Conveyor system for multiplying slices of product

• US 5,209,339 A
• Filed: 06/30/1992
• Issued: 05/11/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thurne Engineering Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Thurne Engineering Company Limited
• Inventors: Antonissen, Peter H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, Robert P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GASTINEAU, CHERYL
• Application Number:
  US07/908,557
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• Field of Search: 198/436, 198/419.1, 198/419.2, 198/431, 198/432, 198/434, 198/463.6, 198/631, 198/458, 198/817, 198/586
• US Class Current: 198/436
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/08 Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/10 Sequence control of conveyors operating in combination
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/08 spacing or grouping the articles during feeding during transit by conveyor B65G47/28
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/71 the articles being discharged or distributed to several distinct separate conveyors or to a broader conveyor lane

Abstract

A conveyor system for multiplying one or more input streams of product into two or more output streams of product is constituted by an input conveyor (4) for conveying the one or more input streams of product, a transfer conveyor (5) which is movable bodily in a direction transverse to its conveying direction and which is arranged to receive products from the input conveyor (4), and a multi-lane output conveyor (6) which carries multiple side-by-side streams of product and is arranged to receive products from the transfer conveyor (5). The conveyor system also includes apparatus to control the forward movement of the products in the one or more input streams of product, and the forward movement of the products in each stream on the output conveyor (6) to enable the products to be aligned with one another across the output conveyor. Preferably the control apparatus collects successive products into groups so that the products are transferred from the input conveyor (4) to the transfer conveyor (5) in groups.

Claims

1. A conveyor system for multiplying one or more input streams of product into two or more output streams of product comprising:

an input conveyor (4) for conveying the one or more input streams of product,

a transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) which is movable bodily in a direction transverse to its conveying direction and which is arranged to receive products from the input conveyor (4),

a multi-lane output conveyor (6) which carriers multiple sideby-side streams of product, the multi-lane output conveyor (6) being arranged to receive products from the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52),

means (10) to control the forward movement of the products in the one or more input streams of product, and

means (10) to control the forward movement of the products in each stream on the output conveyor (6) to enable the products to be aligned with one another across the output conveyor, in which a single spaces stream of products is conveyed by the input conveyor (4) and in which the means (10) to control the forward movement of the products ensures that the products are entirely on the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) when the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) moves transversely, so that the products do not span a joint between the input conveyor (4) and the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) or between the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) and the output conveyor (6) during transverse movement of the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52).

2. A conveyor system according to claim 1, in which the means (10) to control the forward movement of the products collects successive products into groups so that the products are transferred from the input conveyor (4) to the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) in groups.

3. A conveyor system according to claim 1, in which the input conveyor and means (10) to control the forward movement of products comprise a multi-element belt with one or more moveable stop platforms formed by upright elongate plates (18) intercalated between bands (16) of the conveyor.

4. A conveyor system according to claim 2, in which the input conveyor and means to control the forward movement of products comprise a number of individual short conveyors (31, 32, 33) located one behind the other and arranged with the drive of each conveyor being independently controlled so that upon the arrival of the first product of each group of products on a first short conveyor, a second, immediately succeeding short conveyor is stopped to permit transfer of the group of products to the second short conveyor;

and upon arrival of the group at the second short conveyor, a third short conveyor, immediately succeeding the second, is stopped to permit transfer of the group of products to the third short conveyor;

such that upon the arrival of the final product of the group said each group of products is spaced in the conveying direction from a succeeding group of products.

5. A conveyor system according to claim 2, in which the multi-lane output conveyor (6) comprises a multielement belt with a single drive providing the forward movement of all of the streams of products by the output conveyor, and in which the means to control the forward movement of the products comprises at least one moveable stop platform (10) formed by upright elongate plates (18) intercalated between bands (16) of the output conveyor (6) which can be lifted to lift products upwards out of contact with the bands (16) of the multiple element strip conveyor and so hold the groups of products at a particular location until a succeeding product in another stream reaches the same location whereupon the platforms (10) are lowered to that transverse rows of product are formed across the output conveyor (6).

6. A conveyor system according to claim 1, in which two transfer conveyors (51, 52) are provided between the input conveyor (4) and the output conveyor (6), the first conveyor (51) receiving products from the input conveyor (4) and discharging the products onto the second transfer conveyor (52) and the second transfer conveyor (52) discharging the products onto the output conveyor (6).

7. A foodstuff packaging line comprising in order a slicing machine (1) for cutting slices off a block of foodstuff, a jump conveyor (2) to collect the slices together into a stack of shingle, a conveyor system, and a multilane vacuum packaging machine (9) to vacuum pack the stacks or shingles of foodstuff, said conveyor system comprising:

an input conveyor (4) for conveying the one or more input steams of product, a transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) which is movable bodily in a direction transverse to its conveying direction and which is arranged to receive products from the input conveyor (4), and a multi-lane output conveyor (6) which carries multiple side-by-side streams of product and is arranged to receive products from the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52), characterized in that the conveyor system also includes means (10) to control the forward movement of the products in the one or more input streams of product, in which a single spaced stream of products is conveyed by the input conveyor (4) and in which the means (10) to control the forward movement of the products ensures that the products are entirely on the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) when the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) moves transversely, so that the products do not span a joint between the input conveyor (4) and the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) or between the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) and the output conveyor (6) during transverse movement of the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52), and means (10) to control the forward movement of the products in each stream on the output conveyor (6) to enable the products to be aligned with one another across the output conveyor.

8. A conveyor system for multiplying one or more input streams of product into two or more output streams of product comprising:

an input conveyor (4) for conveying the one or more input streams of product,

a transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) which is movable bodily in a direction transverse to its conveying direction and which is arranged to receive products from the input conveyor (4),

a multi-lane output conveyor (6) which carries multiple side-by-side streams of product, the multi-lane output conveyor (6) being arranged to receive products from the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52),

means (10) to control the forward movement of the products in the one or more input streams of product, and

means (10) to control the forward movement of the products in each stream on the output conveyor (6) to enable the products to be aligned with one another across the output conveyor,

wherein, a single spaced stream of products is conveyed by the input conveyor (4),

the means (10) to control the forward movement of the products ensures that the products are entirely on the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) when the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) moves transversely, so that the products do not span a joint between the input conveyor (4) and the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) or between the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) and the output conveyor (6) during transverse movement of the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52), and

the means (10) to control the forward movement of the products collects successive products into the groups so that the products are transferred from the input conveyor (4) to the transfer conveyor (5, 51,

     52) in groups.