Patent Application
20080283361
The present invention relates to an improved conveyor means for use in such applications as a conveyor belt-based system for assembly of a series of objects. More particularly but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a conveyor such as that used in the construction, assembly and filling of packaging items such as cartons.
It is known to provide packaging assembly systems which are dedicated machines, adapted to construct only a single size and type of carton. Accordingly, modern packaging plants are required to use a plurality of packaging machines to package different carton types, each machine taking up considerable floor space and being expensive both to purchase and to operate.
There exists a limited selection of packaging assembly systems which may be adapted to accommodate different sizes and configurations of packaging. However, typically such systems are characterised by a fairly complex operation to adapt them in order to accommodate a new configuration or size of packaging blank. This results in considerable ‘change over time’, time when the machine is not being operated while the necessary changes are effected to adapt the machine to accommodate the new packaging blanks. As such, the adaptation process can be lengthy, and may include manual removal of all of the integers within the packaging machine and possibly the mechanical adjustment of components in the machine. This extended change-over process may give rise to a significant downtime and to a substantial loss of output, with concomitant economic disadvantages.
One prior art packaging assembly machine is disclosed in EP 0 017 333. In this document, however, the adjacent articles to be assembled on the conveyor are separated and progressed along the conveyor by metering bars 51. However, the metering bars disclosed in EP 0017333 are not easily removable or adaptable, nor able to aid the biasing of an adjacent article into a desired configuration.
It is an object of the present invention to seek to overcome, or at least to mitigate, the problems associated with prior art packaging assembly systems, by offering an alternative conveyor system that is readily adaptable so as to allow for the accommodation of differing sizes and shapes of containers on the conveyor within the scope of a single assembly system.
It will be understood that, whilst the example of a packaging machine is referred to throughout this specification, this serves as an exemplary non-limiting aid to elucidation of the details of the present invention only, and that the conveyor of the present invention may be applied to any large-scale assembly means for a series of integers.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a conveyor for beverage packages which conveyor incorporates an endless series of spacer elements by which successive packages are spaced apart from one another by a predetermined distance each spacer element of the series comprising a pair of carton engaging lugs in which a leading lug and a trailing lug can be adjusted from a setting in which both the leading and trailing lugs of each pair are in abutment with one another to maximise the spacing between successive spacer elements to a setting in which relative movement between the leading lug of one pair and the trailing lug of the next succeeding pair decreases the spacing between those successive spacer elements.
Preferably, the lugs of each spacer element are so constructed and arranged as to be capable of fitting together in a spatially complementary manner. More preferably, one or more of the lugs are carried on a movement track.
It is preferred that one or more of the lugs are adapted to be removable from the movement track.
It is further preferred that each movement track is provided with one or more pin components, and one or more of the lugs are supported upon one or more of the pin components.
More preferably, each lug is provided with securement means complementary to a securement portion of the pin component, so as to secure the or each lug to a pin component.
According to an optional feature of this aspect of the present invention, each secured lug can be disengaged by hand from its respective pin component or pin components without the need for any tools or machinery.
A still further optional feature of this aspect of the present invention provides that at least one edge of each lug is so constructed as to bias an edge of an adjacent article to be assembled on the conveyor toward the adoption of a desired configuration.
According to a further optional feature of this aspect of the present invention, one or more of the lugs is further provided with pivot means and actuator means adapted to mechanically urge each such lug toward an adjacent article so as to bias that article towards a desired configuration.
Within the scope of this aspect of the present invention one or more of the pin components may preferably be provided with a plurality of securement portions at different heights, such that a lug may be mounted on such a pin component at any one of a plurality of different heights.
According to a yet further preferred feature of this aspect of the present invention, it is provided that the adoption of different configurations of lugs allows for the accommodation of a plurality of different sizes and configurations of article to be assembled on the conveyor.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a pin component adapted to engage a lug of a conveyor as according to the present invention.
Preferably, the securement means takes the form of a slit or aperture within the form of the pin component.
According to an optional feature of this aspect of the present invention, the pin component is further adapted to engage a movement track of the conveyor.
A third aspect of the present invention provides a lug for use in conjunction with the conveyor of the present invention.
Preferably, an outer edge of the lug is so constructed and arranged as to bias an adjacent article into a desired configuration.
More preferably, the lug is further provided with pivot means and actuator means to aid the direction of the lug towards an adjacent article.
In order to further aid its description, a series of exemplary, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be described. To that end, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, which also serve only to exemplify and not in any way to limit the scope of the present invention, and in which:
According to the preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, and with particular reference to
The conveyor 420 comprises a number of lugs 412, 414 grouped as one or more spacer elements, each comprising a pair of lugs 412, 414. Each such pair is separable, one lug 412, 414 from the other 414, 412, and the two lugs 412, 414 of such a pair are each moveable independently of the other, along a movement track 440 provided to facilitate the displacement of a series of lugs 412, 414 in a forward and backward direction relative to the direction of movement X of the conveyor means 420.
As such, in operation, at least one, leading, lug 412 can be rapidly displaced relative to the position of another, trailing lug 414 so as to vary the spacing between adjacent lugs 412, 414. The resultant change in pitch on the conveyor 420 allows for easy accommodation of different sizes or configurations of article—or in this non-limiting example, carton A—with a rapid change-over leading to minimal downtime before the conveyor 420 continues in operation.
An alternative interlocking arrangement for the lugs 412a, 414a is illustrated in
In particular, it is preferred but not required that this interlocking arrangement of lugs 412a, 414a be employed along one side of a conveyor 420 in use, and that the arrangement of lugs 412, 414, substantially as shown in
In order to maximise the possible distribution in pitch lengths that can be provided by the lugs 412, 414 of the present invention, the lugs 412, 414 are preferably arranged in pairs, adapted to be spatially complementary to one another, in order that they may fit together to form effectively single lugs, each maximally separated from the next. This fitting together of complementary sets of lugs 412, 414 is illustrated in
It will further be appreciated that in the preferred embodiment the overlapping and/or interlocking configuration prevents lugs on different chains from passing one another. In other words a selected lug on one movement track 440 such as a chain is confined between two adjacent lugs on the other chain.
It is preferable that the lugs 412, 414 are so adapted along an edge which engages the articles A to be assembled as to bias the articles A into a desired configuration. In
The outer edges of the combined pair of lugs 412, 414 are adapted in the example shown in
In the case of the “gable-ended” carton A, the configuration of the present invention brings clear advantages. Particularly, when adjacent lugs 412, 414 are brought into close registry by movement of at least one lug 412, 414 along its movement track 440 and relative to another, the resulting effective double-lug has a substantially Y-shaped configuration. However, the two lugs 412, 414 retain their ability to bias their respective adjacent cartons A into the “gable-ended” configuration, even when they are spaced apart by a further movement of one relative to the other along its movement track 440, so as to accommodate a smaller size of carton A. It will further be appreciated that each lug is capable of engaging with a carton A on both its leading and trailing ends such that the lugs can be adapted to act on a carton A on both ends thereby providing a conveyor means having a plurality of configurations in which there is no ‘dead space’ in other words all the space on the conveyor is being used for transportation of articles as illustrated in
One optional aspect of the present invention provides that one or more of the lugs 412, 414 be disposable about an articulated pivot means (not shown), and may preferably be pivoted about said pivot means by actuator means so as to cause the lug 412, 414 to be pushed toward an adjacent article A, to aid the article A being biased into a desired configuration.
It will be understood that the lugs 412, 414 are not at all limited in shape within the scope of the present invention, and could adopt any configuration so as to be complementary to the desired configuration of the articles A to be assembled on the conveyor 420.
Indeed, according to a further preferred optional feature of the present invention, one or more of the lugs 412, 414 may easily be changed for those of a different configuration, so as to accommodate a different set of articles A on the conveyor 420.
According to this feature of the present invention, one or more of the movement tracks 440, such as a chain, is provided with a series of pin components 430, exemplified by those as shown in
Preferably, the securement is brought about by the provision of a securement means 416, 418 within a lug 412, 414; typically, though not of necessity, this securement means 416, 418 takes the form of a short bar or pin. According to this preferred configuration, the securement means 416, 418 is so constructed and arranged as to co-operate with a complementary securement portion 432 of the pin component 430. This complementary securement portion 432 preferably comprises a slit or aperture within the outer form of the pin component 430.
Optionally, there may be provided a plurality of securement portions 432 at different heights on the pin component 430, each able to co-operate with the securement means 416, 418 of a lug 412, 414. As such, a lug 412, 414 may be mounted on the pin component 430 at any one of a plurality of heights, thereby providing for the accommodation of a plurality of different heights of article A on the conveyor 420.
More preferably, the securement means 416, 418 of the lug 412, 414 is spring-loaded such that it may easily be disposed out of co-operation with the securement portion 432 of the pin component 430 by hand. This further facilitates the rapid change-over between different shapes and sizes of lug 412, 414 to allow for adaptation of the arrangement, to accommodate a different configuration or size of article A on the conveyor 420 with a minimal conveyor downtime.
It is clearly envisaged by the present applicants that the features of the particular preferred embodiment described hereinbefore could be altered without departure from the scope of the present invention. For instance, it will be understood that the spacer element may equally employ more than two lugs in co-operation with one another, and still fall within the scope of the present invention.
It is contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the claims, that the device may form a sub assembly of a larger packaging machine that offers further functionality in respect of packaging articles such as cans or bottles, within the erected cartons.
It will further be understood that whilst terms such as “top,” “middle,” “centre,” “first,” and “second” have on occasion been used through this specification, they do not limit the respective components to which they refer to any particular position or orientation. Further, it will be understood that any particular configuration of lug 412, 414, or of pin component 430, or of securement means 416, 418, may be adopted without a departure from the scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0518555.8 | Sep 2005 | GB | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US06/35380 | 9/12/2006 | WO | 00 | 8/5/2008 |
