Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to a device for co-ordin-
ating products supplied in bulk and having an oblong shape with a
flat base, such as chocolate-like articles, and feeding the
articles to a wrapping machine. In particular, the present
invention relates to a device of the above-mentioned type
arranged to feed or supply a wrapping machine with the above type
of products with substantially no waste, the products being handled
individually and being arranged lengthwise with respect to the
feed direction.
Conventionally and particularly as disclosed in
applicants Canadian Patent No. 901,613, the products are supplied
in bulk to the central zone of a horizontal continuously rotating
disc or plate. A system of fixed guides and switching or deviat-
ing elements forwards the products along a spiral path from said
central zone to the periphery of the disc. During such transfer
the products are spaced from each other and rotated so as to be-
come longitudinally arranged with respect to the direction of their
movement. The products, while following the profile of a fixed end
guide, run along a given length of the periphery of said disc and
are tangentialy unloaded from the disc and disposed on a belt con-
veyor arranged to feed the wrapping machine. The fixed guide is
located at a distance from the edge of the disc such that the
wrongly positioned products, i.e. the products transversely
arranged with respect to their direction of movement, are caused
to fall away and thus to be removed.
However it was found in practice that the percentage of
the discarded products was such as to substantially decrease the
feed flow and thus the efficiency of the wrapping machine when use
was made of such a device, and that the products removed by causing
them to fall away were often damaged to such an extent that they
could not be recovered.
The present invention provides a device of the above-
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mentioned type which is arranged to correctly dispose, i.e.
longitudinally with respect to their direction of movement, even
products which, as explained above, normally discarded by the
conventional device and thus a device arranged to reduce to sub-
stantially zero th`e percentage of wasted or discarded products,
thereby ensuring a uniform product feed flow to the wrapping
machine. The present invention also provides such a device which
achieves the above advantages by means of a particularly simple
and relatively economic structure.
According to the present invention there is provided
a device for feeding a wrapping machine with rectangular products
having a flat base individually in succession and disposed length-
wise with respect to their direction of movement said device
comprising a continuous rotatable disc, means for feeding said
products seriatim onto the surface of said disc, guide means dis-
posed above said disc and defining a spiral path for said productc
terminating at a point at the periphery of said disc such that
said products are fed tangentially off said disc, and a linear
conveying means arranged to feed said products from said disc to
said wrapping machine and to move continuously at a speed higher
than the speed of the periphery of said disc, a fixed side guard
board positioned along one side of said linear conveying means,
one end of said linear conveying means extending partially under
the periphery of the disc at said point at which the products are
fed off the disc, and said conveying means being inclined trans-
versely to the direction of movement thereof and downwardly
towards said side guard board, whereby products oriented trans-
versely with respect to their direction of motion tend to be
rotated so as to be longitudinally oriented as they are taken
up by said linear conveying means moving at a higher speed.
In one embodiment of the device of the present
invention the conveying means co-operates with means arranged
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to adjust said inclination of the conveying means.
In another embodiment of the device of the present
invention the adjusting means includes a support structure
adapted to permit the inclination of the conveying means to be
adjusted
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about its side located close to a lower inner edge of the side
guard board.
The present invention will be further illustrated by
way of the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a feeding device
according to one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a sectional side view of a detail of the
device of Figure 1 in one operating condition; and
J Figure 3 is a sectional side view of the same detail
Of Figure 2 in a second operating condition.
Referring to Figure 1 the device as is conventional
comprises a continuously clockwise rotating disc 1 mounted on
the vertical shaft or axis 2 carried by the casing 3 the disc
rotating in the direction of the arrow f.
The product P is supplied in bulk by the endless belt -~ -
4 wound about rollers 5 (only one of which is seen in Figure 1),
continuously moving in the direction of the arrow f . The belt ;~
4 is disposed horizontally above the disc 1 and is inclined
downwards at its end section so as to feed the central zone of
the disc 1. A fixed block 6 connects the terminal end of the
belt 4 to the plane of the disc 1.
As known, the products P, once they have been supplied
thereto, are conveyed by the disc 1 to meet with a series of
switching or deviating and guide means which are arranged, as
disclosed in applicants Canadian Patent No. 901,613 to space the
products from each other and to arrange each of them lengthwise
with respect to the direction of movement thereof.
In particular, the disc 1 together with the fixed side
guard board 7 moves the products P along a path which is defined
by a first switching or deviating element 8 on its right-hand
side. The switching element 8 is carried by a means rigid with
the casing 3 and comprises a bar which extends from the central
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zone towards the edge of the disc 1. The bar has a spiral con-
figuration and is formed with a saw-tooth profile length.
The products P so deviated then proceed along the
periphery of the disc 1, meeting with the terminal end of the
switching element 8 and a second switching or deviating element
9 carried by a means rigid with the casing 3 and located on the
left-hand side with respect to the direction of movement thereof.
The products P, once they have passed the element 9
which is also provided with a saw-tooth profile length, move ~ -
forward on the disc 1 along a corridor defined by the edge of ~-
the disc 1 on one side and by the guide 10 on the other side.
Said guide 10 first follows the curvature of the disc 1 to a
convenient extent and extends then substantially tangentially of
the disc 1. Throughout its length, the corridor has a width to `~ ;
permit the passage in contrast to the disclosure of the aforesaid
Canadian Patent, of even those products P that are not correctly ~
arranged despite the actions of said switching or deviating means. ~ -
A pair of elements 11 and 12 both fixed to means rigid ~-
with the casing 3 and respectively comprising a circular sector r , ,'
section and a plate, are disposed to eliminate dust and fragments
of products P by means of a continuous scraping action.
An endless belt conveyor 13 extends horizontally and
tangentially with the disc 1 at the level of the lower face of
the latter, the conveyor 13 moving in the direction of the arrow
f" and being wound on rollers 14 (only one of which is seen in
Figure 1) carried by a means rigid with the casing 3. The rear
edge of the belt conveyor 13 as viewed in Figure 1 is initially
defined by the terminal end of the guide 10 and then by the fixed
side guard board 15. A pair of similar devices 16 and 17 spacedly
disposed along the path of the belt conveyor 13 are adapted to
vary the inclination of the conveyor 13 transversely to the ; -
direction of the movement of the belt. ~
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Referring particularly to Figures 2 and 3 the device
16 is carried for example by the bar 18 supported by the casing
3 and disposed transversely to the belt conveyor 13. An arcu-
ate bar ~ bent towards the belt conveyor 13 in a plane trans-
' verse thereto is rigid with the upper face of said bar 18. Thebar 19 is a support and guide element for the radial shaft 21
via the block 20. A roller 22 is rotatably mounted on the shaft
21 tangentially with the belt conveyor 13. sy varying of the
position of the block 20 along the arcuate bar 19, the inclin-
ation of the roller 22 and thus the inclination of the belt -
conveyor 13 transverse to the direction of movement thereof may
be varied. In the embodiment of the drawings this is done in
the following manner.
The left-hand end of the bar 18 and the block 20 carry
two pins 23 and 24 free to rotate about the respective axes
parallel to the belt conveyor 13 each pin having a through radial
bore which is threaded in an opposite direction to the other.
The bores are engaged by a rod 25 right-handedly threaded on the
one side and left-handedly threaded on the other side and provided
with the gear wheel 26 located in an intermediate position thereon.
By manually rotating the wheel 26 in one direction or in the
opposite direction the block 20 is caused to slide upwardly or
downwardly along the arcuate section 19, to modify the inclination
of the roller 22. This also applies to the device 17, the various ~ -
corresponding parts of which are indicated in Figure 1 by the same
reference numerals as those in the device 16.
The products P, on reaching the end of the corridor
defined by the guide 10, are removed by the belt conveyor 13
moving at a speed higher than the tangential speed of the disc 1.
As a consequence, the products P already correctly arranged are
subjected to a further spacing from each other upon passing from
one means to another moving at different speeds.
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The products P which are not longitudinally arranged
with respect to their direction of movement, i.e. those not
correctly arranged for performing the subsequent wrapping
operations, while lying on the belt conveyor 13 undergo a first ~ -
rotation in clockwise direction. Such rotation is then completed
on the belt 13 by the combined action of the belt itself suitably
inclined by the devices 16 and 17 and of the side guard board 15
which acts as a holding up element on one side of the products P.
In this way, the products for which the action of the known
means arranged above the disc 1 was insufficient are longitudinally
orientated with respect to the direction of movement. -
A horizontal guide 27 is also disposed below the belt
conveyor 13 to collect the dust and fragments of the products P.
A belt stretcher 28 for the belt conveyor 13 is also provided. ~
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