Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an article reasserting
apparatus having a first conveyor on which flat-lying
articles are advanced to a discharge end and a second
conveyor to which the articles are transferred from the
discharge end of the first conveyor.
By means of an apparatus of the above-outlined type
confectionery items such as cookies or crackers are conveyed
from a baking oven or a cooling zone to one or more packing
machines or to long-term storage devices. The articles
which are usually advanced on a conveyor belt in transverse
rows are combined into groups of predetermined quantities of
articles and are subsequently packaged or stored. Frequently,
however, the articles are not uniform. Thus, for example,
the articles situated at the outer ends of the transverse
rows may be baked more thoroughly than others. Upon
packaging the articles in small groups, it occurs frequently
that one package will contain only the more thoroughly baked
items while in the other only the less thoroughly baked
items will appear.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved
apparatus of the above-outlined type with which flat, for
example disc-like articles may be intermingled in a simple
and inexpensive manner and which is adapted to handle even
very delicate and fragile items.
These objects and others to become apparent as the
specification progresses, are accomplished by the invention,
according to which, briefly stated, the second conveyor has
a plurality of conveyor channels arranged essentially
transversely to the conveying direction of the first conveyor
and further, the conveyor channels and the discharge end of
the first conveyor may be moved relative to one another in a
direction transverse to the conveyor channels for alter-
nightingale charging the conveyor channels.
BRIEF DECORATION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure l is a schematic side elevation Al view ova preferred embodiment of the invention.
Figure 2 is a schematic top plan view of the same
embodiment.
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Figure 3 is a schematic side elevation Al view, on
an enlarged scale, of a component of the preferred embodiment.
Figure 4 is a schematic front elevation Al view of the
component illustrated in Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a schematic side elevation Al view of
another preferred embodiment of the invention.
Figure 6 is a top plan view of the embodiment illustrated
in Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a schematic top plan view of a drive for
one component of the invention.
Figure 8 is a schematic top plan view of a variant of
a drive for the same component as in Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a schematic side elevation Al view of
cooperating parts of two components of the first preferred
embodiment of the invention.
Figure lo is a schematic side elevation Al view of
cooperating parts of two components of the second preferred
embodiment of the invention.
Figure 11 is a top plan view of cooperating portions
of two components of the invention.
Figure 12 is a graph of a time/displacement function of
the motion of one component with respect to another component
of the invention.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, there it shown a
first conveyor generally designated at 17, comprising a
conveyor belt 2 which is driven with a constant speed in the
direction of the arrow 4 and on which items 1, for example,
confectionery articles such as cookies or crackers are
advanced from a baking oven or a cooling zone to a second
conveyor generally designated at 20, including a plurality
of parallel-extending conveyor channels 21. The items 1
drop at a discharge end (transfer edge) 3 of the first
conveyor 17 into conveyor channels 21 which advance the
articles 1 essentially transversely to the conveying
direction 4 of the conveyor belt 2 of the first conveyor 17.
The transfer edge 3 is displaceable parallel to the conveying
direction 4 of the belt 2 so that the transfer edge 3 may be
brought into alignment with selected channels 21 and thus
the belt 2 may charge each channel 21 with articles. The
second conveyor 20 may be a swinging conveyor of known
construction which conveys the items 1, orients them in an
edgewise upright position and delivers them to several
packing machines. The endless conveyor belt 2 is trained
about four rolls 5, 6, 7 and 8. The rolls 5 and 8 are
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stationary, whereas the rolls 6 and 7 are mounted on a
belt-supporting carriage 9 which is displaceable parallel to
the arrow I The displacement of the carriage 9 is effected
by means of two levers lo and 11 on either side of the
conveyor belt 2. The levers 10 and 11 are connected with
one another with a transverse shaft 16.
The lever lo is a bell crank lever having long and
short arms 12 and 13, respectively. The longer arm 12 of
the bell crank lever lo is pivotal connected at its free
end with the belt-supporting carriage 9 while the other,
shorter arm 13 is, at its free end, guided in an eccentric
annular groove 14 of a cam disc 15. As the latter is
rotated by means of a motor 41 and a gear 42, the bell
crank lever lo oscillates the shaft 16 and the lever 11 and
thus moves the belt-supporting carriage 9, together with the
frontal roller 6 backwards and forwards dependent upon the
direction of rotation of the cam disc 15.
Turning in particular to Figures 3 and 4, the conveyor
belt 2 trot shown in Figure 4) of the first conveyor 17 is
supported on a machine frame 43 (not shown in Figure 3),
and the belt-supporting carriage 9 is provided on either
side with rails 42 which are slid ably guided in respective
tracks 45 affixed to the machine frame 43.
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Turning now to Figures 5 and 6, there is shown a second
embodiment of the invention, including a first conveyor 17'
comprising a vibrating table 50 and a second conveyor 20'
comprising an endless conveyor belt 58 having a conveying
direction 59. The vibrating table 50 is supported by means
of a guide 52 on a base 53 and is oscillated by means of a
drive 54 in such a manner that the articles 1 situated on
the upper face of the table 50 are advanced in the direction
of the arrow 4 and discharged at the transfer edge 3' as
indicated by the arrow 55.
The second conveyor 20' includes a frame structure 57
which is situated above the conveyor belt 58 and which is
formed of a plurality of parallel-spaced walls 60 which
extend generally along the length of the conveyor 58 and
which are articulated at 61. The walls 60 define a plurality
of conveyor channels 67. In the zone of the transfer edge
3' of the vibratory table 50 the frame structure 57 is disk
placeable by means of a drive 62 parallel to the double-headed
arrow 69 and thus transversely to the conveying direction
59. The drive 62 comprises a motor 63, a gearing 72, a cam
shaft 69 and two cam discs 65 which move longitudinally two
follower rods 66 which, in turn, are attached at their free
ends to the frame structure 57. Thus, according to this
embodiment, the transfer edge 3' remains stationary, while
the conveyor channels 67 are displaceable in the direction
indicated by the double-headed arrow 68.
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For a rapid and exact change of the displacement
speed of the frame structure 57, a drive is provided which
is illustrated in Figure 7. The drive shown therein comprises
a two-shaft gearing 72 having a spur gear pair 73 for low
speeds and a spur gear pair 74 for high speeds. A switch-over
clutch 75 selectively sets the power path from the drive
motor 70 to the cam shaft 69 either through the gear pair 73
or the gear pair 74. It is to be understood however, that
other accurately controllable speed changing gears may also
find application. A variant of such a drive is shown in
Figure 8. The drive includes a main motor 80 having a
constant rum and a control motor 81 of variable rum. The
motors 80 and 81 drive the cam shaft 69 with the intermediary
of an adding gear 82, such as a planetary gear. The rum
control is effected by means of sensors (not shown) which
determine the momentary charged state of the conveyor
channels 67. It is to be understood that for the speed
control other variables may be used which characterize the
manufacturing, conveying or packaging devices involved in
the production line. It is also noted that the speed
controlling arrangements of Figures 7 and 8 may equally find
application in controlling the rum of the cam disc 15 of the
embodiment according to Figures 1-4. Further, it is feasible
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to use a displaceable vibrator-type conveyor in conjunction
with the conveyor channels 21 or a stationary endless belt
conveyor in conjunction with the conveyor channels 67.
Figures 9 and 10 illustrate a particular arrangement of
the discharge end of the first conveyor 17 or 17',
respectively. As seen, in the discharge zone the conveyor
belt slopes downwardly as viewed in the conveying direction.
The articles drop from the transfer edge 3 or 3' in that
selected conveyor channel 21 or 67 which is situated directly
downstream of the transfer edge as viewed in the direction
of conveyance on the first conveyor. The height difference
between the transfer edge and the conveying surface of the
second conveyor is small to effectively protect even very
fragile articles 1. After one row of articles 1 is deposited
in one conveyor channel of the second conveyor the transfer
edge (discharge end) of the first conveyor is moved relatively
to the conveyor channels transversely to the conveyor
channels as described.
The relative speed between the transfer edge 3 or
20 3' and the conveyor channels 21 or 67 in the direction 4 can
be adapted optimally to external conditions. For example,
in case one of the packaging machines which are arranged
downstream of the described reasserting apparatus becomes
inoperative or a disturbance develops in the article
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feed, the corresponding conveying channel is not charged
with articles. The articles 1 may be deposited for a better
intermingling in such a manner that at least some articles
will be positioned between already deposited articles.
Turning in particular to Figure 11, on the first conveyor 17
along the longitudinal edges thereof there may be items 76
which are baked to a greater degree than the articles 77 in
between. If the items were to be grouped according to
columns, in each package there would be only articles of one
type. If, on the other hand, according to the invention,
the rows are combined in the conveyor channels 21 or 67,
each package will have a mix of the variously baked items.
Turning now to Figure 12, there is illustrated a
time/displacement diagram of the course of relative motion
between the transfer edge (discharge end) of the first
conveyor and the conveyor channels of the second conveyor in
a direction transverse to the conveying direction of the
second conveyor. The abscissa represents the displacement
a; the distances R correspond approximately to the width of
each conveying channel. The zero point of the coordinate
system is selected to be on the edge of the first conveyor
channel. The ordinate represents the time t.
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During an advancing period A the transfer edge 3 or 3'
passes over (scans) with constant speed four conveying
channels and thereafter, during a return period B the
transverse edge 3 or 3' scans the channels in the reverse
direction. The conveying speed of the first conveyor and
the speed of the relative motion are so coordinated with one
another that each conveyor channel is charged with the
eventual desired number of articles 1 during the return
motion.
The relative forward and reverse motions are periodically
repeated. If, by means of sensors, for example, in the
third conveyor channel R3, there are sensed deviations
from the desired value range which require a correction of
the assigned article quantities, by means of the control
device the speed in the zone R3 is changed accordingly.
Thus, in Figure 12 the alternative curve portion c shows a
course in which the transfer edge 3 dwells longer than
normally above the conveying channel R3, whereas the
curve portion d indicates a shorter than normal dwelling
period. The solid line portion e indicates the course of the
curve without correction.
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It will be understood that the above description of the
present invention is susceptible to various modifications,
changes and adaptations, and the same are intended to
be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents
of the appended claims.
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