Title: Machine and method for grouping products in stacks having a pre-set length
Abstract: A machine and a method for carrying out portioning of products in stacks having a pre-set length. One or more portioning stations are provided, in which there are present at least two elements for supporting the stack, the supporting elements being mobile in translation, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stack, between an initial position of separation of the stack from the respective row and a final position distant from the initial position at a distance greater than or equal to the pre-set length of the stack.
Patent Number: 6,971,839 Issued on 12/06/2005 to Cerutti, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Cerutti; Giuliano (Borgomanero, IT);
Menegaldo; Pierre (Borgosesia, IT);
Barberis Organista; Filippo (Trivero, IT)
|
| Assignee:
|
SPS Italiana Pack Systems SpA (Cressna, IT)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
274832 |
| Filed:
|
October 21, 2002 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Current U.S. Class: |
414/798.7; 414/790.6; 198/418.6; 198/418.7 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B65G 057/00 |
| Field of Search: |
414/7982,798.7,790.6
198/418.6,418.7
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 1402223 | Jan., 1922 | Fogde et al.
| |
| 4522294 | Jun., 1985 | Walz.
| |
| 4611705 | Sep., 1986 | Fluck.
| |
| 4708568 | Nov., 1987 | Odorici.
| |
| 4772003 | Sep., 1988 | Nobuta et al.
| |
| 4921398 | May., 1990 | Fluck.
| |
| 4993916 | Feb., 1991 | Dorner.
| |
| 5662454 | Sep., 1997 | Baufreton et al.
| |
| 6161830 | Dec., 2000 | Yap.
| |
| 6182814 | Feb., 2001 | Koehler.
| |
| 6834755 | Dec., 2004 | Jay.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 1281938 | Oct., 1968 | DE.
| |
| 1476915 | Apr., 1967 | FR.
| |
Other References
Copy of European Search Report in EP 01830665, SASIB Packaging System S.p.A.,
dated Mar. 28, 2002.
|
Primary Examiner: Dillon, Jr.; Joe
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione
Claims
1. A machine for portioning products in stacks of pre-set length, comprising
a feed conveyor which carries said products to a portioning unit provided with
one or more portioning stations, said products being set facing one another in
a substantially vertical position and resting with a side edge upon said feed conveyor
so as to form one or more continuous rows of products, each of said rows of products
being directed to a respective one of said one or more portioning stations, characterized
in that each of said portioning stations comprises at least two supporting elements
arranged to support opposite ends of an elongated, mobile stack of said products
in translation, parallel to the longitudinal axis of said stack, between an initial
position of separation of the stack from the respective row and a final position
distant from said initial position by a distance greater than or equal to the pre-set
length of said stack, said feed conveyor including at least one mobile part for
drawing along said products in rows towards said portioning unit, and at least
one fixed part, which forms an inclined ramp set between said mobile part and said
portioning unit for sliding said products into said portioning unit.
2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein each of said two supporting elements
for supporting the stack are arranged to operate in a mutually exclusive manner
for separating said stack from the respective row when said stack is in said initial position.
3. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said supporting elements are mobile
in rotation between a position of engagement with the products set at opposite
ends of said stack and a position of disengagement with the products at an end
of said stack.
4. A machine according to claim 1, wherein at least one first supporting element
and at least one second supporting element are provided in each portioning station,
and wherein the first supporting elements of said portioning stations are driven
in translation by a first electric motor controlled independently of a second electric
motor which drives in translation the second supporting elements of said portioning stations.
5. A machine according to claim 1, wherein means are provided for directing a
controlled flow of air under pressure towards said products in a position corresponding
to the area of passage of said products from said feed conveyor to each of said
portioning stations.
6. A machine according to claim 1, wherein means are provided for controlling
the driving of said feed conveyor in an intermittent way.
7. A machine according to claim 1, further comprising a resting surface on which
rests said stack, said feed conveyor being inclined with respect to the resting
surface to define an angled space between the stack and the respective row of products
from which the stack is separated and into which one of said at least two supporting
elements is inserted to give rise to the initial position of separation of the
stack from the respective row.
8. A machine according to claim 1, wherein stop elements are provided for arresting
the row in each of said portioning stations, said stop elements being mobile between
a position of engagement with the product at the end of said row and a position
of disengagement with the product at the end of said row.
9. A machine according to claim 8, wherein said stop elements in any portioning
station may be driven in translation in a way independent of the stop elements
in any other portioning station.
10. A machine according to claim 1, wherein each of said portioning stations
comprises bottom means on which there rests a side edge of the products of a stack
being formed, said bottom means being mobile between a position of support of said
stack being formed and a position of release of the stack of pre-set length towards
a discharging conveyor for discharging the completed stack.
11. A machine according to claim 10, further comprising means for controlling,
in a synchronized manner, at least driving of said supporting elements in translation
and in rotation, driving of said bottom means between said positions of support
and release of said stack, and driving of said feed conveyor in an intermittent manner.
12. A machine for portioning products in stacks of pre-set length, comprising
a feed conveyor which carries said products to a portioning unit provided with
one or more portioning station, said products being set facing one another in a
substantially vertical position and resting with a side edge upon said feed conveyor
so as to form one or more continuous rows of products, each of said rows of products
being directed to a respective one of said one or more portioning stations, characterized
in that each of said portioning stations comprises at least two supporting elements
arranged to support opposite ends of an elongated, mobile stack of said products
in translation, parallel to the longitudinal axis of said stack, between an initial
position of separation of the stack from the respective row and a final position
distant from said initial position by a distance greater than or equal to the pre-set
length of said stack, said feed conveyor including at least one mobile part for
drawing along said products in rows towards said portioning unit, and at least
one fixed part, which forms a ramp with a curvilinear resting surface set between
said mobile part and said portioning unit for sliding said products into said portioning unit.
13. A machine according to claim 1, wherein at least one first supporting element
and at least one second supporting element are provided in each portioning station,
and wherein the first supporting elements of said portioning stations are driven
in rotation by an electric motor controlled independently of a further electric
motor, which drives in rotation the second supporting elements of said portioning stations.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine for the volumetric portioning of products
in stacks, namely a machine which makes it possible to obtain stacks of pre-set
length of said products, designed to be subsequently enclosed in a wrapper along
a packaging line for packaging said products.
The invention finds, for example, application in plants for packaging foodstuff
products, such as biscuits or the like, in which the products coming from a preparation
station, for example an oven, are set facing one another in a substantially vertical
position and resting with one side edge on a feed conveyor, so as to form one or
more continuous rows of products. The products thus arranged, which are defined,
on account of their disposition, also as "edgewise" products, are then fed to a
portioning unit capable of forming stacks that all have a length, or volume, that
is substantially the same.
2. Discussion of Related Art
An example of a known machine for the portioning of biscuits is described in
the
U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,294. In this known machine, the biscuits are fed in rows from
a conveyor that is slightly inclined downwards. Each row bears upon a mobile resting
element, which is made to back off up to a pre-set position, into a position corresponding
to which there is presumed to be a stack of the desired length.
In front of the tray there are present mobile stop elements which are inserted
in the row when the mobile resting element has reached the end of its range, thus
carrying out separation between the row of products and the stack of pre-set length.
At this point, the feed conveyor is stopped, and the stack present on the tray
is released onto an underlying feed conveyor, while the resting element returns
to the start of the row for receiving again the row of products that will be made
to advance.
The above type of machine presents various drawbacks. In the first place, the
times involved in forming a stack are excessively long. In fact, for each stack
formed, the resting element must be brought back into position for enabling formation
of a new stack. Consequently, this known machine is far from suitable for being
used in high-output packaging lines.
Moreover, the separation of the stack from the row of products is practically
performed by "forcing" the stop elements between the product at the head of the
row and the product at the bottom of the stack. This system may also lead to damaging
of the products, and hence to obtaining possible packets of products that are far
from attractive from the commercial point of view, but also the debris deriving
from the damaging of the products, such as crumbs or cream filling, may interfere
with proper operation of the machine in general.
Of importance is that all the synchronised movements of the machine proposed
by
the cited US patent are prevalently obtained by means of mechanical connections,
and are hence intrinsically limited as regards the maximum operating speeds, which
moreover call for frequent adjustments on account of the wear of the mechanical-connection elements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general, an aspect of the present invention is to propose a machine and a
method
which will enable portioning of products in stacks having pre-set length to be
carried out in a particularly fast way.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a machine and a method
which will enable portioning of products to be carried out without damaging the
products themselves.
Yet a further aspect of the present invention is to provide a machine that is
particularly versatile for carrying out volumetric portioning of products.
The present invention relates to a machine for portioning products in stacks
having a pre-set length, of the type comprising a feed conveyor which carries the
products to a portioning unit provided with one or more portioning stations, the
products being set facing one another in a substantially vertical position and
resting with a side edge on the feed conveyor to form one or more continuous rows
of products, each of the rows of products being directed to a respective one of
the one or more portioning stations, characterised in that each of the portioning
stations comprises at least two elements for supporting the mobile stack in translation,
parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stack, between an initial position of
separation of the stack from the respective row and a final position distant from
the initial position by a distance greater than or equal to the pre-set length
of the stack. The continuous movement of the at least two supporting elements enables
portioning in stacks to be rendered extremely fast.
According to a particular aspect of the invention, each of the two supporting
elements for supporting the stack can be operated in a mutually exclusive way for
separating the stack from the respective row when it is in the initial position.
In practice, while one of the supporting elements follows, in translation, the
formation of a stack, bearing upon the product at the top of the stack, another
of the supporting elements returns into the position suitable for carrying out
the separation of the stack at the completion of its formation. Subsequently, it
will be this latter other element that bears upon the product at the top of the
new stack that is to be formed, whilst the other supporting element will return
to the envisaged position of separation.
The supporting elements are moreover mobile in rotation between a position of
engagement with the products set at the opposite ends of a stack and a position
of disengagement with the products set at the end of the stack.
In a preferential embodiment of the machine according to the present invention
there are provided at least one first supporting element and at least one second
supporting element in each portioning station. The first supporting elements of
all the portioning stations are driven in translation by a first electric motor,
which is controlled independently with respect to a second electric motor, which
drives in translation the second supporting elements of all the portioning stations.
In the same way, a third electric motor and a fourth electric motor, controlled
in a mutually independent way, operate in rotation the first supporting elements
and the second supporting elements, respectively, of all the portioning stations.
There are moreover provided stop elements for arresting the row in each of
the portioning stations. The stop elements are mobile between a position of engagement
with the product at the end of the row and a position of disengagement with the
product at the end of the row.
Advantageously, the stop elements in any portioning station may be
driven in translation independently with respect to the stop elements in any other
portioning station. This enables individual control of activation or de-activation
of the feed of products to one or more portioning stations, for example in the
case in which there may occur an irregular or insufficient presence of products
in a row, or anyway in every case in which it is necessary or desirable to prevent
the feed of products to one or more portioning stations of the machine.
According to an advantageous aspect of the present invention, the feed
conveyor is inclined with respect to the resting surface consisting of the bottom
means in each of the portioning stations. In particular, the angle formed between
the conveyor and the resting surface formed by the bottom means is greater than 180°.
This enables formation of an open angled space between the products, in a position
corresponding to the passage from the feed conveyor to each of the portioning stations.
In other words, the products which pass from the feed conveyor to each of the portioning
stations are opened "fanwise", so enabling insertion of a supporting element in
a space delimited by two successive products, without causing any damage to the
products themselves.
There may be advantageously provided means for directing a controlled flow
of air under pressure towards the products in a position corresponding to the area
of passage of the products from the feed conveyor to each of the portioning stations.
This enables facilitation of the fanwise opening of the products at the moment
of insertion of the supporting element, which will act as separator of the stack
from the row.
Even if the feed conveyor is driven in an intermittent way, as occurs in the
case of known machines, it is clear that the time of arrest of the conveyor is
limited to the time necessary for separating and discharging a stack that has been formed.
The invention moreover relates to a method for carrying out portioning of products
in stacks having a pre-set length, in which a feed conveyor carries the products
to a portioning unit provided with one or more portioning stations, the products
being set facing one another in a substantially vertical position and resting with
a side edge upon the feed conveyor so as to form one or more continuous rows of
products, each of the rows of products being directed to a respective one of the
one or more portioning stations, characterised in that the stack is formed by means
of two supporting elements that are mobile in translation, parallel to the longitudinal
axis of the stack, between an initial position of separation of the stack from
the respective row and a final position distant from the initial position for a
distance greater than or equal to the pre-set length of the stack.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge
more clearly from the ensuing description, intended purely by way of illustrative
and non-limiting example, with reference to the schematic drawings annexed hereto,
in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a machine for portioning products according
to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view from above of the machine of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3A-8A are schematic front views, taken from the inside of the machine,
which illustrate the various steps of formation of a stack in a portioning station;
FIGS. 3B-8B are schematic side views respectively corresponding to those of
FIGS. 3A-8A; and
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view of a detail of the machine according to
a possible embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic representations of a machine
10 according
to the present invention for carrying out portioning of products, such as biscuits
or the like, in stacks having a pre-set length.
The products are fed by means of a feed conveyor
20 to a portioning unit
30, in which one or more portioning stations
35 are provided. In
the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, there are visible seven portioning stations
35, but it may well be understood that the number of stations in each portioning
unit
30 can vary according to the particular production needs, without this
implying a departure from the scope of the present invention.
As is evident from the view of FIG. 1, the products present on the feed conveyor
20 are made to advance in the direction of the arrow A. On the feed conveyor
20, the products are set facing one another in a substantially vertical
position and resting with a side edge upon the conveyor itself so as to form continuous
rows
25. Each row
25 is guided towards a respective portioning station
35, in which there are formed stacks of pre-set length, namely portions
having substantially the same volume of products.
In each portioning station
35, there are provided at least one first supporting
element
32 and at least one second supporting element
33 (FIG. 2).
The first supporting elements
32 of all the portioning stations
35
are driven in translation by a first electric motor
62 (FIG. 1) which transmits
motion to a gear/rack combination by means of a belt
72.
A second electric motor
63, controlled independently of the electric motor
62, in turn imparts motion of translation to the second supporting elements
33.
n the same way, the driving in rotation of the supporting elements
32
is
controlled independently of the driving in rotation of the supporting elements
33 in all the portioning stations
35. Of the two distinct electric
motors which control movement of rotation, only one is represented and is designated
by the reference number
82 in FIG. 1. Also in this case, the movement of
rotation is transmitted by a belt
92.
The steps of formation of the stacks of products in a portioning station
35
are illustrated schematically in FIGS. 3A-8A and in FIGS. 3B-8B.
The front view of FIG. 3A and the side view of FIG. 3B illustrate a portioning
station
35, in which there is already present a completed stack of products
40. The stack
40 rests on a pair of mobile bottom elements
31
and is supported laterally by the supporting elements
32 and
33.
In this phase, the supporting element
32 is in a position of engagement
with the product at the top of the stack
40, whilst the supporting element
33 has been carried into a position of engagement with the product at the
bottom of the stack
40, i.e. it has been inserted by means of rotation of
the latter between the product at the head of the row
25 and the product
which is at the bottom of the stack
40.
It should be emphasised that the surface of the feed conveyor
20, on which
the rows of products
25 rest, is inclined with respect to the surface formed
by the mobile bottom means
31 at an angle α greater than 180°
(FIG. 1). This enables "fanwise" opening of the products in a position corresponding
to the passage from the feed conveyor
20 to the portioning station
35,
and hence the creation of an open angled space between the products. In said space
there may be conveniently inserted the supporting element
33, which acts
in this case as separator element between the stack
40 and the row
25,
without damaging the products.
A jet of air under pressure, represented schematically by the arrow P in FIG.
3B,
may be advantageously provided in a position corresponding to the passage between
the conveyor
20 and the portioning station
35 for favouring the fanwise
opening of the products.
In the step represented in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the stack
40 is thus already
separated from the row
25, with the latter withheld by stop elements
34
to enable the subsequent step of discharge of the stack
40 already formed.
Also the stop elements
34 are inserted between the products opened fanwise,
without causing damage to the products themselves, and the product which is at
the head of the row
25 bears upon the stop elements
34.
The stop elements
34 in any one portioning station
35 may preferably
be actuated independently of the stop elements in any one of the other portioning
stations. In this case, activation of the stop elements
34 may be controlled
by means of distinct pneumatic actuators or else by means of electric motors that
are separate from one another and controlled independently.
A discharging conveyor
50, represented schematically also in FIGS. 1 and
2, is set underneath the portioning stations
35 and moves in a continuous
way in the direction of the arrow E in FIG. 3A. The stacks of products discharged
are separated, for example, by transverse rods
51 and rest on a surface
52.
FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a preparatory step of discharge of the stack
40.
In this step, the supporting elements
32 and
33 act in translation
for carrying the stack
40 into the right position of discharge above the
discharging conveyor
50. The row
25 of the products fed to the portioning
station
35 is still bearing upon the stop elements
34. In this step,
also the feed conveyor
20 is stopped, waiting for the stack
40 to
be discharged from the portioning station.
The step of discharge of the stack
40 is illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B.
In particular, the view of FIG. 5A shows the bottom means
31 which are moved
away from one another to enable release of the stack
40 onto the surface
52 between two transverse rods
51 of the discharging conveyor
50.
The supporting element
32 is then rotated into a position of disengagement
from the products.
The simultaneous movement of the bottom means
31 in all the portioning
stations
35 may be controlled by one or more pneumatic actuators or else
by one or more electric motors.
Once the stack that is formed
40 has been deposited on the conveyor
50,
the formation of a new stack can start. The start of this step is illustrated in
FIGS. 6A and 6B, where the bottom means
31 are brought back into the appropriate
position for supporting the new stack which will be formed in the portioning station
35. Simultaneously, the stop elements
34 are removed from the position
of engagement with the products, and the feed conveyor
20 will again be
started up for carrying the products that are at the head of the row
25
into the portioning station
35. In this way, the first product at the head
of the row
25 will come to bear upon the supporting element
33, whilst
the supporting element
32 starts its return travel in translation towards
the initial position, into which it will move to separate the new stack being formed.
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an intermediate step in the formation of a new stack
40′, whilst the stack already formed
40 is carried away by
the discharging conveyor
50. The supporting element
33 is translating
towards the bottom of the portioning station
35 to support the products
of the new stack
40′, whilst the feed conveyor
20 pushes the
products towards the inside of the station itself. The supporting element
32
has instead almost completed its travel in translation towards the input of the
portioning station
35.
Upon completion of the new stack
40′, as illustrated in FIGS.
8A and 8B, the supporting element
32 has already reached the initial position
and is waiting for the separation of the new stack
40′ from the row
25 to be carried out. At this point, the movement of the feed conveyor
20
will be interrupted, and the element
32 will be driven in rotation to be
carried from the position of disengagement with respect to the products, namely
the position illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B, up to the position of engagement with
the products, namely the same position occupied by the other supporting element
33 in FIGS. 3A and 3B.
Also in this step a jet of air under pressure (arrow P) may be provided, which
favours the fanwise opening of the products in a position corresponding to the
passage from the feed conveyor
20 to the portioning station
35.
From this position onwards, the cycle resumes again as represented in FIGS.
3A and 3B, but with the supporting elements
32 and
33 which act in
reversed positions. Each of the supporting elements
32 and
33 is
hence utilised in each cycle as element of separation between row and stack in
a mutually exclusive way.
All the movements are synchronised by programmable control means, for example
microprocessors, PLCs or the like, which guarantee driving in translation and in
rotation of the supporting elements
32 and
33, driving of the bottom
means between the positions of support and release of the stack, and intermittent
operation of the feed conveyor
20.
Other embodiments may be envisaged without departing from the scope of the
present invention. For instance, the feed conveyor
20 may be constituted
by a single mobile part, which draws the products in rows towards the portioning
unit
30.
Alternatively, the feed conveyor
20 may be constituted by at
least one mobile part, which draws the products in rows towards the portioning
unit
30, and by at least one fixed part, set between the mobile part and
the portioning unit
30, which forms an inclined ramp for sliding the products
up to the portioning unit.
A possible embodiment of a fixed ramp
120 set between the conveyor
20
and a portioning station
35 is illustrated in FIG. 9. The ramp
120
comprises a curved surface, which presents a slightly concave initial section and
a slightly convex final section. As may be noted, the products which are found
at the head of the row
25 open in a particularly favourable way for enabling
insertion of the supporting element
32 in the separation step. In this case,
by appropriately regulating the cycle of advance and arrest of the conveyor
20,
the products of the row
25 which are found on the section with convex curvature,
in the absence of thrust by the conveyor
20, are brought into a condition
where they are inclined backwards, so opening fanwise and favouring the subsequent
insertion of a supporting element
32 (or
33). Thanks to this solution,
it is also possible to avoid the use of the stop elements
34 (FIGS. 3A-8A
and
3B-
8B), thus reducing the moving parts of the machine.
*
