APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TRANSPORTING PRODUCTS

Abstract

A transporter apparatus for products includes a first conveyor, provided with seats for receiving said products and provided to move said products in a first advance direction, a compaction unit, positioned downstream of the first conveyor and a second conveyor positioned downstream of said compaction unit.

The compacting unit includes a support surface on which the products coming from the first conveyor are deposited, and a movement member provided to move the products placed on the support surface towards each other in a second advance direction, so as to form compact columns of products substantially parallel to the second advance direction.

Claims

1. A transporter apparatus (1), for transporting products (2), comprising: a first conveyor (5), comprising a plurality of seats (6) thereon, which are suitable for receiving said products and which is provided to move said products in a first advance direction (F), a compaction unit (10) which is positioned downstream of said first conveyor (5) and comprising: i. a support surface (11) which is provided to receive said products (2) from said first conveyor (5), ii. a movement member (12) which is associated with said support surface (11) and which is provided to move the products which are supported on said support surface (11) towards each other in a second advance direction (X), thereby forming compact columns (C) of products (2) which are substantially parallel with said second advance direction (X), a second conveyor (16) which is positioned downstream of said compaction unit (10) and which is provided to receive said compact columns (C) of products and to move said compact columns (C) of products in a third movement direction (Z).

2. The transporter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said movement member (12) is configured to move said support surface (11) between a first operating position, in which said support surface (11) is substantially horizontal, and a second operating position, in which said support surface (11) is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane.

3. The transporter apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in said second operating position, said support surface (11) is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane through an angle greater than 30?.

4. The transporter apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said support surface (11) is moved between said first position and said second position by being pivoted about a rotation axis (Y) which is defined in a region of a discharge end (13) of said support surface (11).

5. The transporter apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said second advance direction (X) is substantially parallel to a maximum inclination direction of said support surface (11) when said support surface (11) is inclined in said second operating position.

6. The transporter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in said first conveyor (5) each of said seats (6) is provided to receive one of said products (2).

7. The transporter apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a gripping device (7) provided to take said products (2) from said first conveyor (5) and to deposit them on said support surface (11).

8. The transporter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of channels (15) are formed on said support surface (11), each of which is formed to receive a single column (C; C) of said products (2).

9. The transporter apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said channels (15) extend as far as said discharge end (13).

10. The transporter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second conveyor (16) comprises a plurality of guides, each one arranged to receive one of said compact columns (C) of products (2).

11. The transporter apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said plurality of guides supply a packing device (17) for said products (2).

12. A method for transporting products (2) in a production apparatus (101) and/or packaging apparatus (102) for said products, the method comprising: arranging said products (2) inside seats (6) which are arranged on a first conveyor (5) and moving said products in a first advance direction (F) of said first conveyor (5), transferring a plurality of said products (2) from said seats (6) and depositing the plurality of said products (2) on a support surface (11) which is substantially horizontal, arranging said plurality of products (2) on said support surface (11) in columns (C) which are substantially parallel with a second advance direction (X) which is defined on said support surface (11), applying a force to said products (2) so as to move them on the support surface (11) towards each other in said second advance direction (X) so as to form a plurality of compact columns (C) of products, and receiving said compact columns (C) of products and moving said compact columns (C) in a third advance direction (Z).

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said products (2) are moved on said support surface (11) in said second advance direction (X) by inclining said support surface (11) towards a discharge end (13) of said support surface (11).

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said support surface (11) is inclined by rotating said support surface (11) about a rotation axis (Y) which is substantially perpendicular to said second advance direction (X).

15. An installation (100) for producing and/or packaging products (2), comprising a transporter apparatus (1) according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0086] The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, shown by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:

[0087] FIG. 1 is a side perspective schematic view of a plant for producing and packaging products in boxes, comprising a transporter apparatus made according to the present invention;

[0088] FIGS. 2 to 5 are side perspective schematic and partial views of the production and packaging installation of FIG. 1 with the transporter apparatus in subsequent operating configurations,

[0089] FIG. 6 is a schematic frontal elevation and enlarged scale view of a product obtained in the production and packaging installation of FIG. 1,

[0090] FIGS. 7 and 8 are side perspective and enlarged scale views of a portion of the transporter apparatus of FIG. 1, in different operating positions respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0091] With reference to the enclosed figures, 1 globally refers to a transporter apparatus of products 2, made according to the present invention.

[0092] The transporter apparatus 1 is preferably inserted within a production and packaging installation 100 comprising a production apparatus 101, configured for producing products 2, and a packaging apparatus 102, arranged for packaging the products 2 in boxes 3.

[0093] In particular, the transporter apparatus 1 is substantially interposed between the production apparatus 101 and the packaging apparatus 102.

[0094] In the embodiment described herein, the installation 100 is arranged for the production and packaging of coffee capsules, which thus constitute the products 2 and will be hereinafter referred to by that numerical reference.

[0095] Referring in particular to FIG. 6, the capsules 2 are substantially identical to each other and comprise a semi-rigid container, e.g. made of plastic material, suitable for containing coffee powder. In this embodiment, the container has a truncated-conical form with a support base 2a from which a side wall 2b is erected which is flared towards an upper opening, which, in turn, is perimetrically delimited by a protruding edge 2c and is closed by a membrane coupled to such edge. The membrane and protruding edge 2c define a head 2d of the capsule 2, which is axially opposed and substantially parallel to the support base 2a.

[0096] Obviously, the capsules 2 may be made from different materials and in different forms, depending on their specific use.

[0097] The transporter apparatus 1, in its main components, comprises a first conveyor 5, arranged to move the capsules 2 in a first advance direction F, a compaction unit 10 and a second conveyor 16.

[0098] The first conveyor 5 runs through the production apparatus 101 and moves the capsules 2 between its various workstations, which for example comprise a filling station, in which the capsules 2 are filled with coffee powder, and a closing station, in which the capsules 2, containing the coffee powder, are closed with a membrane coupled, for example by welding, at the respective protruding edge. These workstations are conventional in themselves and are therefore not represented in detail in the enclosed figures.

[0099] In particular, the first conveyor 5 is of the multi-track type and comprises a plurality of seats 6 arranged in subsequent rows substantially perpendicular to the first advance direction F, where each seat is formed to receive a single capsule 2.

[0100] In the end region of the first conveyor 5, the capsules 2 are ready to be transferred to the packaging apparatus 102 to be duly packed.

[0101] The latter, in its main components, comprises a box forming and filling unit 20 and a transporter 30 that transports the filled and packaged boxes towards possible subsequent stations responsible for their final packaging before being dispatched.

[0102] The transporter apparatus 1 further comprises a pick-up device 7, arranged to take the capsules 2 from the first conveyor 5 and deposit them on the compaction unit 10.

[0103] In particular, the pick-up device 7 comprises a gripping head 8 on which a plurality of gripping elements 8a is mounted, for example of the suction cup type, which are arranged to engage and hold, by coupling, the individual capsules 2 transported by the conveyor 5 at the respective heads 2d.

[0104] The gripping head 8 is mounted at the end of an arm 9 and is able to move vertically and horizontally as well as to rotate about its longitudinal axis.

[0105] The compaction unit 10 comprises a plate 14, on which a preferably planar support surface 11 is defined, which is arranged to receive the capsules 2 deposited by the pick-up device 7, as well as a movement member 12, arranged to move the capsules 2 resting on the support surface 11 towards each other in a second advance direction X towards a discharge end 13 of the support surface 11.

[0106] Advantageously, channels 15 are obtained on the plate 14, which are substantially parallel to the second advance direction X and equally spaced apart from each other, within which the capsules 2 are received and guided in their movement towards the discharge end 13. Each channel 15 extends to the discharge end 13 and is formed to receive a single row of capsules 2 able to slide therein.

[0107] The second advance direction X is substantially defined by the channels 15 which is substantially rectilinear and parallel to the support surface 11.

[0108] The movement member 12 is configured to make the plate 14 pivot about a rotation axis Y defined at the discharge end 13 between a first operating position, in which the support surface 11 is substantially horizontal (see FIG. 7), and a second operating position, in which the support surface 11 is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane through a predefined angle, which may be for example about 90?, as represented in FIG. 5.

[0109] Obviously, the inclination angle of the support surface 11 in the second operating position will be defined in the most appropriate manner, depending on the characteristics of the product 2 and the apparatus 1, provided that it makes the products 2 slide towards each other in the support surface 11 towards the discharge end 13. For example, the inclination angle of the support surface 11 in the second operating position may be lower than 90?, e.g. 70?.

[0110] The rotation axis Y is substantially perpendicular to the second advance direction X, so that the latter is substantially parallel to a direction of maximum slope of the support surface 11 when it is pivoted in the second operating position.

[0111] In alternative embodiments, the movement device 12 may be of another type suitable for moving the capsules 2 in the second advance direction X, such as belt or air-jet transporters.

[0112] The second conveyor 16 is positioned immediately downstream of the plate 14, so as to receive the capsules 2 coming from the discharge end 13.

[0113] The second conveyor 16 may be of any type suitable for transporting the capsules 2 in a third advance direction Z, which may or may not be distinct from the second advance direction X.

[0114] In the embodiment herein described, the second conveyor 16 comprises a plurality of guides (not shown in the figures) that are formed to appropriately position and orient the individual columns of capsules 2 coming from the channels 15 of the plate 14.

[0115] The guides of the second conveyor 16 are inclined downwards so that the capsules 2 may slide therein by gravity.

[0116] Downstream of the second conveyor 16, there is provided a packing device 17 which receives the capsules 2 and deposits them, in a predefined ordered configuration, inside the boxes 3.

[0117] The packing device 17 comprises a plurality of gripping devices 18, radially placed on a carousel 19 rotatable about a horizontal rotation axis.

[0118] For this purpose, each gripping device 18 may comprise a pair of grippers intended to laterally engage the row of capsules 2 being discharged from the second conveyor 16, at the protruding edges 2c. Each gripping device 18 is also advantageously provided with a radial movement, thus making it easier to either properly receive the capsules 2 being discharged from the second conveyor 16 and deposit them into the box 3.

[0119] The box forming and filling unit 20 comprises a carousel 21, having a horizontal rotation axis, provided with a plurality of equipment 22, radially extended from the carousel 21 and arranged to form, in cooperation with one or more members external to the carousel 21, a box 3 from a cardboard sheet 3a, suitably shaped and creased (called blank) supplied individually to an equipment 22 by a feeder 23.

[0120] Such operation of forming the box 3, providing for example folding subsequently the blank and gluing together respective panels at predefined points, is in itself well-known in the packaging machine sector and will therefore not be explained in further detail.

[0121] The carousel 21 is synchronously associated with the carousel 19 of the packing device 17, such that each row of capsules 2 taken from a gripping device 18 is deposited into a box 3, formed but not yet closed, brought at the gripping device 18 by a respective equipment 22 of the carousel 21.

[0122] The box forming and filling unit 20 also comprises a box closing station (not shown) which provides to close the box 3 after the capsules 2 have been inserted.

[0123] The production and packaging installation 100, with particular reference to its transporter apparatus 1, operates according to the following modes.

[0124] The empty capsules 2 are positioned in the seats 6 of the first conveyor 5, which provides to move them between the different workstations of the production apparatus 101 in the first advance direction F. In this way, the capsules 2 are first filled with coffee powder and then closed with a special membrane.

[0125] The seats 6 are arranged so as to form on the first conveyor 5 a plurality of rows which are substantially perpendicular to the first advance direction F. However, during the production step, one or more capsules 2 may not be present within the respective seat 6, or one or more capsules 2 may not comply with the production specifications such that they have been discarded or must be discarded at the end of the production step. In the latter case, for example, the capsules 2 to be discarded are not taken by the gripping head 8 and are dropped into a waste collection basket 5a appropriately provided at the end of the first conveyor 5.

[0126] These events may be due to many reasons, such as a jamming in the supply of empty capsules, or a malfunction of one or more of the devices for filling or closing the capsules 2.

[0127] In such cases, gaps A are formed on the first conveyor 5, i.e., seats 6 that are empty or occupied by non-compliant capsules 2 and therefore cannot be transported to the packaging apparatus 102.

[0128] At the end of this production step, the capsules 2, still carried by the first conveyor 5, are taken from the pick-up device 7 by the gripping head 8 (FIG. 1).

[0129] The latter is then raised by the arm 9 until it is at the height of the supply station 11 (FIG. 2), rotated by 90? so as to align the gripping elements 8a with the channels 15 (FIG. 3), moved over the plate 14 and finally lowered to deposit the capsules 2 inside the channels 15 of the plate 14 (FIG. 4). The capsules 2 deposited inside the channels 15 define respective columns C of capsules 2, substantially parallel to the second advance direction X.

[0130] In order to properly receive the capsules 2 deposited by the pick-up device 7, the plate 14 is maintained in the first operating position so that the support surface 11 is substantially horizontal (FIGS. 1-4 and FIG. 7).

[0131] It will be noted that in this step of transferring the capsules 2 from the first conveyor 5 to the plate 14, the gripping elements 8a intended to take a capsule 2 at a gap A remain empty, without the respective capsules 2.

[0132] In this way, the possible gaps A present on the first conveyor 5 are substantially carried over to the plate 14 (FIG. 7), so that within the channels 15 the columns C of the capsules 2 may not be compact.

[0133] The plate 14 is then moved to the second operating position by rotating it about the rotation axis Y (FIG. 5). During this rotation, well exemplified in FIG. 8 by the arrow R, the plate 14 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane causing the capsules 2 to slide in the second advance direction X defined by the channels 15 in which they are located.

[0134] In particular, each capsule 2 slides towards the discharge end 13 in the respective channel 15, until it comes to rest against a capsule 2 preceding it within the same column, so as to form a compact column C, free from gaps A.

[0135] The gaps A are then moved to the rear of their respective columns C, so that the length of each compact column C also depends on the number of gaps A present in the starting column C.

[0136] Such smaller column length, however, may possibly be recovered from the capsules 2 brought to the plate 14 by the pick-up device 7 in the following working cycle.

[0137] The capsules 2 arrived at the discharge end 13 are then received by the second conveyor 16 which moves them in the third advance direction Z up to the packing device 17, where, each row of capsules 2 exiting the second conveyor 16 is taken by one of the gripping devices 18 and brought by the carousel 19 to a box 3, formed and opened, held by an equipment 22 of the carousel 21, within which it is deposited.

[0138] The box 3, containing the capsules arranged in the desired configuration, is then closed at the following box closing station and deposited on the transporter 30, which provides to bring it to the following stations.

[0139] It will therefore be noted that the rows of capsules 2 arriving at the packing device 17 from the second conveyor 16 are free from gaps A, so that the boxes 3 can be properly filled.

[0140] Thanks to the compaction unit 10, the transporter apparatus 1 therefore allows to obviate (at least to a limited extent) possible drawbacks that may occur during the production step of the capsules 2 and that may cause undesired gaps in the ordered configuration leaving the production apparatus 101.

[0141] Obviously, a person skilled in the art may, in order to meet specific and contingent application requirements, make further modifications and variants, all falling within the scope of protection as defined by the following claims.