Conveyor system for packaging line with multi-lane separator and rotator

Abstract

A conveyor system for a packaging line has an inlet conveyor, an in-feed portion that receives products from the inlet conveyor, a multi-lane guide portion that receives the products from the infeed portion into a corresponding lane, a multi-lane separator portion that receives the products from the multi-lane guide portion into a corresponding lane of the multi-lane separator portion, an exit conveyor that receives the products from the multi-lane separator portion, and a pusher that moves the products from the infeed portion through the guide portion through the multi-lane separator portion onto the exit conveyor. The multi-lane separator portion moves one product in the corresponding lane away from another product in the corresponding adjacent lane across a width of the multi-lane separator portion as the group of products travels along a length of the multi-lane separator portion.

Description

[0001] CONVEYOR SYSTEM FOR PACKAGING LINE

[0002] WITH MULTI-LANE SEPARATOR AND ROTATOR

[0003] Related Application Data

[0004] This application claims priority benefit to US provisional application serial no. 63 / 539376, filed on September 20, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

[0005] Backg round

[0006] The disclosure is directed to a conveyor system for a packaging line. The conveyor system conveys the product to an infeed portion, where the product may be initially aligned and initially oriented. Once the products are aligned and initially oriented at the infeed portion, the products may be conveyed to a separator portion where the products may be moved apart from one another as may be required by further processing. If desired by further processing, the products may then be conveyed to a rotator portion. In the rotator portion, the products may be reoriented to a desired configuration compatible with downstream processing. After passing through the separator portion, or the rotator portion, as the case may be, the products may be conveyed onto an exit conveyor and to a downstream processing machine such as a packaging machine.

[0007] Description of the Drawings

[0008] Fig. 1 is a process flow diagram of a portion of an exemplary conveyor system.

[0009] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing portions of the exemplary conveyor system, and in particular, an inlet conveyor, a loader, an infeed portion and a separator portion.

[0010] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing portions of the exemplary conveyor system, and in particular, additional detail of the inlet conveyor, the loader, the infeed portion and the separator portion shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing portions of the exemplary conveyor system, and in particular, additional detail of the inlet conveyor, the loader, the infeed portion and the separator portion shown in Fig. 2.

[0011] Fig. 5 is a plan view showing portions of the exemplary conveyor system, and in particular, additional detail of the inlet conveyor, the loader, the infeed portion and the separator portion shown in Fig. 2, and further, a rotator portion, an exit conveyor and packaging machine.

[0012] Fig. 6 is a perspective end view of the infeed portion, guide portion, separator portion and rotator portion; and

[0013] Fig. 7 is a perspective side view of the separator portion and the rotator portion.

[0014] Detailed Description

[0015] For ease of illustration with reference to the drawings and not in any limiting sense, the product will be referred to as a box and the orientations discussed will be made relative to a rectangular box with end walls, side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall. It goes without saying that the disclosure is not limited to products having a rectangular box shape and other product formats with different shapes may be conveyed on the exemplary conveyor system.

[0016] As will become evident from the description that follows, the conveyor system 10 is capable of separating products and conveying them into different conveyor lanes at a high rate of speed without using a traditional arm diverter that indexes from lane to lane. The conveyor system 10 diverts a group of products from the single lane of the inlet conveyor 12 to an infeed portion 14 and then into multi-lane portions of the conveyor system. The conveyor system 10 is configured so that each product in a group of products enters a specific lane of multi-lane portions of the conveyor system after the infeed portion 14, for instance, a guide portion 15 following the in- feed portion whereafter the product is conveyed in its corresponding lane to a separator portion 16, and if desired, a rotator portion 18. The separator portion 16 moves the products away from each other. The rotator portion 18 changes the orientation of the product with respect to the direction of travel. For instance, the rotator portion may be configured to reorient or turn a box type product 90 degrees (side wall to top wall, side wall to bottom wall, end wall to top wall, end wall to side wall, end wall to bottom wall, or vice versa for each case), or the rotator portion may be configured to reorient or turn a box type product 180 degrees (top wall to bottom wall, side wall to opposite side wall, end wall to opposite end wall, or vice versa for each case). The products may then be conveyed on an exit conveyor 20 to downstream processing equipment such as a packaging machine 22.

[0017] Referring to the drawings, the boxes 24 may be conveyed on the inlet conveyor 12 to the infeed portion 14 in a single lane in a direction transverse to the side wall of the box and parallel to the end wall of the box with the boxes arranged side wall to side wall. At a terminal end of the inlet conveyor 12, a group of the products may be engaged by a loader 26 to move the products to the infeed portion. The loader 26 may comprise a barrel cam loader. The barrel cam loader is conventional and may comprise a barrel cam loader that is typically used for filling cartons. The barrel cam loader may engage the end walls of a group of boxes 24 and divert the group of boxes simultaneously to the infeed portion 14 by conveying the boxes with the barrel cam loader in a direction transverse to the end walls of the box and parallel to the side walls of the box.

[0018] The infeed portion 14 may receive a group of the boxes 24 from the inlet conveyor via the loader 26 in a manner such that each product in the group of the products is received in alignment at the infeed portion and then moved into a corresponding lane 28 of the guide portion 15. The guide portion 15 may have a plurality of lanes 28 extending across a width of the guide portion with each lane in the plurality of lanes extending along a length of the guide portion. The lanes 28 of the guide portion may be defined by dividers. At the infeed portion 14, the boxes may be maintained in the abutting side wall to side wall arrangement, and then conveyed in a direction parallel to the side walls and transverse to the end wall into the starting end of the lanes 28 of the guide portion 15 via the loader 26. A pusher system 30 such as a flight bar system may engage the end walls of the group of boxes 24 and convey the group of boxes through the infeed portion 14 to the guide portion 15 to a separator portion 16 and / or through the rotator portion 18. The same pusher 30 or flight bar system may be used to convey the group of boxes through the infeed portion 14 and guide portion 15 to a separator portion 16 and through the rotator portion 18, or one flight bar system may be used to convey the group of boxes through the infeed portion to the guide portion to a separator portion and a second flight bar system may be used to convey the group of boxes from separator portion and through the rotator portion, which may be advantageous when the rotator portion is selectively used.

[0019] In an alternate configuration of the conveyor system, the loader may be omitted and the pusher 30 may engage the group of boxes from the inlet conveyor and move the boxes to the infeed portion and then the guide portion as described above. This may require temporary stopping of the inlet conveyor and the synchronized movement of the pusher 30 to engage the stopped group of boxes on the inlet conveyor and move the group of boxes to the infeed portion. In a further configuration, the loader may comprise a two axis conveyor, for instance, a roll conveyor in the direction of advancement of the boxes on the inlet conveyor and a belt conveyor in a direction transverse to the direction of advancement of the boxes on the inlet conveyor. This arrangement may also require temporary stopping of the inlet conveyor and the synchronized movement of the two axis conveyor to receive the group of boxes from the inlet conveyor and move the group of boxes to the infeed portion. In an alternate configuration, the inlet conveyor may have guide rails and blockers that deliver a group of boxes to the infeed portion as the boxes travel on the inlet conveyor. This arrangement may also require temporary stopping of the inlet conveyor as the group of boxes fills a queue in the infeed portion.

[0020] The lanes 28 of the guide portion 15 may comprise plates or tracks that support a bottom surface of the box and one or more side surfaces of the box. The lanes 28 of the guide portion 15 may also comprise right angle rail sections that support portions of the bottom surface of the box and portions of the side surfaces of the box. The lanes 28 of the guide portion 15 may be removably connected to a frame of the conveyor system 10 so the lanes may be changed out as necessary for different processing runs with different product formats. The lanes 15 may comprise common structures among various processing jobs and box formats, for instance, a common base rail; so the common structures of the lane may remain in place during changeover between jobs, and job specific structures of the lane may be swapped out thereby reducing set-up time.

[0021] The lanes 28 of the guide portion 15 may be located beneath the plane in which the boxes are originally lined in the abutting side by side arrangement at the infeed portion 14. In one aspect, the starting end of the guide portion 15 may be vertically below a terminal end of the infeed portion 14. This facilitates conveyance of the boxes between the infeed portion 14 and the guide portion 15 and eliminates the need to precisely align the position of the boxes and / or use a divider to separate the boxes because the boxes will naturally fall under gravity to the lower plane onto the lanes of the guide portion. If needed, brushes 34 and / or a pressurized air blast 36 may be used to assist in conveying the boxes from the terminal end of the infeed portion to the starting end of the guide portion. The brushes 34 and / or a pressurized air blast 36 may be used to help impart a downward force to ensure the boxes drop down fast enough onto the lanes of the guide portion.

[0022] The separator portion 16 may have a plurality of lanes 32 extending across a width of the separator portion 16 with each lane in the plurality of lanes extending along a length of the separator portion. The lanes 32 of the separator portion are aligned with a corresponding lane 28 of the guide portion 15. Each lane 32 of the separator portion may receive the product from the corresponding lane 28 of the guide portion 15 via the pusher 30. As the boxes 24 are conveyed through separator portion 16, the boxes may be moved apart from one another. The boxes 24 may be moved away from each other in order to create sufficient space between the boxes as may be required by downstream processing or to allow the boxes to be reoriented in the rotator portion. The box 24 in one lane 32 may be moved laterally and / or vertically away from a box in an adjacent lane depending on the product form. In one aspect, separation in the separator portion 16 is accomplished using lanes that are angled relative to each other. The lanes 32 may angularly offset from each other in a fan-like shape. Accordingly, as the boxes 24 moves across the separator portion from a starting end to a terminal end, the box in one lane 32 may move away from a box in an adjacent lane. The lanes may be laterally angularly offset and / or vertically angularly offset from one another. In one aspect, the separator portion 16 may angle slightly downward from a terminal end of the guide portion 15. This facilitates conveyance and separation of the boxes between the guide portion 15 and the separator portion 16 because the boxes will naturally fall under gravity. The lanes 32 may be shaped in a way to separate the boxes further as the boxes move through the separator portion to leave enough space between the boxes of adjacent lanes to either be fed into downstream conveyor lanes as is (i.e., in a multi-lane conveyor) to downstream processing equipment, or to reorient the boxes into a desired orientation compatible with downstream processing equipment. The lanes 32 may be pitched to assist in rotation before the rotator portion 18.

[0023] The lanes 32 of the separator portion 16 may comprise plates or tracks that support a bottom surface of the box and one or more side surfaces of the box. The lanes 32 of the separator portion 16 may also comprise right angle rail sections that support portions of the bottom surface of the box and portions of the side surfaces of the box. The lanes 32 may be removably connected to a frame of the conveyor system 10 so the lanes may be changed out as necessary for different processing runs with different product formats. The lanes 32 may comprise common structures among various processing jobs and box formats, for instance, a common base rail; so the common structures of the lane may remain in place during changeover between jobs, and job specific structures of the lane may be swapped out thereby reducing set-up time.

[0024] Depending upon the job and downstream processing requirements, a rotator portion 18 may be provided downstream of the separator portion 16. When used, the rotator portion 18 may have a plurality of lanes 38 across a width of the rotator portion 18 with each lane of the rotator portion aligned with a corresponding lane 32 of the separator portion 16 so that each lane of the rotator portion may receive a box 24 from the corresponding lane of the separator portion. Each lane 38 of the rotator portion is configured to reorient the box in the corresponding lane as the group of boxes 24 travels along the length of the rotator portion. In one aspect, the rotator portion 18 may reorient or turn a box 90 degrees as shown in the drawings or turn a box 180 degrees. The lanes 38 of the rotator portion 18 may be defined by rails 40 that engage surfaces of the box 24. The rails may be curvilinearly shaped in such a manner to rotate the box as the box moves in the lane. The spacing between the rails 40 in the lane 38 may be sized to accommodate the corners of the box while sufficiently engaging surfaces of the box and allowing the box to be conveyed along the rails. The rails 40 may comprise circular and / or oval cross section members that are specifically shaped for particular box dimensions and rotation requirements. The rails 40 forming the lanes 38 of the rotator portion 18 may be removably connectable with a frame structure of the conveyor system 10 so as to be changed out as necessary for different processing runs with different product formats. Certain rails 40 may comprise common structures among various processing jobs and box formats, for instance, a common base rail; so the common structures of the lane may remain in place during changeover between jobs, and job specific structures of the lane may be swapped out thereby reducing setup time.

[0025] By way of example and not in any limiting sense, making reference to Figs. 6 and 7, each lane 38 of the rotator portion 18 may have a system of three rails 40. To begin rotation, an area adjacent the terminal end of the separator portion 16 may be pitched to begin rotation of the box 24. A surface engagement rail 42 may slope downward from the terminal end of the separator portion 16. As the box 24 moves through the rotator portion 18, the surface engagement rail 42 supports the sidewall of the box as the box rotates in a manner such that the sidewall faces vertically downward. An upper guide rail 44 and lower guide rail 46 may also be provided. The upper guide rail 44 may be curved vertically upward and engage a lead edge of the box to help rotate the box so the bottom wall rotates in a manner to face sideways. The lower guide rail 46 may be spaced from the surface engagement rail 42 to allow the corner of the box 24 to fit between the lower guide rail and the surface engagement rail as the box rotates. The lower guide rail 46 together with the upper guide rail 44 eventually engage the bottom wall with the surface engagement rail 42 engaging the side wall as the box 24 rotates through 90 degrees. To facilitate rotation in the rotator portion 18, a terminal end of the rotator portion may be vertically lower than a terminal end of the multi-lane separator portion.

[0026] The exit conveyor 20 may be disposed at the terminal end of the rotator portion 18 to receive the group of the products from the rotator portion. The exit conveyor 20 may direct the products to further downstream processing such as a packaging machine 22. If the rotator portion 18 is not used, dummy lanes may be removably connected in place of the rotator portion to allow the boxes to move from the separator portion 16 to the exit conveyor 20. The exit conveyor 20 may be a single lane or multi-lane conveyor.

[0027] In comparison to traditional arm diverters, the exemplary conveyor system is advantageous for multiple reasons. First, it can operate at higher speeds due to continuous operation, which is uncommon for arm diverters. Some types of traditional arm diverters divert slugs of products into specific lanes, and the infeed in such systems is periodically paused while the diverter is redirected to another lane to feed a different slug of products into the new lane. This results in repeated start and stop motion, which is detrimental to mechanical components. It also tends to create unbalanced infeed lanes for the downstream equipment which leads to increased backlog requirements to keep the line running smoothly. Other types of traditional arm diverters divert individual products into specific lanes. Such systems require high speeds for each move which leads to a lot of mechanical wear and limits throughput. As to diverter systems that may be configured to operate in a continuous sweeping motion to avoid the repeated start and stop motion of the previously mentioned arm diverters, the exemplary conveyor system eliminates any additional devices and machines that are needed to reorient or turn the product. As to robotic systems for diverting product, the exemplary conveyor system is simpler to use, does not require programming for the robots, and eliminates the need for a robot for each lane.

[0028] While the exemplary conveyor system is somewhat limited in its ability to "turn off" certain downstream conveyor lanes, it is possible to configure the infeed portion and loader of the exemplary system to allow access to fewer processing lanes than originally configured and described above. For instance, mechanical blockers, gates and dividers may be installed in a lane of the infeed portion and / or separator portion to be disabled, and / or the loader may be configured to divert into select lanes, thereby allowing the operator to shift conveyance from any lane to an adjacent lane.

[0029] It should also be understood that when introducing elements of the present invention in the claims or in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, the terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, the term "portion" should be construed as meaning some or all of the item or element that it qualifies. Moreover, use of identifiers such as first, second, and third should not be construed in a manner imposing any relative position or time sequence between limitations.

[0030] As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Claims

Claims1. A conveyor system for a packaging line, the conveyor system comprising: an inlet conveyor adapted and configured to convey products to be packaged in the packaging line; an infeed portion being adapted and configured to receive a group of the products from the inlet conveyor; a multi-lane guide portion being adapted and configured to receive the group of the products from the infeed portion in a manner such that each product in the group of the products is received in a corresponding lane of the multi-lane guide portion; a multi-lane separator portion adapted and configured to receive the group of the products from the multi-lane guide portion in a manner such that each product in the group of the products is received in a corresponding lane of the multi-lane separator portion, the multi-lane separator portion being adapted and configured to move one product in the corresponding lane away from another product in the corresponding adjacent lane across a width of the multi-lane separator portion as the group of products travels along a length of the multi-lane separator portion; an exit conveyor adapted and configured to receive the group of the products from the multi-lane separator portion; and a pusher adapted and configured for moving the group of the products from the infeed portion through the guide portion through the multi-lane separator portion onto the exit conveyor.

2. The conveyor system of claim 1 further comprising a multi-lane rotator portion, the multi-lane rotator portion being adapted and configured to receive the group of the products from the multi-lane separator portion in a manner such that each product in the group of the products is received in a corresponding lane of the multi-lane rotator, the multi-lane rotator portion being adapted and configured to reorient the product in the corresponding lane as the group of products travels along a length of the multilane rotator portion.

3. The conveyor system of claim 2 wherein pusher is adapted and configured to move the group of products from the separator portion through the rotator portion and onto the exit conveyor.

4. The conveyor system of claims 2 or 3 wherein each lane in the multi-lane rotator portion comprises a plurality of rails defining the lane.

5. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 2, 3 or 4, wherein the multi-lane rotator portion is removably connectable with the conveyor system depending upon a configuration of the product to be conveyed in the conveyor system.

6. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 1 -5, wherein the pusher comprises a flight bar.

7. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 1 - 5 further comprising a loader adapted and configured for moving the group of the products from the inlet conveyor to the infeed portion.

8. The conveyor system of claim 7 wherein the loader comprises a barrel cam loader.

9. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 1- 8 wherein each lane of the multi-lane separator portion is angled relative to the adjacent lane across the width of the multi-lane separator portion.

10. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 1 -9 wherein a starting end of the multi-lane guide portion is vertically lower than a terminal end of the guide portion.

11. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 1-10 further comprising at least one of a brush and a pressurized air discharge is provided adjacenteach lane of the multi-lane guide portion in a manner to engage the product moving in the corresponding lane of the multi-lane guide portion.

12. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 1-11, wherein at least one of the multi-lane guide portion and the multi-lane separator portion is removably connectable with the conveyor system depending upon a configuration of the product to be conveyed in the conveyor system.

13. A conveyor system for a packaging line, the conveyor system comprising: an inlet conveyor adapted and configured to convey products to be packaged in the packaging line; an infeed portion, the infeed portion being adapted and configured to receive a group of the products from the inlet conveyor; a guide portion, the guide portion having a plurality of lanes, the plurality of lanes extending across a width of the guide portion, each lane in the plurality of lanes extending along a length of the infeed portion, the guide portion being adapted and configured to receive a group of the products from the inlet conveyor in a manner such that each product in the group of the products is received in a corresponding lane of the guide portion; a separator portion, the separator portion having a plurality of lanes, the plurality of lanes extending across a width of the separator portion, each lane in the plurality of lanes extending along a length of the separator portion, each lane of the separator portion being aligned with a corresponding lane of the guide portion, each lane of the separator portion being adapted and configured to receive the product from the corresponding lane of the guide portion, each lane of the separator portion being adapted and configured to move the product in a corresponding lane away from another product in an adjacent lane as the group of products travels along the length of the separator portion; an exit conveyor adapted and configured to receive the group of the products from the separator portion; anda pusher adapted and configured for moving the group of the products from the infeed portion through the separator portion and onto the exit conveyor.

14. The conveyor system of claim 13 further comprising a rotator portion, the rotator portion having a plurality of lanes, the plurality of lanes extending across a width of the rotator portion, each lane of the rotator portion being aligned with a corresponding lane of the separator portion, each lane of the rotator portion being adapted and configured to receive the product from the corresponding lane of the separator portion, each lane of the rotator portion being adapted and configured to reorient the product in the corresponding lane as the group of products travels along the length of the rotator portion.

15. The conveyor system of claims 13 or 14 wherein pusher is adapted and configured to move the group of products from the separator portion through the rotator portion and onto the exit conveyor.

16. The conveyor system of claims 14 or 15 wherein each lane in the rotator portion comprises a plurality of rails defining the lane.

17. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 14 -16 , wherein the each lane of the rotator portion is removably connectable with the conveyor system depending upon a configuration of the product to be conveyed in the conveyor system.

18. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 13 17 wherein the pusher comprises a flight bar.

19. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 13 - 17 further comprising a loader adapted and configured for moving the group of the products from the inlet conveyor to the infeed portion.

20. The conveyor system of claim 19 wherein the loader comprises a barrel cam loader.

21. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 13 - 20 wherein each lane of the separator portion is angled relative to the adjacent lane across the width of the separator portion.

22. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 13 - 21 wherein a starting end of the separator portion is vertically lower than a terminal end of the guide portion.

23. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 13 -22 further comprising at least one of a brush and a pressurized air discharge is provided adjacent each lane of the guide portion in a manner to engage the product moving in the corresponding lane of the guide portion.

24. The conveyor system of any one of the claims 13 -23 wherein at least one of the infeed portion and the separator portion is removably connectable with the conveyor system depending upon a configuration of the product to be conveyed in conveyor system.

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