DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING CONTAINERS TO AN APPARATUS FOR HANDLING THEM

Abstract: Device for supplying containers, in particular bottles (10), to an apparatus for handling these, in particular a rinsing machine (3), said device comprising a first conveyor (1) being directed transverse to a second con­ veyor (2), bringing the bottles (10) in juxtaposed rows into the rinsing machine (3) by means of a guiding (9) present above the first conveyor (10), at least one sensor (12,13) being present to determine whether at that place bottles (10) are present and, this not being the case, increasing the velocity of the first conveyor (1).

Description: The invention relates to a device for supplying containers, in particular bottles, to a handling apparatus, said device comprising at least two endless conveyors, the first one serving to receive said containers in a number of rows and a continuous stationary guide being present above said first conveyor and extending from the one longitudinal side of said conveyor opposite the second conveyor and upstream of this, to the junction with said second conveyor so as to guide said containers laterally with respect to the direction of movement of said first conveyor onto said second conveyor, at least one sensor being present at the junction of the first and second conveyor for determining the lack or presence of bottles and being connected to the drive means controlling the speed of the first conveyor. Such a device is known by DE-A-3,129,389. By means of this known device the containers which are received by the first conveyor in a number of rows are rearranged such that they are brought onto the second conveyor in one single row. Such an arrangement is suitable when the containers e.g. have to be handled by means of a filling and closing apparatus by which the containers are handled one by one. Now the object of the invention is to make the device suitable for rearranging containers in such a way that a considerable number of containers can be brought into one apparatus in which the containers are simultaneously treated. Such a device e.g. is a rinsing apparatus. In case of such an apparatus it is of advantage that it is totally filled with containers when it is put into operation to prevent loss of water, energy and cleanser. According to the invention said object is attained by means of a device being characterized in that said second conveyor is positioned transverse to said first conveyor for bringing a given number of juxtapositioned rows of containers from said first conveyor onto said second conveyor and from this into the handling apparatus, said at least one sensor being positioned near the upstream portion of the junction line between said first and second conveyors. By means of the device described above the handling apparatus can be filled with containers being supplied to it in a great number of adjacent rows, which number can be considerably larger than the number of rows being present on the first conveyor. When a considerable number of adjacent rows of containers has to be supplied to the handling apparatus, as is the case when said apparatus e.g. is in the shape of a rinsing apparatus, said first conveyor may comprise two or more juxtaposed conveyor tracks being separately driven, said device being characterized in that the velocity of said juxtaposed conveyor tracks is controlled by a corresponding number of sensors being spaced apart from each other and being positioned at the junction line between said first and second conveyor, in such a way that, as seen in the direction of movement of the first conveyor the first sensor controls the velocity of the conveyor track positioned at the greatest distance from the second conveyor and a succeeding sensor controlling the velocity of the next conveyor track. According to a further elaboration of the invention it can be provided that the control means between a sensor and the driving means for driving said first conveyor or a conveyor track of this, is executed such that when the sensor does not give a signal to increase the velocity of said first conveyor or of a conveyor track of this the velocity will be decreased. When no longer a signal is given that the velocity of said first conveyor has to be increased, this means that at the related place no containers are lacking so that it is not necessary that the supply of containers is accelerated. In that case it might be provided that the control means comprises an adjustable time relay such that decreasing the velocity of the first conveyor or of a conveyor track of this can take place with an adjustable time delay. By a right choice of the normal and the increased velocity of said first conveyor or of the conveyor tracks of this, in most cases a good supply of containers to the handling apparatus can be obtained although it might be possible to increase the velocity in two or more steps. In that case the velocity of the conveyor is continuously increased when after a given period the sensor is still giving the related signal. In a corresponding way the velocity will be decreased stepwise when the sensor is no longer giving a signal. To prevent that the handling apparatus operates when this is not necessary and to prevent by this loss of water, energy and cleanser when the handling apparatus is in the shape of a rinsing machine, it can be provided that a sensor is provided upstream of the first conveyor, said sensor determining whether at that place there are still containers which have to be supplied to the handling apparatus, by which sensor the handling apparatus can be shut down when no containers are determined, a time relay being present to delay said shutting down. Now the invention is elucidated by means of an embodiment illustrated in the drawing which schematically shows a plan view of the related device. The shown device comprises a first conveyor 1 and the second conveyor 2 to which second conveyor the rinsing machine 3 is connected which is not shown in detail. The first conveyor 1 is divided into two conveyor tracks 4 and 5, which are driven by means of the motors 6 and 7 respectively. The conveyor tracks as such may consist of a number juxtapositioned conveyor chains as is usual in many cases and so need not to be described further. The motor 8 serves for driving the second conveyor 2 and is rotating with a constant speed. The guiding 9 is positioned above the first conveyor 1 and takes care that the bottles 10, only some of which are shown in the drawing, are guided over the first conveyor 1 to the beginning of the second conveyor 2. Sensors 12 and 13 are positioned near the transition 11 between the conveyor 1 and 2, the sensor 12 controlling the velocity of the conveyor track 4 and the sensor 13 the velocity of the conveyor track 5. As already explained above, each of said sensors 12 and 13 will determine whether in its surrounding bottles are present. As long as this is the case the sensors will give no signal and the conveyor tracks 4 and 5 will move with the normal velocity. When by one of the sensors it is determined that at that place bottles are lacking, it will be taken care of that the conveyor track governed by it will move faster by increasing the speed of the related driving motor. So the bottles 10 will be supplied to the rinsing machine 3 in closed rows as much as possible. A number of bottles supplied in this way is indicated by 14. In case of the shown embodiment the bottles are supplied to the conveyor 1 by means of the supply conveyor 15. By means of a sensor 16 it is determined whether at that place there are still bottles on the conveyor 5. This not being the case any more, the sensor 16 will give a signal that the rinsing machine 3 can be shut down. Such a signal, however, will be relayed with a given time delay so that shutting down the machine only takes place after e.g. the sensors 12 and 13 have determined the lacking of bottles. All these possibilities, however, will be obvious for the expert and need no further elucidation. Further it can be remarked that, in what is said above, the invention is elucidated on the basis of supplying bottles to a rinsing machine but that it is obvious that also other objects can be supplied to other handling machines when in that case the same drawbacks would be present.

Claims: Device for supplying containers, in particular bottles (10), to a handling apparatus (3), said device comprising at least two endless conveyors (1), the first one serving to receive said containers in a number of rows and a continuous stationary guide (9) being present above said first conveyor (1) and extending from the one longitudinal side of said conveyor (1) opposite the second conveyor (2) and upstream of this, to the junction with said second conveyor (2) so as to guide said containers (10) laterally with respect to the direction of movement of said first conveyor (1) onto said second conveyor (2), at least one sensor (13) being present at the junction of the first and second conveyor (1,2) for determining the lack or presence of bottles and being connected to the drive means controlling the speed of the first conveyor (1), characterized in that said second conveyor (2) is positioned transverse to said first conveyor (1) for bringing a given number of juxtapositioned rows of containers from said first conveyor (1) onto said second conveyor (2) and from this into the handling apparatus (3), said at least one sensor (12) being positioned near the upstream portion of the junction line between said first and second conveyors (1,2 resp.). Device according to claim 1, in which said first conveyor (1) comprises two or more juxtaposed conveyor tracks (4,5) being separately driven, characterized in that the velocity of said juxtaposed conveyor tracks (4,5) is controlled by a corresponding number of sensors (12,13) being spaced apart from each other and being positioned at the junction line between said first and second conveyor (1,2), in such a way that, as seen in the direction of movement of the first conveyor (1) the first sensor (12) controls the velocity of the conveyor track (4) positioned at the greatest distance from the second conveyor (2) and a succeeding sensor (13) controlling the velocity of the next conveyor track (5). Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the control means between a sensor (12,13) and the driving means for driving said first conveyor (1) or a conveyor track (4,5) of this, is executed such that when the sensor (12,13) does not give a signal to increase the velocity of said first conveyor (1) or of a conveyor track (4,5) of this the velocity will be decreased. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the control means comprises an adjustable time relay such that decreasing the velocity of the first conveyor (1) or of a conveyor track (4,5) of this can take place with an adjustable time delay. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a sensor (16) is provided upstream of the first conveyor (1), said sensor (16) determining whether at that place there are still containers (10) which have to be supplied to the handling apparatus (3), by which sensor (16) the handling apparatus (3) can be shut down when no containers are determined, a time relay being present to delay said shutting down.

Inventors: VAN UITERT, JOHANNES HENDRIKUS
Applicants: SPECIAAL-MACHINEFABRIEK J.H. VAN UITERT B.V.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B65G47
IPC codes: B65G47, B65G43