ENERGY FREE LOADER

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to case loader for containers according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Various methods and apparatus for loading articles in cases are known in the prior art. One type of apparatus assembles the articles in parallel rows of the length of the case by moving the required number of articles sideways off the article conveyor. When the power number of columns is assembled, the entire caseload is dropped or lowered into the case.

[0003] Another method and apparatus is to load the case row by row. The loading apparatus picks up a row of the required length and puts it in the case and then returns to pick up the next row of the same length, placing it in the case beside the first row.

[0004] A third type of apparatus separates the articles into parallel columns as they are conveyed to the loading station. The articles at the lead position of each column are dropped into the case row by row. A variation of this is when the articles are round cans. They may be all slid into the case at the same time, the loading apparatus releasing an entire case load at once to roll into the case.

[0005] US-A-4,124,967 discloses a conveyor system to package flexible plastic bags in a cardboard box. It appears to reorient the bags and drop them all at once from a hopper above the carton.

[0006] The US-A-3,512,336 also discloses a conveyor system to package flexible plastic bags in a cardboard box. The system has a sorting conveyor which puts successive bags on four different parallel slow conveyors. The system has four intermitting fast conveyors which put the bags on chutes going into a hopper above the container. The trap door releases these into the cardboard box.

[0007] It is an object of this invention to eliminate the elaborate machinery required to assemble a caseload of articles and lower it into the case and similarly to eliminate hydraulic and electric motors required to move and reorient the various articles while putting them in the case so that a practically energy free loader will be obtained.

[0008] This object of the invention is being solved by the characterizing features of claim 1.

[0009] The energy free loader according to the invention is for example fed with bottles by a bottle conveyor. The bottles in the loader rest on a hinged ledge. When the number of bottles required to fill the carton is present in the loader, a first sensor is activitated. The cases are conveyed to the loader below and beside the position of the bottles. The cases are tipped up and, when in place, they activate a second sensor. When both sensors are activated, the bottles drop and fall into a chute directing the bottles from the loading station and into the cases. The chutes reorient the bottles from a single line into the rows and columns required to fill the cases. The loader may fill one case entirely in one cycle, two cases half full on each cycle, or several cases partially full on each cycle. When the bottles have dropped, the ledge is reset to receive the next group of bottles. The force of the bottles tips the case back onto the conveyor and it is carried away.

[0010] The present invention is characterized by a very simple structure which can be worked at minimum energy. Claim 2 refers to a preferred embodiment of this invention.

[0011] The invention will be better understood when consideration is given to the following detailed description of two embodiments thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the energy free loader with bottles on the ledge and cases in place ready to receive them;

Fig. 2 is a selection on lines 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking toward the boxes;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the energy free loader showing the bottles in solid lines on the ledge and in dashed line about to enter the cases;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on lines 4-4 of Fig. 3 showing the untripped position in solid line and the tripped position in dashed lines;

Fig. 4A is an enlarged view of the roller and roller support shown in Fig. 4;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 show the bottle and pivoted ledge in the support, partially tripped, and fully tripped position;

Fig. 8 is a front view of the energy free loader showing the boxes being tilted;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an alternate form of the energy free loader.

[0012] The energy free loader comprises several principal systems. These are the bottle support system 20, the bottle guide system 30, the bottle sensor system 40, the case sensor system 50, and the case conveying system 60. All of these systems are attached to the main frame 70.

[0013] The bottle support system 20 is an extension of a conventional bottle conveyor such as a belt conveyor with end tray 21. The system includes a ledge 22 which extends from the belt conveyor for the length of four bottles in the system as shown. The ledge 22 has a vertical and horizontal plate and fits under and around one edge of the bottle. The bottles are urged onto the ledge 22 by the following bottles on the conveyor system. Each bottle is held upright in the bottle support system by plate 23 acting on the opposite side of the top of the bottle holding it in an upright position. Ledge 22 is attached to pivot 24 and counterbalanced by weight 25 holding the ledge in the horizontal position when fewer than four bottles are on the ledge. Attached to ledge 22 is roller 26, whose function is explained below.

[0014] Beneath the bottle support system is the bottle guide system 30. This includes an upper chute 31 for two bottles and a lower chute 32, also for two bottles. The upper chute begins below the right hand two bottles in Fig. 1 and ends in a position to make those two bottles the upper course in the right case as shown in Fig. 1. The lower chute begins below the left hand two bottles and ends in a position to make the lower course in the left case in Fig. 1. Behind the ledge and extending across the loader is bottle guide 33. Above the lower chute is flexible deflector 34. Not shown are suitable side guides which will prevent lateral or rotational movement of the bottles as they move down the chutes.

[0015] Bottle sensor system 40 detects when there are four bottles in the bottle support system 20. All of the bottles are urged along the ledge 22 by the following bottles on the bottle conveyor system. If, for some reason, there are missing bottles, it will take longer for the four bottles to be in place. When the four bottles are in place, the lead bottle presses on bottle stop 42 attached to lever arm 41 which is pivoted at 47. Below the lever arm 41 is roller support 43 on which rides roller 26. Depending below the roller support 43 is roller stop 44. Below the roller stop is horizontal lever arm 45 on which is attached case lever hook 46. Not shown is a stop which limits the movement of lever arm 41.

[0016] The case conveying system 60 includes a conventional conveyor chain. On the side of the conveyor away from the loader is inclined bar 62 which rises from beneath the conveyor and one side of the case to an elevation to tip the case towards the bottle support system. On the other side of the conveyor are side supports 63, 64, and 65 which hold the cases in the tipped position. The cases are prevented from moving further in the tipped position by case sensor system 50 and the end frame 66.

[0017] Case sensor system 50 contains case lever 51 which is pivoted at 52. The case lever arm 51 includes finger 53 which cooperates with the case lever hook 46. The case lever 51 is pivoted by the leading case being pushed into the final case loading position by following cases on the conveyor system. The case contacts case arm 54 which is also connected to pivot 52. The case arm 54 is prevented from further movement by end frame 66.

[0018] The bottles are continuously conveyed by the bottle conveyor across tray 21 to the bottle support system 20. The following bottles urge the four leading bottles to slide across ledge 22 and plate 23 until the lead bottle strikes bottle stop 42.

[0019] If a case is not in position to be loaded the case lever finger 53 prevents the lever arm 41 from moving and the four bottles remain on ledge 22, which is held in the horizontal position by roller 26 resting on roller support 43.

[0020] The cases are pushed along the case conveyor by the following cases. When the leading case strikes the inclined bar 52 it will tilt and rise above the conveyor, thus losing contact with the conveyor. It rests on inclined bar 62 and side supports 63 and 64 and is pushed forward by the following cases. As the case approaches the case loading position it has tilted beyond top dead center and is then supported entirely by side supports 65 along the side and not bar 62. The inclined bar 62 does not extend to the final case loading position. The lead case strikes case arm 54 pushing it against end frame 66. The case need only move the case arm enough to allow finger 53 to disengage from case lever hook 46, thus allowing lever arm 41 to pivot freely.

[0021] When lever arm 41 pivots, the roller 26 falls off of roller support 43 thus pivoting ledge 22 to a vertical position and releasing the bottles. Each of the four bottles falls against bottle guide 33 and then into the chutes 31 and 32. The two bottles above the lower chute 32 first strike flexible deflector 34 which serves to guide them and to limit their velocity to guard against denting the bottles.

[0022] The two bottles which go through the lower chute to the trailing case form the lower course in that case. The two bottles which go through the leading case form the upper course in that case. Those two bottles have sufficient momentum to tilt the case, or pivot it around support bars 63 and 64 back onto the conveyor chain which removes the case from the loader.

[0023] Immediately after the bottles fall from the bottle support system the lever arm 41 will be biased back to its original position by the weight of lever arm 45. It is prevented from returning to that position because roller 26 is riding on roller stop 44. When the bottles have fallen below ledge 22, weight 25 will bias the ledge back to the horizontal position, thus bringing roller 26 back up above roller support 43 and allowing the feed-in lever to return to its original position.

[0024] A second embodiment is shown in Fig. 9. The only difference is in the bottle guide system 30. This comprises four chutes or slides 35, 36, 37, and 38. The inner chutes, 36 and 37, are indentical in design and guide those two bottles down and to one side when they are released by the support system. Outer chutes 35 and 38 are mirror images of each other, guiding the outer two bottles in an S-shaped route down and to one side and on top of the bottles in chutes 36 and 37. The two central bottles in chutes 36 and 37 fall directly into the lower position in the case. Because the chutes are shorter than chutes 35 and 38, those two bottles arrive into the case slightly ahead of the other two bottles which follow the S-shaped chutes 35 and 38 and become the top level in the case.

[0025] In this embodiment one case is entirely loaded in one cycle.

[0026] The loader could equally load a 3 x 3 case in one or three cycles or a 2/4 case in one, two or four cycles. The operation herein disclosed is applicable to cans or bottles or containers or various configurations.

Claims

1. A case loader for containers comprising:

- a container loading station (20) for attachment to the end of a conveyor, said container loading station holding a case load of containers in a single column;

- a case loading station above a case conveyor (60) for transporting cases to and away from the case loading station;

- a moveable container support (22) in the bottom of the container loading station (20), said support (22) holding said containers when in the support position and allowing said containers to fall by gravity when in the released position

characterized by,

a) said case loading station located beneath and to one side of the container loading station (20);

b) a plurality of container slides (31, 22; 35, 36, 37, 38) between the bottom of the container loading station (20), and the case loading station;

c) said container slides (31, 22; 35, 36, 37, 38) each beginning at the position of different containers and each ending at different container positions at the case loading station;

d) a container sensor (40) in said container loading station (20), said container sensor (40) being activated by the leading container when slid into its position by the other containers in the container loading station (20);

e) a first stop means (42) to hold the column of containers in position when the case load of containers has been conveyed to the container loading station (20);

f) an inclined bar (62) leading from beneath the case conveyor (60) to above the case loading station to tilt the case as they approach the case loading station;

g) means (63, 64, 65) to hold the case in a tilted position at the case loading station;

h) a case sensor (50) which is activated by the case when it reaches the case loading station;

i) a second stop means (54, 66) to hold the case in the case loading station until it has been loaded with containers;

j) means (26, 43) holding said moveable container support (22) in the support position;

k) holding means (46, 53) operated by said container sensor (40) and said case sensor (50) in combination when both the containers and the cartons are in their stations to disable said means holding said moveable container support (22) in the support position;

2. A case loader according to claim 1, comprising:

a) a counterweight (25) biasing said container support (22) into the support position, said counterweight (25) being overcome by the weight of a caseload of containers;

b) said container support (22), when in the support position, resting upon a moveable support plate (43), which in the first position holds said container support (22) in the support position and in the second position allows said container support (22) to pivot to said released position;

c) a lever arm (41) to which the support plate (43) is attached, allowing said support plate (43) to pivot from the first position to the second position;

d) a counterweight (45) biasing said lever arm (41) to said first position;

e) said container sensor (40) being a mechanical sensor biasing said lever arm (41) into the second position overcoming the counterweight (45);

f) a latch (53) connected to said lever arm (41) preventing said lever arm (41) from moving from the first position to the second position;

g) said case sensor (50) being a mechanical sensor which is tipped when a case reaches the case loading station;

h) said mechanical case sensor (50) withdrawing said latch (53) when the case is in position;

whereby, when both the containers and case are in position, the lever arm (41) moves, the container support (22) moves, and the containers fall into the case.

Ansprüche

1. Kartonbeladevorrichtung für Behälter, umfassend:

- eine Behälterladestation (20), die am Ende eines Förderers befestigbar ist, wobei die Behälterladestation eine Kartonfüllung Behälter in einer einzigen Kolonne hält;

- eine Kartonbeladestation über einem Kartonförderer (60) zum Transport von Kartons zu bzw. von der Kartonbeladestation;

- eine bewegliche Behälterabstützung (22) in Unterende der Behälterladestation (20), wobei die Behälterabstützung (22) die Behälter in der Abstützlage festhält und in der Friegabestellung infolge der Schwerkraft fallen läßt;

gekennzeichnet durch

a) Positionierung der Kartonbeladestation unter und auf einer Seite der Behälterladestation (20);

b) eine Mehrzahl Behälterrutschen (31, 22; 35, 36,37,38) zwischen dem Unterende der Behälterladestation (20) und der Kartonbeladestation;

c) wobei die Behälterrutschen (31, 22; 35, 36, 37, 38) jeweils an der Position unterschiedlicher Behälter beginnen und an unterschiedlichen Behälterpositionen an der Kartonbeladestation enden;

d) einen Behälterfühler (40) in der Behälterladestation (20), der durch den vorderen Behälter, wenn dieser durch die übrigen Behälter in der Behälterladestation (20) in seine Lage geschoben wird, aktivierbar ist;

e) einen ersten Anschlag (42), der die Behälterkolonne in ihrer Lage hält, wenn die Kartonladung Behälter zu der Behälterladestation (20) gefördert ist;

f) eine von unterhalb des Kartonförderers (60) nach oberhalb der Kartonbeladestation verlaufende Schrägstange (62), die die Kartons bei Annäherung an die Kartonbeladestation kippt;

g) Mittel (63, 64, 65), die den Karton in einer gekippten Stellung an der Kartonbeladestation halten;

h) einen Kartonfühler (50), der durch den Karton aktivierbar ist, wenn dieser die Kartonbeladestation erreicht;

i) einen zweiten Anschlag (54, 66), der den Karton in der Kartonbeladestation hält, bis er mit Behältern beschickt ist;

j) Mittel (26, 43), die die bewegliche Behälterabstützung (22) in der Abstützlage halten;

k) Haltemittel (46, 53), die durch den Behälterfühler (40) und den Kartonfühler (50) gemeinsam betätigbar sind, wenn sowohl die Behälter als auch die Kartons sich in ihren Stationen befinden, so daß die Mittel zum Halten der beweglichen Behälterabstützung (22) in der Stützlage unwirksam gemacht werden.

2. Kartonbeladevorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, umfassend:

a) ein Gegengewicht (25), das die Behälterabstützung (22) in die Stützlage beaufschlagt, wobei das Gegengewicht (25) durch das Gewicht einer Kartonladung Behälter überwindbar ist;

b) wobei die Behälterabstützung (22) in ihrer Abstützlage auf einer beweglichen Auflageplatte (43) aufliegt, die in der ersten Stellung die Behälterabstützung (22) in der Abstützlage hält und in der zweiten Stellung ein Verschwenken der Behälterabstützung (22) in die Freigabestellung erlaubt;

c) einen Hebelarm (41), an dem Auflageplatte (43) befestigt ist derart, daß sie aus der ersten in die zweite Lage verschwenkbar ist;

d) ein Gegengewicht (45), das den Hebelarm (41) in die erste Stellung beaufschlagt;

e) wobei der Behälterfühler (40) ein mechanischer Fühler ist, der den Hebelarm (41) unter Überwindung des Gegengewichts (45) in die zweite Stellung beaufschlagt;

f) eine Klinke (53), die mit dem Hebelarm (43) verbunden ist und eine Bewegung desselben aus der ersten in die zweite Lage verhindert;

g) wobei der Kartonfühler (50) ein mechanischer Fühler ist, der ausgelöst wird, wenn ein Karton die Kartonbeladestation erreicht;

h) wobei der mechanische Kartonfühler (50) die Klinke (53) zurückzieht, wenn sich der Karton in seiner Position befindet;

so daß, wenn sowohl die Behälter als auch der Karton positioniert sind, der Hebelarm (41) bewegt wird, die Behälterabstützung (22) bewegt wird und die Behälter in den Karton fallen.

Revendications

1. Dispositif pour charger des récipients dans des caisses, comprenant

- un poste de chargement de récipients (20) destiné à être fixé à l'extrémité d'un convoyeur, ledit poste de chargement de récipients maintenant une charge de récipients pour une caisse en une seule colonne;

- un poste de chargement de caisses au-dessus d'un convoyeur de caisses (60) destiné à transporter des caisses au/du poste de chargement de caisses

- un support de récipients mobile (22) prévu dans le fond du poste de chargement de récipients (20), ledit support (22) maintenant lesdits récipients lorsqu'il est à sa position de support, et permettant auxdits récipients de tomber par gravité lorsqu'il est à sa position de libération;

caracérisé par

a) ledit poste de chargement de caisses situé en dessous et d'un côté du poste de chargement de récipients (20);

b) une pluralité de glissières pour récipients (31, 22; 35, 36, 37, 38) entre le fond du poste de chargement de récipients (20), et le poste de chargement de caisses;

c) lesdites glissières pour récipients (31, 22; 35, 36, 37, 38) commençant chacune à la position des différents récipients et se terminant chacune à différentes positions de récipients sur le poste de chargement de caisses;

d) un détecteur de récipients (40) dans ledit poste de chargement de récipients (20), ledit détecteur de récipients (40) étant activé par le récipient de tête lorsqu'il est glissé à sa position par les autres récipients dans le poste de chargement de récipients (20);

e) un premier moyen de butée (42) pour maintenir la colonne de récipients en position lorsque la charge de récipients pour une caisse a été transportée au poste de chargement de récipients (20);

f) une barre inclinée (62) menant d'en dessous du convoyeur de caisses (60) à au-dessus du poste de chargement de caisses, pour faire basculer les caisses tandis qu'elles s'approchent du poste de chargement de caisses;

g) des moyens (63, 64, 65) pour maintenir la caisse à une position basculée au poste de chargement de caisses;

h) un détecteur de caisses (50) qui est activé par la caisse lorsqu'elle atteint le poste de chargement de caisses;

i) un deuxième moyen de butée (54, 66) pour maintenir le récipient dans le poste de chargement de caisses jusqu'à ce que la caisse ait été chargée de récipients;

j) des moyens (26, 43) pour maintenir ledit support de récipients mobile (22) à la position de support;

k) des moyens de retenue (46, 53) actionnés conjointement par ledit détecteur de récipients (40) et ledit détecteur de caisses (50) lorsqu'à la fois les récipients et les caisses sont à leurs postes respectifs, pour invalider lesdits moyens maintenant ledit support de récipients mobile (22) à la position de support.

2. Dispositif de chargement de caisses selon la revendication 1, comprenant:

a) un contrepoids (25) sollicitant élastiquement ledit support de récipients (22) à la position de support, ledit contrepoids (25) étant surmonté par le poids d'une charge de récipients pour une caisse;

b) ledit support de récipients (22), lorsqu'il est à la position de support, reposant sur une plaque de support mobile (43), qui à la première position maintient ledit support de récipients (22) à la position de support, et à la deuxième position permet audit support de récipients (22) de pivoter à ladite position de libération;

c) un bras de levier (41) auquel est fixée la plaque de support (43), permettant à ladite plaque de support (43) de pivoter de la première position à la deuxième position;

d) un contrepoids (45) sollicitant élastiquement ledit bras de levier (4) à ladite première position;

e) ledit détecteur de récipients (40) étant un capteur mécanique sollicitant ledit bras de levier (41) à la deuxième position en surmontant le contrepoids (45);

f) un loquet (53) relié audit bras de levier (41), empêchant ledit bras de levier (41) de se déplacer de la première position à la deuxième position;

g) ledit détecteur de caisses (50) étant un capteur mécanique qui est basculé lorsqu'une caisse atteint le poste de chargement de caisses;

h) ledit capteur de caisses mécanique (50) retirant ledit loquet (53) lorsque la caisse est en position;

de sorte que, lorsqu'à la fois les récipients et la caisse sont en position, Îe bras de levier (41) se déplace, le support de récipients (22) se déplace, et les récipients tombent dans la caisse.

Drawing