A feeding apparatus for wrapping machines

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a feeding apparatus for automatic machines for the wrapping of products consisting of discrete articles, particularly caramels, in accordance with the precharacterizing part of claim 1.

[0002] From GB-B-2 036 680 such a feeding apparatus is known which comprises a horizontal, or substantially horizontal, disc which rotates around its axis and is provided with equally-spaced seats at the periphery of an imaginary circle having the center at said axis of the disc, said seats being dimensioned and shaped so as to accommodate only one caramel within each of them. Such a feeding apparatus comprises an elevator member which moves upwards through each of said seats, one at a time, and which, in cooperation with a counter-elevator arranged above, lifts said caramels to transfer them to an upper station where said caramels are wrapped in a suitable wrapper. Before a caramel is clamped between said elevator and counter-elevator, a wrapper is automatically laid on said caramel and will be thus held thereon by said counter-elevator. During the lifting movement of the caramel, said wrapper tends to fold down on said caramel and then it is transferred between upper side-clamping means - which take the place of said elevator and counter-elevator that are returned to their initial position to repeat a new cycle - in the best condition to be folded over completely around the caramel and sealed thereon. With this type of machine, the lifting movement of a caramel and its wrapper usually occurs along a straight vertical path of travel, to avoid undesired distortions of the wrapper and to permit both a high-speed operation and a constructional and functional simplification of the clamping and transfer means for a caramel. Although the lowering movement of the elevator may occur in combination with the operative movement of the feeding disc, thus permitting a higher efficiency of the feeding apparatus, the lifting movement of said elevator inevitably implies a stop of the feeding disc in order to avoid any interference between said disc and the stem of said elevator. Inasmuch as the feeding disc cannot be stopped and re-started abruptly, since it would throw into disorder the caramels in their seats in the disc and could even expel them out of their seats, said feeding disc, upon each stop, must be subjected first to a progressive and smooth de-celeration and then to a similar acceleration. The requirements strongly limit the speed, and therefore the productivity, of the rotating disc feeding apparatus referred to above. This invention aims to overcome this disadvantage, i. e. to increase the productivity of the rotating disc feeding apparatus. According to the invention, the upwardly directed stem of the elevator is formed with an inclined configuration with respect to the vertical in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the disc, whereby during the lifting step thereof through a seat of the feeding disc, said stem presents at the level of said disc a progressively increasing distance with respect to the vertical axis of the lifting path, so that the displacement from said axis at the level of said disc occurs in the same direction, or substantially the same direction, as the movement of the periphery of the feeding disc, as if said stem of the lifter (during its lifting stroke along the vertical) moved with respect to the seat through which it is travelling, in the same direction as the rotation of the feeding disc, so that said disc may go on rotating even during the lifting step of the elevator, with resulting obvious advantages.

[0003] By virtue of this improvement, the feeding disc need not be stopped cyclically, but it can be actuated with a continuous motion, with minimum acceleration and de-celeration which, anyway, is necessary to facilitate the entry of caramels into said seats in the disc, thus ensuring a higher efficiency of the feeding apparatus.

[0004] The features of the apparatus according to this invention, and the advantages resulting therefrom, will be evident from the following description of a preferred embodiment, shown in the Figures of the accompanying sheets of drawings, in which

Figure 1 is side elevational view of the elevator according to the invention, seen in the different positions it assumes during a complete operational cycle ;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the elevator and counter-elevator ;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of some constructional details of the elevator, taken along line III-III of Figure 2.

[0005] With reference to Figure 1, reference letter D indicates a feeding disc which rotates in the direction of arrow F, and S indicates one of the seats which are formed on the periphery of said disc, said seats lying on an imaginary circle the center of which coincides with the axis of rotation of said disc. Each seat is shaped and dimensioned so that only one caramel P can be accommodated therein, each caramel being retained in said seat by an underlyinf fixed guide G ending at the point where the elevator is operative. The said elevator is positioned in a properly timed sequence under the caramel P and lifted through the seat S to transfer said caramel to the wrapping station. Thereafter the elevator is returned to its lower or rest position to repeat a new cycle. According to the invention, the elevator comprises a head 1 having a surface proportioned to the size of the product P to be handled. Preferably, the stem 2 of the elevator has a reduced section in order to get through the seat S with the maximum possible clearance, and is characterized in that it has an inclined configuration so that, with respect to the vertical central axis Z of the head 1, the distance of said stem 2 increases progressively in such a manner that said stem and axis diverge downwardly. The imaginary plane comprising the axis Z and the longitudinal axis of the stem 2 is perpendicular to the disc D and forms a tangent or secant to the imaginary circle on which said seats S are located. Assuming the disc D rotates in the direction F, the stem 2 of the elevator is positioned ahead of said axis Z. It is to be understood that the stem 2 of the elevator, unlike the form shown in Figure 1, may have any other equivalent form, such as a stepped or a curved form. The stem 2 is associated to any supporting and driving means 3 adapted to impart to said elevator a vertical displacement as indicated by the arrows F2-F2' and a further displacement, first in the direction F3, i. e. the direction of rotation F of the disc D, and then in the opposite direction F3'. A possible embodiment of said supporting and driving means 3 will be described hereinafter.

[0006] The elevator described above operates as follows :

When the head 1 of the elevator contacts the product P, said elevator moves in the direction F3 of rotation of the disc D, and at the same speed thereof. At the same time, the elevator is raised as indicated by the arrow F2, and when the largest dimension of the product has cleared the seat S, the displacement in the direction F3 will be discontinued since the head 1 of the elevator is now in axial alignment with the counter-elevator C, which is lowered with a suitable timed sequence to engage the product P with a proper pressure, so as to hold the product suitably positioned on said head 1 and to press thereon the central portion of a wrapper T which has been positioned by conventional means under said counter-elevator C and over the product to be wrapped. Now, the unit consisting of the elevator and counter-elevator is smoothly moved upwards in the direction of the arrow F2 on a straight and vertical path of travel so as to transfer the product P and wrapper T (now folded over the product to a conventional clamp unit K which grasps the assembly P-T laterally and thereafter, when said assembly P-T is released by the elevator and counter-elevator, transfers it to further conventional means which complete the wrapping operation. During the operational steps described above, the elevator has moved along the portions X1 and X2 of the operational stroke shown with dot-and-dash lines in Figure 1.

[0007] By considering the stem 2 of the elevator at the beginning and at the end of the lifting stroke X2, it will be realized from this Figure that, even if the head 1 of the elevator has moved vertically, the portion of the stem 2 which passes through the seat S of the feeding disc, due to the particular inclination of said stem, has moved in the same direction F of the disc D. In this manner the feeding disc can continue its movement even during the entire lifting stroke of the transfer unit consisting of the elevator and counter-elevator with a resulting higher operating efficiency of the whole feeding apparatus, due also to the elimination of the abrupt accelerations and de-celerations of the feeding disc. At the end of the lifting stroke X2, while the counter-elevator C continues its upward movement to perform an over-travel and while the assembly product P and wrapper T is grasped by the clamp unit K and is transferred to the wrapping means, the elevator is simultaneously moved in the directions of the arrows F2' and F3 firstly, and F2' and F3' subsequently, so that the head 1 of the elevator is moved, as a resultant, along the portion X3 of the diagram of Figure 1, while the disc D continues moving in the direction F, and is returned to the original position for a new cycle under a new product P which has been transferred in the meantime by the feeding disc D to the wrapping station. The return movement of the elevator entails no particular problem inasmuch as the elevator is now devoid of the product and, therefore, it may be subjected to rapid accelerations and de-celerations.

[0008] At the same time, the counter-elevator C is lowered to repeat a new similar cycle. An outline of the counter-elevator can be seen in Figure 2, and since this member is only lifted and lowered along the vertical axis W in a conventional manner, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. It will also be appreciated in Figure 2 that according to a possible embodiment of the invention the elevator E effects first a stroke to follow the feeding disc and then a stroke in the opposite direction by traveling on an arc of circle having its center on a vertical rod 4 supporting at its upper end an arm 5 mounting the stem 2 of said elevator. With reference also to Figure 3, it will be noted that the rod 4 is supported, so as to be rotatable and axially movable, by a fixed structure 6 provided with bearings 7-7'. The rod 4 is moved axially by a bell-crank lever 8, and is connected thereto by a suitable pivotal joint 9, said lever being pivoted at 10 to the frame 11 and being pivotably connected to a fork-member 12 which is reciprocated by a cam 13 through cam-followers 14. The fork-member 12 is guided to move longitudinally by a mounting block 15 rotatably mounted on the cam-shaft 16. This cam-shaft also mounts a drum-shaped cam 17 co-operating with a cam-follower 18 provided at the bottom end of a vertical guide 19 swingably supported by a shaft 20 which is parallel to the rod 4 and is supported on stationary portions of the frame 11. A sliding member 21 is slidable in the guide 19, and pivotably connected thereto at 22, parallel to the shaft 20, there is an arm 23 which is secured at 24 to an intermediate portion of the rod 4. This arrangement causes the rotational movement of the rod 4 while permitting said rod to move axially.

[0009] It is to be understood that the elevator may be moved by utilizing means which can be different from that described above, and that many constructional changes and modifications may be made, without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Claims

1. A feeding apparatus for automatic machines for the wrapping of products (P) consisting of discrete articles, particularly caramels, comprising a horizontal disc (D) rotatable around its axis and provided at its periphery with seats (S) equally spaced from each other and lying on an imaginary circle having its center at said axis of rotation, said seats (S) being dimensioned and shaped so as to accommodate each only one product (P), said product being retained therein by an underlying stationary guide (G), said apparatus also comprising an elevator (E) which effects a lifting and a lowering stroke at a point where said stationary guide (G) terminates and which lifts the product (P) by passing through the seat (S) in which the product is accommodated, this operation occurring in conjunction with the operation of a counter-elevator (C) which holds said product on the elevator and holds over said product a wrapper (T) which has been fed thereto, the said elevator (E) being moved, during its lowering stroke, also in the direction of rotation of the disc (D), characterized by the fact that the elevator comprises an upwardly directed stem (2) which starting from its bottom is inclined with respect to the vertical in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the disc (D).

2. A feeding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the stem (2) of the elevator is mounted at the end of an arm (5) which is secured in a cantilevered manner at the upper end of a vertical rod (4) which is reciprocated axially by a lever-and-cam mechanism (8-13) in order to lift and lower said elevator, and which is at predetermined times rotated and reciprocated by another lever-and-cam mechanism (23-19-17) in order to move said elevator first in the direction of rotation (F) of the feeding disc (D) and then in the opposite direction.

3. A feeding apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the inclined stem (2) of the elevator is straight, stepped or curvilinear.

Ansprüche

1. Zufuhrvorrichtung für automatische Maschinen zum Einwickeln von Produkten (P), bestehend aus gesonderten Gegenständen, insbesondere Karamellen, beinhaltend eine horizontale Scheibe (D), die um ihre Achse drehbar ist und an ihrem Umfang mit Sitzen (S) versehen ist, die im gleichen Abstand voneinander angeordnet sind und auf einem gedachten Kreis liegen, der seinen Mittelpunkt in der genannten Drehachse hat, wobei die genannten Sitze (S) so dimensioniert und geformt sind, daß jeder von ihnen nur ein Produkt (P) aufnimmt, das darin durch eine darunter liegende stationäre Führung (G) gehalten ist, wobei die genannte Vorrichtung ferner einen Heber (E) beinhaltet, der eine Hub- und Absenkbewegung an einem Punkt vollführt, an dem die stationäre Führung (G) endet und der das Produkt (P) durch Hindurchtreten durch den Sitz (S) anhebt, in dem das Produkt aufgenommen ist, wobei dieses Arbeiten in Verbindung mit dem Arbeiten eines Gegenhebers (C) geschieht, der das genannte Produkt auf dem Heber hält und der über dem genannten Produkt eine Einwickelhülle (T) hält, die ihm zugeführt worden ist und wobei der genannte Heber (E) während seiner Absenkbewegung auch in Richtung der Drehung der Scheibe (D) bewegt wird, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Heber eine nach oben gerichtete Stange (2) beinhaltet, die, ausgehend von ihrem Boden, im Verhältnis zur Vertikalen in eine Richtung entgegengesetzt zur Drehrichtung der Scheibe (D) geneigt ist.

2. Zufuhrvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Stange (2) des Hebers am Ende eines Armes (5) montiert ist, der in Art eines Kragarmes auf dem oberen Ende eines vertikalen Stößels (4) befestigt ist, der in seiner Achsrichtung durch einen Hebel-Nocken-Mechanismus (8 bis 13) hin- und herbewegbar ist, um den genannten Heber zu heben und zu senken und der zu vorbestimmten Zeiten gedreht und hin- und herbewegt wird durch einen weiteren Hebel-Nocken-Mechanismus (23-19-17), um den genannten Heber zunächst in die Drehrichtung (F) der Zufuhrscheibe (D) und dann in entgegengesetzte Richtung zu bewegen.

3. Zufuhrvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die geneigte Stange (2) des Hebers gerade, stufig oder kurvenlinig ist.

Revendications

1. Appareil d'alimentation pour des machines automatiques d'emballage de produits (P) constitués par des articles séparés, et en particulier par des caramels, comprenant un disque horizontal (D) pouvant tourner autour de son axe et comportant, à sa périphérie, des sièges (S) équidistants les uns des autres et situés sur un cercle imaginaire centré sur l'axe de rotation, ces sièges (S) étant dimensionnés et formés de manière à ne recevoir chacun qu'un seul produit (P), ce produit étant maintenu dans son siège par un guide fixe (G) place au-dessous, l'appareil comprenant également un élévateur (E) effectuant une course de soulèvement et d'abaissement en un point où se termine le guide fixe (G), pour soulever le produit (P) en passant à travers le siège (S) dans lequel le produit est logé, cette opération se faisant en association avec le fonctionnement d'un contre- élévateur (C) maintenant le produit sur l'élévateur et maintenant sur le produit une feuille d'emballage (T) ayant été amenée sur celui-ci, l'élévateur (E) étant également entraîné, pendant sa course d'abaissement, dans la direction de rotation du disque (D), appareil d'alimentation caractérisé en ce que l'élévateur comprend une tige dirigée vers le haut (2) qui, à partir de son extrémité inférieure, s'incline par rapport à la verticale dans une direction opposée à la direction de rotation du disque (D).

2. Appareil d'alimentation selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que la tige (2) de l'élévateur est montée à l'extrémité d'un bras (5) fixé, en porte-à-faux, à l'extrémité supérieure d'une tige verticale (4) entraînée dans un mouvement de va-et-vient axial par un mécanisme de levier et came (8-13) de manière à soulever et à abaisser l'élévateur et entraîné également à des instants prédéterminés dans un mouvement de rotation et de va-et-vient par un autre mécanisme de levier et came (23-19-17) de manière à entraîner l'élévateur, tout d'abord, dans le sens de rotation (F) du disque d'alimentation (D) puis, ensuite, en sens inverse.

3. Appareil d'alimentation selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que la tige inclinée (2) de l'élévateur est droite, étagée ou curviligne.

Drawing