Conveyor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11447347-B2
Application number	US-202016859911-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2020
Priority date	May 3, 2019
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A conveyor and process for transporting products, wherein a carrier with an associated product holder can be moved along a conveying path by means of a conveyor element. In a processing position, the carrier can be aligned by means of first alignment elements, and second alignment elements are provided for aligning the product holder for disengagement from the carrier.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A conveyor for transporting products, the conveyor including:
(a) a product holder adapted to receive at least one product;
(b) a carrier adapted to receive the product holder in a supported position;
(c) a conveying element operable to move the carrier and product holder received on the carrier in a horizontal conveying direction to a processing position which is defined within tolerances with respect to the conveying direction and with respect to a horizontal transverse direction extending perpendicular to the conveying direction;
(d) first alignment means for aligning the carrier in the conveying direction, or the transverse direction, or both the conveying direction and transverse direction relative to the conveying element or a fixed component of the conveying element, to thereby transfer the carrier from the processing position to a target carrier position; and
(e) second alignment means for aligning the product holder in a target product holder position which is defined in the conveying direction and the transverse direction, the second alignment means including alignment surfaces on the product holder which are configured to mate with surfaces of a centering unit which is moveable relative to the carrier.

2. The conveyor of claim 1 wherein the first alignment means comprises a movable alignment element which is movable to impinge on the carrier in the processing position to displace the carrier into the target carrier position.

3. The conveyor of claim 2 wherein the movable alignment element comprises a bolt extending along a longitudinal bolt axis, the bolt being movable to contact guide surfaces of the carrier in order to displace the carrier into the target carrier position.

4. The conveyor of claim 3 wherein the bolt is fixed in position with regard to the conveying direction and the transverse direction and wherein the carrier in the processing position is movable in the conveying direction, or the transverse direction, or both the conveying direction and transverse direction.

5. The conveyor of claim 1 further including a weigh cell having a load introduction section supporting the centering unit, the weigh cell being operable to measure the weight of the product holder and any product received thereon when the product holder is released from the carrier.

6. The conveyor of claim 5 wherein the load introducing section is moveable relative to the product holder in a vertical direction perpendicular to both the conveying direction and the transverse direction until the weight force of the product holder and any product supported on the product holder is released from the carrier and introduced into the load introducing section.

7. The conveyor of claim 6 further including a lifting mechanism operable for moving the weigh cell, load introducing section of the weigh cell, and centering unit in the vertical direction until the product holder and carrier are separated from each other and the weight force of the product holder and any product supported thereon is received by the load introducing section of the weigh cell.

8. The conveyor of claim 7 wherein the first alignment means includes a bolt which is coupled to the weigh cell such that the bolt is movable together with the weigh cell in the vertical direction.

9. The conveyor of claim 8 wherein the alignment of the carrier or the release of the product holder is carried out as part of a continuous relative movement between the weigh cell and carrier in a straight lifting movement of the weigh cell relative to the carrier and substantially fixed in the plane of the conveying direction and transverse direction.

10. The conveyor of claim 1 further including at least one additional carrier, each additional carrier being associated with a respective additional product holder, and wherein the conveying element is operable to move the carrier and each additional carrier along the conveying direction individually or together.

11. The conveyor of claim 10 wherein the carrier and each additional carrier and the product holder and each additional product holder is provided with a unique machine-readable mark, via which individual data can be allocated to the respective carrier or product holder.

12. The conveyor of claim 1 wherein the product holder is formed from a material suitable for X-ray radiography such that foreign bodies contained in the product or a fill quantity of the product received on the product holder, or both, are detectable by X-ray radiography of the product holder and the product received on the product holder.

13. A weighing station including:
(a) a product holder adapted to receive at least one product, the product holder including product holder alignment surfaces;
(b) a carrier adapted to receive the product holder in a supported position;
(c) a conveying element operable to move the carrier and product holder received on the carrier in a horizontal conveying direction to a processing position which is defined within tolerances with respect to the conveying direction and with respect to a horizontal transverse direction extending perpendicular to the conveying direction;
(d) first alignment means for aligning the carrier in the conveying direction, or the transverse direction, or both the conveying direction and transverse direction relative to the conveying element or a fixed component of the conveying element, to thereby transfer the carrier from the processing position to a target carrier position;
(e) a centering unit which is moveable relative to the carrier, the centering unit including centering surfaces which are configured to mate with the product holder alignment surfaces; and
a weigh cell having a load introduction section supporting the centering unit, the weigh cell being operable to measure the weight of the product holder and any product received thereon, when the carrier is in the target carrier position and the product holder is released from the carrier by movement of the centering unit relative to the carrier.

14. A process including:
(a) moving a carrier with a product holder received thereon along a horizontal conveying direction into a processing position for the carrier which is defined within tolerances with respect to the conveying direction and with respect to a horizontal transverse direction extending perpendicular to the conveying direction;
(b) placing a first alignment element and the carrier in a contact position relative to each other to align the carrier in the conveying direction, or the transverse direction, or both the conveying direction and transverse direction to thereby transfer the carrier from the processing position to a target carrier position;
(c) moving the product holder and the carrier relative to each other in order to release the product holder from the carrier and to introduce the weight force of the product holder and any product received thereon into a load introducing section of a weigh cell; and
(d) wherein moving the product holder and the carrier relative to each other includes moving a centering unit relative to the product holder to bring centering surfaces of the centering unit into contact with alignment surfaces of the product holder to place the product holder in a target product holder position, and wherein the centering unit is supported on the load introducing section of the weigh cell.

15. The process of claim 14 wherein the first alignment element is coupled to the weigh cell and wherein the alignment of the carrier and the release of the product holder are both effected as part of a relative movement between weigh cell and the car

Assignees

• Wipotec Gmbh

Inventors

• Schulzki Alexander
• Joachim Matthias
• Clössner Stephan
• Eckhardt Christoph
• Gerlach Jochen

Classifications

• G01G19/035 Primary

  using electrical weight-sensitive devices · CPC title

• B65G2811/0621

  by modifying the orientation or position of articles · CPC title

• B23Q7/1447

  using endless conveyors · CPC title

• B65G17/002

  comprising load carriers resting on the traction element · CPC title

• B23Q16/043

  with a reciprocating or oscillating drive (B23Q16/06 takes precedence) · CPC title