Abstract:
The present invention relates to a device for forming batches of products to be loaded into receptacles, including: a conveyer having housings including two links supporting a plurality of pallets defining housings between same: a supply conveyer arranged substantially perpendicular to the housing conveyer and capable of transporting products one behind the other and of supplying at least one product in each housing to a loading station via one Open lateral side of said housings, the housing conveyer being provided with abutment means arranged on the lateral side of the housing opposite the supply conveyer and used as an abutment for the product to be loaded into each housing: and unloading means capable of simultaneously unloading a batch of products from a series of housings of the housing conveyer at an unloading station.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention concerns a device for forming product batches in order to load them in receptacles, in particular for forming batches of food products, especially sausages, intended to be loaded in trays. 
     Devices for forming product batches are known, comprising a first conveyor with housings comprising two endless belts guided on return members with horizontal rotation axes, on a circulation path, and carrying a plurality of blades defining between them housings each able to be loaded with at least one product at a loading station in the circulation path, and be unloaded at a unloading station in the circulation path, and a second endless belt conveyor able to transport products one behind the other, and to bring one or more products in each housing in the conveyor with housings at the loading station. These devices also comprise unloading means able to simultaneously unload a batch of products from successive housings in the conveyor with housings at the unloading conveyor, in order to load them in a receptacle. In these devices, the second endless belt conveyor is disposed parallel to the conveyor with housings, and transfers the products through the open exterior side of the housings defined between the exterior transverse edges of the blades. 
     These devices are conventionally used for flat and/or robust products and/or ones having a certain rigidity, for example of the newspaper or journal type. These devices do however prove to be unsuitable for certain types of product. In addition, these devices do not allow a precise transverse positioning of the products in the housings. 
     The aim of the present invention is to propose a solution aimed at overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To this end, the present invention proposes a device for forming product batches, said batches being intended to be loaded in receptacles, in particular batches of food products, especially sausages, in order to load them in trays, comprising
         a first conveyor of the housing type comprising two endless belts guided on return members with horizontal rotation axes, on a circulation path, and carrying a plurality of blades defining housings between them, each housing being able to be loaded with at least one product at a loading station in the circulation path and be unloaded at an unloading station in the circulation path, and drive means able to drive said belts along the circulation path,   a second so-called feed conveyor of endless belt type comprising a first endless belt able to transport products separated from one another and one behind the other, and to bring one or more products in each housing of the housing conveyor at the loading station, and second drive means able to drive said first endless belt, and   unloading means able to simultaneously unload a batch of products from successive housings on the housing conveyor at the unloading station, in order to load them in a receptacle,   characterised in that   said feed conveyor is arranged substantially perpendicular to the housing conveyor and is able to bring the products in the housings through an open lateral side of said housings,   the housing conveyor being equipped with stop means able to be arranged on the lateral side of the housing opposite to the feed conveyor when one or more products are loaded in said housing, to serve as a stop for said product or products to be loaded in each housing; said stop means are for example able to substantially close each housing on the lateral side of the housing opposite to the feed conveyor when one or more products are loaded in said housing.       

     According to the invention, the loading of the housing conveyor is performed laterally from the lateral side of the housing, which makes it possible to load different types of product, especially elongate products, in particular non-rigid, such as food products such as sausages, in a precise transverse position in the housings. 
     According to one particularity, said feed conveyor comprises a downstream end portion with a length extending between the two belts of the main conveyor, so that each product is driven positively in a housing, until it abuts against the stop means. Such a downstream end portion guarantees correct positioning of the product in the housing, with a precise transverse position in the housing, in particular in the case of flexible and fragile products, such as sausages, making it possible to form batches of products that are perfectly aligned, easily entering receptacles without being damaged. 
     According to one embodiment, the filling station is defined at a return member, the blades being fixed rigidly to the belts so that the two successive blades of a housing separate from each other when the belts pass over said return member, in order to open the housing and thus facilitate the insertion of one or more products, moving closer together on leaving the return member. 
     According to one embodiment, the blades of a housing are able to grip the product or products loaded in the housing after the belts pass over the return members. In the case of sausages, the sausages can then be extracted from the housings in order to be placed directly edge to edge in trays, without requiring an intermediate restacking step. 
     According to one embodiment, the housing conveyor comprises the belts guided on a circulation path in a triangle by two main return members and an intermediate return member, the loading station being defined at said intermediate return member, the feed conveyor being able to bring the products in the housings when they pass over said intermediate return member. This arrangement makes it possible to provide a space for positioning said downstream end portion and to keep a loading station fixed when the two return members are moved to and fro in order to carry out unloading at rest, as described below. 
     According to one embodiment, said intermediate return member is arranged above the main return members, said intermediate return member comprising, for each belt, an intermediate wheel, the feed conveyor comprising a main top-length portion arranged substantially parallel to the rotation axes of the intermediate wheels, above said wheels, said downstream end portion being arranged between the two return wheels, under the blades. 
     According to one embodiment, the feed conveyor comprises a single endless belt, the top length of which comprises said main portion and said downstream end portion. The endless belt is advantageously formed from several belts arranged edge to edge, only a part of the belts constituting the main portion being used for forming the downstream end part. 
     According to one embodiment, the feed conveyor also comprises two second endless belts, mounted between return wheels with vertical rotation axes, functioning in synchronism with the first belt, and having lateral lengths facing each other, close to the downstream main roller, able to grip the products. 
     According to one embodiment, the main conveyor comprises a rectilinear unloading length defined between the two main return members, said housing conveyor comprising movement means able to move said main return members in a to-and-fro movement, parallel to the unloading length, in order to stop said unloading length when batches of products are unloaded by said unloading means, while continuing the loading of the products in the housings. 
     According to one embodiment, the unloading means comprise a pusher able to pass through the open internal sides of the housings in order to push the products. 
     According to one embodiment, the stop means are adjustable in transverse position. 
     According to one embodiment, the batch forming device comprises a third so-called output conveyor, with an endless belt, arranged under the unloading station, parallel or perpendicular to the housing conveyor, intended to receive on its top length the batches of products, directly or indirectly via receptacles. 
     According to one embodiment, the device comprises a sensor able to detect a product leaving the feed conveyor, the means of driving the belts of the housing conveyor being slaved to said sensor. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be better understood and other aims, details, features and advantages will emerge more clearly during the detailed explanatory description that follows of a currently preferred particular embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is perspective view of a batch forming device according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial side view of the device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial view in section along the plane III-III in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged partial perspective view of the device of  FIG. 1 , in which elements of the housing conveyor and of the feed conveyor have been removed; 
         FIG. 5  is a partial enlarged view of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a partial enlarged view of  FIG. 4 ; and 
         FIG. 7A to 7G  are different schematic side views of the housing conveyor, illustrating the various steps for the continuous loading of six sausages and the unloading of a batch of six sausages in a tray at rest. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The figures illustrate a batch forming device  1  for loading batches of sausages in trays B. The device according to the invention is for example arranged downstream of a sausage manufacturing machine, such as the one described in the patent document FR 2 725 876. 
     The device comprises a feed conveyor  2 , a housing conveyor 5and a discharge conveyor  8  for conveying trays. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2 to 6 , and in particular  FIG. 4 , the housing conveyor  5  comprises a pair of endless belts  52  spaced apart from each other and parallel to each other, carrying blades  53  that delimit individual housings  51  between them. The belts are mounted on two main return members  54 ,  55  and an intermediate return member  56  so that the belts are moved on a circulation path in a triangle. 
     The belts  52  consist of chains formed by links  521  articulated to each other, each blade  53  is formed by a rectangular plate that is mounted on a link in each chain. The blades are rigidly fixed to the links and extend outwards substantially at 90° to the links. Each housing  51  is delimited between two successive parallel blades and has an open exterior side defined between the two exterior transverse edges  531  of the blades, an open bottom side defined between the two interior transverse edges  532 , and two open lateral sides, a first one defined between the two lateral edges  533  and a second defined between the two lateral edges  534 . 
     According to  FIG. 2 , the main return members  54 ,  55  comprise two upstream notched wheels  541  secured to a first spindle  542  and two downstream notched wheels  551  secured to a second spindle  552 . The intermediate return member  56  comprises two intermediate notched wheels  561   a ,  561   b , Each belt  52  meshes on an intermediate wheel, an upstream wheel and a downstream wheel. The first spindle  542  of the upstream wheels and the second spindle  552  of the downstream wheels are mounted rotatably on a first support  58 , which is mounted so as to be able to move in horizontal translation on the frame  10  of the batch forming device. The intermediate wheels are mounted rotatably on a second support  57 , independently of each other, above the upstream and downstream pairs of wheels, said second support  57  being mounted fixedly on the frame  10 . The so-called unloading length  50 A of the conveyor  5 , which is defined between the two pairs of upstream and downstream wheels, is arranged substantially horizontally. 
     Movement means (not shown), mounted between the frame  10  and the first support  58 , are able to move the first support  58  in horizontal translation with respect to the frame, in a to-and-fro movement, between a so-called reference position illustrated in  FIG. 7A  and an extreme position illustrated in  FIG. 7D . First drive means  59 , acting for example on the intermediate wheel  561   a  opposite to the feed conveyor  2 , are able to rotate the chains carrying the blades in the anticlockwise direction, as illustrated by the arrow reference F 1  in  FIG. 7A . In the reference position, the upstream and downstream pairs of wheels are arranged substantially symmetrically on either side of the intermediate wheels, the circulation path being substantially in an isosceles triangle. The first drive means and the movement means function in synchronism, so that the unloading length  50 A is at rest while the first support  58  carrying the upstream and downstream wheels is moving towards its extreme position. During this movement, the triangle of the circulation path deforms. To guarantee an identical length of circulation path when the triangle deforms, the second spindle of the downstream wheels is mounted on the first support  58  by means of an elastic system  60 , illustrated schematically in  FIG. 7A , enabling said spindle to move in horizontal translation with respect to its support  58 . 
     The housing conveyor has a loading station where the loading of the sausages takes place and an unloading station arranged at the unloading length  50 A where the unloading of the sausages from the housings takes place. Between two return members, and in particular at the unloading length, the blades are arranged parallel to one another. When the belts pass over the return members, the blades separate, as can be seen in the figures. The separation pitch e 2  between two successive blades is defined so that each sausage placed in a housing is gripped between the two blades when the latter are parallel to each other, and the loading station of the housing conveyor is defined at the intermediate wheels, when the two blades of a housing are furthest apart. To hold the sausages in the housings when the belts pass over the upstream wheels, a curved cowling  61  is mounted on the first support  58  in order to close off the external side of the housings defined between the external transverse edges  531  of the blades. To guarantee the holding of the sausages in the housings along the length of the conveyor defined between the intermediate wheels and the upstream wheels, flat cowlings  62   a ,  62   b  are mounted on the first support and on the second support in order to close off the internal side of the housings defined between the internal transverse edges  532  of the blades. 
     At the unloading station, the conveyor comprises unloading means  63  formed by a pusher comprising a base carrying a plurality of bars. The pusher is mounted so as to be able to move in vertical translation on the first support, between a high retracted position illustrated in  FIG. 7 a   , in which the pusher is placed above the unloading length, between the two chains, and a low active position, illustrated in  FIGS. 2, 7B and 7C , in which the bars of the pusher enter the housings in order to push the sausages out of the housings, downwards, into trays B positioned on the discharge conveyor  8 . To guarantee holding of the sausages in the housings along the unloading length upstream of the loading station, a cowling  64  is mounted on the second support  57  in order close off the internal side of the housings. At the loading station, a hatch system  65  ( FIG. 3 ) may be provided, movable between a closed position, to close off said internal sides when the pusher is in the retracted position, and an open position to enable the sausages to be unloaded by the pusher in the active position. 
     The feed conveyor  2  comprises a first endless belt  20  receiving, on its top length  21 , the sausages  9  emerging from a manufacturing machine. This feed conveyor transports the longitudinally oriented sausages  9  in the direction F 2 , one behind the other. The feed conveyor, arranged perpendicular to the housing conveyor, places the sausages in the housings  51 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3 to 6 , the first endless belt comprises a top length portion  211 , referred to as the main portion, for bringing the sausages in the housings through an open lateral side of the housings at the loading station, and a top length portion  212 , referred to as the downstream end, arranged between the two chains  52 , under the internal transverse edges  532  of the blades  53 . The main portion  211  and the downstream end portion  212  are centred on the same vertical plane passing through the rotation axes of the intermediate wheels  561   a ,  561   b , the two portions  211 ,  212  being separated from each other by a sufficient distance for the positioning between them of the intermediate wheel  561   b.    
     The main portion  211  is defined between an upstream main roller  22  and a downstream main roller  23 , these two rollers being mounted rotatably on a chassis  24  of the feed conveyor about a horizontal axis. The chassis of the feed conveyor is mounted on the frame of the device, so that the axis of the downstream main roller is placed parallel to the chains  52  of the housing conveyor, the endless belt that passes over the downstream roller being arranged close to the intermediate wheel  561   b  without contact with the latter. At said downstream main roller  23 , the main portion  211  extends substantially horizontally, and above the level of the chain passing over the intermediate wheel  561   b.    
     The end portion  212  is defined between an upstream secondary roller  31  and a downstream secondary roller  32 , with horizontal rotation axes, perpendicular to the axes of the intermediate wheels  561   a ,  561   b.    
     After passing over the upstream main roller  23 , the endless belt passes over an intermediate main roller  25  arranged between the upstream and downstream main rollers  22 ,  23 , and then passes over a first intermediate secondary roller  33 , before passing over the upstream secondary roller, said first intermediate secondary roller  33  being arranged between and below the upstream and downstream secondary rollers  31 ,  32 . 
     The main intermediate roller  25  and the first intermediate secondary roller  33  are arranged so that the belt length defined between them can pass under the intermediate wheel  561   b . At the exit from the first intermediate secondary roller, the belt passes over a second intermediate secondary roller  34  in order to return in the direction of the upstream main roller  22 , passing under the intermediate main roller  25 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 6 , at the main portion  211 , the endless belt is formed by four belts arranged edge to edge, including two so-called lateral belts  20   b , placed on either side of two central belts  20   a , At the downstream end portion  212 , the belt is formed solely by two central belts. At the exit from the intermediate main roller  25 , only the two central belts  20   a  are directed in the direction of the secondary rollers, the two lateral belts  20   b  passing over main return wheels  26  in order then to pass directly over the upstream main roller  22 . Second drive means, acting for example on the intermediate main roller  25 , drive the first endless belt  20  continuously, in the direction F 2 . 
     In a variant, the main portion  211  and the downstream end portion are obtained by using two separate endless belts. 
     The feed conveyor also comprises two second endless belts  40 , only one of which is shown in  FIG. 1 , mounted between upstream and downstream return wheels, with vertical rotation axes, and having lateral lengths arranged opposite each other, on either side of the main portion  211  of the top length of the first belt, close to the downstream main roller  23 . The separation of the two belts can advantageously be adjusted so as to be adapted to the cross section of the sausages, in order to grip them lightly between the two facing lengths. These second belts are driven by third drive means so that said opposite lengths move substantially at the same speed as the main portion of the top length of the first belt. These second belts centre the sausages on the main portion, provide longitudinal positioning of the sausages, which have a natural tendency to curve in the case of natural casings, and guarantee good projection of the sausages into the housings from said main portion. 
     The loading station of the housing conveyor comprises stop means  70  comprising a plate  71  mounted perpendicularly to the blades in order to close off the lateral side of each housing that is opposite to the feed conveyor. The plate can be mounted fixedly on the second support  57  of the housing conveyor in different positions, offset transversely from one another. The blades  53  are provided with several slots  535  corresponding to these various transverse positions of the plate, the plate being inserted in slots of the blades passing at the loading station when the chains are driven. Only a few slots are shown in  FIG. 5  for reasons of clarity. 
     The plate  71  is mounted fixedly on the second support, above the downstream end portion  212 , via a transverse rod  72  mounted slidably on a support  73  assembled removably on the second support or on the frame, above the intermediate wheel  561   a.    
     With reference in particular to  FIG. 4 , the batch forming device also comprises a discharge conveyor  8  for transporting trays B arranged one behind the other, comprising a first endless belt  81  comprising a top length extending under the unloading length  50 A parallel to the latter. This endless belt is formed by a plurality of cables, only one of which is shown in the figures, guided on rollers mounted rotatably on the frame  10  around axes parallel to the rollers of the housing conveyor. This endless belt is driven continuously via fourth drive means. At the discharge station, the discharge conveyor comprises two longitudinal rails  82  offset transversely from each other, passing between the cables, and the top edges of which are arranged above said cables. The discharge conveyor also comprises two second endless belts  83 , only one of which is shown in the figures, mounted between upstream and downstream return wheels with vertical rotation axes, and having lateral lengths placed opposite each other above the top length of the first belt  81 , on either side of the longitudinal rails. The discharge conveyor advantageously comprises an adjustment system  84  for adjusting the transverse position of each lateral length as well as the separation between the two lateral lengths, according to the adjustment of the transverse position of the aforementioned plate  71 , in order to adapt the device to different types of tray and different lengths of sausage. These second belts are driven by fifth drive means, so that said opposite lateral belts move substantially at the same speed as the top length of the first belt  81 . The second belts are adjusted so as to wedge the trays transversely and grip them between the facing lengths in order to move them step by step. The first endless belt functions continuously in order to bring the trays as far as the rails and then discharge them at the exit from the rails, the second belts functioning in step by step, in order to move the trays, which rest on the rails, one after the other, under the loading station of the housing conveyor. 
     The device according to the invention comprises a control unit able to control the drive means of the first belt  20  and the second belts  40  of the feed conveyor  2 , the drive means of the housing conveyor  5  and the means of moving its first support  58  for the main rollers, its pusher  63  and any hatch system  65 , and the means of driving the second belts  83  of the discharge conveyor. 
     A description of the functioning of the batch forming device according to the invention will now be given. 
     The feed conveyor  2  receives, on the main portion  211  of the top length of its first belt, on the same side as its main upstream roller  22 , the sausages  9  emerging from a manufacturing machine. Each sausage carried on said main length is gripped between the two lateral lengths of the second belts  40  and ejected into a housing  51  placed opposite said main portion. The sausage passes between the two lateral edges  533  of the blades, and comes onto the downstream end portion  212  of the top length, which is arranged between the two blades of the housing. The sausage is then moved positively by this end portion until it comes into abutment against the plate  71 . As the chains  52  advance, the blades defining the housing approach each other and grip the sausage, and the following empty housing arrives at the loading station in order to be loaded with the following sausage transported by the feed conveyor. 
       FIGS. 7A to 7G  illustrate the various steps of a cycle of loading six sausages at the loading station and unloading a batch of six sausages at the unloading station. 
     In  FIG. 7A  the pairs of main wheels are in their reference position, arranged symmetrically on either side of the fixed intermediate wheels. An empty tray B is placed at rest at the filling station, under the pusher in the retracted position, and a first sausage  91   1  arrives to be loaded at the loading station. 
     The chains carrying the blades are moved by a distance e 2  corresponding to the separation pitch between two successive parallel blades, until the following empty housing is brought to the loading station for loading a second sausage  91   2 . During this movement of the chains over this distance e 2 , the first sausage  91   1  is loaded in a housing and the first support carrying the pairs of upstream and downstream rollers is moved in horizontal translation towards the left by a distance e 1 , corresponding to a half pitch. This horizontal translation movement has the effect of stopping the movement of the unloading length  50 A. The six sausages  92  placed in the housings positioned in line with the pusher  63  are then ejected out of the housings by movement of the pusher into the low position and fall by gravity into the tray, as illustrated in  FIG. 7B , 
     During the following movement of the chains by a distance e 2  for loading a third sausage  91   3 , the first support is moved towards the left by a half pitch in order to keep the unloading length stopped, with the pusher in the active position, as illustrated in  FIG. 7C . 
     During the following movement of the chains by distance e 2  for loading a fourth sausage  91   4 , the first support is moved towards the left by a half pitch in order to keep the unloading length stopped and to enable the pusher to return to the high position, as illustrated in  FIG. 7D . The first support is then shifted towards the left by a distance e 3  corresponding to 3/2 pitches. Simultaneously, the second belts of the discharge conveyor are driven so as to bring an empty tray under the pusher. 
     During following movements over a distance corresponding to three pitches, the fifth and sixth sausages  91   5 ,  91   6  are loaded into housings, another sausage  93  arrives at the loading station, and the first support is moved in translation to its reference position, as illustrated in  FIGS. 7E to 7G , the position of the housing conveyor in  FIG. 7G  being identical to that in  FIG. 7A . This translation movement combined with the movement of the chains has the effect of moving the loading length by six pitches towards the right and thus bringing six housings loaded with sausages to the pusher. Moreover, an empty tray is brought under the pusher. 
     A simple parameterising of the device makes it possible to modify the number of sausages per batch. By way of example, by providing a pusher with twelve bars, as illustrated in the figures, batches of twelve sausages can be formed by keeping, from the position illustrated in  FIGS. 7A to 7G , a first support in its reference position during the movement of the chains over six additional pitches, and then effecting the cycle described in  FIGS. 7B to 7F . 
     At the discharge from the sausage manufacturing machine, the sausages are arranged longitudinally one behind the other, with a longitudinal separation between two successive sausages that is substantially constant. In normal operation, the chains of the housing conveyor are driven continuously, substantially at a constant speed. To guarantee loading of all the housings of the conveyor passing at the loading station, in particular in the case of an irregular supply of sausages from the feed conveyor, the feed conveyor advantageously comprises a sensor  41  able to detect the presence of a sausage leaving the main portion  211 . The driving of the chains of the housing conveyor is then slaved to the output signal of this sensor, and can be slowed and optionally stopped according to variations in separation between two successive sausages on the feed conveyor. 
     According to variant embodiments, several sausages can be loaded in each housing. In this case, the stop means advantageously comprise one or more additional stops able to be inserted at the loading station in the housing, after the insertion of a sausage, against which the following sausage loaded in the housing comes into abutment. The device according to the invention can of course be used for loading other types of product in receptacles, for example meatballs. 
     According to variant embodiments, the sausages fall directly onto the length of a discharge conveyor, formed for example by a single continuous endless belt, arranged parallel or perpendicular to the unloading length of the housing conveyor. 
     According to a variant embodiment, the circulation path is in a triangle, and the loading takes place as before, laterally, at the intermediate member, but the latter is arranged below the main members. The downstream end portion then substantially closes off the open exterior side of the housing defined between the exterior transverse edges of the blades. The unloading is carried out on the unloading length by a pusher lifting the sausages, and by a gripping head, for example of the sucker type, mounted on a robot, able to grip the batches of sausages in order to transfer them into receptacles. 
     According to another variant embodiment, the housing conveyor comprises two main return members, the feed conveyor then being arranged perpendicular at one of the two return members. The feed conveyor has a main top length portion carrying the sausages as before, and a downstream end portion of an inclined length, substantially closing off the open exterior side of the housing, and having an inclined surface against which the sausages come into abutment. The two return members can also be moved in a to-and-fro movement in order to effect the unloading at rest of batches in receptacles, the feed conveyor then moving with the loading station. 
     Although the invention has been described in relation to a particular embodiment, it is obvious that it is in no way limited thereto and that it comprises all technical equivalents of the means described as well as combination thereof if they come within the scope of the invention.