WO1999014141A1

WO1999014141A1 - Article transport system

Info

Publication number: WO1999014141A1
Application number: PCT/GB1998/002746
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas William Bailey; Benjamin Paul Simkins
Original assignee: Molins Plc
Priority date: 1997-09-12
Filing date: 1998-09-11
Publication date: 1999-03-25
Also published as: GB9719505D0

Abstract

An article transport system including a transfer mechanism, particularly for transferring completed packets to a drying region at the exit of a cigarette packing machine, includes a rotor (12) carrying pivotable holders (10 etc.) which are articulated so as to change their orientation, preferably between a receiving position, e.g. in which pockets are disposed radially relative to an adjacent pocketed drum (2) from which packets are received, and a delivery position, e.g. in which packets are aligned with and delivered to an output conveyor (22) extending tangentially relative to the rotor.

Description

l Article Transport System

2

3 This invention relates to article transport systems, and in

A particular, to a system for transporting packets assembled from paper

5 and card, from a forming apparatus, in which they are formed at spaced e apart stations, to a conveyor delivery system.

7 In the manufacture of packets of articles such as cigarettes, s packets must be folded into their finished shape and fixed together with

9 adhesive, following which they are transported to a delivery conveyor ιo whilst the adhesive is being allowed to dry. The forming process may, for π example, take place at spaced apart stations on the periphery of a rotary i2 drum, and the products may then be transferred to a delivery system i3 such as a linear conveyor. During such transfers, e.g. between a drum i4 and a linear conveyor, it may be necessary or desirable to reorient the is packets. i6 According to the present invention, an article transport system i7 includes a transfer mechanism comprising a plurality of pivotable holders is which are arranged to move along an endless path which passes from i9 an article receiving position adjacent an input conveyor to an article

2o delivery position adjacent an output conveyor, including reorienting

2i means for changing the orientation of each holder between the receiving

₂2 position, in which a holder is arranged to support an article in a first

23 orientation relative to its direction of movement on the path, and the

2 delivery position, in which a holder is arranged to support an article in a

25 second orientation relative to its direction of movement on the path.

26 In a preferred arrangement the pivotable holders may be carried

27 by a rotary member which cooperates with an assembly drum from

28 which it receives articles in the form of packets for transfer to a drying

29 conveyor at the exit of a cigarette packing machine. In this arrangement

30 the first transfer between the assembly drum and the holder may be 3i achieved by cooperation between a plunger in a pocket of the assembly

32 drum and a counter plunger in a pocket of the holder. Thus, whilst the

33 plunger of the assembly drum is extended, the plunger of the transfer

34 pocket is retracted, thereby moving the packet from one pocket to the

35 other.

36 Preferably each holder is articulated, e.g. so as to be tiltable

37 between radial and tangential positions relative to a rotary member

38 carrying the holders, and the tilt may be achieved by means of a cam mechanism which follows a track around the path of movement of the

2 holders.

3 Where the holders comprise pockets containing counter plungers,

4 the transfer from the pocket to the output conveyor is preferably

5 achieved by moving the counter plunger to an extended position so as

6 to eject the article, e.g. a packet, and to prepare the pocket for receiving

7 a further article. The article may be supported and/or conveyed along an s initial part of the output conveyor by the holder. Thus, the article may be

9 maintained in a predetermined orientation on said initial part of the ιo output conveyor by the holder. The pocket and counter plunger may ιι present a flat surface to engage and prevent skewing of the article on the i2 output conveyor. i3 Preferably the movement of the holder pocket counter plunger is i4 achieved by means of a cam track mechanism. In a preferred is arrangement, the counter plunger is mounted on parallel links on the i6 holder, and the actuation of the counter plunger is achieved by gears or i7 links connected to the cam mechanism. is Where the holders are carried by a rotary member such as a i9 drum, they are preferably arranged to be radially oriented to the member

20 in the receiving position and tangentially oriented at the delivery position,

2i with the output conveyor also being tangential to the rotary member at

22 this position.

23 Preferably the output conveyor comprises a pair of opposed belt

24 mechanisms, arranged to grip the packets on opposite sides, and each

25 of which comprises a plurality of relatively narrow strip conveyors.

26 Preferably each articulated pocket is formed with laterally spaced parts,

27 e.g. castellations at the sides, to enable it to co-operate with the output

28 conveyor.

29 The invention will be further described, by way of example only,

30 with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

3i Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation showing an article transport

32 system including a transfer mechanism;

33 Figures 2A - 2C illustrate a packet transfer/folding operation in the

34 system of Figure 1 ;

35 Figures 3A and 3 B i llustrate alternative pack retaining

36 arrangements for use in the system of Figure 1 ;

37 Figure 4 is a perspective view of an articulated pocket of the

38 system of Figure 1 ; 1 Figure 5 is a schematic view of a first pocket movement

₂ mechanism, using links; and

3 Figure 6 is a schematic view of a second pocket mechanism,

4 using gears;

5 Referring to Figure 1 , a packet forming drum 2 is provided with a

6 plurality of pockets 8 on its outer peripheral surface, in which packets are

7 transported, having been assembled by various upstream mechanisms, β As illustrated in the drawing, the drum is rotating in a clockwise direction,

9 and when each pocket 8 reaches the position indicated at 8A, it is facing ιo an articulated pocket 10 on a transfer drum 12. The drums 2 and 12 may ιι form part of a machine for packing cigarettes in hinged lid packets. i2 Each pocket 8 is provided with a plunger 101 (Figure 2), which i3 can be extended to eject the packet from the pocket, in the system i4 illustrated, the packet reaches the position shown with outer side flaps is 102, 104 still extending over the sides of the pocket 8, as shown in i6 Figure 2A. i7 As shown in Figure 2, the articulated pocket 10 is provided with a is counter plunger 14 which is retracted as the plunger 101 of the pocket 8 i9 is extended, in order to transfer the packet into the articulated pocket. As

20 the packet enters the pocket 10, the side flaps 102 and 104 engage with

2i the corresponding sides of the pocket, which are chamfered as indicated

22 at 106 and 108 in Figure 2B, so that the flaps are completely folded by

23 the time the plunger 14 is fully retracted (Figure 2C). The packet is then

24 fully inserted into the pocket 10.

25 In order to ensure that the packet is properly retained in the

26 pocket 10, one of the axially-opposite sides of the pocket (i.e. lying in

27 the plane of Figure 1 ) is preferably provided with a retaining device. This

28 may comprise a lightly spring-loaded mechanism 110 acting on the side

29 wall 1 12 of the pocket (Figure 3A) or a clamping arm 1 14 pivotally

30 mounted in the side 116 of the pocket (Figure 3B).

3i As the transfer drum 12 continues to rotate in a counter clockwise

32 direction (as viewed in Figure 1), an articulating mechanism (described

33 in more detail below) is arranged to swing the pocket round to the

34 successive positions illustrated at 16, 18 and 20, until it is shifted from

35 the radially oriented initial position 10 to a tangential position at 20, at

36 which it is facing a delivery conveyor 22 at the exit of the apparatus. The

37 drums 2 and 12 are rotated continuously and during transfer of the

38 packet from the drum 2 the articulating mechanism causes the angular 1 orientation of the pocket 10 to be progressively changed so that it is

2 maintained parallel to the radially-oriented pocket 8.

3 A separate entry conveyor structure 24, comprising three pairs of

4 facing narrow conveyor bands 26 and 28, is arranged to receive the

5 pocket 10 in the position 20, so that the narrow conveyor bands 26 and

6 28 engage in parallel slots 30, 31 and 32 of the pocket (Figure 4) in such

7 a way as to grip the sides of the packet held in the pocket. The initial s path of the conveyor 24 is preferably slightly curved around the transfer 9 drum, to provide a "lead-in" from the path of the pocket 10. As the pocket ιo 10 moves between the conveyor bands 26 and 28, the counter plunger ιι 14 is again extended, so as to free the packet from the pocket, and the i2 packet then accelerates away from the pocket, carried by the bands, i3 allowing the pocket to continue along its path of movement to the i4 rotational position shown at 34. is The packet need not be accelerated away; the pocket 10 may act i6 as a pusher to convey the packet between the bands 26, 28 (which, in i7 this case, may be freely rotatable or replaced by fixed guides against is which the packs slide). The counter-plunger 14 and front face of the i9 pocket 10 preferably present a flat surface for engagement with the rear

20 face of the packet and so as to avoid damage during relative movement

2i as the pocket and the path of the packet diverge. The conveyor 22, to

22 which a stream of packets is delivered from the conveyor 24, may be

23 speed-controlled so that an abutting stack is conveyed. The conveyor 22

₂4 may form part of a packet drying reservoir.

25 At the next successive position 36, it will be seen that the pocket

26 10 has again reached a radially oriented position, and as it continues to

27 move back towards the initial pick-up position 10, it is further rotated,

28 beyond the radially oriented position, to successive positions 38 and 40,

29 prior to being maintained in alignment with the next delivery pocket 8 of

30 the assembly drum 2 while picking up the next packet.

3i The principle of operation of the counter plunger 14 of the

32 articulated pocket 1 0 may be seen in Figure 5. The plunger 14 is

33 movable relative to a holder 52 forming the main body of the pocket 10

3 and is mounted on an offset arm 42, which in turn is mounted on a pair

35 of parallelogram links 44, 46. The inner link 46 is pivoted at the pivot

36 point 48 of the holder 52, while the link 44 is pivoted at an outer position

37 50, relative to the holder, so that the parallel movement of the links

38 causes the plunger 14 to extend from and retract into the pocket 10. 1 Figure 5 also illustrates a first type of mechanism, which achieves

2 both the articulation or tilt of the holder 52, and required actuation of the

3 plunger 14, by means of a system of levers. The inner end of a lever 54 is fixed to the holder 52, with a link 56 pivoted to its opposite end. The other end of link 56 is connected to one arm of a bell crank lever 58, which is in turn pivoted to a fixed point 60 on the transfer drum 12. The

7 other arm of the bell crank lever 58 carries a roller 62 which is engaged s in a stationary cam track 64. Any up and down movement of the roller

9 62, following the cam track 64, as indicated by the arrows A, will result in

10 a corresponding tilt of the holder 52, in the direction of the arrows B. ιι In order to achieve the required reciprocation of the plunger 14, i2 an intermediate point of the link 46 is connected by a pivoted link 66 to a i3 further cranked lever 68, pivoted to a fixed point 70 on the drum 12, and i whose other end carries a further cam track roller 72. Once again, as the is roller 72 follows suitably shaped contours in a stationary cam track 74, i6 the up and down movement of the lever arm 68 in the direction of arrows i7 C will cause a corresponding reciprocating movement of the plunger 14 is in the direction of the arrows D. i9 An alternative arrangement, in which the required movements are

20 achieved by means of gears, is illustrated in Figure 6, in which common

21 parts have been given the same reference numerals as those of Figure

22 5. Once again, the movements of the holder 52 are achieved by means

23 of a cam roller 62 engaging with a track 64, whilst those of the plunger

24 14 are achieved by means of a cam roller 72 engaging a track 74. In this

25 case the cam roller 62 is mounted on the end of a pivot arm 76, fixed to a

26 gear which is pivoted to a fixed point 80 on the drum. Gear 78 engages

27 with one gear 82 of a pair of gears 82, 88 which is mounted coaxially at

28 the pivot 48 of the articulated holder, this gear 82 being fixed to the

29 holder 52 so that rotation of the gear causes articulation of the holder 52

30 in the direction of arrows B. In this way, movement of the cam roller 62 to 3i follow the track 64, so that the link 76 moves up and down in the

32 direction of arrows A, results in corresponding articulation of the holder

33 52.

34 Similarly, the movement of the cam roller 72 is transmitted to the

35 plunger 14, by means of a link 84 fixed to a gear 86 driving the other

36 gear 88 of the pair which is coaxially mounted at the pivot 48. In this

37 case, however, the gear 88 is fixed to the pivoting link 46, so that both

38 are freely rotatable relative to the holder 52, and thus movement of the cam roller 72 results in a corresponding movement of the link 46 and thus reciprocation of the plunger 14.

Claims

3 1. An article transport system including a transfer mechanism

4 comprising a plurality of pivotable holders which are arranged to move

5 along an endless path which passes from an article receiving position

6 adjacent an input conveyor to an article delivery position adjacent an

7 output conveyor, including reorienting means for changing the β orientation of each holder between the receiving position, in which a 9 holder is arranged to support an article in a first orientation relative to its ιo direction of movement on the path, and the delivery position, in which a π holder is arranged to support an article in a second orientation relative to i2 its direction of movement on the path.

13 i4 2. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and is second orientations are substantially perpendicular.

16 i7 3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each is holder is oriented at the receiving position to receive an article in a i9 direction substantially transverse to said path.

20

2i 4. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each

22 holder is oriented at the delivery position to deliver an article in a

23 direction substantially tangential to said path.

24

25 5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said output

26 conveyor extends in said tangential direction at least adjacent said path

27 and at least one of said conveyor and holder comprises laterally spaced

28 parts whereby the path of said conveyor intersects said path to facilitate

29 transfer of articles said path.

30

3i 6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said output

32 conveyor comprises laterally spaced elements.

33

3 7. A system as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein said

35 path is curved in the vicinity of said delivery position and said output

36 conveyor has an initial corresponding curve in a region where the path of

37 said conveyor intersects said path.

38

1 8. A system as claimed in any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the

2 output conveyor comprises opposed elements between which an article

3 is received from a holder at said delivery position.

4

5 9. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the

6 input conveyor comprises a rotary drum and the reorienting means is

7 arranged to maintain the holder in a predetermined orientation relative to s a radial direction of said drum for an extended portion of said path at 9 said receiving position, to facilitate transfer of articles from said drum ιo while said drum and said holder are moving continuously.

11 i2 10. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the i3 input conveyor comprises at least one pocket provided with a pusher for i4 expelling articles, and the holder comprises a pocket provided with a is counter pusher, whereby the pusher and counter pusher cooperate to i6 transfer an article at said delivery position.

17 is 11. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the i9 holder comprises a pocket containing a counter pusher which is moved

20 relative to the pocket to expel an article from the pocket at said delivery

2i position.

22

23 12. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the

24 holder presents a flat surface to engage an article transferred to said

25 output conveyor at said delivery position.

26

27 13. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the

28 holder remains in engagement with and provides support for an article

29 transferred to said output conveyor for at least an initial part of its

30 movement on said conveyor.

31

32 14. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the

33 holders are carried on a rotary member.

34

35 15. A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the reorienting

36 means comprises means for pivoting the holders as they are carried

37 around said path by said rotary member.

38

1 16. A system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the pivoting

₂ means includes a cam mechanism which engages a track adjacent said

3 path.

4

5 17. A system as claimed in any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the

6 reorienting means is arranged to dispose the holders in a radial

7 orientation relative to said rotary member at said receiving position, and β to align the holders with the output conveyor at said delivery position.

9 lo 18. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said a output conveyor is substantially linear.

12 i3 19. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said i output conveyor is arranged to convey an abutting line of articles from is said delivery position.

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38