Apparatus for conveying products and a divider

<img file="NL2000727C2_D0001.tif" />

Patent Center

Netherlands © 2000727 © C PATENT²⁰ © Patent application: 2000727 © Filed: 29.06.2007

Int.CI .:

B65G47 / 76 (2006.01)

<td>© Priority:</td><td>© Patent holder (s):</td>

<td>22.12.2006 NL 2000404</td><td>Specialty Conveyor BV in Baambrugge.</td>

<td>© Registered:</td><td>© Inventor (s):</td>

<td>25.06.2008 IE 2008/09</td><td>Wouter Balk in Baambrugge.</td>

<td>© Date:</td><td>© Authorized representative:</td>

<td> 25.06.2008</td><td>Mr. Ir. JHF de Vries at 1062 XK</td>

<td></td><td>Amsterdam.</td>

<td>© Published:</td><td></td>

<td>01.09.2008 IE 2008/09</td><td></td>

© Device for transporting products and a distributor.

An apparatus for transporting products is provided with at least a first conveyor and a second conveyor, each of which comprises at least a first drivable conveyor for carrying and transporting the products thereon. The device further comprises at least a parallel first transition between the first conveyor track of the first conveyor and the first conveyor track of the second conveyor over which first transition the products can be moved between the first conveyor and the second conveyor by means of a first control member. The first and the second conveyor are each provided with at least a second conveyor track, second transition and second control member, respectively. The first conveyor has a parallel part in which the first and second conveyor tracks of the first conveyor run parallel to each other and the mutual distance thereof in transverse direction of the first and second conveyor track is less than the width of the first conveyor track of the second conveyor at the location of the first transition.

NL C 2000727

The content of this patent differs from the original filed description with claim (s) and possible drawing (s). The documents originally filed can be viewed at the Netherlands Patent Office. The Netherlands Patent Center is an agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

NL 10558-VH / vw

Device for transporting products and a distributor

The present invention relates to an apparatus for transporting products, which comprises at least a first conveyor and a second conveyor, each of which comprises at least a first drivable conveyor for carrying and transporting the products thereon; and at least a first transition between the first conveyor track of the first conveyor and the first conveyor track of the second conveyor over which first transition the products between the first conveyor and the second conveyor are movable by means of a first control member, so that a pair with each other cooperating first conveyor tracks are formed, wherein at least the parts of the pair of first conveyor tracks adjoining the first transition are at least approximately parallel to each other and at least have approximately the same transport direction.

Such a device is known from WO2005 / 102877. The known device has a first conveyor and a second conveyor, with a parallel transition between the first and the second conveyor. Such a transition prevents products from becoming unstable when passing them, as is the case, for example, with an end transition between two conveyors. There is now a need to increase the transport capacity of the device.

The object of the invention is to provide a device that meets this need.

This object is achieved with the device according to the invention, characterized in that the first and the second conveyor are each provided with at least a second conveyor track, second transition and second control member, respectively, in order to have at least two pairs of co-operating first conveyor tracks and with each other to form cooperating second conveyor tracks, wherein at least the first conveyor has a parallel part in which the first and second conveyors of the first conveyor run parallel to each other and their mutual distance in transverse direction of the first and second conveyor is less than the width of the first conveyor of the second conveyor at the site of the first transition.

Due to these features, a higher transport capacity can be achieved with the device according to the invention, while still offering the possibility of keeping the device compact. Because of the space required in the lateral direction for parallel transitions, the device according to the invention has not previously been considered to increase the transport capacity when using this type of transition by means of several conveyor tracks. Due to the small mutual distance between two conveyor tracks in the transverse direction thereof in the parallel part, the space occupied by the device is minimized. Thus, with the device according to the invention, a relatively high transport capacity can be achieved with several independent product flows.

Furthermore, due to the multiple parallel transitions, it is possible to provide each of the conveyor tracks of at least one product guide on one side of the transitions, which guidance is not interrupted at the transition, thereby ensuring the separation of product flows and an increased stability.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least first and second conveying paths of the first and second conveyors are arranged parallel to each other such that the first and second transitions are offset laterally in the conveying direction, and the first conveyor of the second conveyor is located at the location of the first transition on the same side of the first conveyor of the first conveyor as the second conveyor of the second conveyor at the location of the second transition on the side of the second conveyor of the first carrier. Due to this arrangement, in addition to the compact parallel part, the device can also be built compactly at the location of the transitions.

At the location of the transitions, the device is even more compact when the first conveyor track of the second conveyor is at least approximately in line with the second conveyor track of the first conveyor.

In a practical embodiment, the parallel parts of the at least first and second conveyor path of the first and second conveyor adjoining the first and second transition are curved. This offers the advantage that numerous forms of conveyors are possible, while the parallel transitions can be maintained.

In an advantageous embodiment, at least one of the conveyors has at least partly a spiral shape. Optionally, the first and second conveyors before and after the first and second transition have a spiral shape. The advantage of a spiral shape is the favorable ratio between the length of a conveyor track and the space occupied by it. Spiral form is here understood to mean the three-dimensional helical form.

In an alternative embodiment of the device, the first and second conveyor comprise two pairs of first and second conveyor tracks, which are arranged such that the first conveyor track of the second conveyor is located at the location of the first transition on the of the second conveyor track of the first conveyor facing away from the first conveyor path of the first conveyor, and the second conveyor track of the second conveyor is located at the location of the second transition on the side of the second conveyor track of the first conveyor remote from the first conveyor track of the first conveyor. This arrangement makes it possible to adjoin the conveyor tracks of the first conveyor in the direction of the second conveyor as long as possible.

Preferably, the two pairs of first and second conveyor tracks form a unit, in which the parallel part extends directly from the first and second transitions, as seen from the second to the first conveyor, and the device includes at least two such units , the units at the first and second conveyors of the first conveyors being at least partially parallel to each other within a parallel portion of a parallel conveyor, and the distance between the units increasing beyond the parallel portion as seen from the parallel portion to the transitions.

Furthermore, the parallel conveyor may have a spiral shape at least partially, with the units optionally exiting the spiral shape at different levels, as viewed along a central axis of the spiral shape.

In another embodiment, the at least first and second conveyor tracks of the first and second conveyor are arranged such that the at least first and second transitions, at least approximately in line, viewed in the transverse direction of the first and second conveyor tracks at the location of the first and second transition lie. This is a simple arrangement, whereby the first conveyor still ensures that the device is compact because of the parallel part.

In yet another embodiment, the first and second conveying paths of the first and second conveyors are arranged such that the first and second transitions are superimposed. As a result, little space is taken up in the transverse direction of the conveyor tracks at the location of the transitions.

At least one further transition can be provided between the at least first and second conveyor path of at least the second conveyor, over which the products are movable between the first and the second conveyor track of the second conveyor by means of at least one displacement member in order to transport the products from the second to the first or from the first to second conveyor track from the first conveyor to the second conveyor bring a second carrier, or to distribute the products transported from the second conveyor to the first conveyor over the first and the second conveyor path of the second conveyor. This embodiment provides the option of allowing the second conveyor to serve as an aggregator or distributor of products. Because of the parallel transitions, the products can be stably conveyed from different conveyor belts to a common conveyor or distributed from adjacent conveyor belts from a common conveyor.

To maximize stability, the at least first and second conveyor tracks of the second conveyor can be driven to have the same transport speed.

In a favorable embodiment, the first conveyor track of the second conveyor, seen from the second conveyor to the first conveyor, extends beyond the first transition and has a first distal portion spaced from the first transition, while the first conveyor track of the first the conveyor has a second distal section located at a distance from the first transition, the distance between the first transition and the first distal portion being equal to the distance between the first transition and the second distal portion when the distance is measured along a straight line, but the length of the first conveying path of the first conveyor between the first transition and the second distal portion is longer than the length of the first conveying path of the second conveyor between the first transition and the first distal portion, to cause the first conveyor of the second conveyor to at least partially form a bypass for the first conveyor of the first conveyor. This has an advantage in particular with a buffer device, because it may then be desirable to be able to transport products via a bypass when buffering is not required.

The first control member associated with the first transition can be switchable for moving or not moving products between the first conveyor track of the second conveyor and the first conveyor track of the first conveyor. This is particularly desirable when the second conveyor is used as a distributor for distributing one product stream over different conveyor tracks.

The invention also relates to a distributor for distributing products originating from a common conveyor track to at least three conveyor tracks, which common conveyor track and conveyor tracks are drivable in a conveying direction, extend parallel to and adjoin each other, and between the common conveyor track, and the adjacent first conveyor track has at least a first distributor transition, the first divider transition between which the products can be moved between the common conveyor track and the first conveyor track by means of a first displacement member associated with the first divider transition, wherein at least the first displacement member is switchable for whether or not to move the products from the common conveyor track to the first conveyor track in order to be able to select two different routes for the products after the first displacement member, and wherein the distributor is further provided with a number of further transitions and associated displacement members for further distributing the products to the conveyor tracks, of which displacement members at least two are switchable and are arranged such that one switchable displacement member can distribute the products originating from one selected path over two adjacent conveyor tracks, while the other switchable displacement member can distribute the products originating from the other selected path two adjacent conveyor tracks.

Preferably, the first displacement member is switchable faster than the other switchable displacement members, because fast-shift displacers are significantly more expensive than slow-shift displacers when products from very high product flows, for example 30,000 products per hour, are to be moved sideways. By using the above-defined arrangement with one quick-shifting displacement member and at least two slowly-shiftable displacement members, one of the slow-shifting displacement members can be switched in the period of time in which the quick-shifting displacement member is in a position such that no slow-shifting displacement member is products flow.

The common conveyor track can pass into the conveyor track of the second conveyor beyond the first displacement member and possibly further displacement members in the direction of conveyance. As a result, no additional common conveyor track needs to be arranged next to the second conveyor.

The invention will be further elucidated hereinbelow with reference to drawings, which schematically show embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a schematic top view of a portion of an embodiment of the device according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is one with FIG. 1 is a corresponding view of a first alternative embodiment.

Fig. 3 is one with FIG. 1 is a corresponding view of a second alternative embodiment.

Fig. 4 is one with FIG. 1 is a similar view of a third alternative embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of a portion of an embodiment of the device according to the invention, the second conveyor functioning as a joining member.

Fig. 6a and 6b are schematic plan views of alternative embodiments of those of FIG. 5.

Fig. 7a-7d are schematic plan views of an embodiment of the device according to the invention, wherein the second conveyor functions as a divider, which is illustrated in four different situations.

Fig. 8a-8d with FIG. 7a-7d are similar views showing an alternative embodiment of the divider.

Fig. 9 is a schematic top view of an alternative embodiment of a distributor according to the invention.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a portion of a further alternative embodiment of the device according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a device 1 for transporting products according to the invention. The embodiment is provided with a first conveyor 2 and a second conveyor 3. Both conveyors 2, 3 have drivable conveyor tracks 4a-d and 5a-d for carrying and transporting the products thereon. In the embodiment shown, the first and the second conveyor 2, 3 are each provided with four parallel and adjoining conveyor tracks 4a-d and 5a-d. The conveyor tracks 4a-d, 5a-d are driven by drive means, such as electric motors 6, which for the first conveyor 2 in FIG. 1 are illustrated. The first conveyor 2 in this case has spiral conveyor belts 4a-d with a rectilinear run-out and the second conveyor 3 has rectilinear conveyor belts 5a-d. The conveyor tracks 4a-d, 5a-d can for instance be conveyor belts or slat belts.

Although the invention is not limited to a first conveyor 2 with a spiral shape, the spiral shape appears to be an advantageous embodiment because of the favorable ratio between the length of a conveyor track and the space occupied by it. This is certainly important with buffer devices, for which the present invention is therefore very suitable with the conveyor belts connected in parallel.

The conveyor tracks 4a-d and 5a-d of the first and second conveyor 2, 3 respectively form pairs of interacting conveyor tracks. For example, a first conveyor track 4a of the first conveyor 2 and a first conveyor track 5a of the second conveyor 3 interact with each other via a first transition 7a, which is also known as a parallel transition. This means that the parts of the pair of first conveyor tracks 4a, 5a adjacent to the first transition 7a are at least approximately parallel to each other and at least have approximately the same transport direction. In FIG. 1 a first control member in the form of a fixed guide 8a is shown near the first transition 7a between the pair of first conveyor tracks 4a, 5a, which conveys the products present on the first conveyor track 4a during the drive of the first conveyor tracks 4a and 5a to the first conveyor track 5a.

It has been found that such a parallel first transition 7a is advantageous for stably moving products from one conveyor track 4a to another 5a. In practice, the speed of the adjoining parts of the first conveyor tracks 4a and 5a at the location of the first transition 7a will often also be the same. In FIG. 1, arrows indicate the path taken by the products within device 1.

Because in practice there is a need for high transport capacities, the device 1 according to the invention is provided with a plurality of co-operating pairs of transport tracks 4a-d and 5a-d. In FIG. 1 this is illustrated, inter alia, with a second conveyor track 4b of the first conveyor 2, which cooperates with a second conveyor track (5b) of the second conveyor 3 via a second transition 7b and a second control member 8b. A special feature of the invention is that despite the use of the first and second parallel transitions 7a, 7b at least the first conveyor

2 has a parallel part in which at least the first and second conveyor tracks 4a-b run parallel to each other and their mutual distance in the transverse direction of the conveyor tracks 4a-b is smaller than the width of the first conveyor track 5a of the second conveyor 3 at the location of the first transition

7a. In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, all conveyor tracks 4a-d, 5a-d are of the same width and in the same manner as the first conveyor tracks 4a-b, 5a-b, but this is not necessary. The parallel part could then be defined as the part where the distance between the conveyor tracks 4a-d of the first conveyor 2 is smaller than the width of the narrowest conveyor track 5a-d of the second conveyor 3 at the transitions 7a-d.

Since the conveyor tracks 4a-d of the first conveyor 2 and the conveyor tracks 5a-d of the second conveyor 3 are in close proximity to the transitions 7a-d, the device 1 can be built compactly, which is not would be achieved if the parallel transitions 7 were simply placed next to each other.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the parallel part at the first conveyor 2 is, inter alia, formed by the spiral part, while the second conveyor 3 has only a rectilinear parallel part. In addition, the parallell part starts at least approximately directly on either side of the transitions 7a-7d at both conveyors 2, 3.

In the embodiment, the conveyor tracks 4a-d, 5a-d of the first and second conveyor 2, 3, respectively, are positioned relative to each other and are arranged in parallel such that the first and second transitions 7a, 7b are offset laterally in the conveying direction. Furthermore, the first conveyor track 5a of the second conveyor 3 is located at the location of the first transition 7a on the same side of the first conveyor track 4a of the first conveyor 2 as the second conveyor track 5b of the second conveyor 3 at the location of the second transition 7b. side of the second conveyor track 4b of the first conveyor 2. Such a positioning also applies to the other conveyor tracks, so that a stepped shape is created, as can be seen in Fig. 1. This arrangement can be achieved by providing the transitions 7a-d between two co-operating conveyor tracks 4a-d and 5a-d at the end portions of the conveyor tracks. As a result, there is, for example, space at the head end of the second conveyor track 4b of the first conveyor 2 to arrange the first conveyor track 5a of the second conveyor 3 in line with the second conveyor track 4b of the first conveyor 2.

It is noted that according to FIG. 1 the products are moved from the spiral first conveyor 2 in the direction of the rectilinear second conveyor 3. Of course, the reverse direction is also conceivable, the guides 8a-d having to be placed on the opposite sides of the transitions 7a-d. In that case, the conveyor tracks 4a-d, 5a-d move in the opposite direction indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1.

Fig. 2 shows a first alternative embodiment of the device 1, wherein the transitions 7a-c are located in the spiral part of the first and second conveyor 2, 3. Thus, the parallel portions of conveyor tracks 4a-c, 5a-c of the first and second conveyor 2, 3 adjacent to the transitions 7a-c are curved here. In this case, the first and second conveyors 2, 3 each have three parallel conveyor tracks 4a-c and 5a-c, respectively. Also in this embodiment, the transitions 7a-c are offset laterally in the direction of transport of the conveyor tracks 4a-c, 5a-c. Fig. 2 is a clear illustration of the compactness of the device 1 in the case of spiral conveyors 2, 3.

A second alternative embodiment of the device 1 according to the invention is schematically shown in fig. 3. In this case, the first conveyor 2 is partly formed by four parallel spiral conveyor tracks 4a-d. The parallel part of the first conveyor 2 is now spaced from the transitions 7a-d, because only at a distance from the transitions 7a-d is the mutual distance between two adjacent conveyor tracks 4a-d smaller than the width of the conveyor tracks 5a-d d of the second conveyor 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the conveyor tracks 4a-d of the first conveyor 2 run from the transitions 7a-d closer to each other in the direction of the parallel part. The second conveyor 3 comprises four parallel webs 5a-d.

In this embodiment, the transitions 7a-d are at least approximately aligned in the transverse direction of the conveyor tracks 4a-d, 5a-d at the location of the transitions 7a-d. In the second conveyor 3, the conveyor tracks 5a-d continue to run parallel from the transitions 7, so that the second conveyor 3 in this case does not have a parallel part, as defined above. It is of course conceivable that these strips Sari also converge in the direction seen from the transitions 7a-d in order to be able to build the second conveyor 3 also more compactly.

Fig. 4 shows a third alternative embodiment. In this case, the first conveyor 2 is spiral-shaped and the device 1 is composed of three units 9, 9 'and 9' 'each of two pairs of co-operating conveyor tracks 4a-b, 5a-b. Units 9, 9 ', 9' 'are in one part. of the spiral shape parallel to each other. The device 1 according to this embodiment is built up of three parallel-connected first conveyors 2, which together form a parallel conveyor, which partly has a spiral or helix shape. At the location of the first and second conveyor tracks 4a, 4b the units 9, 9 ', 9' 'run parallel to each other in a parallel part of the parallel conveyor. The distance between units 9, 9 ', 9' 'beyond the parallel section increases, as seen from the parallel section to the transitions 7a, 7b of units 9, 9', 9 ''. The conveyor tracks 4a, 4b of each unit 9, 9 ', 9' 'in the shown embodiment leave the parallel conveyor at different spaced locations, as seen in the longitudinal direction of the first and second conveyor tracks 4a, 4b of the first conveyors 2. It is possible that the conveyor tracks 4a, 4b of each unit 9, 9 ', 9' 'leave the spiral shape at a different level, as seen along a central axis of the spiral shape. However, it is also possible that a last part of the parallel conveyor near the transitions 7a, 7b of the units 9, 9 ', 9' 'extends for instance in a horizontal plane, so that the first and second conveyor tracks of the second conveyors 3 of the units 9, 9 ', 9' 'in different directions' fan out in a horizontal plane.

With reference to FIG. 4, the construction of one unit 9 will be explained. The unit 9 comprises two pairs of co-operating first and second conveyor tracks 4a, 5a and 4b, 5b, respectively. The first and second conveyor tracks 5a and 5b of the second conveyor 3 of the unit 9 are located on either side of the conveyor tracks 4a, 4b of the first conveyor 2. This means that products transported over the conveyor tracks 4a and 4b to conveyor tracks 5a and 5b are displaced in opposite directions at the location of the transitions 7a-b by means of the guides 8a and 8b.

Fig. 5 shows a spiral first conveyor 2 with rectilinearly extending conveyor tracks 4a-d and a rectilinear second conveyor 3. In this embodiment of the device 1, the second conveyor 3 functions as a joining member, the conveyor being transported from the first conveyor 2 to the second conveyor 3 products are merged into one common transport lane 10. In this embodiment, all conveyor tracks 5a-d of the second conveyor 2 are preferably driven by one electric motor 6 ', so that all conveyor tracks 5a-d have the same transport speed.

In this case, for example, the two adjacent first and second conveyor tracks 5a and 5b of the second conveyor 3 are provided with at least one transition 11b over which the products can be moved from the conveyor tracks 5b to the conveyor track 5a by means of a displacement member 12b. Such a transition 11b and associated displacement member 12b are also present at the other conveyor tracks 5b-5c and 5c-5d of the second conveyor 3 (for illustration, the transition member and associated control member '12d are indicated with reference numbers), so that all of the first conveyor 2 products from the conveyor track 5a of the second conveyor 3 are combined. From there the products are moved via a parallel transition to the common conveyor track 10. In FIG. 5 it can be seen that the displacement members or guides 12a-12d extend over all conveyor tracks 5a-d of the second conveyor 3. For the sake of clarity, reference numerals regarding displacement members 12a and 12c and transitions 11a and 11c have been omitted.

Fig. 6a and 6b show two embodiments of a spiral first conveyor 2, but now with three rectilinearly extending conveyor tracks 4a-c and a rectilinear second conveyor 3. In these embodiments of the device 1, the conveyor track 5a of the second conveyor 3 is a long conveyor track seen from the second conveyor 3 to the first conveyor 2, extends beyond the transition 7a. In this case, the conveyor track 5a functions as a bypass for the first conveyor 2, which is an advantage when the first conveyor 2 is used as a buffer. If buffering is not necessary at a certain point, the products do not have to follow an unnecessarily long route and they can follow the short route via bypass 5c. Optionally, the bypass 5c is driven separately, so that it can assume, for example, a different speed in the case of no buffering.

With reference to FIG. 6a and 6b, this configuration of the bypass is defined as follows. The first conveyor track 5a of the second conveyor 3, seen from the second conveyor 3 to the first conveyor 2, extends beyond the first transition 7a. Further, the first conveying path 5a has a first distal portion 13 spaced from the first transition 7a, while the first conveying path 4a of the first conveyor 2 has a second distal portion 14 spaced from the first transition 7a. The distance between the first transition 7a and the first distal section 13 is equal to the distance between the first transition 7a and the second distal section 14 when the distance is measured along a straight line, but the length of the first conveyor track 4a of the first conveyor 2 between the first transition 7a and the second distal portion 14 is longer than the length of the first conveyor track 5a of the second conveyor 3 between the first transition 7a and the first distal portion 13 . In other words, when a product from the second distal portion 14 follows the first conveying path 4a of the first conveyor 2, a longer path is traveled than in the case where the product from the first distal portion 13 follows the first conveying path 5a of the second conveyor. 3 until the first transition 7a follows.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as in the embodiment of FIG. 5 is moved over the conveyor tracks 5a-c via the transitions 11a-11c and by means of the respective associated displacing members 12a-12c. The displacement members 12a-12c are in this case also static guides which have a fixed position relative to the second conveyor 3, but which may be active per se, for instance by means of a driven belt or driven rollers.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 6a, the products are joined to conveyor 5a of the second conveyor 3, while in the embodiment of FIG. 6b the products are merged into. conveyor track 5c of the second conveyor 3 and from there via the parallel transition 11c to the common conveyor track 10. In FIG. 6a, it has been illustrated that the products are conveyed on the conveyor track 4b of the spiral first conveyor 2 via the transition 7b and the transition 11a, respectively, to the conveyor track 5a of the second conveyor 3, as indicated by arrows. In FIG. 6b, the products are moved via transition 7b to conveyor track 5b and again in the opposite direction via transition 11b to conveyor track 5a. From there, the products are transported via the parallel transition 11c to the common conveyor track 10.

Fig. 7a-7d show an embodiment of the device 1 with a partly spiral first conveyor 2 and a rectilinear second conveyor 3. In this embodiment of the device 1, the second conveyor 3 functions as a divider, the products passing over one common transport path 10 of the second conveyor 3 is fed in the direction of the first conveyor 2. In this case, the common conveyor track 10 changes into the conveyor track 5d of the second conveyor 3, so that the products are distributed over the conveyor tracks 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d and are transported to the first conveyor 2. Between the two adjacent conveyor tracks 5d and 5c there is a first distributor transition 11a over which the products can be moved between the conveyor tracks 5d and 5c by means of a first switchable displacement member 12a. When the switchable displacement member 12a is activated, as illustrated in FIG. 7a, the products present on conveyor track 10 can be conveyed via the first distributor transition 11a to the adjacent conveyor track 5c. On the conveyor track 5c, the products are moved via the transition 11b to the conveyor track 5b of the second conveyor 3 when the control member 12b is reached.

The adjacent conveyor track 5d and conveyor track 5c are further provided with a second distributor transition 11c over which the products can be moved between the conveyor track 5d and conveyor track 5c by means of a second switchable displacement member 12c. When the second switchable displacement member 12c is activated, as illustrated in FIG. 7b, the products present on the common conveyor track 10 before the second displacement member 12c are conveyed via the second distributor transition 11c to the adjacent conveyor track 5c. There the products meet the control member 8c, which guides the products via the transition 7c to conveyor track 4c.

Products that have reached the conveyor track 5b via the first distributor transition 11a can remain on conveyor track 5b by a third switchable displacement member 12d or be guided to conveyor track 5a. It will be clear that the number of conveyor tracks 4a-d, 5a-d, transitions 7ad, 11a-d and control and displacement members 8a-d, 12a-d can be further expanded.

In this case, the transport tracks 5a-d are driven by one electric motor 6, so that all transport tracks 5a-d have the same transport speed. The conveyor tracks 4a-d of the first conveyor 2 can be driven separately, because the products are only transported to one of the conveyor tracks 4a-d at a time by selection of the position of the switchable displacement members 12a, 12c,

12d. In this embodiment, the control members 8a-d and the displacement member 12b are static guides and the displacement members 12a, 12c, 12d are switchable guides. Incidentally, the guides 8, 12 may for themselves comprise movable rollers or belts.

In the example shown in FIG. 7a-7d, a combination of one fast-switchable guide 12a and two slow-switchable guides 12c, 12d is used. In FIG.

7a is the rapidly switchable guide. 12c are activated and the products are moved by means of the slowly switchable guide 12d via transition member to conveyor track 4a of the first conveyor 2. In the meantime, the slowly switchable guide 12c may change position to take the correct position before the fast switchable guide 12a changes position. In FIG. 7b, the rapidly switchable guide 12a is deactivated and the products follow the conveyor track 5d and are guided by the slow switchable guide 12c to the conveyor track 5c. There the products are subsequently moved via the transition 7c and by means of the control member 8c to the conveyor track 4c of the first conveyor 2. Meanwhile, the slowly switchable guide 12d is set in a different position, so that when the fast switchable guide 12a is activated, the products are moved via conveyor tracks 5d and 5c via transition 11b to conveyor track 4b, as illustrated in FIG. 7c. The advantage of using the slowly switchable guides 12c, 12d is that they are significantly cheaper compared to a fast switchable guide. This circuit of switchable guides 12a, 12c, 12d is particularly attractive for fast product flows.

Rapidly switchable guides are known in the art, such as multi-segment valves. Such valves are capable of changing, from a rapid product flow, only one randomly selected product from the flow direction of movement. For example, a fast product flow over a transport track is 30,000 products per hour.

Fig. 8a-8d show a partially spiral first conveyor 2 and a rectilinear second conveyor 3. In this embodiment of the device 1, the second conveyor 3 also functions as a divider, such as that of FIG. 7a-7d. In this case, three rapidly switchable guides 12a, 12c, 12d are provided. move the products from a common conveyor track 10, which in this case merges into the conveyor track 5a of the second conveyor 3, directly to the conveyor track 4a of the first conveyor 2 (with guide 12d) or indirectly to the conveyor tracks 4b and 4a via the conveyor tracks 5b and 5c (by means of guides 12c and 12a). Thus, in this case, the first transition 7a is associated with a switchable guide 12d instead of a transition with a static guide as in the above embodiments.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic top view of an alternative embodiment of a distributor according to the invention. In this embodiment, the distributor is provided with a common conveyor track 10 and three conveyor tracks 5a-c. The common conveyor track 10 and conveyor tracks 5a, 5b, 5c are drivable in the same conveying direction at the same speed. A first distributor transition 11a is present between the common conveyor track 10 and the adjacent conveyor track 5c. The products can be moved between the common conveyor track 10 and the conveyor track 5c over the first distributor transition 11a by means of a first switchable displacement member 12a associated with the first distributor transition 11a. The products can hereby be guided to or conveyed to the conveyor track 5c. At the end of the common conveyor track 10, a static guide 12e is present which guides the transmitted products via the transition 11e to the conveyor track 5c. The distributor is further provided with two transitions 11c, lid and associated switchable displacement members 12c, 12d. Thus, the products can be further distributed to the conveyor tracks 5a, 5b and 5c, as illustrated using arrows in Fig. 9. The switchable displacement members 12c and 12d thus distribute the products, which come from the conveyor track 5c or the common conveyor track 10, over two adjacent conveyor tracks 5a, 5b or 5b, 5c. Of course, many other configurations and extensions of conveyor tracks, transitions and switchable or non-switchable displacement members are conceivable.

Fig. 10 shows a further alternative embodiment of the device 1 according to the invention. In this case, the first conveyor 2 has a spiral shape and a first part of the second conveyor 3 is designed as a rectilinear conveyor. The first and second conveyor 2, 3 each have two conveyor tracks 4a-b, 5a-b. The conveyor tracks 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b can each have a separate drive. The first conveyor track 4a of the first conveyor 2 interacts with the first conveyor track 5a of the second conveyor 3 via the transition 7a; and the second conveyor track 4b of the first conveyor 2 interacts with the second conveyor track 5b of the second conveyor 3 via the transition 7b. 10 the first control member 8a is shown schematically. The parallel part is shown in FIG. 10 not shown. Optionally, the embodiment of FIG. 10 also conceivable without parallel part.

In this embodiment, the pairs of conveyor tracks 4a-b and 5a-b are located at the location of the transitions 8a, 8b above each other, so that the first and the second transition 7a, 7b also lie one above the other. This saves space in the lateral direction of the conveyor tracks 4a-b, 5a-b. In FIG. 10 further shown are return paths 4a 'and 4b' for the first conveyor track 4a and second conveyor track 4b, respectively, which are not parallel to the helical part of the first conveyor 2 and follow a relatively short path back to an initial part of the spiral shape.

At the first conveyor 2 according to FIG. 10, the conveyor tracks 4a, 4b are intertwined. Seen in the longitudinal direction along the central axis of the spiral shape, the first conveyor track 4a and second conveyor track 4b alternate in this so-called double twist spiral, see Fig. 10. In fact, a plurality of parallel conveyor belts located one above the other are wound together in a helix shape and the first conveyor 2 need not be limited to two conveyor belts 4a, 4b. It is optionally conceivable that each conveyor track 4a, 4b again has parallel parallel webs, which can optionally be driven independently of each other again.

From the foregoing it will be clear that with the device according to the invention a high transport capacity between two conveyors is achieved, whereby parallel transitions ensure a stable transition of the products between the conveyors, while the device can moreover be kept compact.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings and described above, which can be varied in various ways within the scope of the invention. For example, features of different embodiments can be combined. Furthermore, many variations are conceivable with regard to the positioning of the transitions between two adjacent parallel conveyor tracks of the second conveyor. Furthermore, an apparatus is conceivable in which not a single product stream is conveyed per web, but a mass product stream; if necessary, the mass of product flow is passed over several parallel tracks.

NL 10558-VH