WO2010127982A1 - Method and equipment for feeding variable quantities of stock cubes or cubes of other products to a box filling machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and equipment for feeding variable quantities of stock cubes or cubes of other products, which may have variable dimensions, to a box filling machine. The equipment comprises three stations (S1, S2, S3) which interact with each other, with limited downtime and with alternating rectilinear movements. In the first station, groups of cubes (G1, G2) taken from parallel adjacent conveyor lines (1, 2) are formed. The groups of cubes are raised and transferred to a lateral storage station (S2) where a plurality of groups of cubes are combined, one after another. When this second storage station (S2) has been filled, the cubes arranged thereon are raised and transferred to a final adjacent parking and sorting station (S3), where the cubes are cyclically isolated in the requisite quality and arrangement for insertion into the boxes and are inserted by a final pusher (17) into the boxes controlled by a box filling machine (Z), while said storage station (S2) is filled with further products. Suitable guide and alignment means are provided to keep the groups of cubes correctly aligned in rows and ranks, to ensure that these groups of cubes remain in their combinations while they travel towards and reach the various operating stations, until their final insertion into the boxes.

Description

TITLE:

"METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR FEEDING VARIABLE QUANTITIES OF STOCK CUBES OR CUBES OF OTHER PRODUCTS TO A BOX FILLING MACHINE" DESCRIPTION The invention relates to a method and the corresponding easily and rapidly adjustable equipment for feeding variable quantities of stock cubes, already packaged in their usual foil wrapping, or similar products or products with similar requirements, which may have varying shapes, to a box filling machine which is also adapted for handling boxes of different dimensions, these dimensions being adapted from time to time to match the quantities and dimensions of the products to be packaged therein.

The characteristics of this method and equipment and the advantages obtained therefrom are summarized in the attached Claim 1 and in the following dependent claims, and will be made clear by the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, illustrated purely by way of non-limiting example in the figures of the attached sheets of drawings, in which:

- Figs. 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are schematic plan views from above of the equipment in question in successive steps of its operating cycle;

- Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 show, in views taken through the section line A-A of Figure 1 , successive steps of the operation of the components of the equipment which receive the adjacent rows of cubes from the feed conveyors and which transfer the groups of cubes cyclically to a subsequent storage station;

- Figs. 11 , 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 show successive steps of operation in a view taken through the section line B-B of Figure 1 , showing the transfer of a group of cubes from said storage station to a subsequent parking and sorting station, where predetermined groups of cubes are cyclically fed to a box filling machine; and

- Figs. 19 and 20 show further details of the construction of the equipment in views taken, respectively, through the section lines C-C and A-A of Figure 1.

With reference to Figures 1 , 7, 19 and 20, it can be seen that the equipment comprises a first feed and separation station S1 with a plurality of horizontal conveyor belts 1 which are adjacent to and coplanar with each other and are divided by longitudinal projecting guide walls 2, these belts all running in the direction indicated by F in Figure 19 and at the same speed, the cubes D being placed on the belts in Indian file by feed means (not shown), such that they form, for example, four product streams which are fed by the conveyors to the tops of corresponding coplanar teeth 103 of a comb-like elevator 3. Viewed laterally with respect to the direction of advance of the cubes, as in Figure 19, the teeth 103 of the elevator are divided into two groups and a fixed cross-piece 4 is placed between them, this cross- piece having dimensions such that it can support a single cube for each row of teeth, while a fixed guide 5, under which the cubes pass without interference, is provided above the fixed cross-piece 4 and parallel thereto. Downstream of the elevator 3 there is an end stop means 6 against which the four rows of cubes are halted under the force of the product which is made to advance by the conveyors 1 upstream. Suitable opto-electronic sensors and/or other suitable means are provided to detect the condition in which the elevator 3 is filled with cubes, and when this condition is detected the elevator 3 is made to rise, as shown in Figure 8, to the level indicated by K in Figure 19, in such a way that the tops of its teeth 103 are brought to the level of the upper sides of the guides 2, thus forming with these guides a single surface on which a pusher 7 can be translated when so commanded, the pusher having a lower recess 107 (Fig. 19) in its intermediate part which engages with a degree of clearance with the fixed guide 5. During the step of elevation, the teeth 103 of the elevator 3 block the discharge ends of the conveyors 1 , which can remain active or can be stopped or made to decelerate at the correct time. In its translation from the position shown in solid lines to that shown in broken lines in Figure 8, the pusher 7 simultaneously transfers all the cubes stored on the teeth of the elevator 3 onto lateral coplanar surfaces 8, 8' (see also Fig. 11 ) of a storage station S2, on which there is also located an extension of the guide 5 which has the function of correctly guiding the two groups of cubes during this transfer step. The row of cubes that was positioned on the fixed cross-piece 4, under the guide 5, has remained in position, and therefore, in the example shown in the drawings, whenever the elevator 3 is raised this prepares two groups G1 of cubes for translation by the pusher 7, each of these groups containing four rows of cubes grouped in three ranks, to make a total of twelve cubes in each group.

On completion of the translation, while the pusher 7 returns to the rest position, the elevator 3 moves back down as shown in Figure 9, to receive further cubes from the conveyors 1 , and the cycle described above is then repeated with the raising of the elevator 3 as shown in Figure 10 and with a further action of the translation pusher 7 which travels along an identical path to the preceding one to transfer to the storage surface 8, 8' the second groups G2 of cubes which cause the first groups G1 to advance, so as to fully load these storage surfaces on which a total of eight rows of cubes are now positioned in six ranks, making a total of forty-eight cubes. In this step also, the groups G1 and G2 of cubes are correctly guided in this step by the action of the fixed central guide 5 as well as by bearing against the pusher 7 and against each other. The division of the streams of cubes on the storage surfaces 8, 8' into two also facilitates the correct arrangement of the cubes of the two streams in rows and ranks. It can be seen in Figures 7 to 10 that the storage surfaces 8, 8' are characterized in that their upper faces have a slightly stepped profile, thus forming shallow steps 108 parallel to the pusher 7 with dimensions related to those of the cubes, for the correct guidance of the cubes in their successive movements in a direction perpendicular to their preceding movement onto these surfaces. The upper side of the guide 5 is characterized by a similar stepped profile 9. As shown in Figures 7 to 10 and Figure 1 , a fixed guide 10 is provided opposite and parallel to the pusher 7, this fixed guide correctly retaining the groups G1 and G2 of cubes on the storage surfaces 8, 8', in combination with the action of another fixed guide 11 which is perpendicular to the guide 10 and which is aligned with the guide 6 mentioned previously with reference to Figures 1 and 19 and may be formed by an extension of this fixed guide 6. The conveyor which controls the empty boxes and positions them at the correct time to receive appropriate quantities of cubes, the quantity being eight in the present example, runs outside the guide 10 and parallel thereto, in the direction indicated by the arrow Z (see below). In a subsequent step of operation, the surfaces 8, 8' are elevated as in Figure 12 and are placed so as to be coplanar with the upper sides of the guide 5 and the guide 11 , while an adjacent surface 12 of a parking and sorting station S3 is simultaneously elevated, the whole assembly being aligned with subsequent surfaces 13 of this station (see below), outside which there is provided a fixed guide 14 which is parallel to the aforesaid guide 11. The surface 12 is associated with a guide 15, which is parallel to the guide 14, is enclosed between the surfaces 12 and 13, and is raised above the surface 12 by a distance which is suitably greater than the thickness of the cubes D. The surface 12 is also preferably characterized by a stepped upper profile 112 (Fig. 4) aligned with the profile 108 of the storage surfaces. At the end of the elevation of the storage surfaces 8, 8', the equipment is in the condition shown in Figure 12 and indicated by K1 and shown in broken lines in Figure 19, with the groups of cubes G1 and G2 at the same height as a removal pusher 16 which is parallel to the guide 5 and which, when so commanded, is translated to a position slightly above the boundary guide 11 , as shown in Figure 13, thus transferring all the cubes to the surfaces 12 and 13, as shown also in Figure 1 , and the pusher 16 remains temporarily in this new position while the storage surfaces 8, 8', which are now empty, return at the correct time to the low position, as shown in Figure 14, to start another of their operating cycles, in conjunction with the operation of the elevator 3 and the conveyors 1 , as described above. As shown in Figure 20, the lower profile of the pusher 16 is also characterized by a stepped shape 116 which mates with that of the storage surfaces 8, 8' and that of the subsequent surface 12. As shown in Figure 1 , the surfaces 13 are in fact formed by two adjacent surfaces 13, 13', of which the surface 13 which is close to the box advance line Z is fixed, while the adjacent surface 13' is vertically movable. In a step of operation following those already described, the surface 13' is lowered, together with the surface 12, as shown in Figure 14, in such a way that the cubes carried by the moving surfaces are positioned below the fixed surface 13 and the guide 15 is also lowered and is positioned laterally with respect to the cubes which are positioned on the fixed surface 13 and which are controlled on their outer side by the fixed guide 14. In the next step, as shown in Figure 2, a pusher 17 is moved in a direction parallel to the guides 14 and 15, sweeps along the top of the surface 13 and transfers all the eight cubes simultaneously from this surface into the box which is standing nearby and which is conveniently prepared to receive the cubes. At the end of its inward travel, the pusher 17 is raised (see below) and moves back upwards to its rest position in order not to interfere with the cubes on the surface 13' which is raised at the correct time, after which said pusher moves back downwards to enable it to carry out another operating cycle, while the box filling machine positions a new box to be filled in alignment with the empty surface 13. The surface 13' which had been lowered initially is now coplanar with the fixed surface 13, and therefore, in the next operating cycle, the pusher 17 pushes the cubes from this surface 13' into the box, passing over the interposed surface 13, as shown in Figures 3 and 15. In the next step, as shown in Figures 4 and 16, the parking surface 12 returns to the high position and the pusher 16 causes the group of cubes that remained on this surface to advance by two ranks, in such a way that some of these cubes occupy the final sorting surfaces 13, 13' for the repetition of the cycle described above. As shown in Figures 5 and 17, the surface 12 returns to the low position and the cubes on the sorting surfaces 13, 13' are then inserted into corresponding boxes, as described with reference to the preceding steps. When the sorting surfaces 13, 13' are again empty, the parking surface 12 returns to the elevated position, as shown in Figures 6 and 18, and the pusher 16 transfers the final cubes to the sorting surfaces 13, 13' to enable another two boxes to be filled. As can be seen in Figure 18, after the final active travel, when the storage surfaces 8, 8' are still in the low position for receiving cubes from the elevator 3, the pusher 16 can return to the start of cycle position by a simple rectilinear movement, without changing its position in respect of height, because the cubes placed on 8 and 8' are in a low position in which they do not interfere with this pusher.

All the aforementioned movements for elevating and lowering the surfaces can advantageously be provided by hydraulic cylinder and piston units or by rectilinear actuators of other suitable types. As shown in Figure 1 , the guide 10 can also be extended laterally with respect to the parking surface 12 which carries another fixed guide 10' on the other surface, and a short guide 110, aligned with the guide 10, can be provided on the outer side of the fixed surface 13 in alignment with said guide 10, this short guide being alternatively formed by shutters with vertical axes, and being connected to actuating means of the retraction type which inactivate it at the correct time when the cubes are inserted into the boxes by the pusher 17. The last-mentioned guide means 110 can be used as a bridge for the correct transfer of the cubes from the surface 13 to the box and also as a means for correctly positioning the box in an open position, ready to receive the cubes.

As shown in Figure 19, the guide 14 can be adjustable in respect of its position on the surfaces 13, 13', to facilitate the adaptation of the equipment to cubes having different dimensions. For this purpose, other adjustment means are provided such that different quantities of cubes, in formats other than the 2x4 format which is illustrated by way of example in the drawings referred to, can be packaged in boxes of different dimensions. The pusher 16 can be driven by a motor with electronic speed and phase control, in such a way that its movements can easily be programmed when the dimensional and/or cube grouping requirements change. Figure 20 shows a possible practical embodiment of the final pusher 17, which is mounted on the lower end of an arm 117 pivoted at 18 on a carriage 19 which runs in a fixed guide 20 and which is fixed to the lower branch of a continuous belt 21 driven by a reversible electric motor with electronic speed and phase control, in such a way that it can be driven with suitable acceleration and deceleration gradients. A projection 217 is fixed in an intermediate position on the arm 117 and has a roller 22 which runs in a guide 23 whose height can be changed, for example by means of an articulated parallelogram lever mechanism with a corresponding oscillatory actuator, these means being omitted from the illustration because they can easily be constructed by persons skilled in the art. When the guide 23 is raised to the position shown in broken lines, the arm 117 is raised proportionately and the pusher 17 can then complete its return travel to the elevated position in which it does not interfere with the products positioned below it, as described with reference to Figures 2, 3, 14 and 17.

The method of packaging the cubes in the boxes can be of any type, using preformed closed boxes in tube form or completely open flat boxes which are subsequently raised and closed around the product by subsequent folding and hot bonding operations. Where these various possibilities for filling and closing the boxes are concerned, these final steps have not been described in this patent application which is primarily concerned with the method and equipment for feeding ordered groups of stock cubes or cubes of other products to corresponding packaging boxes.

Claims

1. Method for feeding variable quantities of stock cubes (P) or cubes of other products, which may have variable dimensions, to a box filling machine, characterized by the succession of the following steps of operation: a) Forming a plurality of horizontal parallel streams of cubes, close to each other, in order to feed a plurality of rows of cubes in an ordered way to a grouping and separating station (S1 ) where a group of cubes is elevated and is translated laterally by translation means (7) to a storage station (S2); b) Storing a plurality of groups of cubes (G1 , G2) in a said storage station (S2) which the groups of cubes enter, initially under the force of said translation means (7) of said first separating station (S1 ) and subsequently under the force of the groups of cubes inserted in the subsequent step, this storage station being vertically movable and means being provided to ensure that, when the station is loaded with the predetermined quantity of cubes, the station (S2) is elevated to bring the large group of cubes stored thereonto the height of translation means (16) which transfer all the cubes simultaneously to an adjacent parking and sorting station (S3) by which these translation means (16) are temporarily controlled, while said storage station (S2) returns to the low positionto interact with said first station (S1 ) in order to receive other groups of cubes from the latter; c) In said parking and sorting station (S3), a predetermined group of cubes is isolated in succession by means of at least one fixed surface (13) and movable surfaces (12, 13'), directly on said fixed surface or on at least one adjacent surface (13'), and is cyclically inserted by a translation means (17) into an open box which is positioned laterally and on the outer side of said fixed surface (13), these steps being repeated with the progressive advance of said first translation means (16) until all the cubes have been removed from the parking and sorting station (S3), after which said first translation means (16) returns to the cycle start position; d) Steps in which the open boxes are advanced laterally with respect to the outer side of said fixed surface (13) of said parking and sorting station (S3), a box remaining stationary next to said fixed surface in each cycle for filling with the cubes, and the full box then being removed for the steps of closing and discharge. 2. Equipment for feeding variable quantities of stock cubes (D) or cubes of other products to a box filling machine, particularly for the application of the method according to Claim 1 ), characterized in that it comprises: a) Means (1 ,

2) for forming a plurality of horizontal parallel streams of cubes, close to each other, in order to feed a plurality of rows of cubes in an ordered way to a grouping and separating station (S1 ) which comprises an elevator surface (3) for separating thereon a predetermined group of cubes which is then translated by translation means (7) to a lateral storage station (S2); b) Said storage station (S2) which the successive groups (G1 , G2) of cubes enter, initially under the direct force of said translation means (7) of said first separating station (S1 ) and subsequently under the force of the groups of cubes inserted in the subsequent step, this station having vertically movable surfaces (8, 8') and means being provided to ensure that, when these surfaces are loaded with the predetermined quantity of cubes, the cubes are elevated to bring the large group of cubes to the height of translation means (16) which transfer all the cubes simultaneously to an adjacent parking and sorting station (S3) by which these translation means (16) are controlled, while the surfaces of said storage station (S2) return to the low positionto interact with said first station (S1 ) in order to receive other groups of cubes from the latter; c) Said parking and sorting station (S3) is provided with at least one fixed surface (13) and movable surfaces (12, 13') and means for isolating in succession, directly on said fixed surface or on at least one adjacent surface (13'), a predetermined group of cubes which is cyclically inserted by a translation means (17) with a composite translation, elevation and lowering movement into an open box which is positioned laterally and on the outer side of said fixed surface (13), these steps being repeated with the progressive advance of said first translation means (16) until all the cubes have been removed from the parking and sorting station (S3), after which this first translation means (16) returns to the cycle start position; d) A box filling machine (Z) which advances the open boxes laterally with respect to the outer side of said fixed surface (13) of said parking and sorting station (S3), which cyclically keeps a box stationary next to said fixed surface (13) for filling with the cubes, and which then removes the full box towards means for closing and discharge.

3. Equipment according to Claim 2), in which said first station (S1 ) comprises a plurality of horizontal conveyor belts (1 ), which are adjacent to and coplanar with each other, which are divided by longitudinal guide walls (2), and which all run in the same direction at the same speed, and on which feed means place the cubes (D) in Indian file, so as to form a plurality of streams of product which are fed by said conveyors onto corresponding coplanar teeth (103) of a comb-like elevator (3), these teeth being divided, transversely to the direction of advance of the cubes, into two groups between which is placed a fixed cross-piece (4) with dimensions such that it can support a single cube for each row of said teeth (103), while a fixed guide (5) under which the cubes travel without interference is placed above this fixed cross- piece (4) and parallel thereto, a stop means (6) being provided downstream of the elevator (3), the rows of cubes being halted against this stop means under the force of the product which is advanced by the conveyors (1 ) upstream.

4. Equipment according to Claim 3), characterized in that it comprises optoelectronic sensors and/or other means for detecting the condition in which the elevator (3) is filled with cubes, and for making the elevator rise when this condition is detected, at the correct time, to bring the tops of its teeth (103) to the level of the upper sides of said guides (2), thus forming with these guides a single surface on which a pusher (7) can be translated when so commanded, the pusher having a lower recess (107) in its intermediate part which engages with a degree of clearance with the fixed guide (5), the pusher transferring simultaneously, in its translational travel, all the cubes stored on the teeth of the elevator (3) onto adjacent surfaces (8, 8'), which are coplanar with each other, of the lateral storage station (S2), means being provided to cause the pusher (7) to return to the rest position and to cause the elevator (3) to move back downwards to receive further cubes from the conveyors (1 ), for the start of a subsequent operating cycle.

5. Equipment according to Claim 2), characterized in that the surfaces (8, 8') of the storage station (S2), when viewed transversely with respect to the direction of the entry of the groups of cubes (G1 , G2) onto them, have a slightly stepped profile (108), with shallow steps parallel to said loading pusher (7), the dimensions of the steps being related to those of the cubes and being capable of guiding the cubes correctly in the subsequent perpendicular discharge movement towards said parking and sorting station (S3), the upper side of the guide (5) fixed between said storage surfaces (8, 8') being characterized by a similar stepped profile (9), a fixed front guide (10) being provided opposite and parallel to said pusher (7) to retain the groups of cubes (G1 , G2) correctly on said storage surfaces (8, 8') in conjunction with the action of another fixed guide (11 ) which is perpendicular to the aforesaid guide (10) and which is aligned with the end stop guide (6) of the first station (S1 ) or which can be formed by an extension of this first fixed guide (6).

6. Equipment according to claim 2), in which the parking and sorting station (S3) comprises, laterally with respect to said storage station (S2), at least one parking surface (12) which is movable vertically and laterally with respect thereto, and comprises successive sorting surfaces (13, 13') outside which is provided a fixed guide (14), parallel to the boundary guide (11 ) between the stations concerned (S2, S3), the parking surface (12) being associated, parallel to said guide (14), with a guide (15) placed between the parking surface (12) and the sorting surfaces (13, 13') and which is raised above said parking surface (12) by a distance suitably greater than the thickness of the cubes (D).

7. Equipment according to Claim 6), in which the parking surface (12) is preferably also characterized by a stepped upper profile (112), aligned with the profile (108) of the storage surfaces (8, 8').

8. Equipment according to claim 2), characterized in that it comprises means acting in such a way that, at the end of the elevation of the storage surfaces (8, 8'), the groups of cubes (G1 , G2) placed on these surfaces are at the same height as a transfer pusher (16) which is translated, when so commanded, over said boundary guide (11 ), to transfer all the cubes onto the surfaces (12, 13, 13') of the parking and sorting station (S3), said storage surfaces (8, 8') returning, when empty, to the low position to start another cycle of their operation, while said pusher (16) remains in this new position, the lower profile of the transfer pusher (16) also preferably being characterized by a stepped shape (116) which mates with that of said storage surfaces (8, 8') and that of the subsequent parking surface (12).

9. Equipment according to claim 2), characterized in that it comprises means which act in such a way that, when the parking and sorting station (S3) has been filled, the movable sorting surface (13') is lowered, together with the parking surface (12), in such a way that the cubes carried by the moving surfaces are positioned under the fixed sorting surface (13) and the guide (15) associated with the parking surface is also lowered and is positioned laterally with respect to the cubes which are placed on said fixed sorting surface (13) and which are controlled on their outer sides by the fixed guide (14), the whole arrangement being such that the pusher (17) is able to act in the next step by sweeping along the top of the surface 13 and transferring all its cubes simultaneously into the box which is stationary in the vicinity and which has been conveniently prepared to receive the cubes, means being provided to cause the pusher (17) to rise at the end of said inward travel and to return upwards to the rest position so as not to interfere with the cubes on the other sorting surface (13') which is raised at the correct time, said pusher then being made to return to the low positionto start another operating cycle, while the box filling machine positions another box to be filled in alignment with the fixed empty sorting surface (13) across which the cubes discharged subsequently from the adjacent surface (13') will pass.

10. Equipment according to claim 2), characterized in that it comprises means which act in such a way that, when said two sorting surfaces (13, 13') have been emptied, the parking surface (12) returns to the high position and the pusher (16), temporarily controlled by the latter, advances the group of cubes which have remained on this surface in such a way that some of these occupy the final sorting surfaces (13, 13'), to start another cycle as described, the arrangement being such that, when these surfaces (13, 13') have been emptied, said parking surface (12) returns to the raised position and said pusher (16) transfers the additional cubes onto said sorting surfaces (13, 13') to enable further boxes to be filled, and the arrangement being such that, while the storage surfaces (8, 8') are still in the low position for receiving cubes from the elevator (3), said pusher (16) returns to the cycle start position by a simple rectilinear movement, without changing its position in respect of height, because the cubes placed on said storage surfaces (8, 8') are in a low position in which they do not interfere with this pusher.

11. Equipment according to claim 2), in which said guide (10) can also extend laterally with respect to the parking surface (12) which carries another fixed guide (10') on the opposite side, the arrangement being such that a short guide (110), aligned with the guide (10), is provided in alignment with said guide (10) on the outer side of the fixed sorting surface (13), this short guide being formed if required by shutters with vertical axes and being connected to actuating means of the retraction type which inactivate it at the correct time when the cubes are inserted into the boxes by the pusher (17), the arrangement also being such that the guide means (110) can be used as a bridge for the correct transfer of the cubes from the fixed sorting surface (13) to the box and also for positioning the box correctly in the open position ready to receive the cubes.

12. Equipment according to any one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises adjusting means and means for easy and rapid replacement to facilitate the adaptation of the equipment to the packaging of cubes or other products which have different dimensions and/or are present in different quantities.