Package making – Group forming of contents unit and subsequent or further... – Long slender articles
Patent
1987-03-23
1988-03-22
Culver, Horace M.
Package making
Group forming of contents unit and subsequent or further...
Long slender articles
53537, 53544, 53236, 53244, 53247, 198396, B65B 510, B65B 1934, B65B 3544, B65B 3556
Patent
active
047319755
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a machine for automatically positioning products, in particular food products, such as biscuits, petit fours or the like, in at least one layer, in receiver alveoli. This machine comprises at least one endless conveyor belt to transport the randomly positioned products, an alignment apparatus of these products, an apparatus for transport of the alveoli and an apparatus for depositing the products in the alveoli.
The problem of placing certain alimentary products particularly biscuits, petit fours, or the like, having irregular shapes, has not yet been resolved in a satisfactory manner. The alignment of the biscuits on a transport belt normally occurs in a manual fashion and the placement in a box, if it is not performed manually, occurs by means of a movable arm provided with suction grips. A manual intervention constitutes a major disadvantage because it occurs along a line where all the other operations can be automated. Recourse to a moveable arm utilizing suction grips considerably limits the production rate and cannot be applied to the manipulation of certain products.
The present invention proposes overcoming these disadvantages by providing an entirely automated machine to align and place into a box food products and particularly biscuits which can have a variety of irregular shapes. to this end, the machine for the automatic positioning of products, according to the invention, is characterized in that the alignment apparatus of the products comprises at least one flexible endless element, positioned parallel above the conveyor belt and driven in the opposite direction. This flexible endless element being equipped with at least one series of pins, aligned in the direction of their displacement and mounted in a manner so as to point towards the surface of the conveyor belt, the free ends of the pins being positioned at a distance from the surface of the conveyor belt less than the thickness of the transported products.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one preferred embodiment, the flexible endless element comprises one endless belt provided with at least one line of pins substantially perpendicular to its plane.
According to one preferred embodiment, the flexible endless element comprises at least two endless chains mounted parallel to one another and connected by transverse bars perpendicular to these chains, each of these bars being equipped with a series of pins positioned at regular intervals to form pin lines parallel to the chains, each pin being oriented towards the surface of the conveyor belt of the products.
In this embodiment, each pin preferably comprises means for adjustment adapted to allow for the adjustment of its height, its inclination with respect to the surface of the endless conveyor belt of the products and its distance with respect to the adjacent pins situated on the same transverse bar.
Each of the endless chains preferably comprises attachment emans adapted to adjust the spacing between the transverse bars.
The transport apparatus of the receptor alveoli preferably comprises at least one endless chain carrying a series of pivotable levers of which one end is journalled on the chain and whose other end carries a receptor alveolus. Each of the levers is equipped with a following element adapted to follow a guidance element and to cooperate with the follower element integral with each lever to assure a predetermined inclination of this lever. This follower element is preferably constituted by a slide of variable inclination.
The apparatus for depositing products in the receptor alveoli comprises preferably a distributor element adapted to pick up the products brought by the endless conveyor belt, a swivelling slide to direct the products of the distributor towards the alveoli, and control means for controlling the distributor element and the orientation of the slide.
The distributor element preferably comprises at least one pin wheel constituted by a drum provided with pins positioned radially to the peripheral surface of the drum, these
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