GB2124197A - Device for replenishing an incomplete stack - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for replenishing a stack row of flat durable bakery items (B) which are conveyed intermittently stack by stack on a transverse conveyor to a packing machine, automatically examines the stack, assembled on a transverse conveyor, for completeness and completes it if individual pieces are lacking. The device comprises a feeler arm (2) resting on the stack and secured on a setting shaft (2a) on which a shift lever (2b) is situated which is in connection with a stop lever (3) the free end of which reaches as far as the outlet opening of a supply shaft (4) which adjoins the transverse conveyor, above it, from the exit of which shaft the stop lever (3) is mounted for shifting in dependence upon the position of the feeler arm (2), while an expeller (5) acting from above is arranged in this region. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for replenishing a stack row The invention relates to a device for replenishing an incompletely assembled stack row of flat durable bakery products which are conveyed intermittently, stack by stack, to a packing machine on a transverse conveyor, rising obliquely in the stack direction, with transverse bars.

A counting apparatus for uniformly shaped, preferably flat articles is known. This apparatus comprises an intake conveyor belt to which the articles are fed irregularly in position and time. At its exit groups with predetermined number of articles are formed. The conveyor device pertaining there to is divided into channels in which entraining members are situated. The entraining members influence control means which, in combination with a totalling device, monitor whether the formed groups are complete, with the purpose of suppressing the conveying of incomplete groups. This counting apparatus is characterised in that a block device is provided which blocks the channels if the groups are incomplete. At the same time a change-over device shifts over the entraining members into a position inoperative for the conveying.In this condition further articles pass the barrier in counted manner until the groups are up to full number and as a result of unblocking of the blocking device and change-over of the entraining members into their operative position the complete groups are conveyed in a following conveying cadence to the exit of the apparatus (Fed. Ger. Pub. Sp. 26 27 829).

This known counting apparatus can be used only for the formation of stacks which are composed of durable bakery products which arrive horizontally, and therefore is not suitable for the purpose according to the invention.

A device of the initially stated kind has already been proposed. Durable bakery products are collected stack by stack intermittently on a tranverse conveyor arranged obliquely in the stacking direction, with transverse bars. The defective individual pieces have already been discarded previously, so that individual stacks are not completely filled. It is disadvantageous that these missing individual pieces can be added to the stack again only in that the operator lays them into the transverse conveyor from a supply stack standing ready.

Thus high labour expense is necessary, and there is danger of forwarding of incomplete stacks to the packing rriachine.

The invention has the aim of reducing the labour expense for a feed device for durable bakery products.

The problem of the invention consists in automatically testing the stack of durable bakery products on edge, assembled on an obliquely rising transverse conveyor, for completeness by mechanical suitable means and in the absence of any individual pieces completing it from a supply stack. In accordance with the invention this is achieved in that a feeler arm resting on the stack from above is secured beside the transverse conveyor on a setting shaft on which there is situated a camcontrolled shift lever capable of snap engagement by steps, which is electro-mechanically in engagement with a cam-controlled stop lever correspondingly capable of snap engagement in the same way, the free end of which stop lever reaches to the exit opening of a supply shaft which, in coincidence with the corresonding stack row on the transverse conveyor and above it, adjoins the conveyor with the same inclination, and from the outlet opening of which the stop lever is mounted to shift back by the width of the missing durable bakery items at every working cadence in dependence upon the position of the feeler arm, while in this rearwardly shiftable region of the stop lever there is arranged an expeller acting from above upon the durable bakery items following out of the supply shaft. Thus individual pices of durable bakery produce lacking from the stack are advantageously automatically supplied to the stack from the supply shaft, so that the complete stack formation suitable for packing is ensured without additional personnel.

The invention is explained in an example of embodiment in the drawing, wherein: Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic plan view, Figure 2 shows a section along the line A-A in Fig. 1, Figure 3 shows a partial section along the line B-B in Fig. 1 at the beginning of the insertion operation, Figure 4 shows the same, after termination of the insertion operation.

The device is a component of a transverse conveyor 1 which is situated behind a cooling belt (not shown) for the durable bakery produce B. The transverse conveyor 1 is arranged at a rising inclination and consists of a nondisplaceable bottom plate 1 a and separator bars 1 b which are secured to an entraining angle piece 1 c. The entraining angle pieces 1 C are seated on an endless chain 1 d which is guided over drive wheels 1 e. At the lower end the transverse conveyor 1 is provided with non-displaceable stop bars 1 f so that the durable bakery products B situated between the separator bars 1 b abut on the latter side by side, standing upright.The actual device for replenishing the incompletely assembled stack rows on this transverse conveyor 1 consists essentially of a feeler arm 2 resting from above on the stack, a stop lever 3 and a supply shaft 4 with an expeller 5. The feeler arm 2 is secured beside the transverse conveyor 1 on a setting shaft 2a on which there is situated a cam-controlled shift lever 2b which can come into stepped snap engagement. This shift lever 2b is made in angle form, the free end of the one leg coming into contact with a three-stage switch 2c while the other leg has at its free end a roller 2dwhich bears under the initial stress of a compression spring 2eon a cam 2f. Through the switch 2 c the feeler arm 2 is electro-mechanically connected, in a manner not illustrated, with the stop lever 3.The free end of the stop lever 3 reaches to the exit opening of the supply shaft 4 which adjoins the transverse conveyor 1 with equal inclination, from above, in coincidence with the corresponding stack row on the conveyor 1.

The stop lever 3 is arranged to be shiftable rearwards by the width of the missing durable bakery goods B from the outlet opening of the supply shaft 4, in dependence upon the position of the feeler arm 2, at every working cadence. For this purpose the stop lever 3 is mounted on a shaft 3a on which a detent lever 3b is secured. This detent lever 3b centrally comprises a roller 3cwhich rests on a cam 3d. The stroke of the detent lever 3b is here dimensioned by the cam 3dso that it can move past three disengageable blocking bolts 3e. The device is completed by the expeller 5 which is mounted to act, in the rearwardly shiftable region of the stop lever 3, from above upon the durable bakery products B following out of the supply shaft 4, also a vibrator 4a arranged beneath the supply shaft 4.

The manner of operation of this device is the subject of the following description.

The flat durable bakery products B arrive from the cooling belt (not shown) assembled into stacks and standing upright, on the transverse conveyor 1. Two adjacent separator bars 1 b of the transverse conveyor 1 in each case receive one stack row, which forms rising obliquely on the bottom plate 1 a. The stack rows completed in this way are periodically moved by the width of one stack row in the direction of the packing machine (not shown) by the separator bars 1 b on the bottom plate 1 a. Before this packing machine the individual stack rows are examined for completeness and if necessary filled up, as will be described in detail below.As soon as a corresponding stack row has come into the region of action of the feeler arm 2, the feeler arm 2 is controlled during the conveying interval by the cam 2f, moved by the shift lever 2bfrom above on to the stack row until it rests with its free end on this stack row. According to the deflection of the feeler arm 2, depending upon whether individual pieces are lacking or not, thus the sfift lever 2b is brought into a position in which one of the possible detent positions on the switch 2c is reached. In Fig.

2 there is shown the maximum reachable detent position on the switch 2c, which corresponds to the lack of two individual pieces in the stack row. Before the intermittent conveying by the separator bars 1 b is continued the feeler arm 2 moves back under control of the cam 2f into its initial position. The stack row, with two missing individual pieces in the example of embodiment, then in the next working cadence comes beneath the supply shaft 4, from which the two missing individual pieces are delivered. The outlet opening of the supply shaft 4 is at first still blocked by the stop lever 3. In the mean time the switch 2cthrough a magnet (not shown) has disengaged the blocking bolt 3e corresponding to this switch position.The upper position of the blocking lever 3b held by the cam 3d is eliminated at every working cadence, so that the blocking lever 3b can descend to the lowermost blocking bolt 3e. In the case of a stack row arriving completely on the transverse conveyor 1 the detent lever 3b cannot descend to the bottom since the upper blocking bolt 3e is protruding. This normal position of the stop lever 3 in which the outlet opening of the supply shaft 4 is still closed can be seen from Fig. 2, since the previously conveyed stack row was complete.

The control position generated by the feeler arm 2 according to Fig. 2 has the effect that the previously disengaged position of the blocking bolt 3e is removed again and instead the lower blocking bolt 3e protrudes. Thus the stop lever 3 assumes a position in which the two missing single pieces come forward from the supply shaft 4, with support by the vibrations generated by the vibrator. These two individual pieces are then situated directly above the incomplete stack row, as may also be seen from Fig. 3. While the transverse conveyor 1 is still not conveying the expeller 5 comes into action, and at every working cadence, moving past the stop lever 3 from above, pushes off these individual pieces on to the transverse conveyor 1, which is represented especially in Fig. 4.

Before the beginning of the next working cadence the stop lever 3 is moved by the cam 3d back again into its initial position in which the outlet opening of the supply shaft 4 is closed. At the same time the expeller 5 is returned by a drive system (not shown) into its upper initial position. At the next working cadence the feeler arm 2 assures a new position as predetermined by the existing stack formation. The operation as described is then repeated logically, in dependence upon the three possible switch positions. This device renders possible a reliable filling of incompletely assembled stack rows without any call upon operating personnel.

Claims (2)

1. Device for replenishing an incompletely assembled stack row of flat durable bakery products which are conveyed intermittently stack by stack to a packing machine on a transverse conveyor which rises obliquely in the stack direction, with transverse bars, characterised in that a feeler arm (2) resting on the stack from above is secured beside the transverse conveyor (1) on a setting shaft (2a) on which there is situated a cam-controlled shift lever (2b) capable of snap engagement by steps, which is electro-mechanically in connection with a cam-controlled stop lever (3) corresondingly capable of snap engagement in the same way, the free end of which stop lever reaches to the exit opening of a supply shaft (4) which, in coincidence with the corresponding stack row on the transverse conveyor (1) and above it, adjoins the conveyor with the same inclination and from the outlet opening of which the stop lever (3) is mounted to shift back by the width of the missing durable bakery items at every working cadence in dependence upon the position of the feeler arm (2) while in this rearwardly shiftable region of the stop lever (3) there is arranged an expeller (5) acting from above upon the durable bakery items (B) following out of the supply shaft (4).

2. Device for replenishing an incompletely assembled stack row of flat durable bakery products substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.