Unit for smoothing wrapped chocolates

Abstract: A unit for combing wrapped chocolates, wherein a combing drum (3), rotating continuously about a respective axis (6), has a number of combing devices (15), each of which has a gripping device (44) rotating, crosswise to the aforementioned axis (6), between a radial gripping position to grip a chocolate (2), and an axial release position located along an axial path parallel to the aforementioned axis (6) and along which travel a pusher (17) and a counter-pusher (18); the path extending through an annular combing element (42).

Description: The present invention relates to a unit for brushing wrapped chocolates. In particular, the present invention relates to a unit whereby chocolates, wrapped in substantially metallic sheet material, are fed axially through an annular brushing element for smoothing out any creases or unevenness on a lateral surface of the chocolates. The above process is normally performed on a brushing unit comprising a brushing drum rotated in steps about a respective axis of rotation. At each step, a chocolate for brushing is loaded onto the drum, in a direction crosswise to the axis of rotation of the drum, and is fed in steps about the axis of the drum to a brushing station where each chocolate is fed, crosswise to the axis of the drum, through an annular brushing element located in a fixed position at the brushing station. An example of the brushing units of the above type is given by EP0733548, which discloses an apparatus for packaging confectionery products having various shapes; the apparatus comprises a first rotating unit actuated intermittently and provided with clamps that grip each product with the wrapping arranged thereon and transfer it to the clamps of a second rotating unit actuated intermittently. During rotation and during the pauses in rotation, appropriately provided fixed and movable folding elements arranged along the path of the clamps of the first unit partially fold the wrapping onto the product, while additional fixed and movable folding elements arranged along the path of the clamps of the second unit close the wrapping around the product. According to one of the embodiments, there are provided two brushing stations located in a fixed position along the periphery of the first rotating unit; in each brushing station, each product is fed by the relevant clamps through an annular brushing element defined by a stationary annular brush. Units of the above type are fairly slow, on account of each brushing operation requiring a stop between two successive steps of the brushing drum. Moreover, the stop itself is also fairly long by comprising the time taken for a movable element supporting the chocolate to move, crosswise with respect to the drum axis, from an initial rest position to a work position to feed the chocolate through the annular brushing element, and the time taken for the same supporting element to disengage the annular brushing element and move back into the initial rest position. One way of increasing the speed of brushing units of the above type is to accelerate the steps between one stop and the next. Over a given limit, however, the sharp acceleration and deceleration to which the brushing drum would be subjected would result in mechanical damage to the brushing unit or in severe stress and irreparable damage to the chocolates. It is an object of the present invention to provide a brushing unit which is at once fast-operating and mechanically reliable. According to the present invention, there is provided a unit for brushing wrapped chocolates as recited by claim 1. A non-limiting embodiment of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a view in perspective, with parts removed for clarity, of a preferred embodiment of the brushing unit according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic axial section of the Figure 1 unit. Number 1 in the accompanying drawings indicates as a whole a unit for brushing wrapped chocolates 2 and defining an output unit of a wrapping machine (not shown). Unit 1 comprises a brushing drum 3 mounted for rotation on a central shaft 4 fitted in fixed manner to a frame 5 and coaxial with an axis 6 defining the axis of rotation of drum 3. Drum 3 comprises a first and a second half-drum 7 and 8 connected integrally to each other by a sleeve 9 smaller in diameter than half-drums 7 and 8 and defining the bottom wall of an annular groove 10 extending about axis 6. Half-drum 7 is interposed between half-drum 8 and frame 5, and comprises a substantially cylindrical bell 11 fitted, on the end facing frame 5, with a gear 12 defining the output element of a drive assembly 13 for rotating drum 3 continuously about axis 6. Similarly, half-drum 8 comprises a bell 14 connected integrally to bell 11 by sleeve 9 and rotating with bell 11 about axis 6. Drum 3 supports at least one brushing device 15 or, as shown in the accompanying drawings, a number of devices 15 equally spaced about axis 6 and movable continuously about axis 6 with drum 3. Each device 15 comprises a gripping device 16 defined by a pusher 17 and a counter-pusher 18 aligned with each other along a respective axis 19 parallel to and a given distance from axis 6. Pusher 17 comprises a rod 20 fitted in axially-sliding manner through a hole 21 formed in an end wall 22 of bell 11, which, together with sleeve 9 and an end wall 23 of bell 14, defines groove 10. In addition to rod 20, pusher 17 also comprises a head 24 located inside groove 10; and a sleeve 25 connected integrally to rod 20 inside bell 11 and defining the output element of an actuating device 26 for moving rod 20 back and forth by a length less than the width of groove 10 measured parallel to axis 19. Device 26 comprises a cylindrical cam 27 fitted in a fixed position to shaft 4 and housed inside bell 11. Cam 27 has an annular rolling track 28, which is engaged by a tappet roller 29 carried by sleeve 25, and is inclined with respect to axis 6 so as to move rod 20 back and forth, as described above, in the course of a 360° movement of rod 20 about axis 6. Counter-pusher 18 comprises a rod 30 fitted in axially-sliding manner through a hole 31 formed through end wall 23 of bell 14; a head 32 located inside groove 10; and a sleeve 33 connected integrally to rod 30 inside bell 14, and defining the output element of an actuating device 34 for moving rod 30 back and forth by a length less than the width of groove 10 measured parallel to axis 19. Device 34 comprises a cylindrical cam 35 fitted in a fixed position to shaft 4 and housed inside bell 14. Cam 35 has an annular rolling track 36, which is engaged by a tappet roller 37 carried by sleeve 33, and is inclined with respect to axis 6 so as to move rod 30 back and forth, as described above, in the course of a 360° movement of rod 30 about axis 6. Inside groove 10, sleeve 9 is fitted with an annular plate 38, which divides groove 10 into two half-grooves 39 and 40, the first of which is adjacent to wall 22. Plate 38 comprises a number of through holes 41, each of which is coaxial with a respective axis 19 and is engaged by an annular brushing element or brush 42 having a central hole smaller in diameter than chocolate 2. Tracks 28 and 36 are so formed as to move heads 24 and 32 of each device 16 axially and substantially in time with each other, so that heads 24 and 32 grip chocolate 2 axially in a gripping position inside half-groove 39, and feed chocolate 2 along respective axis 19 and through the central hole of respective brush 42 into an unloading position inside half-groove 40 and in which chocolate 2 is intercepted by an unloading conveyor 43 substantially crosswise to axis 6 and having an input portion in a fixed position along half-groove 40. Each brushing device 15 also comprises a further gripping device 44, which is fitted in rotary manner to half-drum 7 in a respective seat 45 formed in wall 22, between two successive holes 21, so as to oscillate, about a respective axis 46 crosswise to axis 6, between a radial loading position and an axial release position. In the loading position, device 44 is located outside drum 3 to receive and radially grip a chocolate 2 oriented substantially radially with respect to axis 6. In the release position, device 44 is located inside half-groove 39, and provides for engaging chocolate 2 radially and maintaining chocolate 2 oriented parallel to axis 6. Device 44 comprises a substantially cylindrical body 47 coaxial with axis 46 and fitted to a central shaft 48, which is coaxial with axis 46 and engages in rotary manner a circular through hole 49 formed through a wall 50 of seat 45. Body 47 is fitted integrally with a pin 51 extending parallel to shaft 48 and engaging in transversely-sliding manner a guide slot 52 extending along an arc centered about axis 46. Pin 51 also engages in rotary manner a transverse through hole formed in one end of a transmission rod 53, the other end of which is hinged to a sleeve 54 fitted in sliding manner to rod 20 of a respective pusher 17 and defining the output element of an actuating device 55 for oscillating device 44 as described above. Device 55 comprises a further annular track 56 formed in cam 27; and a tappet roller 57 carried by sleeve 54 and engaged in rolling manner inside track 56, which is so inclined with respect to axis 6 as to oscillate body 47, as described above, in the course of a 360° movement of device 44 about axis 6. Each device 44 comprises a pair of gripping arms 58, which are fitted in rotary manner to body 47 and activated (in known manner not shown) to rotate about respective axes 59 crosswise to axis 46. Arms 58 define a gripper 60 for radially gripping a respective chocolate 2 in said radial loading position, in which arms 58 define a plane substantially tangent to half-drum 7 and parallel to axis 6, and for releasing chocolate 2 in said axial release position, in which arms 58 are positioned inside half-groove 39 and define a plane crosswise to axis 6. In actual use, as stated, each chocolate 2 is fed into the loading position oriented substantially radially with respect to axis 6, and is gripped radially by respective gripper 60. Once chocolate 2 is gripped, gripper 60 is rotated by actuating device 55 about axis 46 to transfer chocolate 2 into half-groove 39 and into a release position in which chocolate 2 is positioned with its axis parallel to axis 6 and coaxial with respective axis 19. In this position, chocolate 2 is located between heads 24 and 32 of respective gripping device 16, which is closed by actuating devices 26 and 34 to axially grip and withdraw chocolate 2 from gripper 60 by which chocolate 2 is released. At this point, actuating devices 26 and 34 move respective pusher 17 and counter-pusher 18 towards half-groove 40 so as to feed chocolate 2 axially and parallel to axis 6 through respective brush 42. Once brushed, chocolate 2 is fed continuously by respective gripping device 16 along half-groove 40 and about axis 6 up to unloading conveyor 43, onto which chocolate 2 is then released. One advantage of the brushing unit described above lies in the fact that, to perform the brushing operations, the first gripping means 16 move parallel to axis 6 of drum 3, which, with no substantial variation in the moment of inertia of drum 3, therefore enables the use not only of a continuously-moving drum, but also of a drum of relatively small radial size.

Claims: A unit for brushing wrapped chocolates, the unit (1) comprising a brushing drum (3) rotating continuously about a first axis (6) and having at least one brushing device (15), which comprises first gripping means (16) for gripping said chocolate (2), and at least one annular brushing element (42); the unit (1) being characterized in that the annular brushing element (42) is mechanically joint with the brushing drum (3); the unit (1) comprising first actuating means (26, 34) for moving said first gripping means (16) along a linear path extending along a second axis (19) parallel to and at a given distance from the first axis (6), through a gripping position and through the annular brushing element (42), which is located along said path. A unit as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said brushing device (15) also comprises second gripping means (44) for gripping said chocolate (2); and second actuating means (55) for moving said second gripping means (44) between a radial loading position for loading said chocolate (2), and an axial release position, along said path, for releasing said chocolate (2). A unit as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, and further comprising a number of brushing devices (15) equally spaced about the first axis (6). A unit as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein each of said second gripping means (44) is fitted to said drum (3) to rotate, by virtue of the respective said second actuating means (55), about a respective third axis (46) crosswise to the first axis (6). A unit as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said first and second actuating means (26,34; 55) are reciprocating cam actuating means. A unit as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said cam means comprise at least one fixed drum cam (27, 35) coaxial with the first axis (6). A unit as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, wherein said first gripping means (16) comprise a pusher (17) and a counter-pusher (18) movable axially and substantially in time with each other along said path extending along the second axis (19), and parallel to the first axis (6). A unit as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said drum (3) comprises a first and a second half-drum (7, 8) coaxial with each other along the first axis (6) and integral with each other to rotate about the first axis (6), said half-drums (7, 8) defining an annular groove (10) coaxial with the first axis (6); and a plate (38) coaxial with said half-drums (7, 8) and located in an intermediate position inside said groove (10) to divide the groove into two half-grooves (39, 40); the plate (38) supporting a brush element (42) for each said brushing device (15); the pusher (17) and counter-pusher (18) of each said brushing device (15) being supported one by the first and the other by the second of said half-drums (7, 8); and said first gripping means (16) being movable between said gripping position and an unloading position, which are located one inside a first of said half-grooves (39, 40) and the other inside a second of said half-grooves (39, 40). A unit as claimed in Claim 8, and further comprising unloading conveying means (43) having an input portion extending inside said second half-groove (40).

Inventors: BORDERI LUCA, SPATAFORA MARIO, BORDERI, LUCA, SPATAFORA, MARIO
Applicants: AZIONARIA COSTRUZIONI ACMA SPA, AZIONARIA COSTRUZIONI MACCHINE AUTOMATICHE-A.C.M.A.-S.P.A.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B65B61
IPC codes: B65B35, B65B61