Patent ID: 11919724
Assignee: CANLINE SYSTEMS B.V.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. Transporter system for transporting a stream of substantially cylindrical objects, the transporter system comprising:
a first and second transporter section, wherein each transporter section comprises:
an inlet, configured to receive the stream of substantially cylindrical objects;
an outlet, configured to discharge the stream of substantially cylindrical objects;
a plurality of stationary guide rails arranged to delimit a part of a passage through which the stream of substantially cylindrical objects is guided, and wherein the passage extends from the inlet to the outlet; and
at least one movable guide rail arranged to delimit a remaining part of the passage, and configured to be moved from a first position to at least a second position to change a size of a cross-section of the passage;

wherein the first transporter section is configured to delimit a first passage wherein the substantially cylindrical objects extend in a first orientation and the second transporter section is configured to delimit a second passage wherein the substantially cylindrical objects extend in a second orientation different from the first orientation;
an intermediate orientation changing transporter section arranged between the first and second transporter section, the intermediate orientation changing transporter section comprising:
an inlet configured to receive the stream of substantially cylindrical objects from the first transporter section,
an outlet configured to discharge the stream of substantially cylindrical objects to the second transporter section, and
a further plurality of stationary guide rails arranged to delimit at least part of an orientation changing passage through which the stream of substantially cylindrical objects is guided;

wherein the intermediate orientation changing transporter section further comprises a rotatable frame configured to be rotated with respect to the further plurality of stationary guide rails to a plurality of rotational positions,
wherein the rotatable frame comprises a first movable guide rail configured to delimit a remaining part of the orientation changing passage when the rotatable frame is in a first rotational position and a second movable guide rail configured to delimit the remaining part of the orientation changing passage when the rotatable frame is in a second rotational position;
wherein the further plurality of stationary guide rails and the rotatable frame with the first and second movable guide rails are configured to, when the stream of substantially cylindrical objects is guided through the orientation changing passage, change the orientation of each of the substantially cylindrical objects in the stream of substantially cylindrical objects from the first orientation to the second orientation; and
wherein the first and second movable guide rails of the intermediate orientation changing transporter section are configured to define orientation changing passages having different sizes in cross-section.