CA1113516A

CA1113516A - Continuous sheet stacker with temporary stack holder

Info

Publication number: CA1113516A
Application number: CA276,831A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Rene F. De Bin
Original assignee: FMC Europe NV
Current assignee: John Bean Technologies NV
Priority date: 1976-04-23
Filing date: 1977-04-22
Publication date: 1981-12-01
Also published as: ES458088A1; GB1578459A; FR2348882A1; DE2717754A1; BR7702574A; JPS52155770A; BE841025A

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure A device is disclosed for continuously taking over from a production machine and carrying away in predetermined amounts bags and like items. The device includes a belt-conveyer comprising a multiplicity of conveyer belts located one next to the other at predetermined distances one from the other.
The bags or like items supplied by the production machine are provisionally stored above the belt-conveyer and retained and, after a certain amount of bags or like items has been collected, they are placed on the conveyer, after which the following bags or like items are provisionally stored, all this being done in such a way that the production machine can continue to work without interruption or substantially without interruption, and supply bags or like items.

Description

Tllc present invention relates to a dcvicc for taking over bags or suchlike items from a production machine and conveying same away in predetermined amounts, in other words a device making it possible that, from a machine for producing bags, as paper bags, plastic foil bags and other bags, the products, bags in the present case, can be conveyed away, without having to stop the machine or to interrupt the cycle, and collected in positively determined amounts in order that, once the suitable number of bags or suchlike items per pile is attained, this pile can be conveyed away, all this being done without having to stop the production machine : 10 or to interrupt its cycle even once.
Although the suchlike device is more especially intended for collecting small bags which are made from plastic foil, it is clear that the device according to the present invention may be used as well for collecting and conveying away small paper bags, fabric bags or bags made from other materials and also for collecting and conveying away sheets, films, foils and suchlike items.
According to the invention there is provided apparatus for continuously accumulating laminar articles produced by a production machine and for conveying stacks containing predetermined numbers of said articles, comprising a plurality of spaced conveyor belts located side by side, temporary receiving means located above said conveyor belts for receiving the articles temporarily from the production machine, means for retaining the received articles, and means for accumulating a predetermined number of the articles on the conveyor belts, means operable after the predeter- :
mined number of articles are accumulated on the conveyor belts for render-ing said temporary means operable to temporarily receive and retain one :
or more articles so that the machine can continue to work without interruption or substantially without interruption and thereby supply articles to the apparatus, said temporary receiving means comprising laterally spaced fingers which extend parallel to the path of the articles and are rotatable about an axis transverse to the article path, said temporary receiving means including retaining means comprising vertical .~, 1 ~ , ., . , , . ' ~

depending fingers d-irectecl downwardly an(l socurc(l to a comn~on bar, said vertical fingers are locnted betwecn the fingers of said temporary receiving means and above the conveyor belts supporting the articles supplied by the production machine.
In order to throw more light on the characteristics of the device according to the invention, a number o preferred embodiments are described hereafter, as examples without any limiting character, with reference to the attached drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows a lateral view with cut-away sections of a device according to the invention;
Figure 2 shows a bird's-eye-view of the object shown on figure l;
Figure 3 shows a section along the lines III-III of figure l;
Figures 4 through 9 show, schematically and in lateral section, six characteristic positions of the components of the device according to the invention;
Figures 10 through 15 show the partial front views of the objects shown on figure 4 through 9;
Figures 16 through 20 show five characteristic positions of the components of a variant of the device according to the invention;
Figures 21 through 25 show five characteristic positions of the components of a second variant of the devîce according to the invention.
In ~he embodiment as shown in the figures 1 through 9, the device according to the invention mainly consists of a frame 1, which suitably supports a belt-conveyer 2, consisting of a number of commonly driven belts 3, an appropriate distance a being provided :-. . .

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between the aforesaid belts.
On the sides, the fra~l i9 provided with two guides or rails, respectively 4 and 5, with which the small riding wheels, respectively 6-7 and 8-9 of a small carriage 10 can cooperate, in which carriage, via a shaft 11, are fixed a series of, in this case L-shaped, fingers 12, the number of which shall preferably be equal to the number of belts 3 of the belt-conveyer 2, each finger 12 being preferably located above an aforesaid belt 3.
It is clear, however, that the numbèr of fingers 12 may be different from the aforesaid number of belts 3, depending on the product to be transformed and material - from which it is made.
In-this embodiment, on the shaft 11, there also i9 provided an appendage 13, which is suitably coupled with the piston ~od of a pressure cylinder 14, which is fixed to the small carriage 10, the positions of the fingers 12 being controlled by this pressure cylinder 14.
: Furthermore, the small carriage 10 proper is . coupled to the piston rod 15 of a pressure cylinder 16, which it self is fixed to the frame 1.
To the framel are also fixed two pressure cylinders, respectively 17 and 17', the piston rods`of which are fixed to a common rod or lath 18, provided with vertical teeth 19, which are hanging down, these teeth ~ being so arranged that they can preferably be located ; between the belts 3 of the belt-conveyer 2, these teeth : being nevertheless able to act upon the belts 3.
Further~ore, to the fram~l are fixed two : pressure cylinders, respectively 20 and 21, the piston ~ -3-.

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rods of which are connected by a rod or lath 22, on which a multiplicity of, in this case T-shaped, fingers 23 are fixed, so that the horizontal part 24 of each T-shaped finger is located in such a way that it can pass through the distance a between the belts 3 of the belt conveyer

2. The device provided as per the above description is ~ installed, as shown in the figures 4 through 9, behind the transfer device 25 of the production machine, this transfer device consisting, in the present case, of shafts, respectively 26 and 27, on which pick-up means, e.g. rubber parts, respectively 28 and 29, are provided, which do pick-up the transferred products, in this case bags 30, to transfer them to the device according to-the invention, where the bags are piled up, up to a certain number, and then conveyed away in small piles~
The operation of the device described above will be explained, with especial reference to figures 4 through 15.
As ~own in figures 4 and 10, the small carriage 10 in its forward position has its fingers 12 horizontal;
the T-shaped fingers 23 and fingers 19 are in the lowest position, in other words the lower ends of the fingers 19 are located just under~e-~h the upper face of the --belts 3 of the belt-conveyer 2.
In this position, the bags or suchliXe items 30, continuously transferred by the device 25, are received on the horizontal fingers ~2, whilst the fingers }9 ensure that these bags or suchlike items 30 are retained and get superposed in a row.
In order to achieve that the bags or suchlike ; 4 - .

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items form a neat pile, a stop 31 shall be provided, whilst laterally two adjustable guides 32-33 are pro-vided, which are schematically shown on figure 2.
In the positions shown in figures 5 and ll, the T-shaped fingers 23 are moved upwards, the horizontal part 24 of each finger 23 passing between two belts 3 and next to a finger 19, so that the pile of bags or suchlike items 30 supported ~y the fingers 12 is lifted, in other words becomes free from the fingers 12, while the transfer of bags 30 to the already existing pile continues.
In the position shown in the figures 6 and 12, all components remain in the same position in relation to the previous position, except that the smaIl carriage 10 is moved backwards, whereby the fingers 12 are removed from under the pile of bags or ~uchlike items 30, which . is possible because the latter is resting on the fingers 23 which, after the carriage lO is moved backwards, will , ~ .
be moved downwards, while bags 30 can continue being fed .
on the pile.
20:.
In the pO9 ition shown in the figures 7 and 13, the fingers 12 are turned upward around shaft 11, on the one handJ while, on the other hand, the fingers 23 are moved downwards again, resulting in the already formed pile of bags or suchlike items 30 reaching the still stopped belt-conveyer 2, the transfer of bags 30 remaining enæured in the meanwhiie.
In the position shown in figures 8 and 14, the sma~l carriage 10, with the fingers 12 fixed thereon still remaining in their upper position, is moved forward again, ; : ~S~

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it still remaining clear that also in this position, the Y
transfer of bags or suchlike items 30 on the ~ 'formed B pile remains possible.
When the suitable number of bags or suchlike items is attained, which is established by a - not shown -counter, located either on the device or on the production machine, the fingers 12 move downwards again, until they reach the position as shown in figures 4 and 10, whereby the bags or suchlike items 30, which are still being fed, automatically arrive on these flngers 12. This motion of the fingers 12 will~ of course, take place very rapidly .
a~ in the time interval between the transfers of two suc-cessive bags ~hile, in certain conditions, the machine may ke interrupted by one transfer, in order to make it possible for the device to bring the fingers 12 back to the horiæontal position~
After this, the fingers lg are moved upwards figures 9 and 15 - while, when the fingers are in their uppex position, the belt-conveyer 2 is automatically started and moves the pile of bags or suchlike items 30 which is placed on it.
It is clear that in this way there is achieved a device that makes it possible for bags or suchlike items, transferred from a production machine, to be arranged into piles and to convey away the said piles, the transfer of bags from the aforesaid production machine not having : to be interrupted.
; It is also ~lear that a suchlike device, depend-ing amongst others on the kind of goods to be produced and material from which they are made, can be achieved ...... ~30 .

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: ' in other ways.
A first example thereof is given in the figures 16 to 20, according to which the device consists of the aforesaid components, the fingers 23 being, however, removed. In this case, whenever the pile is complete, the fingers are simply withdrawn from under the pile, the fingers 19 keeping the pile back and the piling up conti~uing until the pile is complete. At that moment, the fingers 19 are drawn upwards and the belt-conveyer is started, so that the formed pile is carried away, while the bags or suchlike items which are fed, further arrive on the meanwhile returned fingers 12. Although good results may be achieved with this-simplified device, the latter i5 only applicable to relatively rigid bags or suchlike items.
If fairly flexible goods mu~t also be produced with such simplified embodiment without fingers 23, it is possible to locate the fingers 12 so that they can be - inserted between the belts 3. As may be clearly seen in figures 21 through 25, the bags or suchlike items 30 will - first be piled up on the fingers 12, in which case, when .
a sufficient number is attained, the finge~ 12 are simply movad downwards, backwards and again upwards, so that, when the pile of bags counts a sufficient amount of bags, ~; ~ 5 the fingers 19 mo~e upwards while simultaneously the fingers 12 move forward again and the belt 2 is started to carry away the first pile of bags, whilst bags or suchlike items are further being transferred on the fingers 12.

It thus is clear that the present invention is ?
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~ ~ -7-in no way limited to the embodiments described as example and shown in the attached drawings, but that a suchlike device can be achieved in various shapes and dimensions without going outside the scope of the present invention.

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Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR
PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. Apparatus for continuously accumulating laminar articles produced by a production machine and for conveying stacks containing predetermined numbers of said articles, comprising a plurality of spaced conveyor belts located side by side, temporary receiving means located above said conveyor belts for receiving the articles temporarily from the production machine, means for retaining the received articles, and means for accumula-ting a predetermined number of the articles on the conveyor belts, means operable after the predetermined number of articles are accumulated on the conveyor belts for rendering said temporary means operable to temporarily receive and retain one or more articles so that the machine can continue to work without interruption or substantially without interruption and thereby supply articles to the apparatus, said temporary receiving means comprising laterally spaced fingers which extend parallel to the path of the articles and are rotatable about an axis transverse to the article path, said temporary receiving means including retaining means comprising vertical depending fingers directed downwardly and secured to a common bar, said vertical fingers are located between the fingers of said temporary receiving means and above the conveyor belts supporting the articles supplied by the production machine.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temporary receiving means comprise horizontal fingers secured at one end to the frame of the apparatus and wherein the horizontal fingers are mounted on a carriage which is movable lengthwise of the frame of the apparatus.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the horizontal fingers are provided at one end with a vertical part attached to a common shaft, which is rotatable about a horizontal axis in relation to the frame of the apparatus.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein there is provided one finger per conveyor belt and the fingers are arranged with the belts.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the vertical depending fingers can move up and down.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the vertical depending fingers are so located as to be capable of interdigitating with the conveyor-belts.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the vertical depending fingers are so located as to engage the conveyor-belts.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the number of vertical depending fingers is equal or equal less one to the number of conveyor-belts.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temporary receiving means comprises fingers disposed below the belt-conveyors, which can move vertically in relation to the frame of the apparatus and are so arranged on a common bar that they can move into the spaces between the conveyor-belts.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temporary receiving means comprise horizontal parts of T-shaped fingers located in a horizontal plane between the conveyor belts, and means is provided for imparting a rectangular motion to said fingers, that is to say from above the belt-conveyor downwards, rearwards, again above the belt-conveyor and forwards.