Patent ID: 7896151
Filing Date: 2011-03-01
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
1. A method for combining and aligning packing units and/or packing unit groups to form rows for a layer of a pallet, comprising the following steps: supplying, on an allocating conveyor, individual packing units and/or packing unit groups in an abutting relationship, wherein the allocating conveyor is drivable by a first motor; operating a transportation conveyor downstream of the allocating conveyor with a second motor driven at a constant transportation speed; forming batches of a desired length of packing units and/or packing unit groups having a desired gap between the batches, wherein a speed of the allocating conveyor is controlled according to the batches to be formed and the speed of the allocating conveyor is essentially equal to the speed of the transportation conveyor so that the batches of the desired length are transferred to the transportation conveyor; reducing the speed of the allocating conveyor, if the last unit of the respective batch with the desired length is transferred from the allocating conveyor to the transportation conveyor, so that the desired gap is between a current batch on the transportation conveyor and a next batch to be transferred from the allocating conveyor to the transportation conveyor; and, transferring the batches with the gap predefined between them onto a row or layer forming conveyor, which is driven by a third motor.