Patent Publication Number: US-8966864-B2

Title: Packaging installation for batches of products

Description:
The present invention relates to packaging installations for batches of products, in particular under plastic film. 
     These packaging installations are currently capable of processing batches of products having various formats; however, this development in formats has given rise to other perspectives such as changes with respect to the preparation and pre-packaging processes for these batches of products before they are covered with plastic film, in particular. 
     In these packaging installations, the wrapping stations and/or modules which are situated upstream of the final phase of applying the plastic film are very often defined by one specific mode of operation; at these stations and/or modules, the pre-packaging and/or wrapping operations of batches of products of a particular type are carried out, such as for example, a wrapping formed from a cardboard blank of the tray or wrap-around type, said wrapping then passing into the packing machine to be wrapped in a plastic film before passing through the tunnel for the heat-shrinking of said plastic film. 
     The preparation module for this type of wrapping comprises a cleated belt conveyor to support the blanks, said cleats forming a sort of reference and making it possible to carry out a precise folding operation of the blank. 
     This preparation module for wrap-around or tray type wrapping also generally comprises a complementary apparatus which, in the final phase of the process of forming the wrapping, carries out the folding and forming of the blank. This apparatus is situated above the level of the downstream portion of the cleated belt conveyor and projects substantially over the outfeed conveyor which extends the wrapping preparation module in a downstream direction. 
     This wrapping preparation module therefore exhibits characteristics which define the installation as a single packaging mode. 
     On the other hand, downstream of this preparation module, the packing machine and the tunnel for heat-shrinking the plastic film are machines which can accept all sorts of batches of products: batches of products already packaged in a wrapping of the tray or wrap-around type or simply batches of products which are grouped together, or not, on a single sheet of cardboard; it is the heat-shrinkable plastic film which will secure and/or form the final wrapping. These end-of-line packing or tunnel machines can also be idle and serve simply as transit conveyors. 
     The current packaging installations do not therefore allow these end-of-line machines constituted by the packing machine and the heat-shrink tunnel to be used for anything other than their initial purpose; they do not provide any versatility. 
     The present invention proposes a packaging installation for products which, appropriately, has a certain versatility as regards the modes of preparation and pre-packaging of the products, i.e. an installation which can accommodate several modes of packaging of the batches of products and all sorts of types of batches of products. 
     The present invention proposes an improvement to this type of packaging installation which gives it the ability to perform the wrapping operations of the tray or wrap-around type and, also, simply to carry out the transportation of the products or batches of products, i.e. passing these naked products or batches of products into the installation, before, optionally, placing them under plastic film and passing them through the heat-shrink tunnel in order to complete the wrapping. 
     The installation according to the invention therefore becomes very versatile in use and can accommodate the processing of large or small runs of batches of products with wrappings of all types, adapted to the batches in question; it can also simply provide the transport of the products or group of products, as required, when the packing machine and the heat-shrink tunnel are not operational, for example. 
     The packaging installation for batches of products according to the invention comprises, distributed on a single common frame: 
     an infeed conveyor on which the products are arranged in batches, originating from a grouping station, 
     an outfeed conveyor which removes the products in the form of batches to a packing machine and, between the two, 
     a module for forming a wrapping of the tray or wrap-around type, comprising on the one hand a cleated belt conveyor constituted by two continuous belts forming a slider bed which extends between said infeed conveyor and said outfeed conveyor, said continuous belts being adjustable transversally in order to alter the width of said slider bed, and, on the other hand, an apparatus for folding and forming the wrapping, arranged above the end portion of said slider bed formed by said cleated conveyor belt, 
     said installation comprising means for retracting said continuous belts and means allowing the substitution of said continuous belts by a conveying system capable of allowing a simple passage of said naked batches of products between said infeed conveyor and said outfeed conveyor, said substitute conveying system being interposed between said continuous belts in order to form a continuous slider bed between said infeed and outfeed conveyors. 
     According to a preferred provision of the invention, the installation comprises a conveying system which is constituted by several endless transfer conveyor belts: at least one upstream transfer conveyor belt and at least one downstream transfer conveyor belt, said transfer conveyor belts capable of being placed in abutment with each other and respectively with the infeed conveyor and the outfeed conveyor, said upstream and downstream transfer conveyor belts filling the gap between said infeed and outfeed conveyors after retraction of the cleated belt conveyor and, in particular, after separation of the continuous belts of said cleated belt conveyor of the forming module for wrappings of the tray or wrap type. 
     According to another provision of the invention, the substitute conveying system is constituted by two transfer conveyor belts which are mobile with respect to each other in the longitudinal direction of movement of the batches of products and in a vertical direction, said belts being mobile with respect to each other between an idle position in which they are superposed and an active position in which they abut in the same plane in order to form the portion of slider bed which extends between the infeed conveyor and the outfeed conveyor, substituting for the continuous belts of the cleated belt conveyor. 
     Still according to the invention, the substitute conveying system is vertically mobile, borne by a support which is integral with the common frame of the installation and/or the forming module and which extends above the slider bed for the transportation of batches of products, opposite the upstream portion of the cleated belt conveyor and upstream of the apparatus which carries out the folding and the final forming of the blank of the tray or wrap type. 
     According to another provision of the invention, the support of the substitute conveying system is constituted, on each side, by a pantograph which extends between the frame of the installation and/or of the module for forming the wrapping and a structure which bears the upstream transfer conveyor belt, said structure serving at the same time as a guide for the frame of the downstream transfer conveyor belt. 
     Still according to the invention, the pantograph comprises scissor arms arranged laterally, said arms being sufficiently spaced apart in a transversal direction so as to leave a maximum amount of free space and allow the passage of naked batches of products and, in particular, the passage of batches which do not require a particular wrapping operation with a blank of the tray or wrap-around type, said arms being operated by appropriate means of the screw-nut type in order to change the conveying system from its idle position to its active position and vice-versa, according to requirements. 
     According to another provision of the invention, the downstream transfer conveyor belt is arranged on a supporting member which is borne by the structure of the upstream transfer conveyor belt by means of a system of guide rails, said system of guide rails making it possible, under the effect of appropriate operating means, to retract said downstream transfer conveyor belt under said upstream transfer conveyor belt in order to give the entire substitute conveying system a footprint compatible with the space which is available upstream of the wrapping assembly apparatus and within the footprint of the forming module. 
     Still according to the invention, the downstream transfer conveyor belt is mounted vertically mobile with respect to its frame between an active substitution position in which it is situated at the level of the outfeed conveyor and an idle position in which it is situated below the level of the upstream transfer conveyor belt, said downstream transfer conveyor belt comprising legs and being mounted mobile with respect to said frame by means of its legs which slide vertically in said frame, said active substitution position being obtained using supports arranged on the common frame and on which said legs rest. 
    
    
     
       In order to be capable of application, the invention is disclosed in a clear and complete fashion in the description hereinafter, with reference to the following drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic view, in elevation, showing the main elements of the packaging installation according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic elevation in cross-section along II-II of  FIG. 1 , showing the cleated belt conveyor in the active position whilst the substitute transfer conveyor belt is in the idle position above the level of the wrapping assembly apparatus; 
         FIG. 3  corresponds to  FIG. 2  in the case of the passage of naked batches of products; 
         FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic elevation of the installation showing the substitute transfer conveyor belt in the active position between the infeed and the outfeed conveyor; 
         FIG. 5  shows the substitute transfer conveyor belt in the idle position and, represented in light dot-and-dash lines, this same substitute transfer conveyor belt in an intermediate position between its active position and its idle position. 
     
    
    
     The installation shown in  FIG. 1  corresponds to a packaging installation for batches of various products such as bottles, beverage cans, tins, pots etc. 
     This packaging installation comprises several parts: a station  1  for grouping and preparing the batches of products  2 , situated at the infeed, a machine  3  of the packing machine type for placing a plastic film around the batch of products  2 , said packing machine  3  being followed by a tunnel  4  for heat-shrinking said plastic film and, between said preparation station  1  and said packing machine  3 , a forming module  5  which carries out the wrapping of the batch of products  2  using a blank  6  of the wrap-around or tray type. 
     This forming module  5  is inserted between an infeed conveyor  7  which brings the batches of products  2  from the preparation station  1  and an outfeed conveyor  8  which transports said batches of wrapped products  2  to the packing machine  3 . 
     These two conveyors  7  and  8  flank the forming module  5  and this module  5  is associated with a magazine  9  which provides it with the appropriate blanks  6  by means of a conveying device  10 . 
     These blanks  6  are conveyed towards the assembly station of the forming module  5  which comprises a conveyor  11  of the cleated belt type. The wrapping assembly station is fitted around the upper strand of the cleated belt conveyor  11  and comprises means for forming said blank  6  around the batch of products  2  and, in particular, an apparatus  12  which is situated above the end portion of the slider bed constituted by the downstream portion of said cleated belt conveyor  11 . This apparatus  12  finishes the folding, forming and bonding of the blank  6 , for wrapping the batch of products  2 . This apparatus is adjustable, heightwise in particular, so as to adapt to the dimension of the products or the batches of products which pass through the installation. 
     A conveying system  13  is arranged above the forming module  5  in its upstream portion, and also upstream of the apparatus  12 . This conveying system  13  is arranged so as to substitute for the cleated belt conveyor  11  when the packaging installation is intended to pass naked batches of products, i.e. batches of products which do not require a particular wrapping using a blank of the tray or wrap-around type. 
     This substitute conveying system  13  is situated in the footprint of the forming module  5 ; it comprises two transfer conveyor belts  14  and  15  which are represented, in thick lines, in the stand-by position. In this stand-by position, or idle position, they are superposed and retracted upstream of the apparatus  12  in order to allow the wrapping and packaging installation to operate. 
     In this  FIG. 1 , the transfer conveyor belts  14  and  15  are also represented in light dash-and-dot lines, abutting each other, positioned above the cleated belt conveyor  11 , i.e. in an intermediate position, when they are placed in the active substitution position or the idle position. 
       FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic transversal elevation in cross-section along  2 - 2 , showing the different elements of the packaging installation according to the invention, at the level of the substitute conveying system  13 . 
     The cleated belt conveyor  11  is shown, constituted by two continuous belts  11   a  and  11   b  the separation of which is adjustable in order to take account of the dimensions of the batches of products  2  and the dimensions of the blank  6 . 
     These two belts  11   a  and  11   b  are guided transversally using a system of guide rails  16  for adjusting their separation and, above all, to adopt extreme lateral positions which make it possible to free sufficient space in order to accommodate, as detailed below, the substitute conveyor system  13 . 
     Above the cleated belt conveyor  11 , the apparatus  12  of the belt or lug chain type is shown. This apparatus  12  is borne by supports which are integral with the common frame  17  of the installation and/or the forming module  5 . 
     Above the apparatus  12 , the substitute conveyor system  13  is shown in the idle position, i.e. in a position which is situated at a level substantially above the level of said apparatus  12 . 
       FIG. 3  shows, in diagrammatic transversal cross-section along  3 - 3 , the installation in a configuration which allows the passage of naked batches of products  2  at the level of the forming module  5 , said module  5  being completely by-passed, i.e. it is totally non-operational. 
     In this  FIG. 3 , the belts  11   a  and  11   b  of the cleated belt conveyor  11  are separated from each other in order to leave space for the substitute conveying system  13 , said conveying system  13  being positioned at the same level as the active portion of the belts  11   a  and  11   b , serving as slider bed between the infeed conveyor  7  and the outfeed conveyor  8 . 
     The apparatus  12  retains its position above the downstream portion of the forming module  5 ; it can be retracted heightwise depending on the dimension of the products. In this configuration of the installation, the batches of products  2  can move freely between the infeed conveyor  7  and the outfeed conveyor  8 . 
       FIG. 4  shows, in the form of a diagrammatic elevation, the installation according to the invention and in particular the positioning of the substitute conveying system  13 , between the infeed conveyor  7  and the outfeed conveyor  8 . 
     This substitute conveying system  13  comprises a transfer conveyor belt  14  which serves as upstream transfer conveyor belt  14  and a transfer conveyor belt  15  which serves as downstream transfer conveyor belt  15 . These two transfer conveyor belts  14  and  15  are in abutment with each other and respectively with the infeed conveyor  7  and the outfeed conveyor  8 . They establish a continuity for the surface or slider bed for movement of the batches of products  2  between the infeed conveyor  7  and the outfeed conveyor  8 . 
     The substitute conveying system  13  is borne, on each side, by a support in the form of a pantograph  19  which is articulated, at its upper part on the common frame  17  of the installation. The pantographs  19  bear a structure  20  on which the upstream transfer conveyor belt  14  is installed and this structure  20  serves as a support and guide for the frame  21  of the downstream transfer conveyor belt  15 . 
     The downstream transfer conveyor belt  15  is borne by the frame  21  but in the active conveying position, as shown in  FIG. 4 , it is immobilized with respect to the frame  17  using legs  22  arranged vertically, said legs  22  serving as support for the downstream transfer conveyor belt  15  and resting on supports  23  arranged at the level of said common frame  17  in order to place said transfer conveyor belt  15  in the active substitution position, projecting in a downstream direction of the installation with respect to the upstream transfer conveyor belt  14 . 
     The legs  22  are slidably mounted on the frame  21  and this frame  21  is itself guided on the structure using a system of guide rails  24  so as to be capable of moving from a downstream to an upstream position when, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the entire substitute conveying system  13  passes from the active substitution position to the idle position. The substitute conveying system  13  in fact comprises a sort of telescopic transfer conveyor belt which is constituted by the upstream transfer conveyor belt  14  and the downstream transfer conveyor belt  15 . 
     Firstly, when it passes from this active position to the idle position, it is noted, as shown in  FIG. 5  in light dash-and-dot lines, that the downstream transfer conveyor belt  15  moves vertically so as to pass below the level of the upstream transfer conveyor belt  14 , guided by its frame  21  in which its legs  22 , serving as its support, slide. This retraction of the downstream transfer conveyor belt  15  allows the latter to be positioned under the upstream transfer conveyor belt  14  before finishing the complete retraction of this substitute conveying system  13 , as represented in thick lines in  FIG. 5 . 
     The pantograph system  19  comprises two arms  25  and  26  articulated together at the level of their median portion, forming scissors; they are articulated around a central pin  27  which is situated at least at the level of the apparatus  12 , preferably substantially above. The arm  25  extends between an articulation  28  situated at the upper part of the installation, integral with the common frame  17 , and an articulation  29  which is mobile on a system of guide rails  30  which extends longitudinally on the structure  20  which bears the upstream transfer conveyor belt  14 . 
     In the same way, the arms  26  extend between a fixed point  31  situated on the structure  20  of the upstream transfer conveyor belt  14  and an articulation  32  which is mobile, guided on a system of guide rails  33  which is integral with the common frame  17  of the installation and/or of the forming module  5 . 
     The deployment or the folding of the pantograph  19  is carried out, for example, using a screw-nut system; the screw  34  being interposed between the central pin  27  of the pantograph and a nut  35 , said nut  35 , operated by appropriate means, being firmly fixed to the common frame  17  by means of a bearing  36  mounted on an articulation  37 . 
     This pantograph  19  is also delineated in  FIG. 5 , showing the position of the arms  25  and  26 , said arms being sufficiently separated in order to provide a passage the width of which corresponds at least to the dimensions of the batches of products to be allowed to pass, said batches being transported by the substitute conveying system  13  constituted by the upstream and downstream transfer conveyor belts  14  and  15 .