DOSING APPARATUS

Abstract: Dosing apparatus for conical articles 11, comprising a conveying channel in which a conveyor belt 4 is running. This belt forms at least part of the bottom of said channel. An escapement 13, 14 is arranged in the conveying path of the articles.

Description: In the production and handling of conical articles, in particular conical ice confection products, making the operation speed of subsequent production and handling machines more or less independent of each other is desirable. A dosing apparatus may be used for that purpose. Such a dosing apparatus usually comprises a conveying device and an escapement, which escapement may be operated dependent on the required throughput speed. A problem encountered with these dosing apparatuses is that a number of articles may collect before the escapement if the throughput frequency of the escapement is low as compared to the feeding rate of the conveying device, requiring complicated and consequently vulnerable and/or expensive buffering means. The invention aims at the provision of a simple and reliable dosing apparatus as described hereinbefore, in which conical articles may be handled without damaging an eventual packaging. To that end, the invention provides an apparatus as defined before, which is characterized in that the conveying device comprises a conveying channel, at least part of the bottom of which being formed by a conveyor belt. This conveyor belt is to be driven at the highest desirable throughput speed, while the escapement is operated such that each time at the correct instant an article is let through. If fewer articles are let through by the escapement than the conveying device is supplying, an ingestion of articles will occur before said escapement. Owing to the conical shape, the successive articles will slide on top of each other, so that the points of the cones only rest on the bottom of the conveying channel, and the risk of damage to the articles by the passing conveyor belt is reduced considerably. Preferably, the conveyor belt forms only part of the width of the bottom of the conveying channel. By taking care that the points of the cones come to rest beside the conveyor belt, the forces exerted by the belt on the congested articles are reduced to zero. This may be simply achieved by making the conveyor belt slant downward towards a side of the bottom which is not formed by the belt. Hereby it is additionally achieved that the articles are uniformly directed in the dosing apparatus. In order that the articles are reliably conveyed on the conveyor belt, the upper surface of that belt is preferably about coplanar with the remaining part of the bottom. Differences in height can be made acceptable by beveling the higher edge. In practice, the upper surface of the conveyor belt will be in the order of 0 to 1/2 mm below that of the adjacent part of the bottom. The invention will be exemplified in the following description of an embodiment which is schematically shown in the drawings in which Fig. 1 shows a vertical longitudinal section, Fig. 2 shows a view from above, and Fig. 3 shows a vertical cross-section, along the line III-III in Fig. 2, of the dosing apparatus according to the invention. An embodiment of the dosing apparatus according to the invention as shown in the drawings comprises a frame 1, in which a motor 2 for actuating a driving roller 3 of a conveyor belt 4 is fastened. The driving roller 3 is arranged at one end and an idling turning roller 5 at the other end thereof. The upper stretch of the conveyor belt 4 between both rollers 4 and 5 is supported by a flat supporting plate 6 which is fixed to the frame. On both sides of the conveyor belt 4, flat bottom plates 7, 8 are fastened, which are of thickness equal to or slightly thicker than the conveyor belt 4, so that a groove is formed through which the belt is running. A longitudinal angle bar 9, 10 is arranged on top of each of the bottom plates 7, 8 parallel to the conveyor belt 4, so that a conveying channe l is formed. The conveyor belt 4 and portions of the bottom plates 7, 8 are forming the bottom of said channel. The conveyor belt 4 is slanting in a direction transverse to its conveying direction with respect to the horizontal as is apparent from Fig. 3. As a result, conical articles 11 will all rest with their point 12 at the lowermost part of the bottom, that is to say in the corner formed by the bottom plate 7 and the angle bar 9. The dosing apparatus comprises a usual escapement, having two stopping means 13, 14, which alternatingly may be put in the conveying path of the conical articles using a motor means such as a pneumatic cylinder 15. The operation of the dosing apparatus is as follows: conical articles 11 are put on the conveyor belt 4, travelling in the direction of the arrow 16. The upper stretch of the belt is driven in the same direction by the motor 2. Each article 11 is conveyed to the first stopping means 13 of the escapement and stopped thereby until the pneumatic cylinder 15 removes the first stopping means 13 out of and brings the second stopping means 14 into the conveying path of the articles 11. As a result, the first article resting on the conveyor belt is conveyed to the second stopping means 14 and stopped thereby. When the stopping means 13, 14 are put in their original position again by the cylinder 15, the first article 11 can leave the escapement and be conveyed out of the dosing apparatus by the conveyor belt 4. As soon as the supply of articles exceeds the discharge through the escapement, a number of articles will be gathered before this escapement. The thicker end of each article will be pushed up on the thinner end of the adjacent article owing to the conical shape of these articles. The former article will be lifted from the conveyor belt and will not be subjected to any conveying force. If the entire bottom of the channel were to be formed by the conveyor belt, only the point of each article would remain to be supported on this belt, so that the rubbing action of the belt would work on that point only. When an article is let through by the escapement, the next one comes into contact with the belt again and will be conveyed thereby. On possible obstruction, the process as described hereinbefore will be repeated.

Claims: 1. Dosing apparatus for conical articles (11) comprising a conveying device and an escapement (13, 14, 15), characterized in that the conveying device comprises a conveying channel, at least part of the bottom of which being formed by a conveyor belt (4). 2. Dosing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor belt (4) forms only part of the width of the bottom. 3. Dosing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the conveyor belt (4) is slanting in a direction transverse to its conveying direction (16). 4. Dosing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the conveyor belt (4) is slanting downward towards a side of the bottom not being formed by the conveyor belt. 5. Dosing apparatus according to claim 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the conveyor belt (4) forms the central part of the bottom. 6. Dosing apparatus according to any claim 2 to 5, characterized in that the upper surface is about coplanar with the remaining part of the bottom. 7. Dosing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the upper surface of the conveyor belt (4) is in the order of 0 to 1/2 mm under the upper surface of the adjoining portion of the bottom.

Inventors: VAN RIJ, ABRAHAM WILLEM MARINES
Applicants: UNILEVER NV, UNILEVER PLC
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B65G47
IPC codes: B65G47