GB2191163A

GB2191163A - Article transfer device

Info

Publication number: GB2191163A
Application number: GB08612832A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Alan Cook
Original assignee: Hulbritt Developments Ltd
Current assignee: Hulbritt Developments Ltd
Priority date: 1986-05-27
Filing date: 1986-05-27
Publication date: 1987-12-09
Also published as: GB8612832D0

Abstract

A transfer device for transferring bags of potato crisps from a filling station A to a delivery position B comprises an arm structure 3 which carries a holding member 7, 11-16. The arm structure 3 is pivotable above a vertical axis,whilst the holding member is pivotable about a horizontal axis XX' by means of a pneumatic piston-and-cylinder device 17 so as to reorient a bag of crisps during transfer from the filling station to, for instance, a conveyor 19. The holding member comprises hollow cylindrical fingers 13 which are open to a vacuum chamber 12, the fingers having elongate suction slots 16 in the sidewalls. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Article transfer device The invention relates to a deviceforthetransferand orienting of articles generally and is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with the transfer of bags of potato crisps fed from a filling machine, to a delivery position from which the bags are then taken for furthertesting and subsequent bulk packaging.

Known package handling apparatus comprises a vertical guideway, a receiving station, a movable supportelement, atransferdevice and adelivery station. The vertical guideway is normally positioned below a bag filling machine and fed therefrom with individual crisp bags vertically oriented with top and bottom welded edges. A bag is then received bythe movable support element or, in the event that the bag is sub-standard, the support element is retracted or pivoted to allow the bag to fall freely into a reject bin or the like positioned underthe guideway.The transfer device, normally fitted with suction holding means, is used to move accepted bags, which are vertically oriented,from the receiving station to a delivery station at which the bags are required to lie flat in horizontal orientation. The delivery station is normally at the input end of a conveyor by which the bags are transported to testing and bulk packaging stations.

Such known handling apparatus normally has the receiving station below the level ofthe delivery station. It is therefore required that not only should the transfer device change the orientation ofthe crisp bag but also that it should lift the bag vertically between the two stations, and this is normally accomplished using an arm pivoted about a horizontal axis.

It is an object of the invention to provide a transfer device that can transfer an article from a receiving position to a delivery position, both ofwhich may be in substantially the same horizontal plane. It is a further object of the invention to provide a transfer device which does not necessarily require the provision of a mechanically separate device defining the receiving station when used in conjunction with other elements of the aforementioned handling apparatus.

According to the invention a transfer device comprises a mechanismfortransferring articles from a first or receiving position to a second or delivery position, which comprises an arm structure rotatable about a first, preferably vertical axis at the radial outer wend of which a holding member is rotatably attached, so as to be rotatable about a second, preferably horizontal axis relative to the arm structure. The receiving position is preferably below anoutputguidewayofa bag filling machine. Ion a preferred embodiment of the invention the holding member engages a filled bag as it is delivered from the bag filling machine before the bag is released by the machine. Thus, a bag may be simultaneously engaged by the holding member and also retained by the bag filling machine.The second position may be a weighing machine but it is preferablythe input end of a conveyor. The conveyor is suitably a conventional flat bed orflighted walking beam conveyor although it may be a pocketed endless belt orvacuum conveyor.

Preferably the holding member when stationed at the receiving position receives the bags directly from the bag filling machine. If a sub-standard bag isfed from the filling machine the transfer device may be keptatthe delivery position, or at an intermediate position, to allowthe sub-standard bag tofall freely into a reject bin or the like positioned underthe guides.

The holding member is preferably a suction holding device and may comprise two spaced parallel elongate cylindrical fingers, each of which is provided with an elongate suction slotthe radially inner side of which is intermittently connected by suitable means to a vacuum source.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Figure lisa rearviewofhandlingapparatus em bodying a transfer device according to the invention, where the transfer device is in a first or receiving position; and Figure 2 is a partial plan view of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1 with a ghost outline ofthe transfer device in a second or delivery position.

A holding member of the transfer device in Figures 1 and 2 is illustrated at a receiving position A and is further illustrated in ghost outline at a delivery position B. The device comprises an arm structure 1 which can be rotated about a vertical axis YY' and the holding member 2 mounted atthe radial outer end of the arm structure 1 which can be rotated about a horizontal axis XX' relative to the arm structure.

The arm structure 1 has parallel elongate steel platearms3weldedattheaxial innerendstoa tubular hub 4 and at the outer ends thereof to a tubular vertical member 5. A pivot block 6 is welded to the upper end of member 5 and one end of a shaft 7 of the holding member 2 is rotatably retained therein.Thetubular hub 4 is mounted on a shaft8 which can freely rotate about the axis', this rotation is achieved by a double-acting pneumatic cylinder9 pivotally mounted to a crank 10 which is keyed to a tower portion ofthe shaft 8.

The other end of the shaft 7 is welded to a hollow backing member 11 of the holding member 2, a vacuum chamber 12 within member11 being intermittently connected to a vacuum source, in a manner not illustrated. Two parallel cylindrical fingers 13 with closed outer ends 14 are rigidly attached to a front plate 15 ofthe backing member 11, the hollow bore of each ofthefingers 13 is open to the vacuum chamber 12. An elongate suction slot 16 is provided through the sidewall of each ofthe fingers 13. The holding member 2 can freely rotate about the horizontal axis XX' this rotation is achieved by a double-acting pneumatic cylinder 17 pivotally mounted to a crank 18 rigidly attached to a back plate of the backing member 11.

Whilstthe rotation in this described embodiment is achieved pneumatically it may alternatively be achieved by conventional mechanical, electro-mechanical or hydraulic drive means.

In operation a crisp bag is delivered by afilling machine down vertical guides, notshown,to be engaged bythe holding member2when in the receiving position A and may be simultaneously retained by the bag filling machine until the bag is released by the machine to be received by the holding member 2. The bag is received with a bottom welded edge thereof substantial Iy alig ned with the axis XX', a lower portion of the bag resting on fingers 13 and being held by suction atthe slots 16.The holding member 2 is then moved to the delivery position B, with a compound movement wherein the arm structure 1 is rotated through 90 by the pneumatic cylinder 9 to provide translational movement ofthe bag from the vertical guides to the entry end of a walking beam conveyor 19, and the holding member2 is rotated through 90 by the pneumatic cylinder 17 so changing the orientation of the bag. Finally, the suction is removed from the slots 16 and the bag is allowed to rest under its own weight on the conveyor 19. The holding member 2 may be retained in the position B to give additional supportto the bottom edge ofthe bag until the bag is transported away by the conveyor 19.

The transfer device is then returned to the receiving position Ato receive another filled bag.

Alternatively if a sub-standard filled bag is fed from the filling machine the transfer device is kept atthe delivery position B or at intermediate position so that the sub-standard bag is allowed to fall freely into a reject bin orthe like positioned belowthevertical guides.

The sequencing and control ofthe transfer device is accomplished by conventional means notshown.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transferring an article from a receiving position to a delivery position, comprising support means pivotable about a first axis and holding means mounted on the support means so as to be pivotable about a second axis with respectto the support means.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the first and second axes are substantially perpendicularto each other.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the first axis is vertical.

4. An apparatus as claimed in any one ofthe preceding claims, including first means for pivoting the support means between a first position, in which the holding means is located atthe receiving position, and a second position, in which the holding means is at the delivery position.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which the support means comprises spaced arms whose first ends are pivotably mounted about the first axis to a base and to whose second ends are pivotably connected to the holding means aboutthe second axis.

6. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the second axis is horizontal.

7. An apparatus as claimed in anyoneofthe preceding claims, including second means four pivoting the holding means between first and second pivotal positions for changing the orientation of an article held by the holding means.

8. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the holding means includes suction holding means.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which the suction holding means comprises two spaced parallel elongate cylinders, each of which has an elongate longitudinal slot communicating via the interior of the cylinder with a vacuum source.

10. An article transferring apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

11. A bag handling system comprising an apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and a bag filling machine with an outlet located above the receiving position.

12. Asystem as claimed in claim 11, including a conveyor whose input end is located at the delivery position.

13. A system as claimed in claim 11 or 12, including first control means for keeping the holding means at the delivery position orata position intermediate the receiving and delivery positions when a sub-standard bag is put outfrom the outlet of the bag filling machine.

14. A system as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 13, including second control means for causing the holding means to engage a bag before the bag is released from the bag filling machine.