Device and method for positioning products in a packaging line
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-04-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-11
AI Technical Summary
Existing production lines with buffers become excessively long and costly due to the need for curved belts and inefficient product transfer, especially when using counter-flow mode, which limits the number of products that can be placed in containers and increases line length and expenses.
A device featuring two conveyor belts moving in opposite directions, with robots that can transfer products from one belt to the other, allowing for counter-flow operation without increasing line length, and including adjustable speed and direction capabilities to enhance efficiency and buffering capacity.
The device reduces production line length, increases efficiency by enabling counter-flow mode, and optimizes product placement, reducing costs and maintaining production flow continuity.
Smart Images
Figure EP2024061168_07112024_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Device and method for positioning products in a packaging line
[0002] Technical field of the invention
[0003] The present invention relates to the field of devices, or machines, for supplying a production line with products. In particular, this application relates to a device which makes it possible to efficiently transfer products from a production line to a packaging line. The present application also relates to an inventive use of a device according to the present invention and two methods for packaging products by means of a device according to the present invention.
[0004] State of the art
[0005] When manufacturing products using production lines, it is common to use buffers, also known as buffers, to decouple processes and increase efficiency. In production lines, items produced in rows are loaded from a production facility, such as a furnace or casting plant, onto a wide main belt that allows the products to be transported to a packaging facility over the shortest possible distance to increase efficiency and maintain hygiene standards when the products are food products. These products could be, for example, biscuits, chocolate tablets, or chocolate bars.
[0006] Depending on the production capacity, several packaging lines are required to package a given quantity with the lowest possible reject rate. A packaging line consists of several packaging machines connected in series, such as a bagging machine in the first position, a multi-packing machine in the second position, a cartoning machine in the third position, and finally a palletizer. If one of the machines in this line stops due to a breakdown, the entire line stops. To avoid overflow at constant production, either an additional packaging line, known as a standby line, must take over or a buffer must receive excess products, which prevents product overflow.
[0007] The state of the art knows belt buffers which are located at the end of a feed line and which can thus absorb the overflow of product rows which cannot be allocated to the upstream packaging machines. An overflow of product rows can occur when the packaging lines to be fed by the feed line are stopped and the fed product rows therefore cannot be allocated. For the transfer of products from the feed line to the packaging line, it is known, for example, to use robots positioned in series along the product flow which make it possible to pick up products located on a belt of the feed line and to place these products in a space free of containers, such as boxes, transported by a belt of the packaging line.
[0008] A problem with known production lines that include a buffer is that the lines then become very long and the costs associated with these lines are therefore significant. Indeed, they provide one or more buffers upstream of the device comprising the transfer robots and it is then necessary, in order to avoid having a straight production line several tens of meters long, to provide curved belts in order to create a serpentine production line. Such curved belts create challenges in themselves because the products are not transported at the same speed depending on their position relative to the center of rotation. In addition, it is necessary to provide curved belts downstream that reform the rows of products. This lengthens the production line and again increases costs.One of the aims of the present invention is therefore to propose a device which makes it possible to reduce the length of production lines and therefore to increase their efficiency and reduce their cost.
[0009] An additional problem with known devices is that the last robot in the product flow direction only has a limited number of products available because a large number of products have already been transferred by the upstream robots. If at the same time the packaging line belt is configured to transport containers in the product flow direction, the last robots in the flow direction only see already full boxes. This is inefficient and results in a number of products that cannot be placed in the containers. To overcome this problem, it has been proposed to work in "counter-flow". This implies that the production line belt from which the robots transfer the products and the packaging belt that transport the containers move in opposite directions.Thus, robots at the end of the line see a limited number of products but empty boxes, and robots upstream see many products and pre-filled boxes. However, known production lines that use the so-called "counter-flow" mode, although more efficient than lines that do not use this mode, are very long; they take up a lot of space and are therefore very expensive.
[0010] There is therefore a need for a device allowing the use of counter-flow mode in a production line without increasing the length of the latter.
[0011] Summary of the invention
[0012] The aim of the present invention is to provide a device that allows the length of production lines to be reduced and the counter-flow mode to be used. Other aims of the present invention are to provide an inventive use of a device according to the present invention and two packaging methods using a device according to the present invention.
[0013] According to the invention, these aims are achieved by the objects of the independent claims. The more specific aspects of the present invention are described in the dependent claims as well as in the description.
[0014] More specifically, an object of the invention is achieved by means of a device for positioning products in a production line, in particular for positioning products from a conveyor belt into a container, such as for example a box, transported by a transport belt comprising:
[0015] - a butter comprising at least two conveyor belts for transporting the products and two switches for transferring the products from one of the conveyor belts to the other conveyor belt on both sides of the conveyor belts,
[0016] - at least one robot configured to pick up at least one product from the first conveyor belt and to place it on a transport belt or in a container placed on the transport belt,
[0017] - said conveyor belt being placed essentially parallel and close to the first conveyor belt in such a way that the robot can position a product from the first conveyor belt onto the conveyor belt,
[0018] - where the first conveyor belt and the transport belt are configured to move in opposite directions.
[0019] Such a device allows, thanks to the proposed combination of a buffer, robots and the conveyor belt, to reduce the length of a production line while having the advantages provided by the buffer and the placement robots. Since the first conveyor belt and the conveyor belt are configured to move in opposite directions, the device allows the implementation of the so-called counter-flow mode at the robots, which increases the efficiency of the production line. It is also possible to remain in line with the production flow. The products are supplied by a production device in one direction and the products at the outlet of the device according to the present invention exit in the same direction. This avoids upstream conveyor systems which must bring the flow in the opposite direction and results in a shorter line overall.
[0020] In a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device comprises at least two robots. This makes it possible to increase the number of products that can be processed per unit of time. Advantageously, the device comprises artificial vision means allowing the robots to recognize the shape and position of the products. The artificial vision means are advantageously configured to allow the robots to place the products in a free space of the container or in a free space of the conveyor belt.
[0021] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first conveyor belt and the transport belt are configured such that their speeds can be individually adapted. This makes it possible to adapt the speed of these belts to the speed of the production line as a whole.
[0022] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the direction of movement of the first conveyor belt, the second conveyor belt and the transport belt can be reversed. This makes it possible to use the device in different operating modes and to implement the device in different production lines.
[0023] In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the switches comprise at least one switch belt with two belt rollers, wherein the switch belt is configured such that the height of at least one of the belt rollers is adjustable to the height of the first conveyor belt and the height of the second conveyor belt.
[0024] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the switch belt is tiltable to adjust the height of the second belt roller to the height of the first conveyor belt and the height of the second conveyor belt.
[0025] In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device comprises an elevator mechanism configured to adjust the height of the two belt rollers to the height of the first conveyor belt and the height of the second conveyor belt. In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device comprises at least three conveyor belts. This increases the buffering capacity of the buffer and thus of the device as a whole.
[0026] In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the robot is a delta or scara robot.
[0027] An object of the present invention is also achieved by using a device according to the present invention for placing a product from a belt of a production line into a container, the use providing that the product placed on the first conveyor belt of the buffer is gripped by the robot and placed in a free space of a container on the conveyor belt or in a free space of the conveyor belt, the first conveyor belt and the conveyor belt moving in opposite directions. Such use is favorable because the first robot in the direction of movement of the products on the first conveyor belt sees a lot of products and can place them in the remaining free spaces of the conveyor belt or the remaining free spaces of the containers transported by the latter. The second robot in the direction of transport of the products sees a limited quantity of products but empty boxes.This mode of use of the device according to the present invention therefore makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the production line.
[0028] An object of the present invention is achieved by a first method for packaging products in a production line by means of a device according to the present invention comprising the following steps: a. Loading products onto the first switching belt; b. Transferring the products onto the second conveyor belt of the buffer; c. Transporting the products by the second conveyor belt towards the second switching belt; d. Transferring the products from the second conveyor belt to the first conveyor belt via the second switching belt; e. Transporting the products by the first conveyor belt towards the first switching belt; f. Gripping a product by a robot; g.Placement by the robot of the gripped product in a free space of a container on the conveyor belt or in a free space of the conveyor belt, where the conveyor belt moves in opposite directions from the first conveyor belt; h. Transport of the products placed on the conveyor belt by the conveyor belt to a packaging device;
[0029] Finally, an object of the present invention is also achieved by a second method for packaging products in a production line by means of a device according to the present invention comprising the following steps: a. Loading products onto the first switching belt; b. Transferring the products onto the first conveyor belt of the buffer; c. Gripping a product by a robot; d. Placing the gripped product by the robot in a free space of a container on the conveyor belt or in a free space of the conveyor belt, where the conveyor belt moves in the opposite direction to that of the first conveyor belt; e. Transferring the products not gripped by the robot from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt by means of the second switching belt; f. Transporting the products placed on the conveyor belt by the conveyor belt to a packaging device
[0030] It should be noted that many advantageous methods can be implemented using the device according to the present invention. In addition to the two methods presented above, an advantageous method would for example provide that the products are loaded by the first switch onto the second conveyor belt of the buffer. These products would be transported by the second conveyor belt to the second switch. By means of the latter, the products would then be transferred to the third conveyor belt to be transported by the latter to the first switch. With the first switch, the products would be transferred from the third conveyor belt to the first conveyor belt to be gripped there by the robots and transferred by them to the transport belt. In this embodiment, the first conveyor belt moves in the direction of the product flow leaving the production facility and the transport belt in the opposite direction.Thus, the counter-flow mode can be used at the robot level. In addition, thanks to this embodiment, the buffer can use its full storage capacity.
[0031] Maximum storage capacity is also achieved when the process provides for the first switch to load the products onto the second and third conveyor belts. These products can then be transferred via the second switch onto the first conveyor belt, which moves in the opposite direction to the product flow from the production facility. Finally, the products can be picked up by the robots and transferred onto the conveyor belt, which moves in the direction of the product flow. Brief description of the drawings
[0032] The features and advantages of the present invention will appear in more detail in the context of the description which follows with an example of embodiment given for illustrative and non-limiting purposes with reference to the two attached drawings which represent:
[0033] - Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0034] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] Detailed description
[0036] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a device 1 for positioning products P in a production line according to a first embodiment. The device 1 comprises a buffer 2 with, in this embodiment, three conveyor belts 2a, 2b, 2c whose direction of movement is symbolized by the arrows Da, Db and De. These directions can be chosen independently of each other. It is also possible to adjust the speed of movement of these belts individually. The buffer 2 also comprises two switches 4, here in the form of tilting belts, where each of the switches 4 is placed at one end of the conveyor belts 2a-2c. By means of the switches 4, it is possible to load the products P coming from a production installation (not shown in Figure 1) via a belt 6 onto the second conveyor belt 2b or the third conveyor belt 2c.Via the switch 4 furthest from the line of belt 6, it is then possible to reload the products stored on the second and third conveyor belt of buffer 2 onto the first conveyor belt 2a.
[0037] When the products are on the first conveyor belt 2a, they can be picked up by the robots 3 and placed in an empty space of the conveyor belt 5 or in an empty space of a container, for example a box (not shown here), being moved by the conveyor belt 5. The containers filled with products P are then transported by the conveyor belt 5 in the direction 5a to a packaging device 8.
[0038] As can be seen in Figure 1, the conveyor belt 5 and the first conveyor belt 2a move, in this embodiment, in opposite directions. This makes it possible to use the device 1 in the so-called counter-flow mode. In such a mode, the first robot in the direction Da "sees" many products P which it can then place in the remaining free spaces of the containers which are on the conveyor belt 5 and which are moving in the direction 5a. The second and third robots in the direction Da see fewer products P but empty containers. The counter-flow mode allows efficient filling of the containers. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to keep the production flow direction in the production line constant. The products enter from left to right in Figure 1 and also exit from left to right towards a packaging machine 8.
[0039] Buffer 2 allows the buffering or storage of the flow of products P coming from the production line. This is favorable for not having to stop the production line when the packaging line, for example the conveyor belt 5, must be stopped. Note that buffer 2 is of the first-in-first-out type, which has certain advantages in the food sector, where products do not have to wait too long before being packaged.
[0040] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a device 1 for positioning products P in a production line according to a second embodiment. The device 1 of Figure 2 is similar to that of Figure 1 except for the direction of movement 5a of the conveyor belt 5. In order to accommodate a direction 5a opposite to the direction of the flow of products coming from the production facility 7, the buffer 2 must be used in a different operating mode than that explained in relation to Figure 1. In this embodiment, it is possible, thanks to the switches 4, to load the products P coming from a production facility 7 via the belt 6 onto the first conveyor belt 2a.When the products are on the first conveyor belt 2a, they can be picked up by the robots 3 and placed in an empty space of the conveyor belt 5 or in an empty space of a container, for example a box (not shown here), being moved by the conveyor belt 5. The containers filled with products P are then transported by the conveyor belt 5 in the direction 5a to a packaging device 8. The products P that have not been picked up by the robots 3 can then be transferred by the most distant switch of the production facility 7 to the second or third conveyor belt 2b-2c. These products can then be transported in the direction of the first switch belt to be transferred again to the first conveyor belt 2a to be picked up by the robots and finally transferred to the conveyor belt 5.
[0041] Buffer 2 in Figure 2 is also configured so that the directions Da, Db and De can be chosen independently of each other. It is also possible to adjust the speed of movement of these bands individually.
[0042] As can be seen in Figure 2, the conveyor belt 5 and the first conveyor belt 2a move in opposite directions in this embodiment. This allows the device of this second embodiment to be used also in the so-called counter-flow mode. Thus, the first robot in the direction Da "sees" a lot of products P which it can then place in the remaining free spaces of the containers which are on the conveyor belt 5 and which are moving in the direction 5a. The following robots in the direction Da see fewer products P but empty containers. In this embodiment, the product flow is reversed. The products enter from left to right in Figure 2 and exit from right to left. This allows for a very compact production line while being able to use the counter-flow mode at the robots which allows efficient filling of the containers.
[0043] Buffer 2 in Figure 2 also allows the buffering of the product flow P coming from the production line. This is favorable for not having to stop the production line when the packaging line, for example the conveyor belt 5, must be stopped. Note that butter 2 is of the first-in-first-out type, which has certain advantages in the food sector, where products do not have to wait too long before being packaged.
[0044] It is important to note that the embodiments of Figures 1 and 2 can be combined. Indeed, it is possible to provide two conveyor belts 5 which move in opposite directions. The directions of movement of the conveyor belts 2a-2c of the buffer 2 can then be chosen so that the counter-flow mode at the robots can be applied in relation to the two conveyor belts. In particular, the direction Da of the first conveyor belt is chosen to be opposite to the direction of movement 5a of the conveyor belt which is to be supplied. The directions Db and De are then adapted to the direction Da so that the belts 2b and 2c act as a buffer.
[0045] It is obvious that the present invention is subject to numerous variations as to its implementation. Although a non-limiting embodiment has been described by way of example, it is understood that it is not conceivable to exhaustively identify all possible variations. It is of course possible to replace a means described by an equivalent means without departing from the scope of the present invention. All these modifications are part of the common knowledge of a person skilled in the art in the field of automated production lines.
Claims
Claims 1 . Device (1) for positioning products (P) in a production line, in particular for positioning products from a conveyor belt into a container, such as a box, comprising: a buffer (2) comprising at least two conveyor belts (2a, 2b) for transporting the products (P) and two switches (4) for transferring the products (P) from one of the conveyor belts (2a, 2b) to the other conveyor belt (2a, 2b) on both sides of the conveyor belts (2a, 2b), at least one robot (3) configured to pick up at least one product (P) from the first conveyor belt (2a) and to place it on a transport belt (5) or in a container placed on the transport belt (5), said transport belt (5) being placed essentially parallel to and close to the first conveyor belt (2a) in such a way that the robot (3) can position a product from the first conveyor belt (2a) into the container ... conveying (2a) on the conveyor belt (5),characterized in that the first conveyor belt (2a) and the transport belt (5) are configured to move in opposite directions., 2. Device (1) according to claim 1 comprising at least two robots.
3. Device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 2 comprising artificial vision means allowing the robot to recognize the shape and position of the products.
4. Device (1) according to claim 3 wherein the artificial vision means are configured to allow the robot to place the products in a free space of the container or in a free space of the transport belt (5).
5. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first conveyor belt (2a) and the transport belt (5) are configured such that their speeds can be individually adapted.
6. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the direction of movement of the first conveyor belt (2a), the second conveyor belt (2b) and the transport belt (5) can be reversed.
7. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the switches comprise at least one switch belt (4) with two belt rollers (4a, 4b), characterized in that the switch belt is configured so that the height of at least one of the belt rollers (4a, 4b) is adjustable to the height of the first conveyor belt (2a) and to the height of the second conveyor belt (2b).
8. Device (1) according to claim 7 characterized in that the switching belt (4) is tiltable in order to adjust the height of the second belt roller (4b) to the height of the first conveyor belt (2a) and to the height of the second conveyor belt (2b).
9. Device (1) according to claim 7 characterized in that it comprises an elevator mechanism configured to adjust the height of the two belt rollers (4a, 4b) to the height of the first conveyor belt (2a) and to the height of the second conveyor belt (2b).
10. Device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9 comprising at least three conveyor belts (2a, 2b, 2c). 1 1. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims in which the robot is a delta robot or a scara robot.
12. Use of a device (1) according to one of the preceding claims for placing a product in a container, the use providing that the product (P) placed on the first conveyor belt (2a) of the butter (2) is gripped by the robot (3) and placed in a free space of a container on the conveyor belt (5) or in a free space of the conveyor belt (5), the first conveyor belt (2a) and the conveyor belt (5) moving in opposite directions.
13. Method for packaging products (P) in a production line by means of a device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 11 comprising the following steps: a. Loading products (P) onto the first switching belt (5a); b. Transferring the products (P) onto the second conveyor belt (2b) of the buffer (2); c. Transporting the products (P) by the second conveyor belt (2b) towards the second switching belt (4); d. Transferring the products (P) from the second conveyor belt (2b) to the first conveyor belt (2a) via the second switching belt (4); e. Transporting the products (P) by the first conveyor belt (2a) towards the first switching belt (4); f. Gripping the products (P) by a robot (3); g.Placement by the robot (3) of the gripped product in a free space of a container on the conveyor belt (5) or in a free space of the conveyor belt (5), where the conveyor belt (5) moves in the opposite direction to that of the first conveyor belt (2a). h. Transport of the products (P) by the conveyor belt (5) to a packaging device.
14. Method for packaging products (P) in a production line by means of a device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 11 comprising the following steps: a. Loading products onto the first switching belt; b. Transferring the products onto the first conveyor belt of the buffer; c. Gripping a product by a robot; d. Placing the gripped product by the robot in a free space of a container on the conveyor belt or in a free space of the conveyor belt, where the conveyor belt moves in the opposite direction to that of the first conveyor belt; e. Transferring the products not gripped by the robot from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt via the second switching belt f. Transporting the products placed on the conveyor belt by the conveyor belt to a packaging device