Apparatus and method for controlling suspended articles in an air conveyor

• US 6,685,401 B1
• Filed: 01/18/2001
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTS KK (Noritz) (Noritz Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Netra Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Rose, Damien, de Almeida Rodrigues, Carlos, Trenel, Joël
• Primary Examiner(s): DILLON JR, JOSEPH A
• Application Number:
  US09/744,064
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 406/11, 406/19, 406/86, 406/88, 406/192, 406/84, 406/13
• US Class Current: 406/11
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 51/035 for suspended articles, e.g. bottles

Abstract

The air conveyor comprises a guide rail (3) on which the articles (1) are to be suspended, and along which the articles are to be transported in a given direction of transport. The conveyor system provides a pneumatic means to move the articles in the direction of transport and further includes additional pneumatic means (10) that are designed to generate, when operated, a plurality of reverse air jets orientated onto the articles in a direction opposite that of their direction of transport. The user of the reverse jets makes it possible, in particular, to free without manual intervention articles accidentally immobilised in the course of transport, or, to slow down, immobilise or impart a rhythm to the articles as they are transported.

Claims

1. Air conveyor for the transport of articles comprising:

a pair of guide rails on which the articles are suspended in order to be transported;

a first pneumatic means adapted for propelling the articles along the guide rail in a given direction of transport (T); and

a second pneumatic means adapted for generating, when activated, a plurality of reverse air jets (R) orientated onto the articles in a direction opposite that of the direction of transport.

2. The conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the second pneumatic means comprises a plurality of reverse blowing compartments [ . . . , 10(n−

1), 10(n), 10(n+1), . . . ] disposed along the path of the guide rail, each of the plurality of reverse blowing compartments including at least one reverse air jet operable to be individually supplied with pressurised air.

3. The conveyor according to claim 2, further comprising;

control means for automatically controlling the supply of air to each of the plurality of reverse blowing compartment [ . . . , 10(n−

1), 10(n), 10(n+1), . . . ]; and

a plurality of sensors ( . . . , S<sub>n−

1</sub>, S_n, S_n+1, . . . ), at least one of said plurality of sensors disposed proximate to the entry of a corresponding compartment, each of the plurality of sensors operative to detect the presence of one or more articles in the corresponding reverse blowing compartments of the conveyor said sensing means outputting detection signals to the control means, wherein the control means detects when jamming has occurred in a particular compartment as a function of the detection signals corresponding to said compartment, the control means automatically and selectively control, based on the detection signals, the supply of air to the corresponding reverse blowing compartment 10(n) wherein jamming has been detected.

4. The conveyor according to claim 3, wherein the control means further automatically and selectively control, on the basis of the detection signals, the supply of air to the reverse blowing compartment 10(n−

1) immediately upstream of the corresponding reverse blowing compartment 10(n) wherein jamming has been detected.

5. The conveyor according to claim 3, wherein the control means further automatically controls, on the basis of the detection signals, the supply of air to the reverse blowing compartment 10(n+1) located immediately downstream of the corresponding reverse blowing compartment 10(n) wherein a jam has been detected, thereby causing one or more articles located downstream of the point of jamming to return rearwards.

6. Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the first pneumatic means comprises a plurality of blowing compartments [ . . . , 11(n−

1), 11(n), 11(n+1), . . . )/( . . . , 17(n−

1), 17(n), 17(n+1), . . . ] disposed along the guide rail, the blowing compartments designed to be supplied with pressurised air, individually and jointly and when supplied with pressurised air, a plurality of air transport jets (‘

J’ and

/or J′

′

) are directed onto the articles in the direction of transport (T).

7. Conveyor according to claim 6, wherein the compartments [( . . . , 11(n−

1), 11(n), 11(n+1), . . . )/( . . . , 17(n−

1), 17(n), 17(n+1), . . . ] of the first pneumatic means and the reverse blowing compartments [ . . . , 10(n−

1), 10(n), 110(n+1), . . . ] of the second pneumatic means are respectively aligned and constitute a plurality of successive aeraulic sections [ . . . , (n−

1), (n), (n+1), . . . ].

8. Conveyor according to claim 1, further comprising a main supply duct supplying the first and second pneumatic means with pressurised air, the main supply duct extending along the path of the articles.

9. Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the first pneumatic means generate transport air jets (J′

) and (J′

′

) above and below the guide rail respectively, and the second pneumatic means generate reverse air jets (R) at a level located between the levels of the transport air jets (J′

) and (J′

′

).

10. Conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the second pneumatic means generate reverse air jets located in the immediate vicinity of the guide rail.

15. Conveyor according to claim 4, wherein the control means further automatically controls, on the basis of the detection signals, the supply of air to the reverse blowing compartment 10(n+1) located immediately downstream of the corresponding reverse blowing compartment 10(n) wherein a jam has been detected, thereby causing one or more articles located downstream of the point of jamming to return rearwards;

the first pneumatic means comprises a plurality of blowing compartments [ . . . , 11(n−

1), 11(n), 11(n+1), . . . )/( . . . , 17(n−

1), 17(n), 17(n+1), . . . )] disposed along the pair of guide rails, the blowing compartments designed to be supplied with pressurised air, individually and jointly and when supplied with pressurised air, a plurality of air transport jets (J′ and

/or J″

) are directed onto the articles in the direction of transport (T); and

wherein the compartments [( . . . 11(n−

1), 11(n), 11(n+1), . . . )/( . . . , 17(n−

1), 17(n), 17(n+1), . . . )] of the first pneumatic means and the reverse blowing compartments [ . . . , 10(n−

1), 10(n), 10(n+1), . . . ] of the second pneumatic means are respectively aligned and constitute a plurality of successive aeraulic sections [ . . . , (n−

1), (n), (n+1), . . . ].

16. Conveyor according to claim 15, further comprising a main supply duct supplying the first and second pneumatic means with pressurised air, the main supply duct extending along the path of the articles.

17. Conveyor according to claim 15, wherein the first pneumatic means generate transport air jets (J′

) and (J″

) above and below the pair of guide rails respectively, and the second pneumatic means generate reverse air jets (R) at a level located between the levels of the transport air jets (J′

) and (J″

).

18. Conveyor according to claim 15, wherein the second pneumatic means are designed to generate reverse air jets located in the immediate vicinity of the pair of guide rails.

19. Conveyor according to claim 16, wherein the second pneumatic means generate reverse air jets located in the immediate vicinity of the pair of guide rails.

11. A process for treeing an article or a plurality of articles that are jammed during transport in an air conveyor, in which the articles are transported while suspended, comprising:

temporarily generating, over all or some of the articles that are jammed within a compartment, reverse air jets (R) orientated in the direction opposite the direction of transport (T) of the articles.

12. Process according to claim 11, further comprising:

temporarily generating, downstream of the compartment in which jamming has occurred, reverse air jets (R) orientated in the direction opposite the direction of transport (T) of the articles, for causing at least one article located immediately downstream of the point of jamming to return rearwards and be directed into contact with the article or articles jammed.

13. A process for slowing down or immobilising one or more articles that are suspended and propelled along a pair of guide rails of an air conveyor, comprising directing on the one or more articles reverse air jets (R) orientated in the direction opposite to the direction of transport (T) of the articles.

14. A process for imparting a rhythm to articles suspended and propelled along a pair of guide rails of an air conveyor by transport air jets focused in a given direction of transport (T), comprising:

over a first portion of the path of the articles, slowing down or immobilising the articles by focusing reverse air jets (R) orientated in the direction opposite that of transport of the articles on the articles in this first portion; and

at the exit from the first portion, accelerating the articles with the transport air jets.