A machine for the ordely grouping of products

Abstract: A machine for the orderly grouping of products (2) comprises a line (4a, 4b, 4c) of advance of products (2) provided with a support plane (3), a stacker apparatus (5) having vertically superposed planes (6), and an articulated inclined plane (7) for connecting the support plane (3) to the planes (6) of the stacker apparatus (5). A first and a second conveyor (9, 10), which advance the products (2) along said line of advance, are provided with continuous belts or chains (11, 12), arranged in a loop about a plurality of pulleys (11a, 11b, 11c, 12a, 12b, 12c), sustaining bars (11d, 12d) for thrusting the products (2). The first and the second conveyor (9, 10) have first end pulleys (11a, 12a), translated along the line of advance (4a, 4b, 4c) and proximate to the end of the support plane (3), delimiting a segment (4a) of line travelled solely by the thrust bars (11d) of one of the conveyors (9).

Description: The present invention relates to the collective packaging into orderly groups of products and, in particular, it pertains to a machine for the ordering of the products, slaved to a generic user, constituted for instance by a machine for preparing a collective package of the products grouped in units. For the packaging of products in orderly groups, from the document US 3455085, an automatic machine is known that forms a vertical stack of products, by layering sets of said products which are received along a substantially horizontal feeding line. More specifically, said machine is associated with a line for advancing the products provided with a plane for supporting said products; with a stacker apparatus provided with vertically superposed planes, for receiving the products; and with an inclined plane positioned between the support plane and the stacker apparatus. The inclined plane is pivotally articulated on a horizontal pivot and it is associated to actuator means whose selective operation allows to vary the level of an outlet end thereof and to position it alternatively at the level of the planes of the stacker apparatus. The products are made to translate along the line of advance by means of a first and a second conveyor having respectively a pair of flexible elements for instance continuous parallel belts or chains, wound in a loop about at least a pair of end pulleys, and about a plurality of intermediate transmission pulleys. The belts or chains take their motion from one of the end pulleys, which is motorised, and sustain, in mutually paired fashion, stepped bars which thrust the products in an orderly manner along the line of advance. The belts or chains and the inclined plane are motorised in synchronism, in such a way as to subdivide in an orderly manner, on the various planes of the layering apparatus, the total amount of products received at the inlet of the line of advance. In this machine, the first and the second conveyor have end pulleys, contiguous to the product entry area, mounted in mutually coaxial condition. This feature implies that the machine can operate solely as a machine for layering products. A different use of the machine, for instance for feeding the products towards a single plane of the layering apparatus, although theoretically achievable by maintaining the inclined plane constantly in a single operative condition, is paid for with a considerable loss of productivity. The feeding of the products on a single plane of the layering apparatus entails the need to have one of the conveyors function with no load, i.e. making the products advance along the line with mutual distances between consecutive products that are exactly doubled relative to the operation as a layering machine. Such a machine is therefore economically productive only for one specific use: an alternative use thereof causing a variation in the useful potential of the machine. In packaging machines, on the other hand, the need is felt to package groups of products arranged both in a single layer and in vertically superposed layers, by employing a single machine, i.e. by means of a versatile machine that is able easily to suit different, alternative uses. The aim of the present invention therefore is to provide a solution to this problem by means of a machine that is able to be employed indifferently as a product layering machine or as a product feeding machine, without suffering from any variation in productivity from one operative condition to the other. In accordance with the invention, said aim is achieved by a machine for ordering products, comprising a line of advance provided with: a plane for supporting products in transit, a stacker apparatus provided with vertically superposed planes for receiving the products, and an inclined plane positioned between the support plane and the stacker apparatus, said inclined plane having a first end aligned with the support plane and being pivotally articulated to vary the level of one of its own outlet end and place it at the level of the planes of the stacker apparatus; a first and a second conveyor for making the products advance along the line of advance, provided with at least a continuous belt or chain which is wound in a loop about at least a pair of end pulleys, whereof at least one is motorised, and about a plurality of intermediate transmission pulleys, and supports stepped bars, able to thrust the products along the line of advance; the machine being characterised in that said first and second conveyor have respective first end pulleys, mutually translated along the line of advance of the products and proximate to the opposite ends of the support plane, which delimit a segment of the line of advance of the products which is travelled solely by the thrust bars of one of the conveyors. The translation of the pulleys entails that the machine is able always to handle the maximum nominal flow rate of products (which is correlated to the mounting pitch of the thrust bars and to the velocity of travel of the belts), independently from the orientation assumed by the inclined plane. Hence, the machine can provide multiple, alternative possibilities of use, depending on the command imparted to the inclined plane and can provide such possibilities of use always at its own maximum potential. The technical features of the invention, according to the aforesaid aims, can be clearly noted from the content of the claims set out below and its advantages shall become more readily apparent in the detailed description that follows, made with reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent an embodiment provided purely by way of non limiting example, in which: Figure 1 is a global elevation view of a machine according to the invention. With reference to the accompanying drawings, the reference number 1 globally shows a machine for the orderly grouping of products 2, slaved to a generic user 20 - represented for instance by a machine for packaging paper rolls for hygienic or domestic use - grouped collectively in orderly groups. The machine 1 essentially comprises a line of advance 4a, 4b, 4c of products 2 and a pair of conveyors 9, 10 associated to the line of advance 4a, 4b, 4c of the products 2 and located substantially below it. The line of advance 4a, 4b, 4c is provided with: a plane 3 for supporting the products 2 in transit; a stacker apparatus 5, in turn, provided vertically superposed plane 6 for receiving the products 2; and an inclined plane 7 positioned between the support plane 3 and the stacker apparatus 5. The inclined plane 7 has a first end 21 aligned with the support plane 3 and is pivotally articulated to vary the level of its own outlet end 8 and place it at the level of the planes 6 of the stacker apparatus 5. The first and the second conveyor 9, 10 provided for making the products 2 advance along the line of advance 4a, 4b, 4c, comprise a pair of parallel continuous belts or chains 11, 12, which are wound in a loop about at least a pair of end pulleys 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b, one of which is motorised, and about a plurality of freely rotating intermediate transmission pulleys 11c, 12c. The belts or chains 11, 12 which form two loops elongated longitudinally to the line of advance 4a, 4b, 4c, having different dimensions, support, transversely to the line of advance 4a, 4b, 4c, a plurality of stepped bars 11d, 12d, able to thrust the products 2 along the line of advance 4 from the inlet end 22 of the machine 1 (located on the left side of Figure 1) towards the user 20 which, in Figure 1, is instead located on the right side. The bars 12d of the second conveyor 10, having lesser longitudinal development, have double pitch relative to the pitch of the first conveyor 9. The first and the second conveyor 9, 10 have respective first end pulleys 11a, 12a, mutually translated along the line of advance 4a, 4b, 4c of the products 2 and proximate to the opposite ends of the support plane 3. Such pulleys 11a, 12a thereby delimit a segment 4a of the line of advance 4 of the products 2 which is travelled solely by the thrust bars I 1d of one of said conveyors 11. In use, the orientation of the inclined plane 7 of the machine 1 is controlled by actuators and by means for controlling the operation of the actuators (not shown) which, when the machine 1 is operated as a product layering machine, selectively activate the orientation of the inclined plane 7 and sequentially place its outlet end 8 at the level of the planes 6 of the stacker apparatus 5, subdividing the total flow rate of products 2 received from the support plane 3 among said planes. Vice versa, when the machine is to be used as a simple feeder of products 2 towards the user 20, the inclined plane 7 is maintained in constant alignment with one of the planes 6 of the stacker apparatus 5 in such a way as to route the entire flow rate of incoming products 2 onto them. It is important to stress that in this condition it is not necessary to reduce the quantity of products 2 that transit in the unit of time along the support plane 3; i.e. all the thrust bars 11d of the first conveyor 9 have products 2 present which allows the machine 1 to operate always at its maximum design potential. The machine according to the invention thus allows for a multiple usage, without variation from one use to the other of the flow rate of products 2 along the line of advance 4a, 4b, 4c. Moreover, it also has the advantage of a high ease of inspection, correlated with the placement of the conveyors 9, 10 below the line of advance 4a, 4b, 4c: which favours a convenient and easy access for inspection and maintenance operations. The invention thus conceived is clearly suitable for industrial application. Moreover, all components can be replaced by technically equivalent elements. Furthermore, it can be subject to numerous modifications and variations, without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept; as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims: A machine for the orderly grouping of products (2), comprising a line of advance (4a, 4b, 4c) provided with: a plane (3) for supporting the products (2) in transit, a stacker apparatus (5) having vertically superposed planes (6) for receiving the products (2), and an inclined plane (7) positioned between the support plane (3) and the stacker apparatus (5), said inclined plane (7) having a first end (21) aligned with the support plane (3) and being pivotally articulated to vary the level of its own outlet end (8) and place it at the level of the planes (6) of the stacker apparatus (5); a first and a second conveyor (9, 10) for making the products (2) advance along the line of advance (4a, 4b, 4c), provided with at least a continuous belt or chain (11, 12) which is wound in a loop about at least a pair of end pulleys (11a, 11b, 12a, 12b), at least one of which is motorised, and about a plurality of intermediate transmission pulleys (1 1c, 12c), said belts or chains (11, 12) supporting stepped bars (11d, 12d), able to thrust the products (2) along the line of advance (4); said machine (1) being characterised in that said first and second conveyor (9, 10) have respective first end pulleys (11a, 12a), mutually translated along the line of advance (4a, 4b, 4c) of the products (2) and proximate to the opposite ends of the support plane (3), said pulleys (11a, 12a) delimiting a segment (4a) of the line of advance (4) of the products (2) travelled solely by the thrust bars (11d) of one of said conveyors (9). A machine as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that it comprises means for selectively controlling the orientation of the inclined plane (7) able to position sequentially the outlet end (8) of the inclined plane (7) at the level of the planes (6) of the stacker apparatus (5), subdividing between said planes (6) the total flow rate of the products (2) received from the support plane (3); or to maintain the inclined plane (7) in constant alignment with one of the planes (6) of the stacker apparatus (5) routing, instead, the entire flow rate of incoming products (2). A machine as claimed in one of the previous claims, characterised in that said first and second conveyor (9, 10) are located substantially below the line of advance (4a, 4b, 4c) of the products (2). A machine as claimed in one of the previous claims, characterised in that the bars (12d) of the second conveyor (10) have double pitch relative to the bars (11d) of the first conveyor (9).

Inventors: ZAGNONI CHRISTIAN, ZAGNONI, CHRISTIAN
Applicants: TMC SPA, T.M.C. S.P.A.
Application year: 2001
Main classification: B65G47
IPC codes: B65G47, B65G57