WO1986007040A1 - Alimentateur d'alignement et d'orientation - Google Patents

Alimentateur d'alignement et d'orientation Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1986007040A1
WO1986007040A1 PCT/AU1986/000145 AU8600145W WO8607040A1 WO 1986007040 A1 WO1986007040 A1 WO 1986007040A1 AU 8600145 W AU8600145 W AU 8600145W WO 8607040 A1 WO8607040 A1 WO 8607040A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
disc
path
guide path
articles
overlying
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/AU1986/000145
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Richard Pitman Hooper
Raymond Edward Lemon
Original Assignee
Rheem Australia Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Rheem Australia Limited filed Critical Rheem Australia Limited
Publication of WO1986007040A1 publication Critical patent/WO1986007040A1/fr

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Classifications

    • 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
    • B65G47/12—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles
    • B65G47/14—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding
    • B65G47/1407—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding the articles being fed from a container, e.g. a bowl
    • B65G47/1442—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding the articles being fed from a container, e.g. a bowl by means of movement of the bottom or a part of the wall of the container
    • B65G47/1457—Rotating movement in the plane of the rotating part

Definitions

  • the present invention applies to devices used for aligning and orienting randomly oriented parts in order to feed them in a desired orientation to a subsequent production process.
  • the particular applicability envisaged for this invention is in the feeding of short, double open ended flexible plastic or metal/plastic laminated tubular articles, being the bodies of toothpaste or similar tubes, known as and referred to hereinafter as "squeeze" tubes, which have been printed externally and subsequently stored prior to being fitted with the tube heads.
  • the "head" of the tube in this context, is the generally conical transition region which adapts the cylindrical body portion of the tube, typically 20 to 50 mm diameter, to a threaded neck able to accept a screw-on cap, the neck opening typically being of 5 to 8 mm diameter.
  • a further example of the applicability of the invention is in the taking of a randomly oriented supply of headed squeeze tubes in order to present them in a desired orientation for filling with a particular product.
  • Squeeze tubes are typically manufactured in a limited number of diameters, perhaps in the order of ten, but are finished in a considerable number of lengths and a very great number of differently decorated designs.
  • the decoration consists of usually multiple colour printed matter on the tube body and the term - 2 -
  • “decoration” includes such matter as trade description and mark(s), mass or volume of contents and user instruction.
  • the present invention can be advantageously applied between the above steps 5 to 6 and 9 to 10.
  • the printing of tube bodies requires randomly bagged tube bodies (that is, without heads) of a single diameter and length to be aligned, and fed to support mandrels for printing. In doing this there is no need to orient them with either end fed front first.
  • a machine which simply aligns and feeds the tubes, but does not differentiate in any way between the end of the tubes has been developed already and is capable of substantially unattended operation.
  • the present invention is an enhancement of such a known type of machine having a number of new and useful features which - 4 - enable the tubes not only to be aligned, but also to be identified for a desired leading end (hereinafter termed a polarity) when such has been imparted by a preceding manufacturing step.
  • the new machine detects a polarity with respect to one end of the top of the decoration and has means provided to reverse those tubes detected as having the undesired polarity after alignment. This reversal of direction is achieved with the advantage of not requiring the rejected tubes to be returned to the alignment section of the machine and therefore not being subjected to any more than the minimum amount of scuffing.
  • the already known device consists of a large horizontal disc of typically 1 to 1.2 metres diameter, rotatable about a vertical axis; the disc is overlain by a first vertical wall of sheet metal rolled into substantially a full circle of a diameter about 50 to 100 mm less than that of the rotating disc.
  • This first wall is about 150 to 200 mm high and is assembled approximately concentrically with respect to the rotating disc by mounting it on a frame which holds the wall just clear of the upper surface of the disc.
  • a second vertical wall generally similar to the first but shaped in circle generally concentric with the first wall and spaced apart from the first wall by an amount sufficient to allow the tubes to be driven with longitudinal axes in the direction of travel as imparted by the motion of the disc.
  • the second or outer wall is in the form of substantially a full circle and is provided with an outlet point in the form of a cut out portion of the wall.
  • Means can be provided to varu the distance between the guiding walls so that more than one tube diameter can be aligned and fed.
  • the above described, known alignment feeder - receives tube bodies having random alignment (conveyed on demand from a bulk hopper) being dropped in the central region of the rotating disc.
  • the unscrambled tube bodies in the central portion of the disc progress radially outwardly until restrained from further outward movement by contact with the inner vertical wall.
  • a suitably shaped cut-out in the wall together with an inlet guide permits only tube bodies which have become aligned with their longitudinal axes tangential with respect to the disc to enter the guide path between the inner and outer vertical walls. They are then conveyed end-to-end to the point in the outer wall where they leave the outer periphery of the disc tangentially and become driven by a straight, driven, approximately horizontal belt conveyor. On this conveyor the tube alignment is preserved by guide walls similar to those around the rotating disc, the guide walls being supported just above and clear of the upper surface of the belt.
  • the present invention is based on the above described known machine. It requires the prior imparting of a means of identifying the polarity of each tube with respect to the printed decoration. After initial alignment of the tubes, on the conveyor path, those of incorrect polarity are rejected from the outgoing conveyor.
  • the apparatus provides a means of turning each rejected tube such that each will be returned, without further realignment, and thence conveyed onto a parallel path straight conveyor to be subsequently recombined into a single stream (if necessary) together with the stream of aligned tubes already having the desired orientation, that is, those not rejected from the outgoing conveyor on the first pass.
  • the invention can be said to consist of apparatus to feed and orientate a plurality of elongate articles, said apparatus comprising a substantially horizontal planar first disc (1) rotatable about a first central substantially vertical axis, a first circumferential guide path (6) formed between an inner and a middle cylindrical wall (3, 4) each substantially co-axial with said axis and overlying said first disc (l), an entry point (20) located in said inner wall (3) and leading into said first guide path (6) and an exit path (8) leading from said first guide path (6), characterised in that an outer cylindrical wall (5) substantialy co-axial with said axis and overlying said first disc (1) is provided to define a second circumferential guide path (9) between said middle and outer wall (4,5), an inspection station (13) located in said exit path (8) and having an ejecting means to discharge one of said articles at ejection location (16) onto a return path (22) overlying a substantially horizontal planar second disc (2) rotatable about a second central substantially vertical axis and leading
  • Figure 1 is a schematic unsealed plan view of the alignment and orientation device according to the present invention.
  • a large disc 1 which can be rotated in a substantially horizontal plane in one direction about its central vertical axis, is closely overlain by three vertical walls 3, 4 and 5 of part circular form. These vertical walls define guided paths 6 and 9 in which aligned tubes such as 15 may travel.
  • the tubes to be aligned and orientated having been already marked during the printing stage of manufacture by an eccentric encircling band of invisible ink which reflects ultra-violet light, are deposited, unaligned and unorientated, into the central region 7 of disc 1.
  • the unsorted tubes tend to be driven generally toward the disc periphery as the disc is rotated continually, allowing those having a tangential alignment to the disc when in contact with the wall 3 to enter an entry point 20 in wall 3, becoming aligned and moving in guided path 6. They are conveyed around path 6 to point 17 where they leave the circular disc 1 tangentially, longitudinal axes remaining aligned to the direction of travel.
  • each conveyed tube is caused to stop momentarily at inspection station 13 by a pair of indexed stops 11 and 12 engaging each tube in turn.
  • an ultra-violet light beam is directed at a point on the halted tube where the encircling pre-applied UV light sensitive ink would be expected to be if the tube happened to be correctly oriented simultaneously with the.alignment step.
  • the UV light beam works in conjunction with a sensing device capable of responding dependant upon the amount of light emitted or reflected from the target area of the tube.
  • a memory means in conjunction with a signal means causes an ejecting means at ejection location 16 to dislodge any tube having the undesired orientation off to one side of the guided path 8 when that tube is at position 16.
  • those tubes when ejected roll onto a second rotating disc 2, rotating in the opposite direction to that of first disc 1.
  • Suitable guides 18 and 19 define a return path 22 which in conjunction with disc 2 cause each tube ejected off the conveyor belt at 16 to pass through approximately 90 degrees of rotation of disc 2 onto a second guide path where the tube is once again conveyed by disc 1, this time around between guides 4 and 5 in second guide path 9.
  • the plane of rotation of disc 2 is set above and just clear of that of disc 1 and their peripheries overlap approximately one tube diameter (a variable setting) -as illustrated in Figure 1.
  • the tubes remaining on path 8 beyond ejection location 16 and all tubes on paths 9 and 10 will now possess the desired orientation.
  • the two parallel streams of oriented tubes may be reco bined to a single stream, allowed to remain in two streams, or further divided into more than two parallel streams as necessary, in each case using known indexing devices (not shown) .
  • the number of inspection positions need not be limited to two if additional signalling time is required to achieve proper ejection.
  • the number of UV inspection detectors may be increased so that in the event of a tube not being correctly printed with the encircling band of UV sensitive ink, it may be positively rejected from the machine at an additional station provided to cover such a possibility.
  • the larger disc may be formed such that the central region of it is formed higher in the centre than that portion coincident with the innermost guide path in order that tubes supplied to the central region may more readily proceed radially outwardly.
  • the proposed invention has the advantage of providing a faster feeding rate than unscrambler feeders which return articles having the undesired orientation back to the unscrambling section and for the same reason has the important additional advantage of minimising scuffing of the highly finished decorated tubes.

Abstract

Appareil capable d'aligner et d'orienter des articles allongés non triés pris au hasard (tels que des corps de tubes à presser) et comprenant un premier disque (1), tournant dans une première direction autour d'un axe vertical et sur la périphérie duquel deux circuits concentriques (6, 9) sont définis par des parois (3, 4, 5). Les tubes placés dans la zone centrale (7) du disque (1) se déplacent vers l'extérieur et, lorqu'ils sont alignés tangentiellement, sont acceptés par une entrée (20) située dans le circuit de sortie (6) et véhiculés vers une station d'inspection (13), ou, en conjonction avec un senseur de lumière associé à une bande d'encerclement d'un marquage (appliqué intérieurement lors de l'opération d'impression de motifs décoratifs), s'ils sont mal orientés, sont éjectés du transporteur (21) et passent dans le second disque (2), lequel tourne dans la direction opposée du disque (1). Lesdits disques sont disposés de telle sorte que le disque (2) renvoie les tubes éjectés dans le disque (1) se superposant au circuit guidé extérieur, ou ils peuvent être alimentés, par exemple selon un courant parallèle aux tubes placés à l'endroit de la première entrés et orientés correctement vers le circuit de sortie (6).
PCT/AU1986/000145 1985-05-22 1986-05-22 Alimentateur d'alignement et d'orientation WO1986007040A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AUPH0674 1985-05-22
AU67485 1985-05-22

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1986007040A1 true WO1986007040A1 (fr) 1986-12-04

Family

ID=3691389

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/AU1986/000145 WO1986007040A1 (fr) 1985-05-22 1986-05-22 Alimentateur d'alignement et d'orientation

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0221960A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO1986007040A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE4028144A1 (de) * 1990-09-05 1992-03-12 Eccard H Ec Montageautomaten Vorrichtung zum sortieren von lose geschuetteten werkstuecken
US7258222B2 (en) * 2004-10-25 2007-08-21 Jaime Marti Sala & Alex Marti Mercade Article positioning machine

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3224554A (en) * 1963-04-11 1965-12-21 Ael Food Automation Division I Automatic orientation, alignment and input feeding machinery for confectionary articles
US3930571A (en) * 1973-09-06 1976-01-06 Sig Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft Apparatus for aligning elongated articles
JPS534969A (en) * 1976-07-02 1978-01-18 Shinko Electric Co Ltd Device for arranging and feeding circular-columnar or cylindrical products

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3224554A (en) * 1963-04-11 1965-12-21 Ael Food Automation Division I Automatic orientation, alignment and input feeding machinery for confectionary articles
US3930571A (en) * 1973-09-06 1976-01-06 Sig Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft Apparatus for aligning elongated articles
JPS534969A (en) * 1976-07-02 1978-01-18 Shinko Electric Co Ltd Device for arranging and feeding circular-columnar or cylindrical products

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE4028144A1 (de) * 1990-09-05 1992-03-12 Eccard H Ec Montageautomaten Vorrichtung zum sortieren von lose geschuetteten werkstuecken
US7258222B2 (en) * 2004-10-25 2007-08-21 Jaime Marti Sala & Alex Marti Mercade Article positioning machine

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0221960A1 (fr) 1987-05-20

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