HIGH-CAPACITY PHYSICAL AND/OR CHEMICAL TREATMENT APPARATUS IN AN AUTOMATIC PRODUCT PRODUCTION PLANT

Abstract: In an automatic plant for the production of products, such as food products, in which modular supports carrying a determined number of products are used, a high-capacity physical and/or chemical treatment apparatus provides a temporary storage facility suffi­ cient to ensure continuity of operation and production of the plants positioned downstream and upstream thereof, even of one or the other is momentarily at rest.

Description: This invention relates to a high-capacity physical and/or chemical treatment apparatus in an automatic product production plant. Production plants or lines are known comprising in succession a plurality of apparatuses or sections which provide for the complete treatment of a product for example starting from the mixing of the various components and proceeding through a series of predetermined steps to the packaging or boxing of the product. An example of such a plant is illustrated in Italian patent No. IT-A-1.209.627 in the name of the present applicant. Such a plant maintains properly ordered product arrangement during the entire production process by using modular supports so as to make any rearranging machine unnecessary, but it has certain limits in spite of a certain degree of flexibility attainable using said modular supports. In this respect, the device used for conveying the products through such an apparatus, for example a conditioning tunnel, is generally of the so-called "endless" type, in which the products are moved in succession one behind the other by entrainment elements such as chains, conveyors and/or pushers. As current production lines are composed of a plurality of apparatuses disposed in series and thus linked together, it is apparent that the use of such a conveying, device leads to total rigidity of the entire system as any hold-up or stoppage dowstream of the conditioning tunnel causes all the plant elements to stop, with consequent loss of yield and/or production. An object of the present invention is to provide a physical and/or chemical treatment apparatus which by utilizing the advantages of modular supports for the product is able to obviate plant hold-ups by absorbing any stoppages of the various devices downstream of said treatment apparatus so as to ensure continuity of operation of the machines upstream of the packaging zone. This and further objects are attained according to the present invention by a high-capacity physical and/or chemical treatment apparatus in an automatic product production plant in which modular supports are used to accompany the products along the plant and through said treatment apparatus, characterised in that said modular supports are loaded within said apparatus into at least one cylindrical rotary storage container divided into radial loading sectors, each sector comprising a plurality of parallel guides positioned in superposed planes, there being provided at an inlet end (12) of said apparatus a stacking device for forming stacks of modular supports to be loaded into said at least one cylindrical container and, in correspondence with an exit end of said apparatus, a device able to receive one of said stacks of loaded modular supports and to dismantle said one stack and feed the modular supports in succession onto a conveyor means, pusher devices being associated with said stacking device and with said at least one cylindrical container to transfer said stacks of modular supports into the next device in said apparatus. Advantageously, in order to be able to continue to feed the treatment apparatus or tunnel when the packaging plant is at rest, a buffer or storage zone is created within said apparatus to hold a number of modular supports excessive to those normally present within the tunnel and undergoing the conditioning process. This object is attained by increasing the number of radial sectors of the rotary cylinder beyond those required on average for production. These sectors, which are of such a number as to provide a sufficient buffer area calculated on the basis of the typical hold-ups of the plant to be constructed, are normally on stand-by, but when the packaging plant is not operating the tunnel can continue to be fed with stacks of modular supports using the empty sectors until the packaging plant resumes normal operation or until the buffer area is full. Preferably said treatment apparatus also comprises a central microprocessor arranged to operationally correlate said devices in accordance with a time law predetermined on the basis of the products of said stacks under treatment and to optimise the operation of that fraction of the rotary cylinder sectors which define the buffer zone. The invention will be more apparent from the detailed description of a physical and/or chemical treatment apparatus for products together with a modular support for the products under treatment, given hereinafter by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side sectional view of the apparatus according to the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a top plan view of the modular support; and Figure 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of the support of Figure 3. With reference to Figures 1 and 2, a physical and/or chemical treatment apparatus according to the present invention, indicated overall by 11 and represented for example by a conditioning tunnel for food products, is included in an automatic plant (not shown) for the production of products. The tunnel 11 is provided with an inlet opening 12 and an outlet opening 13 through which a series of modular supports 16 shown in Figures 3 and 4 are conveyed on respective conveyor means 14 and 15. Each modular support 16, in the form of a tray, is constructed for example of a plastics material such as polyethylene by moulding, and comprises a series of holes 17 or seats defined and distributed in accordance with a matrix arrangement to receive containers for single products indicated diagrammatically at 18 or supported products. The holes 17, which in the example are shown circular, are used to house and to keep in ordered arrangement containers of the most varied type such as cones, cups etc., and can equally be of any shape. The modular support 16 can be constructed not only by moulding plastics material but by pressing metal, cardboard or any other material suitable for the physical and/or chemical treatment to which it is subjected. In addition the longer opposing sides of the modular support 16 are provided at their ends with tapered portions 19 or bevelled corners to facilitate their insertion into position. Inside said tunnel 11 there is disposed in a position corresponding with the inlet opening 12 a vertical stacking device 20 arranged to receive the modular supports 16 from the conveyor means 14 and to position them one above the other in respective support planes 21 defined by guides formed from section bars so as to effect an initial storage and deposit and to form a stack. When the conveyor means 14 has loaded the required plurality or stack of modular supports 16 onto the stacking device 20, a suitable vertically extending pusher device 22 associated frontwards with the stacking device 20 and for example having an articulated parallelogram structure loads the plurality of modular supports 16 onto a first cylindrical rotary storage container 23. The cylindrical storage container 23 comprises an annular base 24 composed of section bars on which there are disposed vertical uprigths 25 which together with lower and upper endpieces 26 of essentially triangular shape define and form radial loading sectors 27. Each sector 27 is provided with a plurality of suitable pairs of parallel guides 28 formed of L-shaped sections and rigid with the vertical uprights 25, they being disposed in pairs one above the other in superposed planes to define a position for the modular supports 16 pushed by the respective pusher device 22 from the stacking device 21 so as to form stacks of modular supports. Providing a plurality of guides 28 disposed a vertical distance apart equal to the minimum height of a product 18 not only enables modular supports containing minimum-height products to be positioned in each of them but also makes it possible to receive modular supports containing higher products by selective insertion of the supports (such as one on every third guide, etc). Rotating elements such as wheels 29 are rigid with the base 24 to enable the cylindrical container 23 to rotate on a floor 30. Horizontal rollers 31 fixed to the floor 30 act as guides for a circumferential shoe element 32 which is also horizontal and rigid with base 24. Sprocket toothed ring 33 extends radially on the outside of the base 24 and cooperates with a chain 34 driven by a sprocket wheel 35 connected to a drive unit 36 in order to rotate the cylindrical container 23. Rigid with the top of the inner structure 37 of the tunnel 11 there extends downwards an annular element 38 also carrying horizontal guide rollers 31 which cooperate with a further annular circumferential shoe element 32 to aid proper rotation of the cylindrical container 23. Inside the first cylindrical container 23 in an empty portion there is positioned a second pusher device 39 identical to the preceding, which moves the plurality of modular supports 16 previously positioned in a sector 27 towards a second cylindrical container 40. The second cylindrical container 40 is structured in a similar manner to the first cylindrical container 23 and equivalent components are indicated by the same reference numerals followed by a prime (24′, 25′, etc.). A pusher device 39′ is also positioned within said second cylindrical container 40 and acts on the modular product supports 16 contained in a sector 27′ to push them towards a device 41 acting as a stack dismantling and evacuation means able to receive one of said stacks of modular supports at a time and to dismantle said stack and feed said supports in succession onto the second conveyor means 15 aligned with the outlet opening 13 of the conditioning tunnel 11. During the entire loading and unloading of the plurality of modular supports 16 disposed in the individual sectors 27 of the cylindrical containers 23 and 40, centering elements indicated schematically by 42 are used to correctly align the pusher devices 22, 39 and 39′ with the individual sectors 27, 27′ concerned and with the stacking device 20 and 41. The rotation of the two cylindrical containers 23 and 40, which can be continuous or follow a predetermined law, and is mutually independent, is maintained until either a new plurality or stack of modular supports 16 is ready on the stacking device 20 or one of said pluralities disposed in a sector 27, 27′ has to be moved to another cylindrical container or discharged onto the evacuation device 41. Thus the stacking device 20 is used to form stacks of modular supports 16 to be loaded, while the evacuation device 41 disposed at the outlet end of said apparatus receives one at a time said stacks of modular supports loaded into a sector of one of said cylindrical container and dismantles said stack to feed the modular supports in succession onto a second conveyor means 15. The operational correlation between these movements and the various drive means (some of which are not shown) is done by a microprocessor 43. In this respect, a series of connecting lines 44 connects to the microprocessor 43 the various drive means for the conveyors, pushers, stacking device and cylindrical containers, all the devices for correct mutual positioning, ie the centering elements 42, and the inlet and outlet sensors 46. As can be seen from Figure 2, free surfaces indicated by dashed and dotted lines 45 located around the cylindrical containers 23, 40, which must be at least one in number, but can be of any number within the treatment apparatus, form positioning zones for auxiliary treatment devices such as evaporators, fans etc. according to the process to be carried out. In a general conditioning plant provided with an apparatus according to the invention the operating cycle commences when the modular supports 16 or trays arriving from the filling line (not shown) are fed by the first conveyor means 14 to the stacking device 20 where they are stacked in the required number on the support planer 21. When the required stack has been formed, the appropriate pusher device 22 can be used to position it within an empty sector 27 of the first cylindrical container 23, which has been halted in the correct position because of the presence of the centering elements 42. When the plurality or stack of modular supports 16 has been positioned within the sector 27 of the first cylindrical container 23, this container begins to rotate about its axis to allow good ventilation of the product to be conditioned. The rotation, determined by the drive unit 36, continues for example until the next stack of modular supports 16 has been completed on the stacking device 20. The microprocessor 43, which controls all the functions of the entire plant and thus also the treatment apparatus 11 according to the invention, determines the correct stoppage of an empty sector 27 of the cylindrical container 23 at the loading zone for the modular supports 16 or rather of the stacking device 20. Rotation continues until a stack of modular supports 16, correctly positioned within a sector 27 of the first cylindrical container 23, has remained for the predetermined retention time, at which the microprocessor 43 causes the container 23 to halt in correspondence with the second pusher device 39. The second pusher device 39, also controlled by the microprocessor 43, discharges said stack of trays onto the second cylindrical container 40. This is possible because in the meantime the second cylindrical container 40 has been halted in the correct position by the action of the centering elements 42 disposed between the two cylindrical containers 23 and 40. The position assumed by the second cylindrical container 40 on halting is such that it presents an empty sector 27′ to the stack of modular supports 16 present in the sector 27 of the first cylindrical container 23 and which are to be transferred. When the predetermined retention time in said second cylindrical container 40 has also passed, this container is halted by the microprocessor 43 so that by means of further centering elements 42 the sector 27′ lies opposite the evacuation device 41 so that a further third pusher device 39′, also disposed within the second cylindrical container 40, discharges said stack of modular supports 16 ready for packaging. Conveying to the packaging line is provided by the second conveyor means 15 which receives the individual modular supports 16 from the evacuation device 41 and feeds them in succession one after another towards the exit opening 13 of the conditioning tunnel 11. The first cylindrical container 23, the second cylindrical container 40 and any other cylindrical container, if present, operate in accordance with a time relationship determined by the logic of the microprocessor 43 which automatically starts the rotation, and controls the positioning, the transfer, the loading and unloading in the correct empty or full sectors 27, 27′. This takes place for example in accordance with the particular requirements of the product or products to be treated. It is also true that because of the use of a mircoprocessor 43 for controlling the tunnel functions, it is possible to continuously vary the times for which the products remain within the tunnel 11 and the method of loading, and again it is possible to continue to discharge the product contained in the tunnel while loading a completely different product with different timing requirements for conditioning. As stated, the apparatus according to the invention attains the object of making the feed independent of the discharges and of creating a storage or buffer zone which provides continuity of production and operation as the more common hold-ups can be absorbed by it. Moreover, each cylindrical container receives and transfers stacks of trays not mechanically and repetitively but dynamically by using the most convenient empty sector and discharging those stacks which have undergone treatment onto the evacuation device. These operations take place in accordance with a time relationship controlled by the microprocessor, which causes a stack of trays to be discharged only after the time required for conditioning an individual stack of trays has expired. Consequently, individual sectors of the cylindrical containers can be loaded with stacks of modular supports where each stack carries different products with different conditioning times. This is because the individual sectors are independent of any one predeterminated time relationship and instead depend on the conditioning time required for the products contained in their individual stack. In this respect, once it has received a stack of modular supports, each cylindrical container can rotate continuously for an indeterminate time and thus undergo a fraction of a revolution or one or more revolutions, until either a new stack is presented to the feed end or a stack which undergone its conditioning process is ready for evacuation. Such rotation also facilitates optimum homogeneous physical and/or chemical treatment. Another advantage implied by such an apparatus is that the loading and unloading frequencies of the conditioning tunnel are not strictly related; i.e. it will be possible to produce at a speed higher than the packaging speed almost reaching the saturation of the tunnel. This will enable to stop the filling or production line in order to equip it with a configuration suitable for another product to be processed. Meanwhile the product inside the tunnel will continue to be moved to the packaging zone. In this way it is not necessary to completely stop the apparatus if the product to be processed has to be change of consequently obtaining a considerable decrease in the production cost.

Claims: 1. A high-capacity physical and/or chemical treatment apparatus (11) in an automatic product production plant in which modular supports (16) are used to accompany the products along the plant and through said treatment apparatus (11), characterised in that said modular supports (16) are loaded within said apparatus into at least one cylindrical rotary storage container (23, 40) divided into radial loading sectors (27, 27′), each sector (27, 27′) comprising a plurality of parallel guides (28, 28′) positioned in superposed planes, there being provided at an inlet end (12) of said apparatus a stacking device (20) for forming stacks of modular supports (16) to be loaded into said at least one cylindrical container (23, 40) and, in correspondence with an exit end (13) of said apparatus, a device (41) able to receive one of said stacks of loaded modular supports (16) and to dismantle said one stack and feed the modular supports (16) in succession onto a conveyor means (15), pusher devices (22, 39, 39′) being associated with said stacking device (20) and with said at least one cylindrical container (23, 40) to transfer said stacks of modular supports (16) into the next device in said apparatus (11). 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a microprocessor (43) in operational relationship with said devices (20, 23, 39, 39′, 41, 15) and with a series of sensor elements (46) disposed at said inlet (12) and exit (13) ends and at said individual radial sectors (27, 27′), so that said stacks of modular supports (16) are loaded and unloaded into and from said radial sectors (27, 27′) in accordance with the product treatment time and its position inside said at least one cylindrical container (23, 40) dictated by said microprocessor (43) on identification of the fed product by one of said series of sensor elements (46) positioned at said inlet end (12), said sector (27, 27′) to be loaded with one of said stacks being selected by said microprocessor (43) in accordance with a predetermined optimum operation designed to minimise idle times of load and unload of said stacks. 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that it further comprises, associated with said stacking device (20) and with said device (41) for receiving and dismantling said stacks from said at least one cylindrical container (23, 40), relative first conveyor means (14) for feeding said modular supports (16) wich are to enter said apparatus (11) and second conveyor means (15) for evacuating said modular supports (16) which are to leave said apparatus (11). 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that it comprises centering elements (42) disposed at said stacking device (20) and at said device for receiving and dismantling (41) said stacks in order to determine correct alignment between the devices themselves and radial sectors (27, 27′) of at least one rotary cylindrical container (23, 40). 5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said cylindrical container (23, 40) is also provided with rotary elements (31, 31′) which cooperate with shoe elements (32, 32′) for determining its correct rotation, there also being provided on the exterior of the base (24) of said container (23, 40) a sprocket-toothed ring (33, 33′) which cooperates with a chain (34, 34′) driven by a sprocket wheel (35, 35′) of a drive unit (36, 36′) to rotate said container (23, 40). 6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said pusher device (39, 39′) associated with said at least one cylindrical container (23, 40) is positioned in an inner hollow portion of the container. 7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said pusher devices (22, 39, 39′) have an articulated parallelogram structure. 8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said modular supports (16) are of tray form and comprise a series of holes or seats (17) positioned in a matrix arrangement to receive said products (18). 9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that said modular support (16) is constructed of a moulded plastics material, pressed metal or carboard suitable for said physical and/or chemical treatment.

Inventors: COLAMUSSI, ARTURO
Applicants: VORTEX SYSTEMS S.R.L.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: A23L1
IPC codes: B65G47, B65G21