Article separating and loading apparatus.

Article separation and packaging device

Anordning for separation and belastning av artiklar

Object of the invention

The present invention relates to a machine for packaging articles in a box, the machine comprising a first conveying member for moving a plurality of adjacent rows of articles downstream;

a laterally spaced member for displacing the spaced apart housing blanks from the first conveying member;

a second conveying member located between the first conveying member and the housing blank transfer member and advancing downstream; J^a a plurality of spaced, parallel, fixed guide rails mounted above the first and second conveying members and extending obliquely from the first conveying member across the second conveying member to the housing blank transfer member, the second conveying member moving a plurality of adjacent rows of articles and guiding the moving rows of rows.

Background of the invention

The problem that constantly plagues the packaging of beverage containers, such as cans and bottles, is the separation of cans into groups as the cans move through the packaging machine at very high speeds and the packaging of groups into cases that also move at very high speeds through the machine. The high speeds at which packing machines are driven require the cans to be moved and separated so that the risk of them falling or getting caught in the machine is minimal. The movement of can2 groups in fast-moving enclosures must also be implemented flexibly to avoid misalignment, which can also cause congestion.

The cases in which the beverage cans are packaged are fed to the packaging machine generally in the form of flat-folded blanks which are opened to form a case at an intermediate stage of manufacture, the case having open ends and front and rear upright panels. Various methods have been used to feed and separate beverage cans into the desired number of groups. For example, endless chains have been used with lugs that come into contact with the cans and push them into partially folded blanks. Such arrangements require precise timing between the ear chains, the main mechanism for moving the cans, and the mechanism for moving the case, and are not recommended for use in modern high-speed packaging machines.

In another arrangement described for Langen et al. in U.S. Patent No. 3,778,959, open-ended housings are moved downstream while rows of cans are fed to an adjacent conveyor. The can separating members in the form of pins or stems are transported by an adjacent conveyor and extend across the width of the conveyor, separating the cans into groups. The groups are held in a separated state by means of arms as the adjacent conveyor moves the can groups in parallel with the housing transfer members. Downstream guide rails help groups move into enclosures. Although this machine has improved over other slower, more complex machines, it requires the use of several cooperating can conveyors to move the cans from the feed conveyor to the housings. It also requires separation arms extending across the entire width of the adjacent conveyor and separating the cans from the countercurrent point relatively far from the point where the cans enter the housing. This, in turn, requires that the separation arms be able to protrude structurally across the full width of the conveyor to which they are attached, resulting in a significantly more massive structure than is desirable, i. the arms themselves, the conveyor carrying them and the arms connecting the arms and the conveyor

II to a more massive structure than the support structure. This in turn requires unnecessarily much more space for the packaging machine.

Another approach to the problem has been described by Calvert et al. U.S. Patent No. 4,237,673, which discloses a packaging machine in which housing blank tubes are pushed over a support surface by means of step bars. The step rods extend beyond the ends of the casing tubes across the remaining width of the support surface and act as dispensing rods to separate the beverage cans into predetermined groups and push the cans along guides to the open ends of the casing tubes. The cans must therefore cross the stationary plate to enter the housing, whereupon they encounter frictional forces that resist progression into the housing. Dispensing rods such as those of Langen et al. stems, are long and heavy and require strong support members and a relatively large space in which the dispensing rods and their support structure can move. Since the transfer of cans from the feed conveyor to the casing tubes is based on line pressure and the movement of the dosing rods, vibration dampers must be provided to receive the can feed pressure. In addition, due to the use of a combination of step bars and dispensing bars, changing the housing size is quite time consuming.

It would be desirable to provide a can feeding system that is not dependent on the line pressure of the cans to move the cans downstream and that does not require an elongate heavy dispensing rod or arm to separate the cans into a predetermined number of groups.

The article packaging machine according to the invention is characterized in that the wedge-shaped article separating member is arranged on the second conveying member next to the housing blank transfer member, that the wedge-shaped article separating member extends upwards from the second conveying member and laterally away from the housing blank transfer member that the wedge-shaped article separating member is substantially oriented with the spaces between adjacent housing blanks and positioned to contact and wedge apart the articles in the nearest row of obliquely moving articles on the second conveying means and subsequently contact the successively adjacent rows of articles on the second conveying means; that the wedge-shaped article separating member thus separates the articles into predetermined groups in such a way that the groups of articles are transferred to the moving cardboard blanks.

Summary of the Invention

In the present invention, casing blank transfer members and members spaced therefrom are used to move the packaged article row downstream. Arrangements are provided for conveying the articles from the article transfer members to the blank transfer members such that the conveying members have means adjacent to the housing blank transfer members for separating the articles into a predetermined number of groups.

In a preferred embodiment, the housing blanks are pushed downstream, and the article separating members comprise a wedge-shaped portion adjacent the housing blank pushing members. The wedge-shaped part preferably advances upwards from the article transport members and away from the blank transfer members, the latter distance being relatively short so that the member is attached to only one article at a time. In the preferred embodiment, the wedge-shaped article separating members are mounted on a movable table top chain. Thanks to this arrangement, the article separators do not have to extend across the path of the cans, which are transferred from the feed conveyor to the housing blank transfer members in the same way as in prior art machines, and the cans do not have to slide over a stationary plate. Although the separation mechanism takes up little space, making the machine more compact and leaving more space for the drive mechanism for the various moving parts, it is nevertheless able to separate articles from several moving rows of articles.

Other features and aspects of the invention, as well as other advantages thereof, will be readily apparent from the following more detailed description of the invention.

Il

Brief description of the drawings

Figures 1A-1D are illustrative representations of a housing design that may be used to practice the invention and shown in the progressive forming steps of a wrapping housing;

Fig. 2A is a plan view of a countercurrent portion of a packaging machine incorporating an article separation and packaging apparatus according to the invention;

Fig. 2B is a plan view of the downstream portion of the packaging machine of Fig. 2A;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the upstream portion of the machine of the present invention, with portions of the machine structure removed for clarity;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2A; and

Fig. 5 is a partial pictorial representation in which the article separating member is in contact with adjacent articles.

Description of the preferred embodiment

In Figure 1A, a housing blank 10 suitable for use with the present invention comprises a bottom panel 12, side panels 14 and 16, a top panel 18, and end panels 20 and 27. The end panel 20, which forms the rear end panel of the housing blank as it travels through the packaging machine Correspondingly, the end panel 22 forms the front end panel of the housing blank as it moves through the machine, and is connected to the bottom, sides to the top panels by a groove line 23. The short sloping side panel 24 is connected to the side panel 14 and the top panel 18, while the flaps 26 and 28 connected to the side panel 16 and the top panel 18, respectively, are arranged to overlap to form an opposite short sloping panel of the housing. The pleated panels 30 and 32 containing the end panels 20 and 22 form fold lines, while the top panel 18 and adjacent portions of the end panels 20 and 22 include openings 34 for receiving the necks of beverage bottles packed in a housing. The flap 28 includes locking tabs 36, while the side panel 16 includes cooperating locking openings adjacent the flap 26.

The blank 10 is formed into a housing by folding up the end panels 20 and 22 along the score lines 21 and 23 in the position shown in Figure 1B, and the beverage containers to be packaged, such as bottles B, are fed to the bottom panel of the blanks by pushing or sliding through the open end of the blank. over the side panel 16.

Forming continues in Figure 1C, where the pleated panels 30 and 32 are folded inward, with the side panels 16 and 14 rising toward the vertical position. When the top panel 18 is folded down over the necks of the bottles B and the flaps 26 and 28 are secured by the strips 36 and the openings 38, the housing 42 shown in Fig. 1D is obtained.

Although the housing shown illustrates a type of housing that can be used in connection with the present invention, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to packaging housing blanks having the shape shown in Figure 1B, but can also be used in the most common open-ended housing tubes. Although the invention has been illustrated in connection with the packaging of beverage bottles, it can also be used in connection with beverage cans or any other type of article that can be fed and packaged into a box blank or tube in the same manner as a beverage can or bottle.

In Figures 2A, 3 and 4, the packaging machine 44 comprises a feed conveyor 46, preferably consisting of three adjacent spaced apart conveyors 48 for feeding articles such as bottles B to the packaging machine. The conveyors 48 may be designed in any suitable manner, such as to include a series of plates attached to endless chains 52 for movement therewith. The guide rails 54, which may be connected to suitable support members 54 as shown in Figure 4, are separated by separate conveyors 48 which guide the movement of the incoming bottles along a substantial portion of the trajectory of the conveyors 48.

In Figures 2A and 3, a support surface 58 is located separately from the feed conveyor, which is preferably in the form of separate plates or strips. The feeder 60 has a stack of housing blanks C which are moved from the feeder one at a time by means of a suction cup 62 mounted in a manner known in the art to reciprocate towards and away from the feeder. The housing blank drawn from the feeder is moved by a suction cup to a position where the segment rollers 64 contact and pull the front edge of the blank and accelerate it downstream, as is also known in the art. The break roller 66, which is mounted above the support surface 58 and consists of separate wheel segments 68, rotates so that its circumferential speed is slightly higher than the speed of the chain 72. The chain 72 has spaced apart lugs 70 and is mounted so that its upper passageway is just below surface 58 and so that the lugs 70 extend above surface 58 through suitable slots or spaces in the support surface. Just downstream of the traction sheave, below the support surface 58, is a setting chain 71 with spaced apart lugs 73 so that the lugs 73 can contact the bottom surface of the housing blank passing above the setting chain.

As the housing blank moves downstream of the segment rollers 64, the cutter wheel strikes the template behind the front end panel groove line, i.e., it strikes the blank behind the blank groove line 23 shown in Figure 1A, and the tab 73 on the alignment chain 71 strikes the end panel 22 by placing its adjacent lug 70 behind. With the blank still in the grip of the traction wheel, the next lug 70 folds the rear end panel 20 up along its groove line 21. By these operations, the template of Fig. 1A is folded into the shape shown in Fig. 1B. As such, it fits into the space between the tightly adjacent lugs 70, as shown in Figures 2A and 3.

In Figures 2A, 3 and 4, the second conveyor 74 is located between the feed conveyor 46 and the housing support surface 58. The conveyor may be designed in any suitable manner, but in the figure comprises a series of separate plates 76 connected by endless chains 78. Article separation pins or lugs 80 are attached to the conveyor 74 at regular intervals along the edge of the conveyor adjacent the path of movement of the housing blanks C. The lugs can be attached directly to the plates 76, or the plates can be cut out of this area and the lugs 80 can be attached to the structure supported by the nearest chain 78. In each case, the lugs 80 are spaced apart on the conveyor 74 by the distance between the lugs 70. That is, the distance between the lugs 80 corresponds to the width of the housing blank shown in Fig. 1B. When the chains 72 and 78 are moved so that their linear velocities are the same, and when the lugs 80 are aligned with the lugs 70, the lugs 70 and 80 are caused to move downstream next to each other and at the same speed.

As shown in Figures 2A and 4, the guide rails 54 extend obliquely from the countercurrent point on the feed conveyor 46 to the downstream location. The inner rails are shown in Figure 2A terminating in the distal side edge of the conveyor 74, while the outer rails are shown continuous over the support surface 58 to guide the separated articles into the partially folded housing blanks. As best seen in Figure 4, the guide rails 54 are located upwardly apart from the support surface 58 and the lugs 70 to allow the lugs 70 to pass below them.

It is clear that the rail segments are supported by a suitable structure, such as the support structure 56 on the left in Fig. 4, although this is not shown in the figure for the sake of clarity.

The pins or lugs 80 extend toward the feed conveyor and a relatively short distance away from the lugs 70 so that they can only contact articles B in the nearest oblique moving row of articles. The rear surface of the lugs 80 has an oblique or conical surface 82. The lug 80 thus acts as a wedge between the adjacent articles B and, together with the oblique portions of the side guides 54, separates the group of articles downstream of the lug 80 from the articles 90751 upstream of the lug. This function is further illustrated in Figure 5, in which the lug 80 is shown as it contacts and wedges adjacent bottles. It will be appreciated that the dimensions of the wedge-shaped lugs 80, the spacing of the adjacent lugs 80 and the dimensions of the containers B are related so that the base of the conical surface 82 holds the containers in place, allowing the tip of the next wedge to engage the containers.

Articles, such as bottles, are fed to the feed conveyor 46 of an operating packaging machine and guided by guide rails to the receiving conveyor 74. When the wedge-shaped member 80 comes into contact with adjacent bottles, it moves between them and separates them. When the bottles in the first row touched by the lug 80 are moved downstream and directed to the support surface 58, the downstream movement of the lug contacts it with the articles in the next row and separates them and moves the new separated article group to the support surface 58 so that it follows the first row. The same goes for the articles in the third line. The third row article group is guided by an outer guide rail so that the three separated article groups are continuously moved to the support surface, as can be best seen from the outer right side of Figure 2A until they are guided into place as shown in Figure 2B. A suitable folding apparatus then performs the folding steps shown in Figures 1C and ID to form a finished packaged housing 42 at the downstream end of Figure 2B.

Since the conveyor 74 securely transports the articles from the feed conveyor 46 to the housing blanks on the support surface 58, there is no need to dampen the feed pressure of the articles, as is the case when the feed pressure is to push the cans over a stationary surface. By timing the speed of the transfer conveyor 74 and the movement of the partially folded housing blanks, the transfer of articles to the housing blanks is made smooth and uninterrupted, which reduces the possibility of articles falling and congestion.

The small size of the wedge-shaped separator, and in particular the distance it travels from the edge of the transfer conveyor 74 to the feed conveyor, reduces the structural requirements for supporting the support member 80 and minimizes the space required by the member and its support structure for the conveyor 74 downway. In addition, the use of lugs that move partially folded housing blanks instead of stair bars facilitates the changes required to produce a housing of different sizes. Thus, when it is desired to package articles in a case whose width differs from the width of the case just being packaged, it is only necessary to change the position of the lugs in order to convert the pocket size between the lugs. Arranging the positions of the separating lugs 80 to correspond to different pocket sizes is thus relatively simple, as they are suitable in size and can be removed and replaced simply and quickly.

It should be understood that the term housing blank as used herein is not intended to be limited to a flat housing blank prior to the initial or intermediate manufacturing steps, but may instead refer to a paperboard blank folded into the partially folded blank shown in Figure 1B or an open-ended casing tube feed the open end of the tube.

After reading the foregoing description, it should be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to certain details described in the preferred embodiment which do not affect the general basic function and purpose of the invention, but may be modified by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.