ARTICLE COMBINER

• US 3,610,396 A
• Filed: 06/19/1969
• Issued: 10/05/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Momir Babunovic
• Original Assignee: Momir Babunovic
• Inventors: Babunovic, Momir
• Primary Examiner(s): Sroka, Edward A.
• Application Number:
  US04/834,705
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 198/29,30
• US Class Current: 198/454
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2047/686 Lane boundaries which reciprocate or oscillate, e.g. vibrating boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2047/687 Lane boundaries which comprise rotatable elements, e.g. discs, cylinders, endless belts
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2047/688 Lane boundaries which are compliant
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/682 from a single conveyor lane consisting of one conveyor or several adjacent conveyors

Abstract

An article combiner includes adjacent supply and delivery conveyors and converging guides extending obliquely across the conveyors for channelling a haphazard mass of articles on the supply conveyor into a single file at the infeed end of the delivery conveyor. The guides have yieldable bars which are engaged by the articles, though yielding under pressure from the articles, act to retard the articles sufficiently to prevent formation of jams as the articles are channelled into a single file. A moving belt trained around pulleys on one of the guides has a friction surface which also engages the articles and spins them to further retard the formation of jams.

Claims

1. An article combiner for transforming a haphazard array of articles into a single file, said combiner comprising:

a first conveyor for supporting and moving the haphazard array of articles;

a second conveyor positioned adjacent to the first conveyor for receiving articles therefrom;

first and second guide members extending obliquely across the first and second conveyors, respectively, and converging toward the second conveyor in the formation of a converging flow channel for channeling the articles into a single file and diverting them onto the second conveyor;

bars connected to the guide members and extending generally in the same direction as the guide members, but being presented inwardly therefrom at least in part so that the articles will engage the bars as they pass toward the terminal end of the flow channel, the bars being shiftably mounted about pivots fixed in position with respect to the guide members so that the bars may move away from each other, the pivot for the bar connected to the first guide member being offset longitudinally of the first conveyor from the pivot for the bar connected to the second guide member;

means for urging the bars inwardly; and

a moving friction surface located along the flow channel for rotating articles as they are channelLed into a single file.

2. An article combiner according to claim 1 wherein the bars are provided with elbow bends which point away from the respective guide members on which those bars are mounted;

and wherein the elbow bends on the bars are longitudinally offset so that the flow channel between the guide members assumes a dogleg configuration.

3. An article combiner for transforming a haphazard array of substantially circular articles into a single file;

said combiner comprising;

a supply conveyor capable of supporting and moving the articles in a haphazard array with at least two articles abreast of one another;

a discharge conveyor positioned adjacent to and moving generally in the same direction as the supply conveyor for receiving articles from the supply conveyor and for conveying the articles away from the supply conveyor in a single file;

first and second opposed guides, one of which extends obliquely across the supply conveyor and the other of which extends obliquely across the discharge conveyor, the guides converging and at least partially defining a converging flow channel having an entrance over the supply conveyor and a throat over the discharge conveyor, the entrance being wide enough to accept at least two articles positioned abreast of one another on the supply conveyor and the throat being wide enough to accommodate only a single file of articles so that the discharge conveyor carries the articles away from the throat in a single file;

a moving friction surface located along the first guide and positioned to engage the sides of articles in the flow channel, the friction surface moving longitudinally of the first guide in generally the same direction as the articles are advanced along the supply conveyor and at a velocity different from the velocity of the supply conveyor so that articles engaged by the friction surface will be rotated, the friction surface further extending along the flow channel from an upstream position at which the flow channel is wide enough to accommodate two articles abreast of one another to a downstream position at which the channel is wide enough to accommodate only one article so that the articles at the downstream position are substantially in a single file;

yieldable means positioned along the second guide directly across the flow channel from the friction surface for the full length of that portion of the friction surface which is exposed to the articles in the flow channel whereby the yieldable means face the friction surface, the yieldable means being movable toward and away from the friction surface in the presence of articles between it and the friction surface so as to vary the effective width of the flow channel at the friction surface; and

means for urging the yieldable means toward the friction surface whereby two articles will not lodge abreast of one another in the flow channel.

4. An article combiner according to claim 14 wherein the friction surface is located above the supply conveyor;

and wherein the friction surface moves at a speed greater than the speed of the supply conveyor.

5. An article combiner according to claim 4 wherein the friction surface is on an endless belt having a run which passes adjacent to the first guide.

6. An article combiner according to claim 3 wherein the first guide extends obliquely across the supply conveyor and the second guide extends obliquely across the discharge conveyor.

7. An article combiner according to claim 6 wherein the friction surface moves at a velocity greater than the velocity of the supply conveyor.

8. An article combiner according to claim 3 wherein additional yieldable means are positioned along the first guide for movement toward and away from the other yieldable means along the second guide so to vary the effective width of the flow channel;

wherein the additional yieldable means as it moves changes surface area of the friction surface exposed to the articles for engagement therewith; and

wherein means urge the additional yieldable meAns toward the other yieldable means positioned along the second guide.

9. An article combiner according to claim 8 wherein at least one endless belt has an inwardly presented run which passes along the first guide and forms the friction surface;

and wherein the additional yieldable means project beyond and retract behind the inner run of the belt whereby the effective width of the flow channel at the friction surface is varied.

10. An article combiner according to claim 9 wherein the additional yieldable means extending along the first guide comprises a bar having its upstream end pivoted about an axis fixed with respect to the first guide and its downstream end free and normally presented behind the inner run of the belt.

11. An article combiner according to claim 10 wherein the yieldable means extending along the second guide comprises a bar having its upstream end pivoted about an axis fixed with respect to the second guide and its downstream end free for movement toward and away from the second guide.

12. An article combiner according to claim 3 wherein a pair of endless belts have inwardly presented runs which are spaced from one another and pass along the first guide, the inner runs of the belts forming the friction surface;

and wherein a bar extends along the first guide and is bent intermediate its end so as to project beyond the first guide toward the second guide, the upstream end of the bar being pivoted about an axis fixed with respect to the first guide and the downstream end of the bar being free and projecting into the space between the inner runs of the pair of belts.

13. An article combiner according to claim 3 wherein the yieldable means comprises a bar extending along the second guide and bent intermediate its ends, the bent portion of the bar projecting toward and being located generally opposite to the friction surface, the upstream end of the bar being pivoted about an axis which is fixed with respect to the second guide and the downstream end being free. An article combiner according to claim 13 and further characterized by another bar extending along the first guide and bent intermediate its end, the bent portion projecting toward the second guide and being located upstream from the friction surface, and the bent portion of the bar extending along the second guide, the upstream end of the other bar being pivoted about an axis fixed with respect to the first guide and the downstream end being free and projecting outwardly of the channel and beyond the friction surface at the friction surface.

15. In an article-combining apparatus to combine the flow of a haphazard array of articles into a single file flow comprising:

a pair of parallel conveyors having generally horizontally moving articles-supporting surfaces, said conveyors moving in the same direction, a pair of guide means operatively supported above said article-supporting surfaces and spaced apart, said guide means having article receiving ends and article discharge ends, with said receiving ends being located over one of said pair of conveyors and said discharge end being located over the other of said pair of conveyors, and said receiving ends of said guide means being spaced farther apart than said discharge ends such that the haphazard array flows between said receiving ends and said single file flow issues at said discharge ends, and powered article moving means carried by one of said guide means and having a friction surface adapted to move lengthwise of said conveyors in the direction of flow and being presented to engage articles and induce article movement on said conveyors during conveyance.