EP0421545A1

EP0421545A1 - Apparatus for automatically transferring "pasta" of nest-shaped type into packaging containers

Info

Publication number: EP0421545A1
Application number: EP19900202636
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fava Enrico
Original assignee: ESSICCATOI FAVA SpA
Current assignee: ESSICCATOI FAVA SpA
Priority date: 1989-10-06
Filing date: 1990-10-04
Publication date: 1991-04-10
Also published as: IT8921951A0; IT1236524B; IT8921951A1

Abstract

An apparatus for orderly transferring into packaging containers (11) "pasta" of nest-shaped type (12) arranged on supporting racks (13), in which apparatus a base framework (10) is provided with a first receiving area suitable for receiving the racks (13), with said racks being provided with a set of container seats (14) wherein each of said seats (14) is suitable for containing a prefixed number of "pasta" nests equal to the number of nests which should be charged to one single packaging container (11), a second area for receiving said packaging containers and a drawing/transfer means (22) suitable for drawing and transferring a number of "pasta" nests contained inside one of said container seats from one of said racks (13) into one of said containers (11). The drawing/transfer means comprises a nest-sucking head (27) which can be reciprocated by means of suitable actuator means in a "to" stroke from a first position above some seats of the rack, in which position it draws a prefixed number of "pasta" nests, to a second position above one or more packaging container(s), in which second position said drawing/transfer head releases the "pasta" nests, and in a "fro" stroke in which said, by now empty, head returns back to its first position.

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for orderly transferring "pasta" of "nest" shaped type into packaging containers.
In the machines for producing and packaging alimentary "pasta" of nest-shaped type, once that the nest producing machine has arranged the product, by gravity, above grid racks and said "pasta" nests have been made run through the dryer and are ready for packaging, said nests have to be manually taken from the support racks and positioned inside the container trays.
Such an operation, beside involving the use of a certain amount of labour, may cause the breakage of said nests when said nests are grasped by hand.
The operation of preparation of the container trays filled with the predetermined amount or number of nests which have to be fed to the successive packaging machine in which the packaging of the tray inside a plastic film takes place, may cause -- owing to the required time for it to be accomplished -- hindrances in operations both downstream and upstream it.
The purpose of the present invention is of completely automating the transfer of the "pasta" nests, dried and placed on trays, into the relevant packaging containers.
A further purpose is of decreasing the waste of "pasta" nests accidentally caused by the handling of said "pasta" nests at their packaging time.
These purposes according to the present invention are achieved by providing an apparatus for orderly transferring into packaging containers "pasta" of nest-shaped type arranged on supporting racks, which apparatus is characterized in that it essentially comprises a base framework with a first receiving area suitable for receiving the racks, with said racks being provided with a prefixed set of containers seats, wherein each of said seats is suitable for containing a prefixed number of "pasta" nests, equal to the number of nests which should be charged to one single packaging container, a second receiving area, suitable for receiving said packaging containers, and a drawing/transfer means suitable for drawing and transferring a number of "pasta" nests contained inside one of said container seats from one of said racks into one of said packaging containers, and that said drawing/transfer means comprises a suction head suitable for drawing said "pasta" nests, which head can be reciprocated by means of suitable actuator means in a "to" stroke from a first position above some seats of the rack, in which position said head draws a prefixed number of "pasta" nests, to a second position above one or more packaging container(s), in which position said head releases said number of "pasta" nests, and in a "fro" stroke in which said, by now empty, head returns back to its first position.
The structural and functional characteristics and the undoubted advantages of an apparatus according to the present invention will be better understood and deduced from the following exemplifying, non-limitative disclosure referred to the hereto attached schematic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a partially sectional top plan view of an apparatus according to the present invention;
Figure 2 shows a sectional elevation view of the apparatus of Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows a magnified, partially sectional bottom view of a suction hood, and
Figure 4 shows a partially sectional side view of the suction hood of Figure 3.

Referring to the figures, an apparatus according to the present invention is used for automatically transferring into packaging containers 11 "pasta" of nest-shaped type 12 contained in racks 13 provided with a plurality of seats or boxes 14 suitable for containing a prefixed number of "pasta" nests, in particular a "pasta" nest number equal to the number of nests suitable for being arranged inside one individual packaging container 11.
The apparatus according to the present invention essentially comprises a base framework 10 provided with a first receiving area, suitable for receiving racks 13 filled with "pasta" nests 12, a second receiving area suitable for receiving packaging containers 11 and a drawing/transfer means for transferring the "pasta" nests between said two areas.
The racks 13 which contain the "pasta" nests 12 produced by the nest-shaped "pasta" producing machine and have run through the dryer have a structure consisting of container seats, or boxes 14, defined by longitudinal 15a and transversal 15b separation elements, such as aluminum strips arranged in a grid-like fashion. Thus, the seats 14 contain a prefixed number of "pasta" nests 12. In the herein shown example such a prefixed number is 6; it could anyway be of a whatever value.
The racks 13 could be caused to advance by means of a conveyor, e.g., a chain conveyor, not shown herein, such as to be brought in correspondence of an ordering/compacting unit which performs the task of arranging in an orderly and compacted fashion the "pasta" nests contained in each seat. Said ordering/compacting unit can be installed in front of, or even in correspondence of, said first receiving area.
Such an unit is constituted by the association of brush-like pusher means 16 and respectively 17, which are pivotally moved: the pusher means 16 in the longitudinal direction, parallel to the movement of advancement of the racks 13; and the pusher means 17 in the transversal direction to the container seats 14; both of them individually act inside the various "pasta" nest containing seats 14.
The brush-like pusher elements 16 which, e.g., are positioned parallel to the longitudinal separator elements 15a, are moved by means of an actuator means 18 through relevant linking levers 19, all supported by shoulders 20, which enable said pushers to pivot between a longitudinal position parallel to the non-compacted nests, to a second, transversely rotated position, suitable for at least transversely compacting the prefixed group of nests 12.
The second brush-like pusher elements 17, by means of an at all similar pivoting movement -- not shown herein for the sake of simplicity -- are positioned parallel to the transversal separator elements 15b and act on the transversal sides of the nest groups, compacting them in the longitudinal direction. In the herein discussed example, the brush- like pusher elements 16 and 17 are arranged at different rows of racks, and at one single transversal row of seats 14; however, they could be as many as the rows, or the seats of a whole rack 13 are.
The racks 13 are then advanced stepwise -- with the pitch of advancement corresponding to the size of a seat 14 -- along the first, rack receiving, area by the movement of a conveyor equipped with pusher elements 21, until they come to a drawing/transfer device, generally indicated with the reference number 22. Said drawing/transfer device 22 is positioned in bridge-like fashion above the conveyor 21 and can swing, alternatively reciprocating between a first position above a transversal row of container seats 14 of the rack 13 and a second position above the second receiving area in which the orderly positioning of packaging containers 11, suitably spaced apart from one another, takes place.
The drawing/transfer means 22 comprises a structure constituted by side uprights 23 which supports, by means of upper pivot means 24, a suction head disclosed in detail in the following. In the example discussed herein, the side pivot means 24 rotatably support square elements 25 acting as side heads and connected with each other by two transverse rods 26 which support in their turn four suction hoods 27 which constitute the suction head and connect it with a centrifugal suction fan 29 by means of a set of four hoses 28.
As is better shown in Figures 3 and 4, each suction hood 27 has, in its lower side facing towards the racks 13, a soft planar element 30 with holes 31 against which the groups of "pasta" nests 12 drawn from their container seats 14 come to rest when the suction fan 29 is positively actuated. The positive actuation of the suction fan 29, i.e., the drawing and release of the "pasta" nests by the individual suction hoods 27 is promoted by pneumatic valves 32, e.g., of the throttle type, which are operatively actuated by actuator means 33, for example of piston type (only one of said actuator means 33 is shown), which cause the hoses 28 to get closed or opened and put into connection with the fan 29.
The structure constituted by the side uprights 23 is caused to pivot by means of a motor means schematically shown in 34, with which a kinematic link, e.g., of crank and slotted link type, schematically shown in 35, is associated, between said first position and a second position above said second receiving area for the packaging containers 11 according to an essentially reverse-"U" shaped reciprocating trajectory. Of course, such motor means can be connected with centalized motor means also acting on other units of the manufacturing line.
In the herein discussed example, a second conveyor 36 -- e.g., of chain type -- is provided, which conveys the packaging containers 11, suitably spaced from each other, according to a predetermined advancement pitch, such that said packaging containers 11 get positioned under each suction hood 27; however, as an alternative, a simple support top on which the containers are manually laid, could be provided as well.
In order to secure that the packaging containers 11 are kept in their correct position during the step of deposition of the prefixed groups of "pasta" nests 12 drawn from the racks 13, means for stable positioning are provided, such as suction-cup means 37, which act on the lower portion of the same containers when the suction head gets approached to them in order to deposit the "pasta" nests 12.
At the inlet end of the second conveyor 36 a pusher means 38 is installed, which is driven by an actuator piston means 39 in order to promote the feed of empty packaging containers 11 to the receiving area defined above a stretch of said second conveyor.
In this case, sensor means schematically shown in 40 are furthermore provided, e.g., positioned at each correct positioning station for the containers 11. As interspacing between the containers 11 and secondly detect, during the pivoting movement of the drawing/transfer means 22 from the first to the second receving area, the presence or less of the same packaging containers on the conveyor 36. If one or more container(s) 11 is(are) absent, such sensor means 40 will cause the suction fed to the relevant hose(s) 28 to be discontinued, and the groups of nests 12 transported by the relevant suction hood 27 will be released on a discharge chute 41. By means of the provision of the above said chute element, the "pasta" nests can be suitably sent to a possible recovery station.
Once that the drawing/transfer means 22 has come to its second position above the second conveyor 36, the suction fan 29 is disconnected and the nest groups fall into the respective packaging containers 11. Then, the drawing/transfer means 22 returns back to its drawing position, above the successive row of the rack 13.
Now the suction-cup elements 37 are disconnected and release the packaging containers 11 filled with the "pasta" nests and the second conveyor 36 performs the removal of them, while the pusher means 38 simultaneously feeds new -- empty -- packaging containers 11.
Thus, according to a stepwise process, the racks 13 are completely emptied of the "pasta" nests 12 contained in them by the drawing/transfer means 22 and, once emptied, are either manually or automatically returned to the starting end of the "pasta" nests production cycle.
In an apparatus according to the present invention, the possibility is therefore provided, of completely automating the handling of "pasta" nests from their drying step to the step of their positioning inside the packaging containers, thus any breakages thereof being prevented and the large amount of manpower presently required for the packaging step being simultaneously reduced.
The particular structure of the suction head is an additional guarantee for the integrity of "pasta" nests in course of packaging.

Claims

1. Apparatus for orderly transferring into packaging containers "pasta" of nest-shaped type arranged on supporting racks, characterized in that it essentially comprises a base framework with a first receiving area suitable for receiving the racks, with said racks being provided with a set of container seats, wherein each of said seats is suitable for containing a prefixed number of "pasta" nests, equal to the number of nests which should be packaged inside one single packaging container, a second receiving area suitable for receving said packaging containers, and a drawing/transfer means suitable for drawing and transferring at least one number of "pasta" nests contained inside at least one of said container seats from one of said racks into one of said packaging containers, and that said drawing/transfer means comprises a suction head suitable for drawing said number of "pasta" nests, which head can be reciprocated by means of relevant actuator means in a "to" stroke from a first position above at least one of said seats of said rack, in which position said head draws said prefixed number of "pasta" nests, to a second position above said head releases said number of "pasta" nests, and in a "fro" stroke in which said, by now empty, head returns back to its first position.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that above said base framework brush-like pusher elements are furthermore provided in correspondence of said first receiving area of said framework, which pusher elements reciprocate in both longitudinal and transversal directions relatively to said container seats according to a "to-and-fro" oscillatory movement and interact with said prefixed number of "pasta" nests, such as to arrange them according to a compact arrangement.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said suction head is constituted by at least one suction hood supported on a structure provided with side uprights and connected through at least one hose with a suction fan.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that with said suction head pneumatic valves for selectively closing said at least one hose are associated.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that in correspondence of a surface thereof facing towards said racks, said suction head is provided with a soft flat element with a plurality of holes.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said drawing/transfer means is associated with a "pasta" nest discharge chute, operatively controlled by sensor means, which detect the presence of individual packaging containers in said second receiving area for said packaging containers.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that in said second receiving area suitable for receiving said packaging containers, means are provided for stably positioning said empty package containers, which are spaced apart from each other according to a pitch equivalent to the pitch of suction hoods which constitute said suction head.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that said means of stable positioning are suction-cup elements acting on a lower portion of said containers.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that in correspondence of said first receiving area suitable for receiving the racks, a conveyor constituted by pusher elements is provided, which is suitable for advancing each one of said racks with an advancement pitch equivalent to the size of one of said container seats for said racks.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that in correspondence of said second receiving area suitable for receiving said packaging containers, a second conveyor is provided for evacuating and feeding said packaging containers.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that a pusher means is associated with said second conveyor, in order to promote the feed of said packaging containers to said second receiving area.

12. Framework for use in an apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a series of container seats, wherein each of said seats is suitable for containing a prefixed number of "pasta" nests equal to the number of "pasta" nests to be packaged inside one single corresponding packaging container, with said seats being defined by means of longitudinal and transversal separation elements arranged in a grid-like configuration.