PROCEDURE AND ARRANGEMENT FOR AUTOMATICALLY ALIGNING AND INSERTING IN PACKAGES PRODUCTS FROM BELT CONVEYORS

Abstract: In a procedure for automatically aligning and inserting in packages (10) products (1) from a conveyor belt (2), the products (1) are aligned in rows both longitudinally and laterally in an aligner (I). The products (1) are then moved to a grouping unit (II), where they are grouped to from packaging modules adapted to the packages. The grouped products (1) are transferred from the conveyor belt (2) to the packages (10) by the grouping unit (II). An arrangement for implementing the procedure consists of an aligner (I) embracing a number of aligning arms (3-6) arranged laterally across the direction of transport (A) and a grouping unit (II) with guide arms (16-20) arranged laterally across the direction of transport.

Description: Procedure and arrangement for automatically aligning and inserting in packages products from belt conveyors The present invention refers to a procedure and an arrangement for automatically aligning and inserting products in packages, particularly confectionary products of the type known as coconut or chocolate balls, which are fed forward from a casting or moulding station by a conveyor belt. At present, finished products are, for the most part, inserted manually in packaging in the confectionary industry. Ttiis manual product handling has long been the focus of ration- alisation efforts, since it is labour-intensive and since most of the production costs consist of payroll costs. For example, picking what are known as coconut or chocolate balls from . belt conveyor and inserting them in packages requil-es four individuals on either side of the conveyor helt. Method and time studies have, admittedly, led to a continuous development of the work operations, the workstation layout and the aids involved, but handling these products still constitutts a heavy financial burden and efforts are, consequently. devoted towards increasing the degree of automation of the p@oduct handling. The present invention has permitted the creation of d proce- dure and an arrangement which results in tfie products which are fed forward being automatically aligned both longitud@nall and laterally on the conveyor belt wind then grouped and inse@ ed in trays or boxes with varying speeds depending on the wid@ of the belt, the number of products in a lateral row and t tit belt speed. The products are aligned and grouped i.n module: depending on the design and the number r of f trays which @ re be filled. The arrangement for aligning and grouping in accordance with the present invention forms one unit, which is a prerequisite for arranging products in modules systemmatically and without disturbance. The products can then be moved and placed in trays or boxes, which stand ready for filling. The units included in the arrangement according to the invention - aligner, grouping unit and inserter - are controlled electronically. The mechanical movements are carried out pneumatically (by means of air cylinders). Electrically controlled valves together with photocells and switches constitute the impulse control function in the system. One design form of the invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the figures provided, which schematically illustrate the design aiid mode of operation of the invention. Fig. 1 is a plan of the aligner in the arrangement. Fig. 2 is a side view of the unit according to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of the grouping unit and inserter in @@e arrangement. Fig. 4 is a side view of the unit according to Fig. 3. Coconut balls (1) are fed by a conveyor beLt (2) from a casting station in the direction of the arrow A (Fig. 1) towards arl aligner 1. In the design example presented here, the aLiqxler embraces tour consecutive aligning arms (3, 4, 5 arid 6) @@@ laterally in relation to the feed direction. Tiie three l.a aligning arms are indicated by means of dash-dotted lines Lfl Fig. 1. The aligning arms (3-6) are normally in the raised position above the belt (2). The distance between the underside of the arms and the belt is adapted so as to permit coconut balls to pass between. When a row of coconut balls approaches the first aligning arm (3), a photocell (7) arranged adjacent to tiie belt indicates the presence of this row of coconut balls .und activates an air cylinder (8), which lowers the abovementioned aligning arm (3) to an active position, in which the coconut bells (1) come into contact with the arm (3). This causes the coconut balls (1) to be moved both longitudinally and late@ally (maximum 20 mm) against the direction of the belt. In addit@on to an amplifier and receiver, the photocell (7) also emb@ace@ a time-delay relay which ensures that the arm (3) is retained in the active alignment position a sufficient length oL time to move the entire row of coconut balls (1). The air cylinder (8) then moves the arm (3) to the inactive position, whereupon the coconut balls (1) are transported to the next alignment station, embracing a photocell (C)) @nd @ second alignment arm (4), which is moved between tlie activ@ and inactive positions by an air cylinder (not shown). A further alignment of the row of coconut balls is carried niit in this station in the same way a. that described for the first arm (3). The coconut ball rows are aligned in as many stations, emb@a@- ing photocells, alignment arms and Ciir cylinders, as dre requited to ensure that tie desired alignment, which is suitable for the subsequent grouping unit, is obtained. In tie design example presented here, each row is aligned in four aligning stations. The aligned rows of coconut balls (1) are then transported to grouping unit II (Figs. 3 and 4) where they are grouped to form modules to suit the packaging tray (LO). Grouping unit II embraces a trolley (11) arranged above the conveyor belt (2). The trolley (11) consists of a rectangulai- frame. The part of the rectangular frame which is located c osest to the conveyor belt (2) is connected to an air cylinder (12). The part of the rectangular frame which is located furthest away from the conveyor belt (2) is provided with rolls (13) which run between a pair of horizontal guides (14, 15). When the air cylinder (12) is actuated, the trolley (11) is made to move in a plane parallel to the conveyor belt (2) from a position above the belt to a position above the packaging tray (10) arranged after the conveyer belt (2). The purpose of this movement is indicated below. The trolley (11) carries guide arms (16, 17, L8, 19 and 20) arranged laterally across the conveyor belt. The coconut balls (1) are grouped to form packaging modules with the aid of these guide arms (16-20). Each of tlie guide arms (16-20) is provided with guide devices (21) so designed that the guide devices (21) on a guide arm (16) together with the guide devices (21) on an adjacent arm (17) form a compartment for each coconut ball (1). The guide arms (L6-20) are moved fiord an inactive position above the conveyor belt (2) to an active position adjacent to the belt with the aid of air cylinders (22, 23, 24, 25 and 26). These air cylinders are arranged vertically on the trolley (11), and each guide arm (16-20) L'.; mounted on the piston rod belonging to an associated air cylinder (22-26). The number of guide arms in the grouping unit is adapted to the number of coconut balls which can be held in the package tray (10). In the design example presented here, four rows of twelve coconut balls (1) are to be grouped. Consequently, five guide arms are required. Both the outer guide arms (16, 20) have guide devices (21) only on the side facing in towards the grouping unit, while the intermediate guide arms (17, 18, 19) have a two-sided arrangement of guide devices (21). When the first row of aligned coconut balls is moved into ttlt' grouping unit II, the guide arm (16) located furthest into tit unit has been moved down to its active position with tht @id of the air cylinder (22). The abovementioned row of coconut balls (1) is then stopped by the side arm's guide devices (21), whereupon a photocell (27) (reflecting) actuates the alL cylinder (23) via a time-delay relay so that tile adjacent guide arm (17) is lowered to its active position. The purpose of the time-delay relay is to ensure that the entire row Ol- coconut balls (1) is adjacent to tie guide arm (16) belor@ the adjacent arm (17) is activated. In the first row of coconut balls (1), each ball is now locate in a compartment between the two guide arms (1G, 17) at the same time as the rear of the last activated arm (17) serves @@ a stop for the next row of coconut balls (1). A photocell (27) arranged in front of the arm senses the presence of this row of coconut balls and actuates the air cylinders (24) so that the next guide arm (18) is activated. This procedure involving actuating the air cylinders by means of photocells continues until the grouping unit has been filled with coconut balls (1). When the last guide arm (20) has been lowered to its active position, the air cylinder (12) is actuated and causes ci horizontal movement of the trolley (11) from the belt conveyor (2) towards the packaging tray (10). During this movement the openings in the packaging tray (10) are covered with a covering sheet (28), which lies on a level with the upper belt part of the conveyor (2) so that the coconut balls (1) moved by the tiolley (11) can slide on top. The movement of the trolley (11) is stopped when all the coconut balls (1) are located above an opening in the tray (10). The covering sheet (28) is connected with a horizontally aligned air cylinder (29), which is actuated when the grouping unit with the grouped coconut balls (1) are located in position above the packaging tray (10). The covering sheet (28) is then pulled away so that the tray (10) is exposed, whereupon each of the coconut balls (1) falls down into a space in these trays The trolley (11) is then returned to the grouping position arid the cycle is completed. The handling of products in accordance with the invention rl, in principle, be summarized in tie following steps: alignment collection - grouping - locking - transport - insertion. The design example of the invention described above refel. to handling coconut balls and similar circular products. Shapes other than circular can, of course, also be handled in accot-- dance with the principles of the invention. The only difference is in the design of the alignment uriit and a corresponding change in the grouping unit. Consequently, the real extent of protection of tlie invention is not limited to the design example described above but: embraces everything within the framework for the following patent claims.

Claims: Patent claims 1. A procedure for- automatically aligning dud inserting in packages (10) products (1) from a conveyor belt (2), cha@acterized by the fact that the products (1) are al igried in rows both longitudinally and laterally against the directioii of traiisport (A) iii an aligner (I), the aligned rows of products (1) are grouped to form packaging modules in a grouping unit (II), the grouped products (1) are moved by the grouping unit (II) to a position above the packages (10), where they are released so that they fall down into spaces adapted for the products (1) in the packages. 2. A procedure in accordance with Claim 1, characterized by the fact that the products (1) are aligned in stages by a number of aligning arms (3-6) in an aligner (I), the number of aligning arms (3-6) being sufficient for the alignment in question. 3. An arrangement for automatically aligning and inserting in packages (10) products (1) from a conveyor belt (2) iti accordance with Claim 1, characterized by an aligner (f) embracing a number of aligning arms (3, 4, 5, 6) which are arranged laterally across the direction of transport (A) and consecutively and which are used for aligning this products (1) in rows, a grouping unit (II) embracing a | number of guide arms (16, 17, 18, 19, 20) which are arranged laterally across the direction of tl-allsport und consecutively and are used for grouping tiie products to form packaging modules, this grouping unit (II) being arranged so that it transfers the products (1) by means of the abovementioned guide arms (16-2()) from the conveyor belt (2) to the packages (10). 4. An arrangement in accordance witit Claim 3, characterized by the fact that the aligning arms (3-6) are arranged so that they are moved by air cylinders (8) between an inactive position above the conveyor belt (2) and dti active position adjacent to the belt (2), in which latte@ position products (1) which have been fed forwards are halted and are moved by the abovementioiied arms long@tu- dinally and laterally against the direction of transport (A). 5. An arrangement in accordance with Claim 4, characterized by the fact that a detector (7, 9) is provided in fioiit. of each aligning arm (3-6), and that this detector (7, i3) is arranged to sense the presence of a row of product; (1) and, when it does so, to actuate the air cylinder (8) so that the associated aligning arms (3-6) are activated, whereupon a time-delay relay, belonging to the detecto@ (7, 9) is arranged so that it retains the aligning a@ms (3-6) in the active position until the entire row of products (1) has been aligned. 6. An arrangement in accordance with any of the Claims 3-',, characterized by the fact that the aligning arms (3-6) are arranged so that they successively align the products I which have been fed forward. 7. An arrangement in accordance with any of the Claims 3-6, characterized by the fact that each guide arm (16-20) iri title grouping unit (II) is mounted on an dir cylinder's (22-26) piston rod, and that this cylinder (22-26) is vertically arranged on a trolley (11), which is located above the conveyor belt and which can be displaced tiori- zoritally by means of an air cylinder (12), ttie guide ai itt (16-20) being arranged so that it is moved by the asso ciaLedair cylinder (22-26) from an inactive position above the belt (2) to an active position adjacent to the belt, when detectors (27) arranged on the trolley (11) adjacent to each guide arm sense the presence of a row of products (1) beside the guide arm in question. 8. An arrangement in accordance with Claim 7, characterized by the fact that each guide arm (16-20) is provided with guide devices (21) arranged so that they, together with the guide devices (21) on an adjacent guide arm, form separate compartments for each product (1) in a row of products which has been fed forward, the outer guide arm. (16, 20) of the grouping unit having guide devices (21) on the side facing inward, while the intermediate guide arms (17, 19) have guide devices (21) on both sides. 9. An arrangement in accordance with Claim 7 or 8, charac- terized by the fact that the packages (10) intended Lot tile products (1) are arranged after the conveyor belt (:-') with their openings facing upwards, these openings being covered by a horizontally movable sheet (28), the top surface of which lies on a level with the top part ot t @h@ belt conveyor (2). 10. An arrangement in accordance with Claim 9, characteriz.sXd by the fact that the grouping unit's (II) trolley (11) is arranged so that it moves the grouped products (1) from the conveyor belt (2) to a position above the packages (10), the covering sheet (28) being arranged so that it is moved by an air cylinder (29) from the packages (10) to release their openings when the abovementioned movement of the trolley (11) has been concluded, so that the products (1) can drop down into the intended position @@ the abovementioned packages (10).

Inventors: SAMMENS, BO
Applicants: SAMMENS, BO
Application year: 1982
Main classification: B65B5
IPC codes: B65B5