The invention relates to an installation for preparing batches of bottle- or vial-type products or the like, in order to package them.
Feeding a continuous stream of batches of product to packaging machines can be done automatically by means of an installation of the type described, for example, in published PCT patent application no. WO 2010/037959.
This installation is used to prepare batches from products having a circular or ovoid cross-section, such as bottles or other products, and comprises:
Said installation allows preparing batches of products which are, in themselves, relatively stable and sufficiently rigid to form, downstream from the regulating fingers, a leading side which is clean, rectilinear in the transverse direction, and which allows the downstream ungrouping conveyor to perform an operation of separating lines of products, in a precise and unfailing manner. This type of installation is used more for the preparation of batches that are relatively modest in length, limited to two or three products for example.
In this type of installation, it is more complicated to prepare batches from relatively flexible products, due to the difficulty in creating a well-organized leading side exiting the regulating unit. In fact, the regulating fingers push the rows of products towards the exit of the regulating unit and, at this exit, a dead plate forms the connection between the continuous belts of each conveying module and the belt of the downstream ungrouping conveyor. This dead plate retains the products and can cause deformations in the products in the line, to the point of interfering with their alignment and destabilizing the leading side of the products.
The belt of the conveying module advances at a speed which is substantially equal to that of the regulating fingers, or even slightly below, but this belt speed is not truly controlled because said belt is subjected to forces which can cause this speed to vary.
These variations in speed may result from friction and stresses due to pressure from the products located upstream and downstream of the regulating fingers.
But these stresses may also originate from the fact that the adhesion of the belts to their drive pulley is random. Lubricants are commonly used to reduce the friction between the products and the conveying belts. These lubricants spread onto the pulleys and the belts, generating sliding phenomena that is difficult to manage and control.
However, due to improvements in production speeds and the appearance of new products which are sometimes more difficult to manipulate, users of these batch preparation machines are increasingly confronted with difficulties which they can only resolve using specific machines adapted to each case, meaning for only one or a few types of products, according to their size, stability, and capacity to retain a shape compatible with the ungrouping elements.
Each machine is then only in use intermittently, constituting a not-insignificant operating loss for the owner company.
The invention proposes a multipurpose installation which offers the possibility of choosing a mode for ungrouping products according to multiple criteria, and in particular criteria related to the nature of the products, their size, their composition, and criteria which are related to the shape and size of the batches to be formed with these different products.
The installation for preparing batches of bottle-type or other products, according to the invention, comprises:
Still according to the invention, the upper active side of the belt of the endless conveying module extends for a length which is on the order of 2 to 3 times the distance traveled by a set of fingers during the phase where said set is projecting into the passages of the regulating unit, above said active side.
In another arrangement of the invention, each conveying module comprises a first so called “sabre” roller, the endless belt of each conveying module winding over the first “sabre” roller of the same module and the belt of the downstream conveyor winding over a second “sabre” roller, so as to limit the risk of destabilizing and unbalancing the products as they pass from said endless belt to said downstream belt.
Still according to the invention, the endless belt of each conveying module is in the form of a notched belt, said notched belt being driven by a pulley that is also notched in order to guarantee the speed Vc at which the products advance when, in one of the ungrouping modes, they are released by the corresponding set of fingers, in the downstream portion of the passages of the regulating unit.
In another arrangement of the invention, said first “sabre” roller located at the downstream end of the conveying module consists of a notched roller of small diameter, said diameter being on the order of 10 to 15 mm, offering an overall radius, including the belt, which is on the order of 7 mm.
Still according to the invention, the installation comprises, in each conveying module, an endless belt driven by a servomotor able to set multiple advancement speeds according to the intended ungrouping mode, and in particular:
In another arrangement of the invention, each conveying module comprises, upstream from its endless belt, a fixed plane, or dead plate, establishing the connection between the downstream end of the upstream conveyor and said endless belt.
Still according to the invention, the installation comprises, in the regulating unit, two families of sets of fingers each comprising two sets of fingers, and each set of fingers is installed on a crosspiece, said crosspieces being attached at their ends to drive means in the form of endless chains extending between sprockets, said sprockets being mounted on two horizontal shafts spaced apart from each other and arranged transversely, and each shaft comprising its own system for driving its family of sets of fingers, said drive elements, which are of the servomotor type, being actuated by means of a programmable logic controller with a program which takes into account the size of the products and the mode of product batch preparation in order to achieve, on the one hand, a phase difference between the two families of sets of fingers so as to accommodate the dimensions of the products as well as the dimensions of the batches of products, and on the other hand, to adjust the speed at which said sets of fingers advance in order to have this advancement speed correspond to the speeds required for each of the ungrouping modes for these products, namely the SRF mode or the SAF mode.
In another arrangement of the invention, each conveying module comprises a long and slender frame consisting of side walls and crosspieces, said frame being equipped, at each of its ends, with a base which is arranged between said side walls, each base cooperating with a centering and positioning pin which is installed on a support arranged at the corresponding end of the regulating unit.
In one particular feature, each of the supports is guided by one of the rails. Two supports may be provided per conveying module. The rail may pass through a borehole in the support.
In another particular feature, the endless belt of each conveying module winds over a first “sabre” roller of the same module, each module having an end, adjacent to the inlet to said downstream conveyor, which comprises said first “sabre” roller of the same module and where the endless belt winds in a 180° turn (thus having contact with half of the cylindrical surface of the first “sabre” roller). This arrangement improves the compactness of the installation, as supports of the conveying modules and the corresponding rail can be directly below this belt-wound end without adding addition bulk to the length, in spite of the proximity between the respective “sabre” rollers of the conveying modules and the downstream conveyor.
The invention also relates to the conveying module for an installation for preparing batches of products as detailed above, said module comprising a long and slender frame supporting an endless belt in the form of a notched belt and a dead plate arranged upstream from said belt, said belt winding, at the end opposite said dead plate, over a “sabre” roller in the form of a notched roller of small diameter, on the order of 10 to 15 mm.
In another arrangement of the invention, the conveying module comprises, on the side of the “sabre” roller in the form of a notched roller, a notched pulley for driving the notched belt, said notched pulley comprising a central borehole having a multi-sided shape that cooperates with a drive shaft having an appropriate cross-section and in particular a removable drive shaft which allows disassembling and changing each conveying module as needed, whether because said modules need to be changed in order to use modules of a width appropriate for the dimensions of the products or simply due to the maintenance requirements of said modules.
To enable its execution, the invention is detailed in a sufficiently clear and complete manner in the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:
The installation represented in
These products 3 arrive in multiple lines at the upstream conveyor 2; they are guided by walls 6 which delimit passages, and these products then pass through the regulating unit 5, also in passages, specifically passages arranged to provide a very high precision in the guidance of the products, as detailed in said PCT application.
This regulating unit 5 is in the form of an interchangeable tool which comprises means for controlling and setting the speed at which products 3 pass between the upstream conveyor 2 and the downstream conveyor 4, said means consisting of a conveying system 7 comprising sets of regulating fingers 8 acting as stops and consisting of several conveying modules 9 which extend longitudinally within each passage of the regulating unit 5, between the dead plate 10 which is located at the entrance of said regulating unit 5, and the downstream conveyor 4.
The sets of regulating fingers 8 will be described below in more detail; these fingers 8 bar the passage of the products 3, acting as stops, and are mobile in order to accompany and define the position of the products 3, which in general are pressed into the regulating unit 5 by the upstream conveyor 2. The speed Vg of the upstream feeder conveyor 2 is always greater than the speed Vd of the regulating fingers 8.
The set of component elements of the regulating unit 5 is assembled onto a frame 11 and this frame 11 is integrated with the general frame 1 of the installation, positioned in a cradle 12 specifically arranged in said general frame 1.
Still in
The installation represented in
In this SRF mode, the stream of products 3 is regulated and controlled by the fingers 8 and by the conveying module which advances at a speed Vc which is on the same order as the speed Vd of the fingers, substantially lower. Thus, when the products reach the end of the regulating unit 5, and in particular the end of the conveying module 9, each row is captured by the downstream conveyor 4 having a speed Va which is greater than the speed Vd of the fingers 8 as well as the speed Vc of the conveying module 9.
The rows of products are then taken control of by the cycling system 14 and in particular by its bars 15. The bars 15 advance at a speed Vb which is substantially greater than the speed Va of the downstream conveyor so as to group, as necessary, the rows of products 3 which are slotted between two bars 15 as the operation proceeds of ungrouping the rows which arrive at the exit of the regulating unit 5.
This SRF mode, represented in
However, as detailed below, the conveying module 9 installed in the regulating unit 5 presents novel characteristics which allow performing another mode of preparing batches of products 3 in this same installation. Said mode, referred to as selection by adjustable fingers or SAF, allows the preparation of batches of products 3 which may be greater in length and in particular the preparation of batches of products 3 which are, for example, less rigid than those prepared by the SRF mode described above.
In
Under the conveying module 9 is located the conveying system 7 comprising the sets of fingers 8. This conveying system, as described in said PCT application, comprises two families of sets of fingers 8 and in each family there is a pair of sets of fingers 8 which are denoted 8.1, 8.1′ for the family d1 and a pair of sets of fingers 8 which are denoted 8.2 and 8′.2 for the family d2. All these sets of fingers 8 are arranged transversely and the families d1 and d2 are interleaved, meaning each set of fingers of one family is arranged between the sets of the other family.
The pair of sets of fingers 8.1, 8′.1 is driven by an endless chain system 18, and more specifically by a system of chains denoted 18.1 in
In the same manner, the pair of sets of fingers 8.2, 8′.2, is associated with chains 18.2 extending between other sprockets 19 and driven by a servomotor 23 by means of the shaft 21. The advancement of the sets of fingers 8 and their speed Vd1 and Vd2 results from the movements of their respective drive chains 18.1 and 18.2.
The orientation of these fingers 8 results from their guidance by means of a cam 24 having the profile represented with dotted lines in
As indicated above, all these elements are also found in
The conveying module 9 comprises an endless belt which extends between a roller 26 arranged upstream and a roller of very small diameter, generally called a “sabre” roller, arranged in the downstream portion. This “sabre” roller 27 faces the “sabre” roller 28 of the downstream conveyor 4, as is represented in more detail in
The endless belt of the conveying module 9 is in the form of a notched belt 29 in
This pulley 30 is located at the “sabre” roller 27 end, and is driven by a servomotor 33.
The different servomotors for driving the sets of fingers 8, meaning servomotors 22 and 23, and the servomotor 33 for driving the conveying module 9, are controlled via a programmable logic controller 34 in order to adjust their speed to requirements. Similarly, the programmable logic controller 34 specifically controls the speeds of the conveyor 4 and of the cycling system 14 which are part of the conveying system located downstream of the regulating unit 5, and does so as a function of the speed of the conveyor 2 located upstream.
One will also note, in this
In the same manner, the upstream end of the downstream conveyor 4 comprises a “sabre” roller 28 in the form of a roller having a diameter which is also on the order of 10 to 15 mm, and over which the belt of said conveyor 4 winds. The radius measured at the inlet to this conveyor 4 is preferably also on the order 7 mm.
This arrangement of the ends of the module 9 and of the downstream conveyor 4, involving “sabre” rollers of very small diameter, limits the unbalancing of the products 3 at this discontinuity in the guiding surface; this type of discontinuity is generally resolved by installing a dead plate, as is the case upstream of the module 9. As is clearly visible in
The specific characteristics of this SAF mode require different speeds in the various conveying systems than those of the SRF mode. Thus, the speed Vc of the notched belt 29 of the module 9 is equal to the speed Va of the downstream conveyor 4.
In effect, as represented in
The batches of products prepared using the SAF mode are taken up by the downstream conveyor 4 and may also be taken charge of by the cycling system 14 and in particular by its bars 15 in order to compact them longitudinally and, depending on the case, transversely by means of guides, not represented, positioned between the conveyor 4 and the lower side of the cycling system 14 of the downstream conveying system, or above the level of said bars 15.
For the SAF mode, the batches are prepared by different sets of fingers 8. The interval between two sets of fingers 8, 8.1 and 8.2 for example, as represented in
The delimited batch is managed on the fly between the consecutive sets of fingers 8; when a set of fingers 8 is in the active position of retaining the flow of upstream products, the downstream set of fingers can slip away, releasing the batch of products, and due to the difference in speeds between the speed Vc of the notched belt 29 and Vd, said batch moves rapidly away from the leading side of the products 3 retained by the set of active fingers 8, thus separating the batches. The batches are then taken up by the downstream conveyor 4 and, if applicable, by the cycling system 14.
The servomotors 22 and 23 therefore have several functions. Firstly, these servomotors 22 and 23 are used to establish an initial distance Dd between two sets of fingers, for both the SRF mode and the SAF mode, and they also allow, when one of the sets in which the fingers are active and advancing at an intended normal operating speed, accelerating the movement of the inactive sets of fingers in order to reposition the first set to take over for said active fingers, by inserting said previously inactive fingers into the stream of products 3, at the position intended for this purpose, whether this means a position for controlling the flow as in the SRF mode or in a specific position which corresponds to the length of the batch, as in the SAF mode.
Thus, in
The stream of products 3 is therefore constantly retained and controlled by one of the sets of fingers 8 of each family d1 and d2. The spacing between two consecutive sets of fingers 8 can vary, for example from 75 to 300 mm, as indicated above.
The diagrams in
In the case of the SAF mode, in order to achieve rapid ungrouping of the batches, the upstream fingers must be retracted very quickly, as soon as the following downstream fingers are in the active position where they are able to control the advancement of the stream of products to be used to form the next batch.
The length L of the portion of the conveying module 9 where the notched belt 29 carries the batch of products at a speed greater than the speed at which the leading side of the products retained by the set of active fingers 8 advances, is on the order of one to one and a half times the distance D traveled by a set of fingers 8 when these fingers are projecting into the passages where the products circulate, as represented in
The fingers 8 surround each conveying module 9 and in particular the endless belt consisting of the notched belt 29 and these fingers 8, which are in the form of tines; they straddle the walls 16 delimiting the various passages where the streams of products 3 circulate.
The walls 16 are guided on transversely arranged rails 36 and 37 and they are manipulated by means of a pantograph system 38 to allow appropriate adjustment of their width according to the dimensions of the products 3 to be grouped into batches. As they move, the walls 16 automatically move the fingers 8, said fingers 8 being slidingly mounted on the crosspieces 35.
The conveying modules 9 are installed on supports 39 which are directly connected to the pantograph system 38 in order to ensure that said modules 9 are automatically centered in each passage between the walls 16, when the width of each of the passages is adjusted.
The distance between the walls 16 is adjusted by means of a screw-nut system; a screw 40 is arranged on each side of the conveying unit 5, at its entrance on the upstream end and at its exit on the downstream end, and the movement of the two screws 40 is coordinated by means of a chain transmission 41.
The conveying modules 9 are represented in more detail in
The length of the upper active side of the notched belt 29 is on the order of 2 to 3 times the distance traveled by a set of fingers 8 during the phase where said fingers 8 are projecting into the passages guiding the products to be ungrouped.
The downstream end of the conveying module 9 comprises the “sabre” roller 27 in the form of notched roller having its axle supported by the plates 42, similarly to the rollers 31 and 32 which serve to guide the path of winding of the notched belt 25. One of the rollers, roller 32 for example, can serve as a tensioning roller for the notched belt 29.
The pulley 30 driving the belt 29 is also supported and guided between the plates 42. This pulley 30 comprises a hub arranged to cooperate with a shaft having a square cross-section for example, said shaft 45, driven by the servomotor 33, being arranged for threading through the hub of the various pulleys 30 of each conveying module 9, said pulleys 30 being in alignment for the entire width of the conveying unit 5. This shaft 45 is removable to allow easy release of the set of conveying modules 9.
In effect, as already indicated in relation to
Each support 39 is guided on the upper rail 37 which serves to guide the walls 16, and on a rail 47 which is specific to it and which serves to maintain it in the appropriate position. The support 39 comprises a vertical pin in its upper portion which cooperates with a base 49 arranged in the lower portion and at each end of the conveying modules 9. This base 49, held tightly between the plates 42, comprises a cylindrical or oblong borehole to accept the pin 48 of the corresponding support 39.
As represented in
The pin 48 preferably comprises a lower threaded part, as represented in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 58908 | Oct 2010 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/FR2011/052371 | 10/11/2011 | WO | 00 | 4/22/2013 |