Equipment and a method for the formation of groups of products to be fed orderly at predetermined intervals

For the formation of groups of products to be fed orderly at predetermined intervals to a processing machine an equipment includes a first conveyor, a second conveyor positioned on the inlet of the processing machine and having pockets for housing the products arranged at predetermined intervals, a transfer device having clamping units which are mobile in phase relation with the conveyors for removing the products from the first conveyor and transferring them into respective pockets of the second conveyor and positioning them in groups, under the action of controls arranged to control the differentiated release of at least two products into each pocket of the second conveyor, these two products being in shifted positions one with respect to the other, enabling these products to be reached in sequence respectively by a corresponding clamping unit of an even position and by a clamping unit of an uneven position, until a respective group of products is completed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an equipment for the formation of groups 
of products to be fed orderly at predetermined intervals. 
In particular, the present invention relates to an equipment for the 
formation of groups of products, for example bar of soap or the like, to 
be fed orderly at predetermined intervals to a processing machine, for 
example a wrapping machine, to which the following description will make 
explicit reference without falling outside the general scope of the 
present invention. 
In the field of soap packaging, it is known practice to feed a wrapping 
machine with soap bars transferred at constant intervals, even though said 
soap bars are irregularly produced by a dispensing machine and therefore 
come out from the machine at variable intervals. 
The equipment used at present for feeding the soap bars at predetermined 
intervals substantially include: a first conveyor positioned on the outlet 
of the dispensing machine, which receives the products at intervals of 
varying length and then arranges them at intervals of a constant length 
along a first path; a second conveyor aligned with the first conveyor and 
placed at the inlet of the processing machine along a second path; and a 
product transfer device, for the transferring of products from the first 
to the second conveyor, which is controlled, during the operative phase, 
by appropriate control means. 
The second conveyor is equipped with a plurality of pockets or slots for 
housing the products, the pockets or slots being distributed at 
predetermined intervals, along the second path and being mobile, at a 
constant speed, along a feeding direction of the processing machine. 
The transfer device comprises a plurality of clamping units arranged 
uniformly at predetermined intervals along a looping third path, at least 
a section of which is positioned above both the first and the second 
conveyors. 
The clamping units are mobile along the third path at a constant speed and 
support respective product clamping heads, equipped with suckers (i.e. 
vacuum-powered grippers), which are mobile, in turn, with respect to the 
clamping units themselves, in such a way as to approach or move away in 
height with respect to the conveyors. When in use, the equipment permits 
the removing and transferring in sequence of the products from the first 
conveyor, thus releasing them orderly (i.e. in an orderly manner), one 
into each respective pocket of the second conveyor. 
The drawback of those types of equipment is that they are operatively rigid 
and limited, since they are not capable of transferring the soap bars from 
the first conveyor to the second conveyor in such a way as to position 
them in orderly groups into the same pocket of the second conveyor. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The object of the present invention is to provide an equipment for the 
formation of groups of products, in particular soap bars, to be fed 
orderly at predetermined intervals to a wrapping machine, which permits 
one not only to resolve the above-mentioned problem, but also from groups 
of soap bars from a stream of soap bars of various dimensions which are 
grouped in different ways and with different orientations. 
The stated object is realized in a method for the formation of groups of 
products to be fed orderly at predetermined intervals to a processing 
machine comprising a first conveyor feeding the products along a first 
path at a constant interval, a second conveyor, positioned on the inlet of 
the processing machine, having a plurality of pockets for the housing of 
the products, arranged at predetermined intervals along a second path, and 
which is mobile at a constant speed along a feeding direction of the 
processing machine, a transfer device having a plurality of clamping units 
arranged uniformly along a third path, at least a section of which is 
positioned above both the first and second conveyors, the clamping units 
being mobile along the third path at a constant speed and supporting the 
product clamping heads which are mobile, in turn, with respect to the 
clamping units themselves; there being provided control means for 
controlling the transfer device during the operative phase with the 
conveyors for removing the products from the first conveyor and for 
transferring them in sequence to a pocket of the second conveyor; the 
equipment being characterised in that the product clamping units are in 
even numbers and are connected to the control means in such a way as to be 
identified by the control means as the product clamping units with numbers 
which are odd or even, the control means controlling the differentiated 
release of at least two products in the same pocket of the second 
conveyor, the clamping units being shifted one with respect to the other 
and being reached in sequence by a corresponding product clamping unit of 
an even position and by a product clamping unit of an uneven position, 
until the completion of the group of products. 
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for the formation of 
groups of products to be fed orderly at predetermined intervals to a 
processing machine. 
According to the present invention, a method is supplied for the formation 
of groups of products to be fed orderly at predetermined intervals to a 
processing machine, the method comprising the phases of constant interval 
product feeding, on a first conveyor positioned on the outlet of a 
dispensing machine, of transferring in a controlled way the products sent 
in sequence from the first conveyor to a second conveyor positioned on the 
inlet of the processing machine, and equipped with a plurality of pockets 
for the housing of the products, which pockets are arranged at 
predetermined intervals along a second path and an mobile, at a constant 
speed, along a feeding direction of the processing machine, the 
transferring phase being carried out by means of a transfer device having 
a plurality of clamping units which are arranged uniformly along a third 
path, at least a section of which is positioned above both the first and 
the second conveyor, the clamping units being mobile along the third path 
at a constant speed and supporting the product clamping heads mobile, in 
turn, with respect to the clamping units themselves; the method being 
characterized in that the transfer phase is carried out by means of the 
product clamping units which are of an even number and are controlled by 
control means in such a way as to be identified as clamping units of an 
even position and clamping units of an uneven position, for controlling 
the differentiated release of at least two products into the same pocket 
of the second conveyor, in shifted positions one with respect to the 
other, which positions are reached in sequence by a corresponding clamping 
unit of an even position and by a clamping unit of an uneven position, 
until the completion of the group of products.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
With reference to FIG. 1, the numeral 1 denotes an equipment for the 
formation of groups 25 of ordered products 3 irregularly received from a 
printing machine, which products are to be fed, at predetermined 
intervals, to a processing machine, both machines are not shown since they 
do not pertain to the present invention. 
The equipment 1 basically comprises a first and a second conveyor 8, 4, 
respectively positioned on the outlet of the printing machine and on the 
inlet of the processing machine, positioned in sequence along a common 
feeding direction 7, and a product 3 transfer device 10 which, operating 
in a relevant phase and being controlled by the respective control means 
15, permits removal of the products 3 from the first conveyor 8 and 
transferal of them in sequence to the second conveyor 4. 
The first conveyor 8 is of a continuous type with a belt 26 looped around, 
and shows ordered pushing elements 27 regularly arranged at predetermined 
intervals and mobile at a constant speed V1 along a first path 6. The 
products 3, which the first conveyor 8 receives in an irregular way, are 
individually engaged by the pushing elements 27 at predetermined 
intervals, and during their transferring towards the outlet of the first 
conveyor 8, and in a known way, they move at regular intervals and at a 
very constant speed. The second conveyor 4, also of a continuous type with 
a belt 28 looped around, is equipped with a plurality of pockets 5, or 
with equivalent slots, for the housing of the products 3, which pockets 
are arranged at predetermined intervals along a second continuous path 9, 
and are mobile at a constant speed V2 towards the processing machine. The 
transfer device 10 basically comprises (particular reference being made to 
FIG. 2) a conveyor belt 29, which is looped around two rollers 60 and 
along a box-type element 30. The conveyor belt 29 is positioned at a 
higher level with respect to the conveyors 4 and 8, and it is activated in 
such a way as to have a constant speed V3 which is greater than the speed 
V1 of the first conveyor 8. 
The box-type element 30 is delimited by an upper plate 31 and a lower plate 
32, which are horizontally positioned and have a shape, in a plan view, 
which is substantially rectangular, but with rounded corners. The upper 
plate 31 is equipped, along the periphery of its upper surface, with an 
annular plate 46 which protrudes from the outline of the upper plate 31, 
and the annular plate 46 shows a frontal guide 21, if necessary equipped 
with an inclined section 22 in the horizontal plane in which lies the 
plate 46 itself, and opposed to the surface of the belts 26 and 28 of the 
conveyors 4 and 8. 
The lower plate 32 (particular reference being made to FIG. 2) is equipped, 
along its external periphery, with a first vertical wall 33, with an 
annular development, turned towards the bottom, and it is connected to the 
upper plate 31 by a second vertical wall 34. The first vertical wall 33 
has a groove 40 and an underlying guide 47 inclined in the vertical plane 
in which the first vertical wall 34 lies. 
Both the lower plate 32, and the upper plate 31, have respective opposed 
grooves 36 and 35, in which pairs of rollers 39 engage themselves 
slidingly guiding the transfer belt 29 itself along a third path 12 looped 
around, substantially horizontal, a section 13 of which is positioned 
above the first and second conveyors 8 and 4. 
A plurality of carriages 37 is mounted on the conveyor belt 29, each 
carriage bearing a product clamping unit 11. The carriages 37 are arranged 
uniformly at predetermined intervals along the third path 12 and are 
provided with two pairs of sliding rollers 38 on the box-type element 30, 
which rollers respectively strike the surfaces faced by the upper plate 31 
and by the lower plate 32. Each carriage 37 supports a product 3 clamping 
unit 11, supporting it rigidly, projectingly and laterally to the transfer 
belt 29, with which the clamping units 11 advance at the speed V2 moving 
in phase with the pushing elements 27. 
Each clamping unit 11 has a hollow body, which is substantially "L" shaped, 
having an arm 41 which projects horizontally from the carriage 37 and a 
hollow vertical arm 42, axially crossed by a through hole 43. 
A shaft 19 crosses the hole 43 coaxially and it is supported by the 
vertical arm 42 revolvingly about a vertical axes 48. Above, the shaft 19 
projects from the hole 43 connecting itself with a crank 20 which extends 
transversally to the shaft 19 itself. 
The crank 20 is equipped, at one of its activating ends, with a sliding 
block 23, fitted with a revolving roll, which slidingly engages into the 
frontal guide 21 of the annular plate 46 in order to control the angular 
position of the shaft 19 about the respective axis 48. 
Below, the shaft 19 projects from the hole 43 coupling with a sleeve 45 in 
a fixed angular way and axially sliding towards the bottom against the 
reaction of a spring 44. The sleeve 45 bears on its lower end an arm 18, 
which is projectingly brought, transversally, to the shaft 19 under the 
vertical guide 47 and is fitted with a sucker clamping head 14. The spring 
44 reacts against the arm 18. The clamping head 14 extends parallely to 
the axis 48 and towards the bottom from the free end of the arm 18. 
Laterally, the sleeve 45 is engaged with a level 49, in an intermediate 
position between the fulcrum and the maneuver end 51 of the lever 49 
itself. The fulcrum 50 is positioned at the end of a bracket 61 
constrained to the vertical arm 42 (see FIG. 7), while the maneuver end 51 
engages slidingly with the guide 47 that is inclined in the vertical 
plane. 
The vertical arm 42 is also equipped with a pivot 63 positioned 
transversally towards the vertical wall 33, and the pivot 63 itself 
couples to the groove 40 by means of a roller 62. 
Due to the dragging motion provided by the belt 29 and as a consequence of 
the interaction of the product clamping unit 11 with the frontal guide 21 
and with the guide 47, the clamping heads 14 are revolving about the 
vertical axis 48 and are vertically mobile with respect to the clamping 
unit 11 moving away and approaching with respect to the belts 26 and 28 of 
the conveyors 8 and 4. 
More in particular, the frontal guide 21, the sliding block 23, the crank 
20, the shaft 19 and the arm 18 described above are to be considered a 
preferred embodiment of first rotation means 16 of the clamping head 14 
about the vertical axes 48; these are shaped in such a way as to 
determine, during the transferring of the products 3, their shifting from 
an initial adjusting position, during their transfer onto the first 
conveyor 8, to a final adjusting position, which is angularly rotated and 
corresponding to the release position of the products 3 into the pockets 5 
of the second conveyor 4. 
In the particular embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the clamping units 11 
also comprise second rotation means 52 of the clamping heads 14, shaped in 
such a way as to transmit to the clamping heads 14 themselves as a 
relative rotation with respect to the arm 18, which adds to that received 
by the first rotation means 16. 
More in particular, with reference to FIG. 7, it can be seen that the 
clamping heads 14 are supported by a shaft 53, which is mounted rotatingly 
on the arm 18 and connected by a mechanical transmission 57 to the 
vertical arm 42 of the clamping unit 11. The mechanical transmission 57 
comprises a first wheel 54 defining a toothed wheel, splined at an upper 
end of the shaft 53, a second wheel 55 also defining a toothed wheel, 
fixed to the vertical arm 42 of the clamping unit 11 in such a way as to 
be constrained to it with respect to the rotation about the vertical axes 
48, and a toothed flexible element 56 looped around the pulleys 53 and 54. 
When the first rotation means 16 transmit to the arm 18 a rotation about 
the vertical axis 48, the mechanical transmission 57 transmits at the same 
time a relative rotation, in the opposite direction, to the clamping head 
14 with respect to the arm 18, which permits varying at the same time the 
direction of the products 3 with respect to the rotation transmitted to 
the arm 18 by the first rotation means 16. 
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the mechanical transmission 57 comprises 
an idle wheel 58 which is interposed between the first and the second 
wheels 54 and 55, both defined in this case by two toothed wheels, and 
which is supported, by conventional coupling means not represented, by a 
pivot 59 fixed to the arm 18. 
The idle wheel 58 can move, by activation of the coupling means, between an 
operating position (shown in FIG. 8) and a non-operating position (not 
shown) wherein the idle wheel 58 itself is no longer engaged to the wheels 
54 and 55. 
In this way, depending on the operating conditions of the coupling means, 
when the arm 18 is placed in rotation about the vertical axis 48, in the 
position in which the idle wheel 58 is engaged with the wheels 54 and 55, 
a counter-rotation of the clamping heads 14 is obtained with respect to 
the arm 18. Instead, in the disengaged position of the idle wheel 58 with 
respect to the wheels 54 and 55, the immobility of the clamping heads 14 
with respect to the arm 18 is obtained. For reasons that will better 
emerge from the description that follows, the equipment 1 envisages an 
even number of products 3 clamping units 11 connected with the control 
means 15 (schematically shown with a block), so that it is possible to 
identify the clamping units 11 themselves as clamping units 11 of an even 
position and as clamping units 11 of an uneven position, number in 
sequence, if necessary, in relation to the total number of products 3 
which have to be grouped in the same pocket 5 of the second conveyor 4. 
That characteristic permits the control means 15 to control the clamping 
units 11 in pre-established positions, in relation to their position and 
to their identification number, in such a way as to obtain the 
differentiated release of at least two products 3 into the same pocket 5 
of the second conveyor 4. The products 3 are released in shifted positions 
one with respect to the other, which are reached in sequence by a 
corresponding clamping unit 11 of an even position and by a clamping unit 
11 of an uneven position, until the completion of the group 25 of products 
3 of the pocket 5. 
More in particular, the product 3 release positions are determined by the 
control means 15 depending on the speeds V2 and V3, respectively of the 
second conveyor 4 and the transfer device 10, as well as on the 
characteristics of the shape, orientation and dimensions of the products 3 
destined to form the group 25 of products 3 to introduce into the same 
pocket 5. 
The detailed description of the interfacing of the control means 15 with 
the clamping units 11, for the identification and recognition which is 
essential for controlling the equipment 1, is omitted from the description 
that follows since a possible embodiment of the control, shown as a 
non-limiting example, is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,511. 
When in use, the equipment 1 is capable of performing different types of 
formation of the groups 25 of products 3. Some of these are shown as 
non-limiting examples, in FIGS. 3 to 6, and can all be obtained by means 
of a simple and easy reconfiguration of the equipment 1 with particular 
reference made to the first rotation means 16 and the second rotation 
means 52 of the clamping heads 14. 
From FIG. 3 it can be seen in fact that starting from a configuration of 
the equipment 1 wherein the horizontal guide 21 does not have the inclined 
section 22 and wherein each clamping unit 11 envisages the parallel 
positioning of its own arms 18 and its own cranks 20 which are inclined by 
an alpha angle, and wherein, finally, all of the clamping units 11 are 
identically orientated with respect to the horizontal guide 21, it is 
possible to position the products 3, in a row, in a reciprocal queuing in 
the same pocket 5 of the second conveyor 4, without varying their 
orientation with respect to that initially taken up on the first conveyor 
8. 
In fact, if a numeration of the type "0,1,2,3 . . . " is given to the 
clamping units 11, distinctly controlling the release of the various 
clamping units 11 through the control means 15, the product 3 transferred, 
for example, from the clamping unit 11 with position "1" will be released 
into a shifted position along the feeding direction 7 with respect to the 
release position of the previous clamping unit 11 with position "0". 
Obviously, the relative shifting of the release positions can be correlated 
as desired with the effective dimensions of the products 3 which follow 
each other in the pocket 5, in order to obtain, for example, the releasing 
of the products 3 in a position which closely resembles the reciprocal 
contact. 
In the case shown in FIG. 4, the guide 21 is equipped with the inclined 
section 22 and the crank 20 and the arms 18 are staggered by an alpha 
angle. Furthermore, starting from the fact that all of the clamping units 
11 are equally orientated with respect to the guide 21 and by transmitting 
a rotation by 90.degree. to all of the clamping units 11, it is possible 
to obtain, by means of the differentiated release between the clamping 
unit 11 of even and uneven positions, a group 25 of products 3 positioned 
in the same pocket 5 in sequence (one after the other) along the feeding 
direction 7, but rotated with respect to their initial orientation. In the 
case shown in FIG. 4, the products 3 are rotated with respect to their 
initial orientation by 90.degree.. 
FIG. 5 shows a configuration wherein the products 3 are also orientated on 
the first conveyor 8, they move along the first path 6, and the crank 20 
and the arms 18 of the single clamping units 11 are angularly staggered 
between each other. In particular, in the advancement sequence of the 
clamping units 11, the cranks 20 and the arms 18 are alternatively 
staggered between each other by a general alpha angle and respectively by 
a beta angle equal to alpha+90.degree., using as reference the direction 
of the advancement path 6 or the feeding direction 7. In other words, the 
cranks 20 and the corresponding arms 18 of the clamping units 11 having 
even or uneven positions, depending on how they have been named by the 
control means 15, are staggered between each other by a general alpha 
angle which is different from the beta angle formed by the cranks 20 with 
respect to the corresponding arms 18 of the clamping units 11 adjacent to 
the first ones which are inversely named with even or uneven numbers. 
In this case, the equivalent rotation transmitted by the first rotation 
means 16 permits positioning the products 3 in reciprocal approaching 
conditions according to a transversal pairing, shown with a broken line 
17, with respect to the feeding direction 7, along the conveyor 4. 
In FIG. 6, the positioning of the cranks 20 with respect to the arms 18 of 
the clamping units 11 is equal to that described with reference to FIG. 5. 
In this case, the clamping units 11 also comprise the second rotation 
means 52 (as described and illustrated in the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 
8), thanks to which, in addition to the rotation transmitted to the first 
rotation means 16, a contemporary counter-rotation of the clamping heads 
14 is added which permits to position the products 3 into the pockets 5 in 
reciprocal approach positions according to a transversal pairing 17 with 
respect to the feeding direction 7. 
Unlike the previous case, the orientation position obtained is parallel to 
that taken up initially by the products 3 during their transfer onto the 
first conveyor 8. 
In the case in which the second rotation means 52 are activated according 
to the example shown in FIG. 8, it is obviously possible to alternatively 
obtain the formation of the groups 25 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, simply by 
activating or disactivating the above-mentioned coupling means. Obviously, 
the functioning cycle of the equipment is continuous and, as already 
mentioned, in all the cases of functioning of the equipment 1 considered 
above, the release positions of the products 3 are determined by the 
control means 15 depending on the speed V2 and V3, respectively of the 
second conveyor 4 and of the transfer device 10, as well as on 
characteristics of shape, orientation and dimensions of the products 3 
destined to form the group 25 of the products 3 to introduce into the same 
pocket 5.