EP0043403A1 - Device for arranged transfer of successively advanced objects or groups of objects - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A device for the orderly transfer to a processing station of objects of groups of objects (7) fed to the device in spaced succession, comprising transport means (1) conveying the objects individually or in groups along the feeding direction into a transfer station (8), the transport means (1) being followed at the transfer station by a swing mechanism (9) which operates in synchronism with the arrival of the objects or groups of objects (7), to which individual objects or groups of objects (7) can be fed by a pusher element (16) of a pusher device (14) operating in strict synchronism with the movement of the swing mechanism (9), and by which the individual objects or groups of objects (7) can be picked up by means of a pick-up element (13) in the receiving position and then pivoted upwardly by 90 degrees into a transfer position, and comprising further an ejector device (21) which is driven in strict synchronism with the movement of the swing device (9) and by which the objects or groups of objects (7) can be ejected from the pick-up element (13) of the swing device (9) in the transfer position in a charging direction for the processing station, characterized in that the transport means (1) comprises a continuously running conveyor element (3) provided with pairs of carrier elements arranged at a fixed spacing relative to each other and carrying between them one object or group of objects (7) each, that the pick-up element takes the form of a receiving cup (13) which is open on two sides and exhibits a substantially U-shaped cross-section and which in its receiving position is arranged laterally of the transport means (1), that the pusher device (14) of the swing device (9) is provided on the side of the transport device (1) opposite the receiving cup, and that the pusher part (16) moves at high speed, the spacing between the carrier elements (4) of each pair of carriers and the dimensions of the pusher element (16) being selected in such a manner that when the pusher element (16) occupies the position between the carrier elements (4), the latter can perform a lateral movement permitting the pusher element (16) to perform its reciprocating movement.

Description

The invention relates to a method for the orderly transfer of objects or groups of objects successively brought up in a predetermined transport direction at intervals to a further processing machine, and a device set up for carrying out this method with a transport device which successively brings the objects up individually or in groups in the transport direction.

For example, in the manufacture of sanitary napkins, the sanitary napkins are collected at the output of the manufacturing machine by a transport device driven synchronously with the manufacturing machine in groups of a corresponding number of packs and sent for further processing. This further processing consists in placing a certain number of sanitary napkins in a bag, which is then closed and thus forms the sales package. Because the working speed of the manufacturing machine ne is relatively large and the bandages held upright on the transport device between two drivers and combined to form a group cannot be introduced by the transport device in this arrangement directly into the bag filling machine, which is provided as a further processing machine, the individual bandage groups have so far had to be operated by hand Removed transport device and inserted in the correct position in the entrance of the bag filling machine. It is expensive; it also limits the working speed of the entire system.

The object of the invention is therefore to remedy this situation and to point out a way which allows the objects or groups of objects successively brought up in the transport direction, for example coming from the manufacturing machine, to be removed automatically and reliably from the transport device and arranged in an orderly manner for the Suitable processing to hand over to the processing machine.

To achieve this object, the procedure according to the invention is such that each object or group of objects is gripped in a transfer station, then swiveled through 90 ° transversely to the transport direction on a transfer level and then pushed in this transfer level in an input direction to the input of the further processing machine.

The objects or groups of objects swiveled up one after the other can be in the transfer plane be moved to the entrance of the further processing machine, forming a series of articles or groups of articles. The situation is particularly simple when the objects or groups of objects are sucked into the transfer station.

Because the objects are picked up individually or in groups in the transfer station and swiveled up to a transfer level that is offset in height from the transport level, they can be fed into the input of the further processing machine in the transfer level without hindrance by the transport device, while on the other hand the objects are simultaneously pivoted by 90 ° are tilted so that, for example the sanitary napkins, which are brought upright on one end by the transport device, are pushed further lying on one of their narrow sides in the transfer plane. A high working speed can be achieved. The need for manual labor is eliminated.

Of course, the process is not limited to handing over sanitary napkins; it is suitable for all objects which have to be introduced in the corresponding manner coming from a manufacturing machine into the entrance of a further processing machine. However, sanitary napkins are soft objects of relatively low dimensional stability that are difficult to handle.

A device of the type mentioned at the outset for carrying out the method is characterized in accordance with the invention in that the transfer station next to the transport device is a pivoting device is arranged laterally with the rhythm of the arriving at the transfer station articles or article groups between a receiving position and a pivotable by 90 ⁰ other hand, pivoted handing over position receiving part through whose stationary in the receiving position the receiving part, the supplied individual articles or article groups graspable are and one of the gripped objects or groups of objects, after swiveling up by 90 °, ejecting from the receiving part in the input direction, is driven in a fixed, cyclical manner depending on the movement of the receiving part.

In a preferred embodiment, the receiving part is a receiving cup which is arranged on a swivel arm and is open on the edge and has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape. This receiving cup can have at least one suction opening for the object or group of objects introduced therein, the suction opening being connected to a vacuum source. In this way, it is possible to suck the object or the group of objects firmly into the receiving cup during the reception and thus to grip them in a particularly gentle manner.

The transport device can have a continuously rotating conveying means which carries drivers arranged in pairs at fixed mutual intervals, between each of which an object or group of objects is held, the swiveling device in the transfer station Tung opposite, a clocked in dependence on the movement of the pivoting device driven insertion device is arranged, each having an object or a group of objects from a pair of drivers to be introduced into the receiving cup, fast-moving moving insertion part.

The push-in part pushes the object or the group of objects brought up from a pair of catches to the receiving cup into the receiving cup standing in the receiving position, soft objects being compressed somewhat at the same time. The movement of the push-in part is so fast that a hindrance to the transport movement of the drivers by the push-in process is excluded.

In order to avoid, in particular in the case of soft or very narrow objects, that the catches jam with the push-in part, it is advantageous if the catches of each pair of catches have guides on their inside which extend transversely to the transport direction and into which guide parts present on the push-in part engage. In a similar way, the receiving cup can carry longitudinal guides on the inside in the region of its opposite side walls, into which guide parts of the ejection device engage. These guides and guide parts can be formed by interacting guide grooves and guide lugs.

Finally, it is advantageous if the execution takes up the objects or groups of objects, following the swung-up opening has arranged in the input direction, in which the objects are then fed in the form of a row to the entrance of the further processing machine.

With a very high working speed of the manufacturing machine and a correspondingly high conveying speed of the transport device, precautions must be taken to ensure that sufficient time is nevertheless available for the pushing-in process in the transfer station. For this purpose, the conveying means can be driven at a non-uniform speed, the driver pairs being moved at a lower speed during their passage through the transfer station. In a practical embodiment, this non-uniform drive of the conveying means can take place, for example, via an elliptical gear.

• Figur 1 eine Vorrichtung gemäß der Erfindung in perspektivischer Darstellung, Figur 2 den in der Übergabestellung stehenden Aufnahmebecher der Vorrichtung nach Figur 1 in einer Seitenansicht und Figur 3 ein in der Übergabestation stehendes Mitnehmerpaar der Vorrichtung nach Figur 1 in einer Seitenansicht.

In the drawing, an embodiment of the object of the invention is shown schematically. Show it

• 1 shows a device according to the invention in a perspective view, FIG. 2 shows the receiving cup of the device according to FIG. 1 in the transfer position in a side view, and FIG. 3 shows a pair of drivers of the device according to FIG. 1 standing in the transfer station in a side view.

The transfer device shown in FIG. 1 has a transport device 1 which has a conveying means in the form of an endless belt or an endless chain 3 which is guided over a deflection pulley 2. On the chain 3 are in fixed predetermined distances fixed in pairs associated strip-like drivers 4, which slide on a guideway 5.

The conveying means 3 is driven synchronously with a production machine (not shown further), from which it transports object groups 7 in a transport direction indicated by an arrow 6, which in the present case consist of a predetermined number of sanitary napkins standing up on the end face of the guideway 5 and stacked flat against one another. Each group of objects 7 is frictionally held between a pair of drivers 4.

The groups of objects 7 are transported by the carriers 4 successively into a transfer station 8, in which a swivel device 9 is arranged laterally next to the transport device 1. The swivel device 9 has a swivel arm 12 which can be swiveled about a swivel axis 11 which is rotatably mounted in bearing blocks 10 and which carries a receiving cup 13 at the end. The receptacle 13 is essentially in the form of an open-edge channel section of U-shaped cross-sectional shape. It can be pivoted by the swivel arm 12 between the receiving position shown in full lines in FIG. 1 and a transfer position illustrated by dashed lines, which is rotated by 90 in contrast.

The drive of the swiveling device 9, which is not further illustrated, is inevitably coupled to the movement of the conveying means 3 in such a way that the swiveling of the swivel arm 12 and thus the Receiving container 13 takes place depending on the driver pairs 4 arriving in the receiving station 8, as will be explained in more detail below.

On the side of the transport device 1 which is opposite the receiving cup 13 in the receiving position, an insertion device 14 is arranged with an insertion part 16 which can be pushed in and out in the direction of the arrows 15 transversely to the transport direction 6. The push-in part 16 is a plunger which has a push-in plate 17 on the end face and which can be moved pneumatically or electromechanically and the stroke of which is dimensioned such that it can be advanced from the rest position shown in FIG. 1 to the edge of the side walls of the receiving cup 13 with its push-in plate 17 .

As can be seen in particular from FIG. 3, the drivers 4 of a pair of drivers are each formed on their inside with guide grooves 18 running transversely to the transport direction 6 and thus in the direction of the arrows 15 of the push-in device 14, while the insertion plate 17 of the push-in device 14 laterally corresponds to guide lugs 19 wearing.

The dimensions of the insert plate 17 and the guide grooves 18 and the guide lugs 19 are selected such that the drivers 4 can perform a certain lateral movement when the insert plate 17 is inserted between them, which is sufficient for the insert plate 17 to carry out its reciprocating stroke movement without to run sideways to one of the drivers 4. The leading lugs 19 are so long that they protrude into the guide grooves when the insertion plate 17 is located between the carriers 4, d, h, overlap the inner contour of the pair of carriers 4.

In the illustrated embodiment, the arrangement is such that the drivers 4 are also provided on their outside with corresponding guide grooves 18a. In this way, object groups 7 can be held in succession between the carriers 4 without empty spaces.

In the transfer plane defined by the receiving cup 13 pivoted up into the transfer position shown in dashed lines, an input channel 20 is then arranged on the receiving cup 13, which leads to a further processing machine, for example a bag packing machine, which is not further shown. In the direction of escape of the feed channel 20, an ejection device 21 is provided which has an ejection plunger 23 which can be moved back and forth in the direction of the arrows 22 and which is provided on the end face with two guide lugs 24 which, in the manner shown in FIG. 2, have longitudinal guide grooves 25 on the inside of the side walls 26 of the receiving cup 13 standing in the transfer position can engage.

Finally, the receiving cup is formed with a slit-like suction opening 27 in the area of its rear side. which is connected to a suction channel 28, which leads to a vacuum source, not shown.

• Die von der Herstellungsmaschine zwischen jeweils ein Mitnehmerpaar eingefügten Gegenstandsgruppen 7 werden von dem Fördermittel 3 aufeinanderfolgend in die Übergabestation 8 eingeführt. Sowie ein Mitnehmerpaar 4 auf den in der Aufnahmestellung stehenden Aufnahmebecher 13 ausgerichtet ist, schiebt der in zwangsläufiger Abhängigkeit von der Bewegung des Fördermittels 3 gesteuerte Einschiebstößel 16 die Gegenstandsgruppe in den Aufnahmebecher 13 ein, wo sie über die Saugöffnung 27 festgesaugt wird. Da, wie bereits erläutert, die Führungsnasen 19 bei dieser Einschubbewegung die Berandung der Führungsnuten 18 der Mitnehmer 4 überdecken, können sich seitlich keine Gegenstände verklemmen, während andererseits die Mitnehmer wegen des vorhandenen seitlichen Spiels ihre Transportbewegung fortsetzen können.

The device described so far works as follows:

• The object groups 7 inserted by the manufacturing machine between each pair of drivers are successively introduced into the transfer station 8 by the conveying means 3. As soon as a pair of drivers 4 is aligned with the receiving cup 13 in the receiving position, the push-in ram 16, which is inevitably dependent on the movement of the conveying means 3, pushes the group of objects into the receiving cup 13, where it is sucked in via the suction opening 27. Since, as already explained, the guide lugs 19 cover the edges of the guide grooves 18 of the carriers 4 during this insertion movement, no objects can get stuck on the side, while on the other hand the carriers can continue their transport movement because of the lateral play.

At a high transport speed of the transport device 1, the arrangement can also be such that the conveying means 3 is driven, for example, by an elliptical gear with a non-uniform speed, such that the driver pairs 4 are moved at a lower speed during their passage through the transfer station 8 or linger briefly, to give the push rod 16 the opportunity to carry out its working stroke without running sideways against the drivers.

The object group 7 sucked into the receptacle 13 is moved by the pivoting device 9 with the receptacle 13 into the one shown in FIG Transfer line shown in dashed lines in which the receiving cup 13 is aligned with the input channel 20. As soon as the receiving cup 13 has reached this position, the ejection plunger 23 pushes the object group 7 contained in the receiving cup 13 into the input channel 20. This forms a series of successive groups of objects 7 in the feed channel 20, which are fed to the further processing machine. The guide lugs 24 engaging in the guide grooves 25 of the receptacle 13 ensure that when the object group 7 is ejected from the receptacle 13, the flat objects lying on the edge are also carried along perfectly.

The movements of the ejection device 21, the swivel device 9 and the push-in device 14 are synchronized in a manner known per se, depending on the components used.

In the described embodiment of the receiving cup is pivoted to an angle of 90 ⁰ between the receiving position and the transfer position 13, because the driver 4 and the article groups 7 are arranged vertically and the inlet chute 20 is located in a horizontal plane.

There are also feasible embodiments, in which the pivot angle of the receiver cup 13 has a different value of 90 ^0. There are, for example, cases in which the catches 4 are inclined to the side with respect to the vertical and are connected to one another in pairs by a wall or are pocket-like, the inclination ensuring that the objects inserted under the force of gravity on the connecting wall or are held on the bottom of the bag. Under these circumstances, the receiving cup in the transfer station 8 assumes a receiving position in which it is aligned parallel to the inclined drivers, which means that it is also pivoted correspondingly with respect to the vertical.

In a similar manner, the transfer plane in which the feed channel 20 runs can be inclined with respect to the horizontal if this is necessary in view of the further transport of the transferred objects or the input conditions in the further processing machine.

Claims (14)

1. A method for the orderly transfer of objects or groups of objects successively brought up in a predetermined transport direction at intervals to a further processing machine, characterized in that each object or each group of objects is gripped in a transfer station, then swiveled transversely to the transport direction onto a transfer plane and then in this Transfer level is pushed in an input direction to the input of the processing machine. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the successively pivoted up objects or groups of objects are moved to the entrance of the further processing machine in the transfer plane to form a series of objects or groups of objects. 3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims _- characterized in that the objects or groups of objects are sucked into the transfer station. 4. A device for performing the method according to one of the preceding claims with a successively individually or in groups in the transport device leading the objects, characterized in that in the transfer station (8) in addition to the transport device (1) a swivel device (9) with a Clock in the handover Arriving objects (8) or groups of objects (7) between a receiving position and a pivoting transfer position pivoting receiving part (13) is arranged, through the receiving part in the receiving position (13) the supplied individual objects or groups of objects (7) are grasped and the an ejection device (21), which ejects the gripped objects or groups of objects (7) after swiveling upwards, is ejected from the receiving part (13) in the input direction and is driven in a fixed, cyclical manner depending on the movement of the receiving part (13). 5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the receiving part is a on a swivel arm (12) arranged, open on the edge receiving cup (13) of substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape. 6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the receiving cup (13) has at least one suction opening (27) for the object or group of objects (7) introduced into it, and that the suction opening (27) is connected to a vacuum source . 7. Apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the transport device (1) has a continuously rotating conveying means (3) which carries at fixed mutual intervals paired drivers (4), between each of which an object or group of objects (7th ) is supported and that in The transfer station (8), opposite the swivel device (9), is arranged in a clocked manner, depending on the movement of the swivel device (9), push-in device (14), each of which is an object or group of objects (7) from a pair of drivers (4 ) in the receiving cup (13) bringing, fast-moving moving insertion part (16). 8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that the drivers (4) of each pair of drivers have on their inside each transverse to the transport direction guides (18) in which on the push-in part (16, 17) existing guide parts (19) engage. 9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that the insertion part has an insertion surface (17), in the region of which the guide parts (19) are arranged. 10. Device according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the receiving cup (13) on the inside in the region of its opposite side walls (26) has longitudinal guides (25), in the guide parts (24) of the ejection device (21) intervention. 11. The device according to claim 8 or 10, characterized in that the guides (18; 25) and the guide parts (19; 24) are formed by cooperating guide grooves and guide lugs. 12. The device according to one of claims 4 to 11, characterized in that it has a the objects or the groups of objects (7) receiving, then arranged on the pivoted receiving part (13), extending in the direction of input groove (20). 13. Device according to one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that the conveying means (3) is driven at a non-uniform speed and the driver pairs (4) are moved at a lower speed during their passage through the transfer station (8). 14. Device according to one of claims 4 to 13, characterized in that the receiving part (13) in the receiving position is aligned parallel to the object to be gripped or the group of objects (7).

Images