Abstract:
A device for feeding a package receiver and includes a crank arm pivotal or rotatable about a first axis by a first motor. A second axis is provided at the distal end of the crank arm, whereat the second axis supports the package receiver for pivotal or rotatable movement relative to the crank arm. A second motor is provided for the purpose of pivoting or rotating the package receiver about the crank arm. The two motors are separately controlled. Such a device can be fed with packages selectively from one side or from above.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to a device for feeding a package receiver. The package receiver is intended to receive several packages which are moved one above the other or side-by-side into the package receiver in order to form a stack in the receiver. This stack is then fed to an outer packaging, for example, a box. When several stacks are placed into a box, then several rows of stacks or bundles are arranged in the box so that the box is filled as compactly as possible.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    In a conventional device, a chute serving as the package receiver is filled with bags (or packages) from above by means of a conveyor belt. When the chute is full, thus has been fed completely with superposed bags, it is pivoted at 90° into the horizontal. The stack of upright positioned bags is thereafter removed from the chute and is moved into a box.  
           [0003]    This known device has the disadvantage that it can only be fed from above with superposed packages. This is indeed sufficient in order to create a stack, however, not for a direct filling of a box with side-by-side standing bags. For an intended filling of a box with bags, which stand upright side-by-side in the box, it is necessary to align the opening into the box to the side and to place the bags one on top of the other so that the bags stand side-by-side when the box is placed upright on its base.  
           [0004]    The basic purpose of the invention is to provide a device for feeding a package receiver in such a manner that the package receiver is suited for a filling from above and from the side.  
           [0005]    The inventive device provides a crank arm which is pivotal or rotatable about an axis by means of a first motor, whereby a second axis is provided at the outer end of the crank, with which second axis the package receiver is pivotally or rotatably connected. A second motor is provided for the purpose of pivoting or rotating the package receiver relative to the crank arm. The two motors are separately controlled.  
           [0006]    The inventive device serves on the one hand to prepare the package receiver, into which is to be inserted a container, a box or a cassette, so that the package receiver can be fed with packages selectively from the side or from above. The package receiver is fastened on the crank arm so that it can move on a circular path while maintaining its base horizontally aligned and in such a manner that the package receiver can deliver the bundles of packages in horizontal alignment (with the fill opening on top), and can be prepared selectively with the fill opening on the side or on the top in a filling station, whereat the package receiver is to be supplied with packages. On the other hand, it is possible to fill the package receiver directly, either laterally or from above. Whereas the first motor is used to rotate the crank arm, the package receiver is pivoted or rotated relative to the crank arm by means of the second motor in order to obtain a specific alignment at a specific location. This is accomplished by a separate control of the motors.  
           [0007]    When the device is provided as a transport device at a filling position, whereat the package receiver is filled at the filling position, the package receiver is then pivoted toward a crank position whereat the package receiver is emptied, then the device also serves the further transport of the created stack.  
           [0008]    A transport system for feeding the packages to the filling position, for example in the form of a conveyor belt or a slide, is used to move filled bags, for example, from a tubular bagging machine to the filling position. A transport device for removing of the packages away from the crank position and being suited for the stack delivery is used as a rule for a transport of a stack in an outer packaging away from the device, for example, toward a pallet.  
           [0009]    When the second motor rotates, through a drive means, the package receiver relative to the crank arm, then the motor can be arranged outside of the pivoting range of the crank arm and is, even after the exchange of a smaller package receiver with a larger package receiver, not arranged as a hindrance in the pivoting range of the crank arm.  
           [0010]    The packaging performance of the inventive device is doubled when two inventive devices are arranged side-by-side with their first axes being coaxial, and these two devices are alternately positionable with their package receiver in the filling position and in the crank position. Thus while the one device is being loaded, the other device is being emptied, and vice versa. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The invention will be described in greater detail hereinafter in connection with exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a side view of a device for feeding a package receiver, whereby the device has a crank arm rotatable about a circular path, which crank arm is rotatably driven by a first motor, which is arranged on the axis of rotation of the crank arm, and whereby a second motor is provided for the purpose of pivoting the package receiver relative to the crank arm (when in the broken line position);  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a top view of the subject matter of FIG. 1;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a side view of two devices operating in accordance with the concept of FIG. 1, which devices are arranged one after the other and are to be fed alternately, whereby bags delivered by a conveyor belt are moved laterally into the package receivers;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a top view of the subject matter of FIG. 3;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a side view of two devices operating analogously to FIG. 3, however, with a handling device for inserting of the bags from above into a box housed in the package receiver; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a top view of the subject matter of FIG. 5. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]    A device  1  consists of a crank arm  3  which, driven by a motor  4 , is supported rotatably about an axis  8  and has at its distal end, a package receiver  5 . This receiver  5  is rotatably supported about the axis  6  independent of the rotation of the crank arm  3 . The receiver is movably driven for movement about the axis  6  by a separate motor  7 . This independence of the movements is created by the transfer of the driving motion by means of a gear ratio of 1:1 from the axis  8  onto the axes  6  on the crank arm  3 . This is achieved by a driving means  9 , such as an endless toothed belt operatively coupled to toothed pulley wheels, in the illustrated exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. In the crank arm position  10 , in which the package receiver  5  delivers a bundle of packages or a filled box and receives an empty box, the package receiver  5  is aligned in an upwardly open direction as illustrated by the upwardly opening fill opening  13 . The receiver  5  is thereafter moved into the filling position  12  by rotation of the crank arm  3  to the broken line position in FIG. 1. When the motor  7  does not carry out a movement during this time, then the package receiver  5  maintains its orientation with respect to the frame (see also FIGS. 5 and 6), which means that the fill opening  13  remains upwardly opening, the package receiver  5  is moved with its base remaining parallel to a straight horizontal line relative to the frame  11  but on a circular path  14 . The package receiver  5  can now in the filling position  12  be filled from above with packages  15  which are supplied via a transport system  19 . The filling from above can be done, for example, with the help of a handling device  16  (see FIG. 5). When the crank arm  13  is now moved farther, then the receiver  5  moves again into the crank position  10  to remove bundles of packages  22  (see FIGS. 3 and 4) or the filled box  21  by means of a transport device  18  (see FIGS. 4 and 6) and to receive an empty box  20  thereat by means of a transport device  17  (see also FIG. 6).  
         [0019]    When the receiver  5  when in the filling position  12  is to be filled laterally with the packages  15  (FIGS. 3 and 4), then the motor  7  initiates a movement during the transport of the package receiver  5  from the crank position  10  to the filling position  12  so that the package receiver  5  is pivoted relative to the frame  11 . Thus the package receiver  5  can be filled laterally with the packages  15 . The lateral filling can occur directly, as illustrated in FIG. 3, namely the packages  15  travel via the transport system  19  directly into the package receiver  5 , or they can be placed into the package receiver  5 , for example, with an intermediate handling device. The motor  7  now initiates a movement on the further path from the filling position  12  to the crank position  10  so that the package receiver  5  is again pivoted into the original orientation, namely with its opening in the upwardly opening direction.  
         [0020]    The device is advantageously designed as separate duplicative devices (see device  1  and device  2  in FIG. 4) so that a package receiver  5  of one device  1  can in the filling position  12  be filled with packages  15  and at the same time the package receiver  5  of the other device  2  can in the position  10  remove the bundle of packages  22  or the filled box  21 , and can receive a new box  20  as depicted in FIG. 6.  
         [0021]    The great advantage of this device  1  is the high degree of flexibility regarding the orientation of the system for effecting a filling of the packages  15  into the package receiver  5 , that is, the packages can be introduced into the receiver  5  selectively from above or laterally, with a simultaneously very simple design of the device  1 ,  2 . For example, it is possible to feed packages  15 , which arrive exclusively in a lying position, both upright and also lying into the package receiver  5  since the packages  15  are indeed fed into the package receiver  5  in a lying position, however, by pivoting of the package receiver  5 , they can be moved into the receiver in an upright orientation.  
         [0022]    The use of two devices  1 ,  2  of this type in a packaging line enables a high performance characteristic for the feeding of the packages  15  into the receiver  5  since waiting times (or delays) are significantly reduced in this manner.  
         [0023]    Both a motorized drive and also a pneumatic cylinder can be utilized for the pivoting of the package receiver  5  about the axis  6 , so that in the latter case a yet less expensive embodiment is possible. All of this is to be understood by the term “motor”.  
         [0024]    The use of a handling device  16  for filling of the package receiver  5  enables in addition the enhancement of the flexibility of these systems.  
         [0025]    Depending on which set up is employed, it is possible to fill the packages  15  into a cassette (FIGS. 3 and 4) in order to be able to further process them as a bundle  22 , for example, in order to ready them for delivery to a package or bundle wrapping machine. It is also possible to feed the packages  15  directly into a box  20  or any other container (FIGS. 5 and 6). In spite of these many set up possibilities, the embodiments hardly differ, so that they may even be combined as desired with one another, or may all be realized in one system.  
                                             LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS                                     1, 2   Device for feeding            3   crank arm            4   motor            5   package receiver            6   axis            7   motor            8   axis            9   drive means           10   crank position           11   frame           12   filling position           13   fill opening           14   circular path           15   package           16   handling device           17, 18   transport device           19   transport system           20   box, empty           21   box, filled           22   bundle