Patent Application
20250214782
The invention relates to a belt conveyor device for lumpy products and to a device and a method for discharging products from a product stream which use a belt conveyor device according to the invention.
In the field of the production and packaging of lumpy products of the food industry, in particular confectionery, such as chocolate plates and bars, chocolates, biscuits, cereal bars, cakes and other confectionery of all types, it is known to provide devices for discharging or removing individual products or product rows or product groups from a product stream arriving, for example, from product production, in order to feed the products, for example in portions and/or in defined quantities or groups and/or in defined arrangements, to a packaging machine or to another device for further processing. Herein, the conveying devices are usually belt conveying devices, i.e. belts or bands, with which the products are conveyed and handled in as positionally stable and gentle a manner as possible.
In such a product discharging device or product removal device, the products are initially typically fed in a main conveying direction on a product feeding belt or main belt. While the main product stream is typically conveyed further on the main belt, the products or product groups to be discharged are branched off from the main product stream by being transferred from the main belt directly or indirectly to a discharging belt or removal belt. On this discharging belt, the products are then usually conveyed further in a direction which extends substantially transversely or perpendicularly to the main conveying direction. From the discharging belt, the products are then transferred to a downstream packaging machine or another device for further processing.
In order to accomplish the discharging of the products from the main belt, the main belt generally does not consist of a continuous belt, but of at least two belts arranged one behind the other without gaps. Herein, the first belt in the conveying direction, i.e. arranged upstream, is designed as a switch belt with a front, i.e. arranged downstream, lowerable belt nose or belt edge. For discharging the products from the product stream, the belt nose is lowered onto the typically somewhat lower downstream conveyor belt and transfers the products to this belt.
In order to accomplish a decoupling of input-side product production and output-side product packaging and at the same time a continuous, synchronized feeding of a packaging machine with products, it is advantageous to provide an intermediate storage belt or waiting belt or buffer belt between the main belt and the discharging belt. The products to be discharged from the main product stream are thereby transferred from the main belt indirectly to the discharging belt by being transferred from the main belt first to the intermediate storage belt and from the latter then to the discharging belt. The intermediate storage belt is therein usually arranged in the main conveying direction substantially behind and/or below the product feeding belt or main belt, respectively, and conveys the products received from the product feeding belt further substantially in the main conveying direction. The following discharging belt is arranged in the main conveying direction substantially behind the intermediate storage belt and then conveys the products received from the intermediate storage belt further in a direction substantially transversely or perpendicularly to the main conveying direction. Here, however, any other orientations are also conceivable, e.g. obliquely to the main conveying direction.
The intermediate storage belt generally serves as a buffer place for the products discharged from the main product stream before they are transferred to the discharging belt or removal belt, respectively. It is thereby possible, for example, that a plurality of product groups to be discharged from the main product stream can be processed simultaneously by, e.g. in the time period during which a first product group is conveyed off on the discharging belt, a further product group being able to be removed from the main product stream and being pre-buffered on the intermediate storage belt until the discharging belt is free and can be fed with this pre-buffered product group. As a result, any desired quantities of products or product groups can typically be removed from the main product stream and fed to a downstream packaging machine depending on its performance.
The intermediate storage belt can typically be configured as a so-called pull-nose belt or is based in its function substantially on the principle of a pull-nose device or has elements of a pull-nose device. Pull-nose belts are generally length-adjustable belts, in which the front belt edge or belt nose is displaceable forwards or backwards, while the conveyor belt runs.
In this sense, in the case of the above-described intermediate storage belt, a combination of two movement sequences typically takes place, namely, on the one hand, the movement of the conveyor belt or band as such and, on the other hand, a translational or linear displacement of the intermediate storage belt as a larger assembly group, that is to say, for example, the conveyor belt including the carrier or holding devices and the drive and guide means for the conveyor belt, such as, for example, the drive motor, deflection rollers and/or guide surfaces for the conveyor belt. In this case, the conveyor belt as such and the said larger assembly group can move both forwards and backwards, that is to say in the conveying direction or counter to the conveying direction, or they can stand still while the respective other unit moves. In this case, any desired combinations of these movement sequences are conceivable.
The movement of the conveyor belt of the intermediate storage belt as such typically serves to convey the products in the conveying direction from a first position, in which they are received coming from the product feeding belt or main belt, into a second position downstream, in which they are discharged to the downstream discharging belt. In this case, the products are pushed down from the conveyor belt on account of the further movement of the latter.
The movement of the translational or linear displacement of the intermediate storage belt as a whole, that is to say as a larger assembly group mentioned above, typically serves to position the front belt edge or belt nose on and/or above the discharging belt in such a way that the products are placed correctly aligned, in the correct position, for example centered, on the discharging belt when they are pushed down from the conveyor belt as such by the movement of the latter and are transferred to the discharging belt. After the transfer of the products, the belt nose is retracted counter to the conveying direction in order to be able to receive a next product group and to be able to transfer it to the discharging belt by renewed advance of the belt nose.
As a result of the described combination of the two movement sequences, it is possible, on the one hand, to simply push the products fed to the transfer region onto the discharging belt by the products sliding or shooting out over the belt nose as a result of their inertia and thus being placed on the downstream discharging belt.
In another variant of the product transfer, the belt nose which is preferably arranged above the discharging belt is retracted at a speed counter to the conveying speed of the intermediate storage belt so that the products are deposited on the discharging belt. This type of product transfer is suitable in particular for sensitive products which have to be treated gently.
The translational or linear displacement of the intermediate storage belt as a whole, that is to say as a larger assembly group mentioned above, can furthermore also be used to implement an alignment function for the products. As soon as a product group or product row lies completely on the discharging belt, the horizontally movable intermediate storage belt can, for this purpose, be moved forward in the conveying direction in the direction towards the products, as a result of which the product group or product row which is already located on the discharging belt is then aligned with the belt nose of the intermediate storage belt. Subsequently, the belt nose or the entire intermediate storage belt, respectively, is retracted again counter to the conveying direction.
The above-described translational or linear displacement of the intermediate storage belt as a whole as a larger assembly group, that is to say, for example, the actual conveyor belt including the carrier or holding devices and the drive and guide means for the conveyor belt, such as, for example, the drive motor, components for open-loop and/or closed-loop control, deflection rollers and/or guide surfaces for the conveyor belt, which, furthermore, can all be accommodated together in a housing or carrier frame, has the disadvantage that, in this case, a large mass or a large weight and a large constructional volume which is caused by the plurality of components has to be moved to and fro continuously. This causes a high energy requirement for the drive of the translational, linear movement and furthermore leads to increased wear. Furthermore, on account of this movement, the lines and cables, which supply the belt drive motor and possibly other components with electrical energy and which are led to the assembly group from the outside, are continuously moved and thus loaded, for which reason they are likewise subject to increased wear.
The invention is therefore based on the object of providing an improved belt conveyor device or an improved intermediate storage belt, respectively, for lumpy products and an improved device for discharging products from a product stream, which uses a corresponding belt conveyor device or a corresponding intermediate storage belt, respectively, and a corresponding improved method. In this case, the above-described disadvantages are intended to be overcome and, in particular, it is intended to be brought about that the combination of the two movement sequences of the intermediate storage belt, namely, on the one hand, the movement of the conveyor belt or band as such and, on the other hand, the translational or linear displacement of the intermediate storage belt or of individual components thereof in order to advance the belt nose toward the discharge belt, is made more efficient, in that, in particular, the energy requirement for the drive of the translational, linear movement and, at the same time, wear of the concerned components of the intermediate storage belt is reduced. Furthermore, a reduction in the moved mass is intended to make possible a more dynamic movement and higher accelerations with, at the same time, lower drive powers or with smaller drives, respectively.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by a belt conveyor device for lumpy products according to claim 1 and by a product discharging device for discharging lumpy products from a product stream according to claim 13 and by a corresponding product discharging method according to claim 15.
The invention therefore provides a belt conveyor device for lumpy products, on which the products are conveyed in a substantially horizontal conveying direction from a first position, in which the products are received on the belt conveyor device, into a second position, in which the products are discharged from the belt conveyor device. The belt conveyor device according to the invention comprises the following features: a) a carriage which is movable back and forth between a rear position in the conveying direction and a front position in the conveying direction, wherein the carriage has an upper side and a lower side; b) a stationary carrier device which is arranged below the substantially horizontal product conveying plane, wherein the carriage is movably mounted on the upper side of the carrier device; c) a conveyor belt which carries the products and which is designed and held on the carriage in such a way that it is movable relative to the carriage on the upper side of the carriage in the conveying direction or counter to the conveying direction or is stationary relative to the carriage when the carriage moves or when the carriage is stationary, so that the movement of the products from the first position into the second position is caused by the movement of the carriage or the movement of the conveyor belt or a combination of these movements; d) wherein at least one section of the conveyor belt is guided in the conveying direction and/or counter to the conveying direction around the carriage substantially below the lower side of the carriage and is held on the carrier device.
The belt conveyor device according to the invention can be used as an intermediate storage belt or waiting belt or buffer belt, which is arranged for product conveying and transfer between an input-side product feeding belt or main belt and an output-side discharging belt or removal belt, as has been described in the introduction.
An essential aspect of the belt conveyor device according to the invention is therefore that a stationary, i.e. spatially fixed, carrier device is provided to which at least a section or part of a conveyor belt, which carries the products, is attached or held or fastened. The carrier device as such accordingly does not take part in the above-described translational or linear displacement of an intermediate storage belt or individual components thereof, which is necessary for an advance of a front edge or belt nose of the intermediate storage belt to a downstream discharging belt so that the products can be transferred from the intermediate storage belt to the discharging belt. The carrier device is typically formed by a suitable frame and/or substructure and/or housing.
According to the invention, it is furthermore provided that a carriage which can be moved back and forth is mounted on the upper side of the stationary carrier device. The conveyor belt as such moves on the upper side of the carriage in the conveying direction or counter to the conveying direction relative to the carriage or stands still relative to the carriage while the carriage moves forwards or backwards or stands still. Due to the movement of the carriage or the movement of the conveyor belt or a combination of these two movements with one another, the products are caused to move from a first position, in which they are received coming from the main belt on the intermediate storage conveyor belt, into a second position, in which they are transferred from the intermediate storage conveyor belt to the downstream discharging belt.
According to the invention, therefore, only the carriage carrying the conveyor belt moves, but not the stationary or fixed carrier device arranged there-below on or in which in particular a drive motor and guide and deflection means for the conveyor belt as well as a drive motor for the translational linear movement of the carriage and associated control and/or regulating devices and/or other peripheral components are accommodated. In other words, according to the invention, therefore, not the entire intermediate storage belt device is moved with all or a large part of its drive and peripheral devices. This results in the advantage that, in order to accomplish the required product conveying and transfer, a plurality of components with a correspondingly large mass and a correspondingly large constructional volume do not have to be continuously moved back and forth. As a result, a reduced drive power is possible or an energy requirement for the drive of the said movements is reduced, respectively. Furthermore, wear is reduced in that it is avoided that, for example, current cables, which supply the belt drive motor and/or the drive motor for the linear movement of the carriage and/or possibly other components with electrical energy, are continuously moved.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the belt conveying device according to the invention, the carriage has a front end in the conveying direction, around which the conveyor belt is guided, in particular a belt nose or a so-called blade edge, and/or a rear end in the conveying direction, around which the conveyor belt is guided. Here, the front end and/or the rear end of the carriage can have a deflection roller for the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt extends in particular from the front end and/or the rear end of the carriage substantially downwards, i.e. into the region of the underside of the carriage, and towards the carrier device carrying the carriage, at which it is attached or held in a suitable manner.
In a first variant, the conveyor belt is not closed in a circular manner but rather has two open ends, namely a front or first end assigned to the front end of the carriage and/or a rear or second end assigned to the rear end of the carriage. Here, the first end and/or the second end of the conveyor belt is fastened to the stationary carrier device. The respective end or both ends of the conveyor belt, respectively, are therefore fixed to the carrier device and do not move as such. Nevertheless, the conveyor belt as such can move along the upper side of the carriage, i.e. relative to the carriage, if the latter moves back and forth, as described above.
In a second variant, the conveyor belt is an endless belt which is substantially closed in a circular manner and which is driven by a belt drive device which is mounted on the stationary carrier device. The belt drive device as such is therefore likewise stationary, i.e. stands substantially fixed in space. Therein, the conveyor belt is guided, for example, around the belt drive device and/or the belt drive device engages such with the conveyor belt and holds the conveyor belt and/or drives it in such a manner that the conveyor belt moves on the upper side of the carriage relative to the carriage or stands still relative to the carriage, i.e. is moved synchronously with the carriage, while the carriage moves or stands still. In this case, both the conveyor belt (in relation to the upper side of the carriage) and the carriage can move both forwards and backwards, that is to say in the conveying direction or counter to the conveying direction, or they can stand still.
In a sub-form of this second variant, the belt drive device stands still and does not drive the conveyor belt while the carriage moves from its rear position into its front position or vice versa. As a result, the conveyor belt as such moves along the upper side of the carriage relative to the carriage. This embodiment corresponds in principle to the above-mentioned first variant in which the two open ends of the conveyor belt are fastened to the stationary carrier device and as such do not move.
In the two above-mentioned embodiments in which the conveyor belt is fixed or held fixed on the carrier device either by being fastened with its two open ends to the carrier device or by the belt drive device mounted on the carrier device standing still and not driving the conveyor belt, the carriage and the conveyor belt can preferably be designed and arranged and interact in such a way that the distance over which the products are conveyed by the conveyor belt in the conveying direction while the carriage moves from its rear position into its front position is substantially an integer multiple of the distance over which the carriage moves from its rear position into its front position.
In a preferred embodiment, it can be provided here that the distance over which the products are conveyed by the conveyor belt in the conveying direction while the carriage moves from its rear position into its front position is substantially twice the distance over which the carriage moves from its rear position into its front position.
In this way, the products are conveyed on the belt conveying device according to the invention solely by the forward movement of the carriage and are discharged from the belt conveying device at its front end in the conveying direction. The conveyor belt as such is not driven here and, in this respect, does not contribute to the product conveying and discharging. In this respect, in principle a belt drive can be dispensed with or a product conveying is possible, respectively, even though the belt drive stands still.
These embodiments are based substantially on the physical principle of a pulley, wherein the parts of the conveyor belt running around the carriage, i.e. the affected sections of the conveyor belt running substantially parallel to one another on the upper side and the lower side of the carriage, correspond to the individual or a plurality of legs of a pulley arrangement running parallel to one another, as is explained further below in connection with the drawings.
The attachment of the belt drive device to the stationary carrier device has the advantage that it itself is likewise mounted stationary, fixed and therefore does not have to be continuously moved back and forth with other components of an intermediate storage belt, in particular the carriage of the belt conveying device according to the invention, as has been described above. This embodiment therefore contributes to the advantages achieved according to the invention of an energy saving and a reduction of wear.
In a further embodiment of the belt conveying device according to the invention, it is provided that the belt drive device mounted on the carrier device drives the conveyor belt counter to the conveying direction, that is to say so to speak backwards, while the carriage moves from its rear position into its front position, so that the conveyor belt does not move on the upper side of the carriage relative to the carriage. This causes the product to stand substantially at a fixed position in relation to the carriage when the carriage moves forwards, in particular in the region of the front end of the carriage, i.e. the product is moved in the conveying direction substantially at the speed of the carriage movement. The belt drive device thus compensates so to speak for the movement of the conveyor belt or conveyor band relative to the carriage that arises during the forward movement of the carriage.
Overall, the belt conveying device according to the invention and in particular the displaceable carriage or the displaceable front belt nose or blade edge of the carriage, respectively, is based on the principle of a pull-nose device. However, according to the invention, the forward and backward movement of the blade edge is not compensated for by the geometric construction, but rather the resulting conveyor belt movement is used.
In addition to the belt drive device described above, a carriage drive device for the carriage can also be mounted on the stationary carrier device. The carriage drive device as such is therefore likewise stationary, i.e. stands substantially fixed in space. Herein, the carriage drive device is designed to move the carriage linearly or translationally back and forth between its rear position in the conveying direction and its front position in the conveying direction. The carriage drive device is therefore also referred to as linear drive. The attachment of the carriage drive device to the carrier device has the advantage that it itself is likewise mounted stationary, fixed and therefore does not have to be continuously moved back and forth with other components of an intermediate storage belt, in particular the carriage of the belt conveying device according to the invention, as has been described above. This embodiment therefore likewise contributes to the advantages achieved according to the invention of an energy saving and a reduction of wear.
The belt conveying device according to the invention can furthermore provide that a track edge regulating device is attached to the stationary carrier device, wherein the track edge regulating device is designed to regulate and/or control a correct course and/or a correct arrangement and alignment of the conveyor belt during its movement in the conveying direction. Herein, the track edge regulating device preferably comprises the following features: a) at least one deflection roller for the conveyor belt which has an adjustable axis which is aligned substantially parallel to the horizontal product conveying plane and perpendicular to the horizontal conveying direction; b) at least one sensor which determines a respective current alignment of the conveyor belt during its movement in or counter to the conveying direction; and c) a drive device which is designed to align the axis of the deflection roller on the basis of the current alignment of the conveyor belt respectively determined by the sensor such that the conveyor belt has a substantially straight and/or centered alignment in the conveying direction during its movement.
The sensor detects in particular a deflecting of the conveyor belt to the right or to the left in the conveying direction or a run-out of the conveyor belt from the conveying direction, respectively. The track edge regulation therefore ensures that the conveyor belt or the conveyor band always runs centrally and cannot run away to one side. According to the invention, in particular an active regulation is implemented. This means that the conveyor belt edge is monitored at all times with a sensor. If this edge runs out of a predetermined target range, a deflection roller for the conveyor belt is actively adjusted with a drive device, in particular a motor. By means of this adjustment, in particular an inclined positioning, of this deflection roller, the conveyor belt is therefore again centered in the central position.
The attachment of the drive device for the track edge regulation device to the carrier device in turn has the advantage that this drive device as such is also mounted stationary, fixedly and therefore does not have to be continuously moved back and forth with other components of an intermediate storage belt, in particular the carriage of the belt conveying device according to the invention, as has been described above. This embodiment therefore likewise contributes to the advantages achieved according to the invention of an energy saving and a reduction of wear.
The various drive devices described above, namely the belt drive device and/or the carriage drive device and/or the drive device of the track edge regulation device, preferably each have a suitable electric motor, in particular a servo motor. On account of the usual weight of such motors, it is advantageous for the reasons mentioned above that these motors are attached stationary, fixedly to the carrier device and as such do not have to be moved.
Furthermore, further deflection rollers for the conveyor belt and/or further peripheral or additional components for the drives and the actuation and regulation thereof are attached to the stationary carrier device. All these components are therefore likewise arranged stationary, fixedly and as such do not move in space. Since the weight of these components therefore does not have to be moved back and forth, this also contributes to the above-described advantages of an energy saving and a reduction of wear as achieved according to the invention.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the belt conveying device according to the invention, it is provided that the front end of the carriage, around which the conveyor belt is guided, that is to say the belt nose or the so-called blade edge, forms a rounded edge which has a diameter of preferably approximately 7 to 12 mm. The blade edge can optionally have a deflection roller or the like, that is to say the blade edge can be embodied both rolling and standing, that is to say with or without a deflection roller or with a fixed deflection roller. It is thereby achieved that the belt nose comes to lie relatively flat on the downstream discharging belt and that the products can therefore be transferred to the discharging belt without them having to overcome a significant step or edge. The products are thereby treated particularly gently.
According to the invention, a product discharging device for discharging lumpy products from a product flow is furthermore provided, which comprises the following features: a) a product feeding belt or main belt on which the products are fed in a substantially horizontal main conveying direction; b) an intermediate storage belt or waiting belt or buffer belt which is arranged in the main conveying direction substantially behind and/or below the product feeding belt and which receives the products from the product feeding belt and conveys them further substantially in the main conveying direction; c) a discharging belt or removal belt which is arranged in the main conveying direction substantially behind and/or below the intermediate storage belt and which receives the products from the intermediate storage belt and conveys them further in a direction substantially transversely or perpendicularly to the main conveying direction. Herein, the intermediate storage belt is formed in particular by a belt conveying device according to the invention, as it has been described above.
The product discharging device mentioned above can be configured in particular such that the intermediate storage belt or the discharging belt in each case alone or an assembly group formed jointly by the intermediate storage belt and the discharging belt can be pulled out of the entire product discharging device transversely or perpendicularly to the main conveying direction and counter to the conveying direction of the discharging belt. This serves in particular for an easy accessibility of the plant components for purposes of servicing, maintenance and cleaning. A rapid, tool-free change of the conveyor belt can also be made possible thereby.
Furthermore, the invention also provides a product discharging method for discharging lumpy products from a product stream. Herein, this method is carried out in particular by the above-mentioned product discharging device, which in turn comprises the above-described belt conveying device according to the invention as an intermediate storage belt.
Further details and advantages of the invention result from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the enclosed drawings.
The main belt 100 can be configured in the form of a diverter in order to branch off or discharge products from the main product stream. For this purpose, the main belt 100 is formed e.g. from two successive partial belts 110, 120 arranged in principle one behind the other without gaps. Herein, the first, i.e. arranged upstream, partial belt 110 in the conveying direction F is designed as a switch belt with a front, i.e. arranged downstream, pivotable, in particular lowerable belt nose or belt edge 112. For discharging the products from the main product stream, the belt nose 112 is lowered onto a downstream conveyor belt lying somewhat lower so that the products are transferred to this lower lying belt instead of to the second partial belt 120. Subsequently, the belt nose 112 is pivoted upward again so that the downstream products are then not discharged but transferred to the second partial belt 120 in order to be further conveyed on the main belt 100 in the main conveying direction F.
The mentioned lower lying conveyor belt is here the intermediate storage belt or waiting belt or buffer belt 200, the function of which is described in more detail below. On the intermediate storage belt 200, the discharged products transferred from the first partial belt 110 of the main belt 100 are conveyed further substantially in the main conveying direction F and then transferred to the following discharging belt or removal belt 300. The intermediate storage belt 200 serves here as a buffer place for the products discharged from the main product stream before they are transferred to the removal belt 300. On this removal belt 300, the products are conveyed further transversely to the main conveying direction F, i.e. in the drawings into the drawing plane. For this purpose, the removal belt 300 typically comprises a drive motor 310. The removal belt 300 can therefore also be referred to as transverse removal belt. From the removal belt 300, the products are finally transferred to a downstream packaging machine (not shown in the drawings) or another device for further processing.
The belt conveying device 200 forming the intermediate storage belt or waiting belt or buffer belt is shown in a first embodiment in two different positions in
The intermediate storage belt 200 comprises in particular a carriage 210, which has an upper side 212 and an underside 214 as well as a front end 216 and a rear end 218 as seen in the conveying direction F. The carriage 210 can be moved to and fro, i.e. back and forth, between a rear position in the conveying direction F (
The belt conveying device 200 forming the intermediate storage belt furthermore comprises a conveyor belt 280, which carries the products. The conveyor belt 280 is configured and held on the carriage 210 or runs around the carriage 210, respectively, in such a manner that it can be moved on the upper side 212 of the carriage 210 in the conveying direction or counter to the conveying direction relative to the carriage 210 or stands still relative to the carriage 210, namely both while the carriage 210 moves and when the carriage 210 stands still. The conveying of the products on the intermediate storage belt 200 overall can thus be brought about either by the movement of the carriage 210 alone or by the movement of the conveyor belt 280 alone or by a combination of the movements of the carriage 210 and the conveyor belt 280. In order to accomplish the movement of the conveyor belt 280 as such, a belt drive device 260 or a belt drive motor or so-called drum motor, respectively, is mounted on the carrier device 250. The belt drive device 260 is coupled in a suitable manner to the conveyor belt 280 or engages therein, respectively.
The conveyor belt 280 shown in
Furthermore, a track edge regulating device 270 can be attached to the carrier device 250 in order to regulate and/or control a correct course and/or a correct arrangement and alignment of the conveyor belt 280 during its movement. Herein, the track edge regulating device 270 comprises at least one deflection roller 272 for the conveyor belt 280 which has an adjustable axis which is aligned substantially parallel to the horizontal product conveying plane and perpendicular to the horizontal conveying direction F. The track edge regulating device 270 furthermore comprises a sensor (not shown in the drawings) which determines a respective current alignment of the conveyor belt during its movement, and a drive device (likewise not shown in the drawings), in particular a (servo) motor, which aligns the axis of the deflection roller 272 on the basis of the current alignment of the conveyor belt 280 respectively determined by the sensor such that the conveyor belt 280 has a substantially straight and/or centered alignment in the conveying direction during its movement.
It results from the above that a section or part of the conveyor belt 280 extends on the upper side 212 of the carriage 210, while another section or part of the conveyor belt 280 extends substantially at the underside 214 of the carriage 210 or below the carriage 210 in the region of the carrier device 250. In this case, this lower section of the conveyor belt 280 is held on the carrier device 250, namely, on the one hand, by the deflection rollers 257, 258, 259, 272 and, on the other hand, in particular by the belt drive device 260.
An essential aspect of the described belt conveying device or of the intermediate storage belt 200, respectively, is therefore that the lower section of the conveyor belt 280 is attached in particular by means of the belt drive device 260 to the stationary carrier device 250 and is therewith fixed in space. In this case, it is furthermore essential that, for the basic conveying of the products by means of the belt conveying device 200, the belt drive device 260 can either move or stand still.
By contrast, the upper section of the conveyor belt 280 arranged on the upper side 212 of the carriage 210 can move along the upper side 212 of the carriage 210 relative to the carriage 210, namely, on the one hand, caused and driven by the movement of the belt drive device 260, both when the carriage 210 moves forwards or backwards and when the carriage 210 stands still. On the other hand, the upper section of the conveyor belt 280 can also move along the upper side 212 of the carriage 210 relative to the carriage 210 when the belt drive device 260 does not move, i.e. stands still as such, in this case therefore caused solely by the forwards or backwards movement of the carriage 210.
In a further alternative, the upper section of the conveyor belt 280 does not move along the upper side 212 of the carriage 210 relative to the carriage 210, while the carriage 210 moves forwards or backwards. In this case, the movement of the carriage 210 is compensated for or equalized by a suitable, in particular opposite movement of the belt drive device 260.
Overall, it is therefore achieved by the movement of the carriage 210 or the movement of the conveyor belt 280 or a suitable combination of these two movements with one another, both in the forwards and in the backwards direction, that the products move from a first position, in which they are received, coming from the main belt 100, on the conveyor belt 280 of the intermediate storage belt 200, into a second position, in which they are transferred from the conveyor belt 280 of the intermediate storage belt 200 to the downstream discharging belt 300.
The variant of the first embodiment of the product conveying described above with reference to
As can be seen from the arrangements shown in
As can be seen from
The same applies according to the pulley principle when the conveyor belt 280 extends in multiple layers or in multiple legs over the distance over which the carriage 210 moves. The distance over which the products are conveyed by the conveyor belt 280 in the conveying direction while the carriage 210 moves from its rear position (cf.
On the basis of the above-described pulley principle, it is therefore an essential feature of the two above-mentioned embodiments, in which the conveyor belt 280 is held or fixed on the stationary carrier device 250 and itself is not actively driven, that the product conveying is accomplished solely by the forwards or backwards movement of the carriage 210 and the relative movement of the conveyor belt 280 caused thereby. This is explained below still in more detail with reference to
Comparable to
According to
With the subsequent forward movement of the carriage 210 (
According to
It can be seen that it is possible in the embodiment described above in connection with
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2022/063719 | 5/20/2022 | WO |
