Indexing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10986846-B2
Application number	US-202016860854-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2020
Priority date	Apr 29, 2019
Publication date	Apr 27, 2021
Grant date	Apr 27, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transfer arrangement for transferring sausage-shaped products, like sausages, to a rod-like element, like a smoking rod, provided in a loading position in a hanging line, each of the sausage-shaped products contain a flowable filling material in a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing provided with a suspension element, like a suspension loop, through which the sausage-shaped products can be suspended on the rod-like element. The transfer arrangement comprises an infeed device having an infeed conveyor and a guide bar along which the suspension elements of the sausage-shaped products are guided in an infeed direction to the rod-like element, a transport device which is arranged above the rod-like element and the guide bar and which has a conveyor device with transportation elements for transporting the sausage-shaped products along the guide bar towards the rod-like element, and a drive device for driving the conveyor device, and an indexing device for supporting the guide bar. The indexing device includes at least two pairs of indexing pins configured to be reversibly moved pairwise and alternately into an engagement position for engaging with the guide bar for supporting the guide bar and into a release position for disengaging with the guide bar for allowing the passage of a suspension element of a sausage-shaped product to be suspended on the rod-like element in the loading position, wherein the indexing pins of each pair of indexing pins are arranged on opposite sides of the guide bar and at least substantially opposite to each other, and a transmission arrangement for driving and controlling the movement of the indexing pins. The transmission arrangement is driven by the transport device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transfer arrangement for transferring sausage-shaped products, to a rod-like element, provided in a loading position of a hanging line, each of the sausage-shaped products contain a flowable filling material in a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing provided with a suspension element, through which the sausage-shaped products can be suspended on the rod-like element, the transfer arrangement comprises:
an infeed device having an infeed conveyor and a guide bar along which the suspension elements of the sausage-shaped products are guided in an infeed direction to the rod-like element;
a transport device which is arranged above the rod-like element and the guide bar and which has a conveyor device with transportation elements for transporting the sausage-shaped products along the guide bar towards the rod-like element, and a drive device for driving the conveyor device;
an indexing device for supporting the guide bar, wherein the indexing device includes at least two pairs of indexing pins configured to be reversibly moved pairwise and alternately into an engagement position for engaging with the guide bar for supporting the guide bar and into a release position for disengaging with the guide bar for allowing the passage of a suspension element of a sausage-shaped product to be suspended on the rod-like element in the loading position, wherein the indexing pins of each pair of indexing pins are arranged on opposite sides of the guide bar and at least substantially opposite to each other; and
a transmission arrangement for driving and controlling the movement of the indexing pins, wherein the transmission assembly is driven by the transport device.

2. The transfer arrangement according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transmission arrangement includes two identical transmission assemblies for driving one of the pins of each pair of indexing pins.

3. The transfer arrangement according to claim 2 ,
wherein each transmission assembly includes two L-shaped levers, each acting on one of the indexing pins, and coupled to actuation levers by coupling rods, and two cam discs each with a cam groove engaged by a cam roller of the actuation levers.

4. The transfer arrangement according to claim 3 ,
wherein the cam discs of the transmission assemblies are arranged on a common axle.

5. The transfer arrangement according to claim 3 ,
wherein the cam groove is a circular groove with at least one cam lobe.

6. The transfer arrangement according to claim 3 ,
wherein the cam groove comprises two or more cam lobes.

7. The transfer arrangement according to claim 6 ,
wherein the two or more lobes are arranged in regular angular positions.

8. The transfer arrangement according to claim 7 ,
wherein angular position of the one or more cam lobes corresponds to the distance between two subsequent transportation elements on the conveyor device.

9. The transfer arrangement according to claim 3 ,
wherein the conveyor device of the transport device has a conveyor element formed by two conveyor chains arranged parallel to each other and wound about two pairs of deflection rollers, and wherein the cam discs and a first pair of deflection rollers are arranged on a common axle.

10. The transfer arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the cam rollers are arranged at least approximately centrally on the actuation levers, with one end of the actuation lever forming a pivot point, and the other end being coupled to a coupling rod.

11. The transfer arrangement according to claim 1 ,
wherein the indexing pins are preloaded in the release position.

12. The transfer arrangement according to claim 1 ,
wherein the conveyor device of the transport device has a conveyor element formed by two conveyor chains arranged parallel to each other and wound about two pairs of deflection rollers.

13. The transfer arrangement according to claim 12 ,
wherein the transportation elements attached to the conveyor element in regular intervals, are provided with hooks.

14. The transfer arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the infeed conveyor of the infeed device is a screwed spindle.

15. The transfer arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein a connecting element is arranged between the infeed conveyor and the guide bar, and which has the shape of a segment of a circle.

Assignees

• Poly Clip System Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Waldstädt Manfred

Classifications

• A22C15/001 Primary

  Specially adapted for hanging or conveying several sausages or strips of meat · CPC title

• B65G47/61

  for articles · CPC title

• A22C15/002 Primary

  Loops, hooks, cords for suspending single sausages; apparatus for making or conveying loops for sausages · CPC title

• B65G2201/0202

  Agricultural and processed food products · CPC title

• B65G17/38

  Chains or like traction elements (drive chains F16G13/00); Connections between traction elements and load-carriers · CPC title