METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING ARTICLE LAYERS BETWEEN ADJACENT MODULES

• US 20130243558A1
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Original Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Inventors: Beer, Erhard, Osterhammer, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,862,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/791.6
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/405 linked to endless conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/766 Adjustable ploughs or transverse scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/841 Devices having endless travelling belts or chains equipped with article-engaging elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 57/10 by devices, e.g. reciprocating, acting directly on articles for horizontal transport to the top of stack
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 59/02 De-stacking from the top of the stack

Abstract

A method and apparatus for horizontally shifting an article group or article layer, composed of a plurality of articles, from a first position and/or from a conveying movement into a second rest position while largely maintaining the relative positions of the articles in the article layer or group to each other, said transfer being effected by at least one first pusher bar engaging with the articles located at the back of the article group or article layer, as considered in relation to the conveying or feed direction. A support bar, which is at least temporarily allocated to the articles located at the front of the article group or layer, as considered in relation to the conveying direction, moves ahead at a slight distance from or abuts on the foremost articles of the article group or layer at least immediately before or on reaching the rest position.

Claims

1. A method for horizontally shifting an article group or article layer composed of a plurality of articles, from one of a first position and a conveying movement into a second rest position while maintaining relative positions of the articles in the article group or article layer to each other, comprising:

effecting the transfer using at least one first pusher bar engaging with the articles located at a back of the article group or article layer, with respect to a conveying direction, a support bar at least temporarily allocated to the articles being located at a front of the article group or article layer, with respect to the conveying direction, and

moving the support bar ahead of the article group or article layer from a position at a slight distance from or abutting foremost articles of the article group or article layer at least immediately before or on reaching the rest position.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the support bar is movably coupled with the pusher bar engaging at the back, and is placed abutting on or at a slight distance from the front of the article group or article layer and moves ahead of the article group or article layer in that position, either abutting on or at a slight distance from the article group or article layer at least during a defined phase.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the defined phase is an end of a transfer movement.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the pusher bar and the support bar perform, at least temporarily, synchronous movements.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the article group or article layer is transferred between adjacent modules capable of being located at different or variable levels of height.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein the modules include at least one of a grouping table, a hoist, and a stacking station.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising palletizing or depalletizing the article group or the article layer, the article group or article layer being transferred between adjacent conveying or handling stations along a transfer path by the at least one first pusher bar engaging at the back of the article group or article layer, the pusher bar being movable, at least in sections, approximately horizontally along and in parallel to the transfer path.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein a pattern of the group or the layer or a spatial arrangement of articles in the article group or article layer relative to each other is maintained in the process of each of a plurality of transfers between adjacent modules.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one pusher includes a plurality of pusher bars or a further support bar is provided, each of the plurality of pusher bars or the support bar and the further support bar allocated to individual modules or capable of reaching into adjacent modules.

10. An apparatus for horizontally shifting an article group or article layer composed of a plurality of articles between at least two adjacent modules while maintaining relative positions of the articles in the article layer or article group to each other, the apparatus comprising:

at least one pusher bar engaging with the articles for horizontally shifting the article group or article layer to an adjacent module; and

at least one support bar engaging with the articles at a front of the article group or article layer, the support bar being at least temporarily coupled with the pusher bar while moving in a transfer direction.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10 further comprising at least one of the following:

a grouping table forming a first module, a hoist or a shutter-type gripper head forming a second module, and a stacking station for depositing several article layers on top of each other forming a third module.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein at least one of the pusher bars and/or at least one of the support bars is coupled with the drive of an endlessly circulating traction mechanism for generating pushing motions.