for moving said portioned set and the back stop against one another to provide the articles in said portioned set in an upright orientation against one another.
[17] In an embodiment, the step of providing said portioned set from the formation surface into the packing container comprises - providing the back stop after said portioned set provided on the formation conveyor as seen in the supply direction; - moving said portioned set on the formation conveyor in a formation direction oppositely directed to the supply direction against the back stop to provide the articles in said portioned set in an upright orientation against one another; and - providing said portioned set having the articles in the upright orientation against one another into the packing container.
[18] In an embodiment, the step of moving said portioned set on the formation conveyor in the formation direction against the back stop to provide the articles in said portioned set in the upright orientation against one another comprises - driving the formation conveyor to convey said portioned set in the formation direction against the back stop to provide the articles in said portioned set in the upright orientation against one another.
[19] In an embodiment, the step of providing said portioned set from the formation surface into the packing container comprises - providing an end stop before said portioned set provided on the formation surface as seen in the supply direction and moving the back stop and the end stop relatively towards one another to provide the articles in said portioned set in an upright orientation against one another in between the end stop and the back stop.
[20] In an embodiment, the step of moving said portioned set on the formation surface in the formation direction against the back stop to provide the articles in said portioned set in the upright orientation against one another comprises - moving the end stop against said portioned set in the formation direction.
[21] In an embodiment, the end stop is one of attached to the formation conveyor to move together with the formation conveyor, and drivingly mounted alongside the formation conveyor to allow movement along the formation conveyor.
[22] Having the back stop and optionally the end stop as indicated allows to efficiently provide the articles in an upright orientation so that they can easily be placed in such upright vertical orientation into the packing box. Bringing the articles in the upright 40 orientation is efficiently carried out in the time interval that a next portioned set is provided
-5. on the extraction conveyor.
[23] In an embodiment, the step of providing said portioned set from the formation surface into the packing container comprises moving said portioned set from the formation surface in a move-out direction transverse to the supply direction and along the formation surface.
[24] In an embodiment, said portioned set is moved from the formation surface in the move-out direction using a pusher.
[25] Moving the portioned set from the formation surface in the defined move-out direction can be done very fast so that enough time is available for handling of the portioned set on the formation surface, and can be implemented in a straightforward manner.
[26] In an embodiment, the step of providing said portioned set from the formation surface into the packing container comprises - providing said portioned set from the formation surface onto a removable support surface; - providing the packing container below the removable support surface; and - removing the removable support surface to allow providing said portioned set into the packing container.
[27] The removable support surface provides a very efficient way of providing the articles into the packing box, especially in combination with the move-out direction from the formation surface.
[28] In an embodiment, more than one portioned set is provided from the formation surface onto the removable support before providing the portioned sets from the removable support into the packing container.
[29] In an embodiment, a confinement arrangement is provided around the removable support surface to keep the portioned set on the removable support surface in position. The confinement arrangement can also act a guiding wall when pushing portioned sets onto the removable support surface.
[30] In an embodiment, the confinement arrangement comprises walls that allow clamping said portioned set there between and providing the clamped portioned set into the packing container.
[31] In an embodiment, the removable support surface is removed to allow dropping said portioned set into the packing container.
[32] In an embodiment, the removable support surface is configured as two bottom slides that are movable in a horizontal direction into a closed position to allow supporting at least one portioned set thereon, and into an open position to allow said at least one portioned sets on the bottom slides to drop into the packing container.
[33] In an embodiment, the articles are bags filled with a product.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 40 [34] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the
-6- description of the invention by way of non-limiting and non-exclusive embodiments. These embodiments are not to be construed as limiting the scope of protection. The person skilled in the art will realize that other alternatives and equivalent embodiments of the invention can be conceived and reduced to practice without departing from the scope of the present invention. Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like or same reference symbols denote like, same or corresponding parts, and in which Figures 1A to 1H schematically depict a side view of an apparatus according to the invention and show various subsequent stages of the method according to the invention; Figures 2A and 2B schematically depict a top view of the apparatus of the above figures and show subsequent stages of the method according to the invention, with figure 2A showing the same stage as figure 1H; Figures 3A and 3B schematically depict a cross-section of a part of the apparatus of the above figures and show final subsequent stages of the method according to the invention, with figure 3A showing the same stage as figure 2B; Figure 3C schematically depicts a cross-section like in figures 3A and 3B, but of an alternative embodiment of the method and apparatus according to the invention; and Figure 4 shows a perspective view of an apparatus according to the invention.
[35] Figures 1A to 1H schematically show an embodiment of the method and the apparatus according to the invention for packing articles A into a packing container C. The articles shown are bags filled with products like crisps, fried onion rings, sweets, etcetera. The articles are provided in a supply flow FO of articles in a supply direction D1. In the embodiment shown, the articles in the supply flow FO are provided in an overlapping manner on a conveyor 10, but could be supplied in other ways as well. Another type of device 10 and method for providing a supply flow FO of articles is, for instance, shown in figure 4, and described in WO 99/10261 A1. The supply flow FO of articles is supplied to a portioning conveyor 110 of the packing machine 100 according to the invention. The articles are provided such in the supply flow FO in the supply direction D1 to the portioning conveyor 110 that the articles can be arranged in the supply direction on the portioning conveyor in a manner that an article overlaps a directly succeeding article (as seen with respect to the supply direction D1) by controlling a velocity of the portioning conveyor at an appropriate velocity in relation to the supply flow FO. By keeping the velocity of the portioning conveyor at a same velocity of the articles in the supply flow FO, a spacing between the articles A is maintained, while the spacing can be increased or decreased by controlling the velocity of the portioning conveyor at a relatively higher or lower velocity, respectively.
[36] The articles are received from the supply flow FO onto the portioning conveyor 110 to provide portioned sets S of a predetermined number of overlapping 40 articles A in a portioned flow F1 of articles in the supply direction D1 on the portioning
-7- conveyor. In each portioned set S, each article A overlaps a directly succeeding article and adjacent articles A are separated by an intraset distance h as measured between leading ends of adjacent articles. Adjacent portioned sets S are separated by an interset distance H as measured between leading ends of a last article in a portioned set S and a first article in a succeeding portioned set S. The intraset distance h and the interset distance H are provided by controlling the velocity of the portioning conveyor 110 to have the interset distance H larger than the intraset distance(h. The intraset distance h is provided by controlling the portioning conveyor 110 at a first velocity v1 in relation to the supply flow FO, and the interset distance H is provided by controlling the velocity of the portioning conveyor 110 at a second velocity v2 in relation to the supply flow FO, wherein the second velocity v2 is larger than first velocity v1.
[37] Figure 1A shows that articles A are received on the positioning conveyor 110 for providing a first portioned set S while the portioning conveyor 110 is driven at velocity v1. Figure 1B shows that a predetermined number of four overlapping articles A with mutual intraset distance h has been provided on the portioning conveyor 110 in a first portioned set. Figure 1B further shows that the portioning conveyor is now driven at the velocity v2 to provide for the interset distance H to the next, directly succeeding portioned set, which is the distance between leading ends of the last article in the first portioned set and the first article in the subsequent portioned set. The cycle of driving the portioning conveyor 110 at the first velocity vt and receive four overlapping articles A in a portioned set S and driving the portioning conveyor at the second velocity v2 to set the interset distance H to the next, directly succeeding portioned set is continuously repeated to provide a flow of portioned sets in the portioned flow F1 of articles.
[38] Figure 1C shows that two full portioned sets S have been provided on the portioning conveyor 110 from the supply flow FO, while a next portioned set is being provided onto the portioning conveyor at its receiving end by receiving articles from the supply flow FO and the portioning conveyor is driven at the first velocity v1. Figure 1C further shows that, at a discharging end of the portioning conveyor 110, articles of a portioned set S are discharged from the portioning conveyor and received onto an extraction conveyor 120. The portioned set S is received in the portioned flow FO from the portioning conveyor in the supply direction onto the extraction conveyor 120 by controlling a velocity of the extraction conveyor at a velocity associated with the portioning conveyor. The velocity of the extraction conveyor associated with the velocity of the portioning conveyor while receiving the portioned set onto the extraction conveyor maintains the integrity of the portioned set on the extraction conveyor. In the embodiment shown, the velocity of the extraction conveyor 120 is controlled at a velocity equal to the velocity of the portioning conveyor 110, so that the portioning conveyor 110 and extraction conveyor 120 basically act as a single conveyor while a portioned set is received onto the extraction conveyor. The portioned flow FO is continued onto the extraction conveyor 120 until a full portioned set S is received on the 40 extraction conveyor, as is shown in figure 1D.
-8-
[39] When the full portioned set S has been received on the extraction conveyor 120 in the portioned flow F1, the portioned set is extracted from the portioned flow and discharged from the extraction conveyor onto a formation surface 131 of a formation conveyor 130, as is shown in figure 1E. The extraction and discharge is done by controlling a velocity of the extraction conveyor 120 at a velocity that is sufficient to provide the portioned set S onto the formation conveyor 130 before a first article from a next, directly succeeding portioned set S in the portioned flow FO is discharged from the portioning conveyor 110 onto the extraction conveyor 120. In the embodiment shown, the extraction conveyor is driven at a third velocity v3 that is larger than the second velocity v2. The actual velocity of the extraction conveyor which is required for the extraction is, inter alia, determined by the length of a portioned set, the interset distance H, and the actual velocity at which the portioning conveyor is driven while extracting the portioned set. The portioned set S received from the portioning conveyor 110 on the extraction conveyor 120 is separated and extracted from the portioned flow FO in the supply direction D1 and is immediately discharged from the extraction conveyor and received by the formation conveyor 130. A velocity of the formation conveyor 130 is controlled at a velocity associated with the velocity of the extraction conveyor 120 to maintain integrity of the extracted portioned set S. In the embodiment shown, the formation conveyor 130 is driven at the third velocity v3 as well when receiving the portioned set from the extraction conveyor 120 driven at the third velocity v3 for a smooth transfer of the portioned set. The extraction conveyor 120 and the formation conveyor 130 basically act as a single conveyor when driven at equal velocity to extract a portioned set from the portioned flow F1. Figure 1F shows the portioned set provided on the formation conveyor 130.
[40] When the portioned set S has been provided onto the formation conveyor 130, a back stop 140 is provided after the portioned set, as is shown in figure 1G. In the embodiment shown, the back stop 140 is configured as a vertical wall that is projected upward in between the extraction conveyor 120 and the formation conveyor 130. An end stop 150 is present after the portioned set S that is provided on the formation conveyor. The end stop 150 is attached to the formation conveyor 130. After the back stop 140 has been put in position after the portioned set on the formation conveyor, as seen in the supply direction D1, the portioned set S is moved in the formation direction D2 that is oppositely directed to the supply direction D1. This is achieved by driving the formation conveyor 130 together with the attached end stop 150 in the formation direction D2 to move the portioned set against the back stop 140 to provide the articles A in the portioned set S in an upright orientation against one another. Since the articles in the portioned set are overlapping one another, they are in a slanted position, which results in bringing the articles in the upright orientation when the portioned set moves against the back stop 140. The last article in the portioned set as seen in the supply direction D1 is the first article as seen in the formation direction D2 and will move against the back stop 140 to put it in the upright orientation, while 40 the other articles are put in the upright orientation by moving against a preceding article as
-9- seen in the formation direction D2. Figure 1H shows the articles in the portioned set in their upright vertical position in between the back stop 140 and the end stop 150.
[41] In a next step, the portioned set S with the articles A in the upright orientation is to be pushed sideward in a move-out direction D3 transverse to the supply direction D1, as is shown in figures 2A and 2B. Figure 2A shows the portioned set S still present on the formation conveyor 130, while figure 2B shows that the portioned set S has been pushed onto a removable surface 170. The portioned set S is pushed by a pusher 160 onto the removable support surface 170 formed by two bottom slides 171, 172. The portioned set S on the formation conveyor 130 is pushed in the move-out direction D3 on the removable support surface 170, while being guided by back stop 140 and end stop 150 and guide walls 181, 182. Guide wall 181 is provided in line with back stop 140 and guide wall 182 is provided in line with end stop 150. Figures 2A and 2B show that two other portioned sets S have already been provided earlier on the removable support surface 170. A next portioned set S is pushed up to a portioned set S provided earlier on the removable support surface 170. An end wall 183 is provided to confine the portioned sets S on the removable support surface 170 together with the guiding walls 181, 182. In the embodiment shown, the three portioned sets S provided on the removable support surface 170 will fill a packing container C.
[42] Empty packing containers C are provided along a container track 190 to below the removable surface 170 as is visible in figures 2A and 2B. Figures 3A and 3B show a cross section of the part of the packing machine along the container track 190 at the position of the removable support surface 170. Figure 3A shows the same stage as figure 2B with three portioned sets S provided on the removable support surface 170 to fill a packing container C that has been provided under the removable surface 170. As a next step the bottom slides 171, 172 of the removable support surface are moved sideward. The articles A of the portioned sets S will remain in position between the confining guide walls 181, 182 and drop downward into the packing box C. The bottom slides 171, 172 will close again to present a removable support surface 170 for a next series of portioned sets to be provided on the removable support surface. In an embodiment, each bottom slide is configured in two or more sections that slide into each other when opening the bottom slides to provide a very fast opening and closing action of the bottom slides, which can be driven by pneumatic action. A filled packing box C is moved further along the container track 190, as is visible in figures 2A and 2B as well. The container track 190 is a slide track in the embodiment shown to provide packing containers by manual sliding, but can be configured as a conveyor for packing containers as well.
[43] Figure 3C shows an alternative embodiment having movable guide walls 181, 182 that are first moved inward to clamp the portioned set S between the guide walls. Subsequently, the bottom slides 171, 172 are opened and the guide walls 181, 182 together with the portioned set S are moved downward to position the portioned set S of articles into 40 the packing container C. The end wall 183 is provided in two parts, each part connected to
-10 - a movable guide wall 181, 182. After positioning the portioned set S into the packing container, the guide walls are moved outward to release the portioned set and moved upward. The bottom slides 171, 172 will then close to present a removable support surface 170 for a next series of portioned sets to be provided on the removable support surface. Figures 3A, 3B and 3C show that only a single layer of articles A is provided in the packing container C. In alternative containers and implementations of the method and apparatus, multiple layers of articles can be provided in the packing container.
[44] Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the apparatus 100 and method according to the invention, which generally corresponds to the apparatuses and methods as has been described with reference to the preceding figures. Similarities and differences are discussed below with reference to figure 4, while reference is made to the preceding figures as well.
[45] A supply flow of articles A is provided by device 10 for arranging articles A lying on entrance conveyor 11 into the supply flow FO of overlapping articles to portioning conveyor 110. The articles A lying on entrance conveyor 11 are provided to rotor 12 having slots, each slot taking up a lying article from the entrance conveyor 10 to provide the article to an upright position towards portioning conveyor 110. Such a device is disclosed in WO 99/10261 A1. By presenting an obstruction by flap 13 to the top end of the articles in the upright position in a row of upright articles after rotor 12, the row of articles is provided into a supply flow FO of overlapping articles on the portioning conveyor 110. Subsequently, the articles in the supply flow FO are provided into portioned sets S of articles in a portioned flow F1 of articles, and the portioned flow F1 of articles is provided to extraction conveyor 120, as has been described with reference to figures 1A to 1H.
[46] The extraction conveyor 120 of the embodiment of the apparatus 100 shown in figure 4 comprises consecutive first and second extraction conveyors 120.1, 120.2. The first extraction conveyor 120.1 directly behind portioning conveyor 110, as seen in the supply direction D1, is moving synchronously (“in sync”) with the portioning conveyor 110 when receiving a portioned set S of articles A from the portioning conveyor. The second extraction conveyor 120.2 directly behind the first extraction conveyor 120.1 moves in sync with the first extraction conveyor when articles of the portioned set S transfer from the first extraction conveyor 120.1 onto the second extraction conveyor 120.2. When the full portioned set S of articles has been provided onto the first and second extraction conveyors 120.1, 120.2 of extraction conveyor 120, the first and second extraction conveyors will be driven at the higher third velocity v3 in sync with the formation conveyor 130 to transfer the portioned set S of articles from the extraction conveyor 120 onto the formation conveyor 130. As soon as all articles A of the portioned set S have been transferred from the first extraction conveyor 120.1 to the second extraction conveyor 120.2, the first extraction conveyor 120.1 is put in sync again with the portioning conveyor 110 to allow receiving articles A from the portioning conveyor 110 onto the first extraction conveyor 120.1 for the next portioned set S. 40 The extraction conveyor 120 is now discharging articles of a portioned set from the second
-11 - extraction conveyor 120.2 onto the formation conveyor 130, while at the same time receiving articles of a next portioned set from the portioning conveyor 110 onto the first extraction conveyor 120.1. At the moment that all articles A of the portioned set S have been transferred from the second extraction conveyor 120.2 onto the formation conveyor 130, the second extraction conveyor 120.2 is put in sync with the first extraction conveyor 120.1 to allow receiving articles A in the next portioned set S from the first extraction conveyor 120.1 onto the second extraction conveyor 120.2. The second conveyor 120.2 is coupled by one- way type of bearings to the first extraction conveyor 120.1 and the formation conveyor 130 to be driven in sync with the one of those two conveyors having the highest velocity in the supply direction D1.
[47] Receiving of a portioned set S of articles onto the formation conveyor 130, and providing the articles in the portioned set into the upright position is done in the same manner in the figure 4 embodiment as has been described with reference to figures 1E to 1H. The back stop 140 is provided upwards from in between the extraction conveyor 120 and the formation conveyor 130. However, the end stop 150 is not attached to the formation conveyor 130 but driven by a separate drive 155 alongside the formation conveyor. The end stop 150 can be rotated upwards away from the formation conveyor to allow passing and rejecting articles from the formation conveyor 130 by transferring those articles to the end of and off the formation conveyor 130. When the articles A of the portioned set have been provided in the upright position in between back stop 140 and end stop 150, the portioned set S is pushed by pusher 160 onto a removable support surface 170 in between guide walls 181, 182. The pusher 160 is shown in a transparent fashion by dashed lining in order to allow a view on parts of the machine behind the pusher from the point of view of figure 4. This has only been done for illustration purposes.
[48] The position of the back stop 140 corresponds to the position of guide wall 181, and the position of the end stop 150 corresponds to the position of guide wall 182 when the articles of the portioned set have been put in the upright position in between the back stop 140 and the end stop 150 for transfer to the removable support surface 170. Guide wall extension 181A is an extension of the guide wall 181 and is positioned and shaped to provide a continuous transition from back stop 140 to guide wall extension 181A. In the same manner, guide wall extension 182A is an extension of the guide wall 182 and is positioned and shaped to provide a continuous transition from end stop 150 to guide wall extension 182A. Guide wall 181 has a slideable part 181.1 to allow closing a gap between guide wall extension 181A and guide wall 181 to provide a continuous transition from guide wall extension 181A to guide wall 181 including slideable part 181.1. The slideable part 181.1 is driven by a drive 181.2 along the guide wall 181. In the same manner, guide wall 182 has a slideable part 182.1 to allow closing a gap between guide wall extension 182A and guide wall 182 to provide a continuous transition from guide wall extension 182A to guide wall 182 including slideable part 182.1. This provides for 40 continuous composed guide walls 181/181.1/181A/140/181A and 182/182.1/182A/150,
-12- which provide there between a guided transition path from formation conveyor 130 to removable support surface 170.
[49] The end position of the end stop 150 along the formation conveyor 130 in the formation direction D2 for providing the articles A of a portioned set S in the upright position can be adjusted to a length L, as shown in figure 1H, of the portioned set in between the back stop 140 and the end stop 150 with its associated articles in the upright position. The length L corresponds to a dimension of the packing container C in which the portioned set of articles in the upright position is to be provided. The positions of the guide wall 182 with its slideable part 182.1 and the guide wall extension 182A can be set accordingly at a position along the formation conveyor 130 to adjust to the corresponding dimension of the packing container C to be filled with articles.
[50] The pusher 160 is driven by a corresponding drive 185 in the move-out direction D3 transverse to the longitudinal direction of the formation conveyor 130 and along the guide walls 181, 812 to transfer the portioned set S of upright articles A onto the removable support surface 170. As soon as a portioned set is moved onto the removable support surface 170, a next portioned set of articles is being received onto the formation conveyor 130. To allow the pusher 160 to move back to the other side of the formation conveyor 130, the drive 165 can move the pusher 160 in the vertical direction as well so that the pusher can hop over the formation conveyor 130, the end stop 150 and the next portioned set of articles on the formation conveyor, from the formation conveyor side associated with the removable support surface 170 to the opposing formation conveyer side that provides for the initial position of the pusher 160 for a pushing action against a portioned set of articles in the upright position. The pusher 160 is extendible along the formation conveyor 130 to allow adjusting to the length L of the portioned set of articles in the upright position as well.
[51] When a number of portioned sets of upright articles have been provided on the removable support surface to fill a layer of an associated packing container C, as is shown in figure 2B, the slideable parts 181.1, 182.1 of the guide wall 181, 182 are retracted away from the guide wall extensions 181A, 182A and the guide walls 181, 182 are moved inward to clamp the portioned sets of articles A on the removable support surface 170. Subsequently, bottom slides 171, 172 are opened to remove the removable support surface 170 from below the guide walls 181, 182 and the portioned article sets clamped between the guide walls 181, 182, and the clamped portioned sets are lowered into the packing container C below, as is shown in figure 3C by driving the guide wall 181, 182 downward. The guide walls 181, 182 will then release the portioned sets and move upwards again. Movement of the guide walls 181, 182 up and down and inward and outward is driven by drive 185. Drive 185 allows to lower portioned sets clamped between the guide wall 181, 182 to various height positions to allow filling of multiple layers into a packing container C. The length of the guide walls 181, 182 along the move-out direction D3 can be adjusted 40 through adjusting the position of the slideable parts 181.1, 182.1 to adjust to an associated
-13- dimension of the packing container C to allow lowering the guide walls 181, 182 including the slideable parts 181.1, 182.1 into the packing container, and to close a gap to the guide wall extensions 181A, 182A.
[52] Empty packing containers are to be provided at location E to the apparatus for subsequent transfer on container track 190 to below the removable support surface 170 for filling of the packing containers C as described.
Claims (22)
Priority Applications (1)
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NL2027175A NL2027175B1 (en) | 2020-12-20 | 2020-12-20 | Article Packing Method and Apparatus |
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NL2027175A NL2027175B1 (en) | 2020-12-20 | 2020-12-20 | Article Packing Method and Apparatus |
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NL2027175B1 true NL2027175B1 (en) | 2022-07-15 |
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Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1999010261A1 (en) | 1997-08-27 | 1999-03-04 | Bouwe Prakken | Device for arranging lying objects into a row of upright objects |
US20030123968A1 (en) * | 1999-07-06 | 2003-07-03 | Derenthal Jerome W. | Infeed system for a stacking apparatus |
EP2204343A1 (en) * | 2009-01-05 | 2010-07-07 | Ishida Co., Ltd. | A package apparatus |
US20140083062A1 (en) * | 2011-06-02 | 2014-03-27 | Tatsuya ARIMATSU | Boxing apparatus |
US20180016043A1 (en) * | 2015-01-23 | 2018-01-18 | Ishida Co., Ltd. | Push-in mechanism and box packing device provided with same |
-
2020
- 2020-12-20 NL NL2027175A patent/NL2027175B1/en active
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1999010261A1 (en) | 1997-08-27 | 1999-03-04 | Bouwe Prakken | Device for arranging lying objects into a row of upright objects |
US20030123968A1 (en) * | 1999-07-06 | 2003-07-03 | Derenthal Jerome W. | Infeed system for a stacking apparatus |
EP2204343A1 (en) * | 2009-01-05 | 2010-07-07 | Ishida Co., Ltd. | A package apparatus |
US20140083062A1 (en) * | 2011-06-02 | 2014-03-27 | Tatsuya ARIMATSU | Boxing apparatus |
US20180016043A1 (en) * | 2015-01-23 | 2018-01-18 | Ishida Co., Ltd. | Push-in mechanism and box packing device provided with same |
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