Patent ID: 12208964

With reference to the accompanying figures,1indicates overall a feed unit for articles2constructed in accordance with the present invention.

In the 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 empty capsules prior to their filling 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 holes evenly that are 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 S of about 1 to 3 mm, which is substantially constant.

The discs also have a slightly convex shape, so that the total thickness S1of the articles2defines a footprint of about 3 to 6 mm.

In the articles2, there are therefore two prevalent dimensions, measuring equal to the diameter D, and a third dimension with a significantly lower measurement corresponding to the total thickness S1of the article.

The feed unit1comprises a guide3in which the articles2are arranged in a row one after the other to be moved and guided between an inlet station4aand an outlet station4b.

In particular, the inlet station4a(shown schematically only inFIG.1) comprises a first delivery device (e.g. of the ball feeder type) in which the articles2introduced in bulk are fed in an orderly manner and with a predefined orientation within the guide3, while the outlet station4bcomprises a second delivery device which is provided to supply the articles2to a working unit in which the articles are inserted one by one into respective empty capsules.

The guide3extends along a longitudinal axis X thereof, to define a linear feed path for the articles2, which extends for a length of about 3-4 metres, with a difference in height of about 20 cm, passing through a pair of curves5a, with a wide radius, a central segment5bsubstantially rectilinear and a curve5cwith a short radius. The latter, in particular, has a radius of curvature of about 30 cm, which is about 10 times the diameter of an article2.

The guide3is delimited by a bottom wall6, by a pair of flanks7rising from sides of the bottom6and by a bar8extending parallel to the flanks7on opposite sides to the bottom6, which together form retention walls for the articles2accommodated within the guide3. In particular, the retention walls delimit a chamber of substantially rectangular cross section in which the articles2are accommodated with a clearance between 0.5 and 5 mm.

The articles2are positioned in the guide3resting on the bottom6, so that their diameter is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis X. In this arrangement, the articles2have a characteristic length, i.e. a length measured parallel to the longitudinal axis X, substantially equal to their diameter.

The articles2are conducted as they slide along the guide3by the gravitational force and by a plurality of nozzles9connected to a pneumatic circuit10and arranged in steps at the bottom of the guide3to deliver a jet of air towards the articles2and to push them along the linear feed path (seeFIG.6).

The articles2accommodated within the guide3are about 100 and are conducted as they slide inside the same at a speed such as to deliver about 1500 per minute.

In order to avoid phenomena of packing of the articles2, also due to their formation, the configuration of the linear feed path and the speed with which they are guided along this path, the guide3is advantageously twisted about the longitudinal axis X, so as to assume a spiral configuration.

In particular, the entire guide3is continuously rotated about its longitudinal axis X with a substantially constant angular variation per unit of linear measurement and such that for each guide segment of a length equal to the diameter of the articles2(i.e. their characteristic length) the guide is rotated by an angle A of about 7°.

In this way, each article2conducted along the guide3is angularly staggered by about 7° with respect to the article preceding it and by further 7° with respect to the article following it, as clearly shown inFIG.5.

Thanks to this characteristic, it is substantially prevented that an article2can be placed side by side even only partially with the article2that precedes it. In consideration of the length of the guide3and of the angular variation per unit of linear measurement defined above, the guide3is rotated about its own longitudinal axis by a total angle which is much greater than 180°, equal to about 650°. Naturally, by maintaining the same angular variation per unit of linear measurement, the total angle of rotation will vary as a function of the overall length of the guide3.

The feed unit1then continuously receives the articles2at the inlet station4aand receives them inside the guide3where they are arranged in a row one after the other, where, pushed by the gravitational force and the action of the nozzles9, they quickly slide towards the outlet station4b.

Along the linear feed path, the articles2travel descents, rectilinear and curved segments, always continuing to rotate about the longitudinal axis X following the spiral trajectory defined by the twisted guide3.

Thanks to these characteristics, the articles2are conducted along the guide3in a safe and continuous way without incurring packing along the path.