Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items – By distributing items from one stream into plural streams
Patent
1992-06-30
1993-05-11
Olszewski, Robert P.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items
By distributing items from one stream into plural streams
1984191, 198431, 198586, 198817, B65G 4726
Patent
active
052093395
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention is concerned with a system for changing the number of streams or lanes of product being conveyed along a flow line and particularly to conveyor systems for multiplying one or more input streams into two or more output streams.
Conventionally conveyor systems for changing the number of streams of product usually include a simple smooth flat belt conveyor and a series of fixed kerbs or belt conveyors operating in a vertical plane which guide the products in the lateral direction of the belt conveyor to slide the products laterally across the belt conveyor and so divide an incoming stream into two or more more output streams. Examples of these conventional conveying systems are described in FR-A-2587007 and FR-A-2168967.
Another known system is described in FR-A-2248216 which comprises an input conveyor for conveying the one or more input streams of product, a transfer conveyor which is movable bodily in a direction transverse to its conveying direction and which is arranged- to receive products from the input conveyor, and a multi-lane output conveyor which carries multiple side-by-side streams of product and is arranged to receive products from the transfer conveyor. This system is described as conveying cans which are constrained into separate lanes on the output conveyor by kerbs. The transfer conveyor is oscillated continuously between its extreme transverse positions to divide the input stream evenly between the output streams. When all the output streams are full inflatable buffers engage the sides of the cans on the input conveyor to prevent them being fed to the transfer conveyor. During this, as well as during transfer between the input conveyor and the transfer conveyor, and between the transfer conveyor and the output conveyor, slip occurs between the base of the cans and the conveyors.
FR-A-1371535 discloses a conveyor system for feeding cut lengths of extruded product from an input conveyor evenly to a three lane output conveyor. The blocks are fed from the input conveyor to an intermediate roller table. From here, whilst their forward movement is arrested they are lifted and shifted sideways by reciprocating fingers intercallated between the rollers of the roller table. The output conveyor includes an abutment extending across all lanes to hold the blocks until they are present in all three lanes before allowing them to proceed along the output conveyor.
It is not possible however to use such systems to handle all products. For example individual slices, stacks, or shingles of slices of meat or meat products or other sticky, soft or crumbly foodstuffs need to be conveyed positively and cannot be held or pushed by kerbs or guides and made to slide over the surface of a belt conveyor. One way in which a stream of such products have been multiplied into a number of output streams is using what is known as a channelliser. A channelliser consists of a number of product carriers each of which is slideably mounted between pairs of parallel rods. The rods are equally spaced and have their opposite ends secured to chains which are driven around sprocket wheels to form a moving continuous belt of parallel rods. One or more product carrier deflectors are mounted beneath the belt of parallel rods and guide the product carriers to move them transversely along the rods as the continuous belt of rods moves forward. The carrier deflector includes an initial movable portion which switches individual groups of product carriers so that they follow one of two or more different paths. The product such as slices of meat or meat product are deposited on a group of product carriers and then this group of carriers slide along their parallel rods and hence are moved transversely as the group is conveyed forward and is output in one of two or more output streams.
Problems occur with conventional channellisers when handling flexible sticky products such as slices of meat because the slices tend to get trapped between adjacent product carriers which causes damage to the slices and the arrangement of a
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Gastneau Cheryl
Olszewski Robert P.
Thurne Engineering Co. Ltd.
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