Method and apparatus for depositing products continuously fed by a delivering conveyor onto a platform

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for depositing products (4), which are continuously transported by a delivering conveyor (1) of a transfer track, in batches of predetermined size from said delivering conveyor (1) of constant transfer track speed onto a platform (3) kept stationary with respect to the motion direction of said delivering conveyor. The invention is characterized in that said products (4) are delivered in batches onto a depositing conveyor (2), which is operated at the same transfer speed with said conveyor of constant transfer track speed, the transfer motion of said depositing conveyor is stopped after the completed reception of said batch, the depositing tip of said depositing conveyor (1) is brought into laying-off contact with said stationary platform (3), and the depositing step is carried out by retracting said depositing tip in the transfer direction of said delivering conveyor (1) from under the objects of the batch being deposited using a retraction speed higher than the transfer speed of the depositing conveyor simultaneously as the delivering conveyor (2) of constant transfer track speed is extended in the transfer direction at an extension speed higher than the transfer speed thus providing a buffer storage for products (4) flowing from the production machinery during the depositing step, after completion of which depositing step the depositing conveyor (2) is restarted, the depositing tip thereof is elevated into receiving adjacency with the delivering tip of the delivering conveyor (1) and said two conveyor tips are returned in intimate adjacency into their home position.

Description: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for depositing products, which are continuously transported by a delivering conveyor of a transfer track, in batches of predetermined size from said delivering conveyor of constant transfer track speed onto a platform kept stationary with respect to the motion direction of said delivering conveyor, as known e.g. from DE-A-3 310 250. An example of the applications of the invention is to be found in the delivery of bakery product such as pizza/pie crusts, flat bread and the like onto a platform such as an aerating or baking sheet. When such products are made in large quantities using automated machinery, the product leaves the machinery as an essentially continuous flow, or alternatively, in batches of a large number of the products. These products must next be deposited onto a baking sheet so that products will not be subjected to any shape-deforming impacts. Conventionally, for such a depositing task are used conveyors designed to retreat from below the products being deposited, in a direction opposite to the process direction of the products, whereby the moving element of the conveyor is kept in continuous motion. Here, the products are subjected to a substantial deforming force as it meets the stationary platform at a relatively high speed of about 300 mm/s typical. Resultingly, a problem arises particularly when depositing products which are thin and wide. It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned problem. To achieve this goal a basic idea of the invention is that a depositing conveyor which is stationary with respect to the platform should be used for depositing the products. Herein, the handling of the continuous incoming flow of new product presents a difficulty. Namely, the depositing conveyor cannot receive products from the delivering conveyor during the time the products are being deposited by the former conveyor, whereby during this depositing step a buffer must be arranged in such a way for the flow of products being delivered from a previous production step that this product buffer can be delivered onto the depositing conveyor after the ongoing depositing step has been completed. According to a second basic idea of the invention, the buffer storage of incoming products is performed at the delivering conveyor during the depositing step by means of extending the delivering conveyor in the direction of the product flow using a speed of extension higher than the conveying speed of the products. The implementation of the invention requires from the two cooperating conveyors, namely, the delivering conveyor and the depositing conveyor, certain basic functions that also must be mutually synchronized to achieve fault-free depositing cycles. The characterizing features of the method according to the invention are disclosed in the characterizing part of claim 1 and the characterizing features of the apparatus according to the invention are disclosed in the characterizing part of claim 7, respectively. In the following the invention will be described in greater detail by making reference to the appended drawings in which Figure 1 is a schematic side view of an apparatus suitable for implementing the method according to the invention, herein starting the functional steps; Figure 2 is a side view of the apparatus at the starting phase of the depositing step; Figure 3 is a side view of the apparatus at the operating phase of the depositing step laying off product onto a platform; Figure 4 is a side view of the apparatus at a phase following the concluded depositing step; and Figure 5 is a top view of the apparatus at the phase shown in Fig. 2. The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 for performing the method according to the invention comprises two extensible conveyors operating in opposite directions, i.e. a delivering conveyor 1 and a depositing conveyor 2, both cooperating above a platform 3 for the purpose of depositing products 4 onto the platform 3. In the illustrated system, the platform 3 may be an aerating sheet for pizza crusts. While the platform 3 is stationary with respect to the transport directions of the conveyors 1 and 2, it is arranged cyclically movable laterally to the said transport direction of the conveyors during the intervals between the successive depositing steps for the purpose of moving the deposited products 4 to further processing. The products 4 to be deposited are received from a production machinery transported at an essentially constant speed and as an essentially constant flow by the delivering conveyor 1. The conveyors 1 and 2 as shown in Fig. 1 are in the starting position of the operation whereby the delivering conveyor 1 transporting the products is in a totally retracted position and the depositing conveyor 2 is in a totally extended position. The band acting as the transporting means of the depositing conveyor 2 is actuated to move in the same direction and at the same speed with the band acting as the transporting means of the delivering conveyor 1. The conveyors 1 and 2 are driven at the normal transport speed in the transfer configuration of products shown in Fig. 1, until the amount of products transferred onto the depositing conveyor 2 is equal to the predetermined batch of products to be deposited onto the platform 3. Subsequently, the system is switched to the operating step shown in Fig. 2. Here, the transfer motion of the transporting means of the depositing conveyor 2 is stopped, and the tip of the depositing conveyor 2 is lowered into contact with the platform 3. By contrast, the transport means of the delivering conveyor 1 is allowed to continue its transport motion at its previous speed. The product footprint on the delivering conveyor 1 required for this continuous transport motion is accomplished by arranging the delivering conveyor 1 to perform an extension motion in the transport direction with a speed of extension larger than that of the transport motion. This extension motion must be continued as long as the depositing conveyor 2 carries out its depositing step and thus is incapable of receiving products. This condition causes that the depositing function of the depositing conveyor 2 must be designed appreciably fast in regard to said transfer motion, meaning that the speed of the retraction motion of the depositing conveyor 2 shown in Fig. 3 must be significantly faster than the transfer motion of the delivering conveyor 1. While the transport speed is advantageously set in the range from approx. 50 mm/s to approx. 300 mm/s and the speed of the extension and retraction motion, respectively, is advantageously approx. 800 mm/s, also higher and slower speeds are feasible. After the depositing conveyor 2 has completed the depositing step of products 4 onto the platform 3, the tip of the depositing conveyor 2 is elevated into receiving adjacency with the delivering tip of the delivering conveyor 1 for receiving a new lot of products. Simultaneously, the transfer motion of the transport means of the depositing conveyor 2 is started, and the tips of both conveyors 1 and 2 are synchronously extended and retracted, respectively, during the motion toward the home position (Fig. 1) of the apparatus. The adjacently intimate delivering contact between both conveyors 1 and 2 is advantageously maintained by implementing the respective extension/retraction motions with the help of an endless, electric-motor-driven chain pair passed over the end roll sprockets of both conveyors, respectively. During this return motion, the retraction of the delivering conveyor 1 into its home position discharges the products resting thereon onto the depositing conveyor 2. After the above-described cycle is completed and the leading end of the flow of new products has reached a sensor 5 in conjunction with the depositing conveyor 2, which sensor 5 is adapted above the rear end of the platform 3, the next depositing step can be started from the situation shown in Fig. 2, comprising the phases of stopping the conveyor 2, lowering the same into depositing contact with the platform 3, and starting the extension and retraction motions, respectively, of the conveyors 1 and 2. Using a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, the position of the depositing tip of the depositing conveyor 2 is advantageously arranged lowerable into laying-off contact with the platform 3 and again elevatable into receiving contact with the delivering tip of the delivering conveyor 1. Now referring to Fig. 5, the apparatus layout shown therein has the conveyor 1 adapted to deliver products 4 in two rows, and the products are then deposited in batches of four successive units onto the platform 3, which in turn is placed onto a conveyor. This conveyor 6 is adapted to perform a synchronized cyclic transport motion to bring a new platform under the conveyor 2 during each operating cycle of the apparatus. During the actual depositing step, the conveyor 6 must be kept stationary. The drive for the extension and retraction motions of the delivering tip and the depositing tip of the conveyors, respectively, is implemented by means of a bidirectionally rotatable motor driving a common endless chain pair 7 to which the end roll sprockets of the delivering conveyor 1 and the depositing conveyor 2 are fixed. This chain pair 7 forms an essentially rectangular or trapezoidal path, whereby the transport belts of the delivering conveyor 1 and the depositing conveyor 2 form two opposed, horizontally lying U-shaped tracks. The extension/retraction strokes of the delivering tip and the depositing tip of the conveyors, respectively, are adapted to correspond to the dimension of the platform 3 in the transport direction of the conveyor combination.

Claims: A method of depositing products (4), which are continuously transported by a delivering conveyor (1) of a transfer track, in batches of predetermined size from said delivering conveyor (1) of constant transfer track speed onto a platform (3) kept stationary with respect to the motion direction of said delivering conveyor, characterized in that said products (4) are delivered in batches onto a depositing conveyor (2), which is operated at the same transfer speed with said conveyor of constant transfer track speed, the transfer motion of said depositing conveyor is stopped after the completed reception of said batch, the depositing tip of said depositing conveyor (2) is brought into laying-off contact with said stationary platform (3), and the depositing step is carried out by retracting said depositing tip in the transfer direction of said delivering conveyor (1) from under the objects of the batch being deposited using a retraction speed higher than the transfer track speed of the delivering conveyor simultaneously as the delivering conveyor (1) of constant transfer track speed is extended in the transfer direction at an extension speed higher than the transfer speed thus providing a buffer storage for products (4) flowing from the production machinery during the depositing step, after completion of which depositing step the depositing conveyor (2) is restarted, the depositing tip thereof is elevated into receiving adjacency with the delivering tip of the delivering conveyor (1) and said two conveyor tips are returned in intimate adjacency into their home position. A method as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the entire batch to be deposited is detected received onto the depositing conveyor (2) when the first one of products (4) has reached a sensor (5) adapted in conjunction with the depositing conveyor (1), above the rear end of the stationary platform (3). A method as defined in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of parallel rows of products are transferred on the delivering conveyor (1). A method as defined in any of claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the transfer speed of the conveyor (1) is advantageously set in the range from approx. 50 mm/s to approx. 300 mm/s. A method as defined in claim 4, characterized in that the delivering tip of the delivering conveyor (1) and the depositing tip of the depositing conveyor (2), respectively, are arranged to extend and/or retract at a speed of 800 mm/s during the depositing and retracting steps. A method as defined in any of the preceeding claims, characterized in that the stationary platforms (3) serving to receive the deposited batches are located on a third conveyor band (6) placed below the depositing tip of the depositing conveyor (2) and adapted to be stepwise transferrable. An apparatus for depositing products, which are fed from a continuously operating transfer track, in batches of predetermined size from said transfer track onto a platform (3) kept stationary with respect to the motion direction of said transfer track and located below said track, said apparatus comprises a delivering conveyor (1), which is arranged to operate continuously at the transfer track speed of the feeding machinery, characterized in that said conveyor incorporates a delivering tip adapted extendable and retractable at a speed higher than the transfer track speed, and a depositing conveyor (2) cooperating with said delivering conveyor and incorporating a depositing tip adapted extendable and retractable with a motion complementary to that of said delivering tip of said delivering conveyor, whereby said depositing tip is arranged to follow a trajectory in which it will at the leading edge of said platform (3) be lowered into laying-off contact with said platform (3) and be retracted to the trailing edge of said platform (3) so as to maintain said intimate laying-off contact with the platform and, at reaching said trailing edge of said platform (3), be elevated into an intimate receiving adjacency with the tip of said delivering conveyor and, while maintaining said adjacency, be extended back as far as to said leading edge of said platform (3), and that said depositing conveyor (2) is arranged to move at the transfer track speed or stay entirely stopped depending on the position of said depositing tip of said depositing conveyor. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, characterized in that the drive for the extension and retraction motions of the delivering tip and the depositing tip of the conveyors is implemented by means of a bidirectionally rotatable motor driving a common endless chain pair (7) to which the end roll sprockets of the delivering conveyor (1) and the depositing conveyor (2) are fixed. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, characterized in that said depositing conveyor (2) incorporates a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder adapted to elevate and lower the depositing tip of said conveyor. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, characterized in that the transport belts of the delivering conveyor (1) and the depositing conveyor (2) form two opposed, horizontally lying U-shaped tracks. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, characterized in that the chain pair (7) forms an essentially rectangular or trapezoidal path. An apparatus as defined in any of the preceeding claims 7 - 11, characterized in that below the depositing tip of the depositing conveyor (2) is located a third conveyor band (6), which serves to support said stationary platforms (3) receiving the deposited batches and is adapted stepwise transferrable in a transverse direction relative to said transfer track.

Inventors: LAMMELA MARTTI, LAMMELA, MARTTI
Applicants: LT KONE OY, LT-KONE OY
Application year: 1996
Main classification: A21C9
IPC codes: A21C9, B65G21