Patent ID: 12227324

With initial reference to the accompanyingFIGS.1to3,1indicates overall a feed unit for articles2constructed in accordance with the present invention.

In the first embodiment example described herein, the feed unit1is inserted within an apparatus for preparing and packaging capsules for infusion type beverages, in particular coffee, and is provided to feed a plurality of protection discs at the bottom of respective capsules3, empty, prior to the filling thereof with coffee powder.

The articles2are then formed by the protection discs.

The latter have a slab shape, with a large central hole and a plurality of small holes2aand a plurality of small holes uniformly distributed throughout the rest of the surface. The protection discs are identical between them and have a circular shape with a diameter D of about 30 to 40 mm and a thickness of about 1 to 3 mm, which is substantially constant.

The discs also have a slightly convex shape, so that the total thickness of the articles2defines a footprint of about 3 to 6 mm.

Therefore, in the articles2two prevalent dimensions, measuring equal to the diameter D, and a third dimension with a significantly lower measurement corresponding to the total thickness of the article remain identified.

The feed unit1, in the most general components thereof, comprises a first feeding device4of the articles2, a synchronization device5, which is provided to receive the articles2from the first feeding device4and to move them into a removal location P, a second feeding device6, which is provided to individually pick up the articles2at the removal location P, as well as an exchange wheel7which is provided to receive the articles2from the second feeding device6at a release location R and to deposit them on a conveyor8.

The first feeding device4comprises a guide9in which the articles2are arranged in a row one after the other to be moved towards the synchronization device5.

The guide9is extended along one of its longitudinal axes and is delimited by retention walls defining a chamber with a substantially rectangular section inside which the articles2are accommodated with an ability to slide freely. In particular, the articles2can slide inside the guide9by means of gravitational force or thanks to suitable jets of air that are delivered by a plurality of nozzles specifically positioned along the guide9and connected to a pneumatic system (not shown).

The synchronization device5, which is located immediately downstream of the first feeding device4, comprises a pair of counter-rotating conveyor belts10which face each other, between which the articles2coming from the guide9are retained one by one and moved towards the removal location P.

Each conveyor belt10comprises a belt11wound around a pair of pulleys12, at least one of which is controlled to be rotated by a motor with adjustable speed.

Consequently, the advance speed of the conveyor belts10is adjustable and the feed unit1advantageously comprises a control system13, which is provided to adjust the speed of the synchronization device5.

In particular, the speed of the conveyor belts10is adjusted in such a manner that each article2reaches the removal location P at a predetermined time interval within a defined cycle time of the feed unit1.

For this purpose, the control system13also comprises a position sensor14which is provided to detect the position of each article2as it is moved between the conveyor belts10towards the removal location P.

In this way, the control system13detects the position of the article2and is able to calculate the correct speed for it to arrive at the removal location P at the predetermined time and adjust the advance speed of the conveyor belts10accordingly, acting on the respective motors.

This advantageously allows each article2to be picked up at the removal location P by the second feeding device6, which comprises a pair of counter-rotating screws15.

The screws15are substantially identical between them and are driven in rotation in opposite directions to each other along mutually spaced and parallel rotation axes (inFIG.2one of the two screws has been removed for the sake of clarity).

On each screw15, a respective groove16extended in a spiral with increasing spacing is formed between a first end17aof the screw, close to the synchronization device5and at which the removal location P is defined, and a second end17bof the screw, close to the exchange wheel7and at which the release location R is defined.

The exchange wheel7is driven in rotation about a horizontal axis X in a direction of rotation indicated in the figures by the arrow F.

Eight gripping heads18, each provided with a gripping element19of the pincer type, are mounted on the exchange wheel7with an ability of limited movement.

Each gripping head18may pivot with respect to the exchange wheel7about a respective pivot axis Y, which is parallel to the rotation axis X of the exchange wheel7, while each gripping element19comprises a pair of rods20that are hinged relative to each other in a median position and are movable between a closed configuration in which the rods20are approached to each other so as to be able to enter the hole2aof an article2and an open configuration in which the rods20are approached to each other so as to abut the article the wall of the hole2aand engage the article2with retention (FIG.2).

Both the oscillation of the gripping heads18and the opening and closing of the gripping elements19are controlled by a cam type rotation mechanism, which is mounted on the exchange wheel7.

The conveyor8on which the empty capsules3are transported comprises a conveyor belt21driven in advancement along a substantially horizontal direction T.

On the conveyor belt21there are provided support elements22, suitably spaced, between which the empty capsules3are positioned. The conveyor belt21is suitably positioned to pass under the exchange wheel7so that each article2can be deposited by the gripping element19within a respective empty capsule3.

To ensure the correct positioning of the articles2in the empty capsules3, the conveyor8, the exchange wheel7and the second feeding device6are synchronized with each other, preferably by means of appropriate mechanical transmission of the motion.

The feed unit1operates as described below.

The articles2, are conducted inside the guide9one after the other up to the pair of conveyor belts10. The movement along the guide is by means of gravitational force and the action of the jets of air so that the articles2reach the conveyor belts10in an uncontrolled manner.

The conveyor belts10, in the rotational motion thereof, engage one article2at a time and, by retaining it in an integral manner between them, move it towards the removal location P.

When the article2on its way towards the removal location arrives at a certain position it is detected by the position sensor14which transmits the signal to the control system13. The latter, depending on the spacing from the removal location P and the time at which the detection of article2took place, calculates the speed required to reach the removal location P in the predefined time period for the meeting with the second feeding device6, compares the calculated speed with the current speed of the conveyor belts10and, if necessary, corrects the current speed accordingly by setting it to the calculated speed.

In this way, each article2reaches the removal location P at the instant in which it can be properly engaged between the grooves16of the counter-rotating screws15and be moved towards the release location R.

In fact, it can be noted that if the article arrives at removal location P before or after this time interval, it might get between a pair of ridges of the screw and not between the two grooves16, with consequent possibility of deformation or breakage or blockage of the feed unit.

Each article2is moved towards the release location R in a controlled manner as the position thereof and the speed thereof at each instant is uniquely defined by the movement of the screws15.

Thanks to the increasing spacing of the grooves16, the article2during this movement is appropriately spaced from the article following it, to facilitate the delivery thereof to the exchange wheel7.

The latter, in its rotational motion, brings a gripping head18close to the article2and, at the release location R, the gripping element19, in closed configuration, enters exactly into the hole2a.At this point, the gripping element19moves into an open configuration engaging the article2, which in the meantime is disengaged from the screws15, and retaining it until the gripping head18is brought by the rotation motion of the exchange wheel7above the conveyor8and, precisely, on the vertical of an empty capsule3inside which the article2is deposited.

The speed of the conveyor belt21and the exchange wheel7is such that the articles2are deposited in the empty capsules3at substantially zero relative speed, so as to allow the deposition operation to be carried out continuously.FIGS.4to7show a feed unit overall indicated by100representing a second embodiment of the present invention.

Details of the feed unit100similar to those of the feed unit1described in the previous example are given with the same numerical references.

In this second embodiment, the feed unit100is inserted within an apparatus for packaging capsules for infusion type beverages, for example coffee, comprising a conveyor for empty box-shaped packagings (not shown) and a feed unit for coffee capsules to be deposited in the empty box-shaped packagings.

In this case, therefore, the articles2are formed by finished coffee capsules that are ready to be boxed.

Each capsule is formed by a substantially rigid casing, shaped like a glass, which has a truncated conical shape in which a bottom, at the smaller base thereof, and an extended lateral wall with a slight flaring towards a head opposite to the bottom, at a larger base thereof, are defined. At the head, the casing has a mouth which is closed by a lid such as, for example, an aluminium sheet which can be removed and fixed to the edges of the mouth.

The feed unit100is substantially similar to the feed unit1, and it also comprises a first feeding device104for the articles2, a synchronization device105, which is provided to receive the articles2from the first feeding device104and to move them into a removal location P, a second feeding device106, which is provided to individually pick up the articles2at the removal location P.

Unlike the feed unit1, however, the second feeding device106of the feed unit100deposits the articles2at a release location R directly onto a conveyor108which takes care of bringing the articles2to a transfer station where the articles2are picked up in groups and deposited in the empty boxes.

The first device104comprises a conveyor belt109(schematised inFIG.5) on which the articles2are brought in an uncontrolled manner towards the synchronization device105in two separate rows103, in each of which the articles2are arranged one after the other in an upright position, i.e. resting on the bottom and with the head facing upwards.

The synchronization device105comprises, for each row of articles103, a pair of counter-rotating and mutually facing conveyor belts110, entirely similar to the conveyor belts10of the previous example.

The conveyor belts110of each pair are also provided to retain the articles2individually and to move them towards the removal location P and comprise a belt111wound around a pair of pulleys112, at least one of which is controlled to be rotated by a motor112awith adjustable speed, which in turn is controlled by a control system113.

As in the previous example, the control system113is provided to adjust the advance speed of the conveyor belts110based on a signal from a position sensor114apt to detect the position of each article2along the path thereof between the conveyor belts110. In this way, each article2can reach the removal location P at a predetermined time interval within a defined cycle time of the feed unit100.

The second feeding device106comprises, for each row110, a respective screw115aand115b,which extends along a substantially horizontal direction, parallel to the respective row103, between a first end117a,close to the respective pair of conveyor belts110and at which the removal location P is defined, and a second end117b,close to the conveyor108and at which the release location R is defined.

On each screw115a,115b,a groove116is formed which extends in a spiral with increasing spacing between the first end117aand the second end117b, and having a width similar to the width of each article2.

A guide118a,which is substantially rectilinear, is flanked by the screw115aso that the articles2engaged by the respective groove116are moved in a controlled manner towards the release location R while maintaining the same upright orientation, resting on the bottom.

On the contrary, a curvilinear guide118bis extended around the screw115b, through a total angle of about 180°, so that the articles2which are engaged by the respective groove116, while being moved in a controlled manner towards the release location R, are simultaneously upturned so that at the release location they are in an upturned position, i.e. resting on the head and with the bottom facing upwards.

The conveyor108comprises a conveyor belt121driven in continuous advancement towards the transfer station where the articles2are picked up and deposited in the empty boxes. On the conveyor belt121, two rows of seats are formed which are apt to receive the articles2coming from the screws115aand115b,respectively.

The operation of the feed unit100is substantially similar to that of the feed unit1described above.

In particular, the articles2are brought in an uncontrolled manner from the first feeding device104in two rows103towards the respective synchronization device105, where the articles2are engaged one by one by the pair of conveyor belts110which, by retaining them at the head and the bottom, move them towards the removal location P.

Depending on the position of the article2detected by the position sensor114along the path towards the removal location, the advance speed of the conveyor belts110is adjusted by the control system113, so that the article2reaches the removal location P when the groove116of the respective screw115aor115bis in the correct position to be able to engage it without damaging it.

At this point, the article2is moved by the screw115aor115bin a controlled manner and with the aid of the guide118aor118btowards the release location R where the article is deposited on the conveyor belt121.

Thanks to the features of the present invention, it is therefore possible to move the articles in a controlled manner from an uncontrolled movement configuration avoiding any inconvenience in the passage between the two movement systems.

This makes it possible to feed articles with precision even at very high speeds, greater than 500 articles per minute for example about 1500 articles per minute, and in a continuous flow.

It goes without saying that a person skilled in the art may, in order to meet specific and contingent application requirements, make further modifications and variants of the above-described invention within the scope of protection as defined by the following claims.