Transfer arrangement for transferring articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9051132-B2
Application number	US-201214115394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2012
Priority date	May 3, 2011
Publication date	Jun 9, 2015
Grant date	Jun 9, 2015

Abstract

The invention relates to a transfer arrangement ( 10; 10 a ) for transferring articles ( 1 ), having a first conveying arrangement ( 11 ) for the articles ( 1 ), on which the articles ( 1 ) are conveyed at in particular non-uniform intervals (a) from one another, and having at least one transporting element ( 38 ) with a transfer element ( 44 ) for butting against an article ( 1 ) along a transporting route in the region of the transfer arrangement ( 10; 10 a ) and for transfer from the transporting route onto a second conveying arrangement ( 15 ), wherein the at least one transporting element ( 38 ) is arranged such that it can be moved along a closed transporting path ( 30 ) which has a multiplicity of preferably individually energizable coil elements ( 36 ) which are in operative connection with at least one permanent-magnet element ( 39 ), arranged at least indirectly on the transporting element ( 38 ), and cause the transporting element ( 38 ) to move along the transporting path ( 30 ) when the coil elements ( 36 ) are energized, wherein a control arrangement activates the coil elements ( 36 ) in order to generate a movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ), and wherein an arrangement with means ( 41, 42 ) for detecting the position of the transporting element ( 38 ) is provided along the transporting path ( 30 ). According to the invention, it is provided that the first conveying arrangement ( 11 ), in a transfer region ( 26 ) for transferring the articles ( 1 ) to the transporting route of the transfer arrangement ( 10 ), is aligned with the transporting route, and that the movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ) is such that, when the article ( 1 ) is received by the transfer element ( 44 ), the transfer element ( 44 ) comes into contact with the article ( 1 ) in an at least more or less impact-free manner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transfer arrangement ( 10 ; 10 a ) for transferring articles ( 1 ), having a first conveying arrangement ( 11 ) for the articles ( 1 ), on which the articles ( 1 ) are conveyed, and having at least one transporting element ( 38 ) with a transfer element ( 44 ) for butting against an article ( 1 ) along a transporting route in a region of the transfer arrangement ( 10 ; 10 a ) and for transfer from the transporting route to a second conveying arrangement ( 15 ), wherein the at least one transporting element ( 38 ) is arranged such that it can be moved along a closed transporting path ( 30 ) which has a multiplicity of coil elements ( 36 ) which are in operative connection with at least one permanent-magnet element ( 39 ), arranged at least indirectly on the transporting element ( 38 ), and cause the transporting element ( 38 ) to move along the transporting path ( 30 ) when the coil elements ( 36 ) are energized, wherein a control arrangement activates the coil elements ( 36 ) in order to generate a movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ), and wherein there is an arrangement with means ( 41 , 42 ) for detecting the position of the transporting element ( 38 ) along the transporting path ( 30 ),
characterized in that the first conveying arrangement ( 11 ), in a transfer region ( 26 ) for transferring the articles ( 1 ) to the transporting route of the transfer arrangement ( 10 ), is aligned with the transporting route, and in that the movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ) is such that, when the article ( 1 ) is received by the transfer element ( 44 ), the transfer element ( 44 ) comes into contact with the article ( 1 ) in an at least more or less impact-free manner,
characterized in that the transporting route is designed as an additional, endlessly circulating conveying arrangement ( 20 ) on which the articles ( 1 ) are conveyed, and in that at least the abutting contact of the transfer element ( 44 ) against the article ( 1 ) takes place in the region of the additional conveying arrangement ( 20 ),
characterized in that the movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ) is such that the transfer element ( 44 ) is disposed initially behind and spaced apart from the article ( 1 ) traveling on the additional conveying arrangement ( 20 ) and is then accelerated to a speed greater than a speed (Vz) of the additional conveying arrangement ( 20 ) to reduce a space (Δs) between the transfer element ( 44 ) and the article ( 1 ),
characterized in that the movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ) is such that as the space (Δs) is reduced, the transfer element ( 44 ) decelerates to slow down and come into contact with the article ( 1 ) in the at least more or less impact-free manner, and
characterized in that the movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ) is such that after the transfer element ( 44 ) is in contact with the article ( 1 ), a speed of transfer element ( 44 ) is changed to a speed different than the speed (Vz) of the additional conveying arrangement ( 20 ).

2. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ) is in the form of a fifth-order or seventh-order polynomial or of a sine 2 function.

3. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the articles ( 1 ) are at least received from the first conveying arrangement ( 11 ) in a curved portion ( 33 , 34 ) which belongs to the transporting path ( 30 ) and in which the transfer element ( 44 ) pivots in the direction of the article ( 1 ).

4. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the transfer element ( 44 ) accelerates or decelerates the article ( 1 ) in the region of the transporting route in relation to a speed (v 1 ) in the transfer region ( 26 ) from the first conveying arrangement ( 11 ) to the transfer element ( 44 ).

5. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the article ( 1 ), in the transfer region ( 27 ) from the transporting route to the second conveying arrangement ( 15 ), has a speed (v z ) which corresponds to the conveying speed (v 2 ) of the second conveying arrangement ( 15 ).

6. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the second conveying arrangement ( 15 ), in the transfer region ( 27 ), is aligned with the conveying route of the transfer arrangement ( 10 ; 10 a ), and in that the two conveying arrangements ( 11 , 15 ) and the conveying route of the transfer arrangement ( 10 ; 10 a ) form a planar transporting plane ( 23 ; 48 ) for the articles ( 1 ).

7. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the second conveying arrangement ( 15 ) has a variable conveying speed (v 2 ).

8. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the first conveying arrangement ( 11 ) is driven cyclically.

9. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the transfer arrangement ( 10 ; 10 a ) is a constituent part of a packaging installation.

10. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the first conveying arrangement ( 11 ) conveys the articles ( 1 ) at non-uniform spacings (a) from one another.

11. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the closed transporting path ( 30 ) has a multiplicity of individually energizable coil elements ( 36 ) which are in operative connection with the at least one permanent-magnet element ( 39 ).

12. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the transfer arrangement ( 10 ; 10 a ) is a constituent part of a packaging installation, and in that the second conveying arrangement ( 15 ) feeds the articles to a cartoner or a tubular-bag machine.

13. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ) is such that after the transfer element ( 44 ) is in contact with the article ( 1 ), the transfer element ( 44 ) is accelerated to a speed greater than the speed (Vz) of the additional conveying arrangement ( 20 ) to increase a spacing between the article ( 1 ) and successive articles ( 1 ) on the additional conveying arrangement ( 20 ).

14. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ) is such that over time the movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ) creates equal spacing between the articles ( 1 ) traveling on the additional conveying arrangement ( 20 ).

15. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ) is such that the transfer element ( 44 ) is disposed initially between and spaced apart from two articles ( 1 ) traveling on the additional conveying arrangement ( 20 ) before being accelerated toward one of the two articles ( 1 ).

16. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the additional conveying arrangement ( 20 ) has a first length along a direction of movement of the articles ( 1 ), and in that the closed transporting path ( 30 ) has a portion that is parallel to the additional conveying arrangement ( 20 ) that has a second length along the direction of movement of the articles ( 1 ), and characterized in that the first length is greater than the second length.

17. The transfer arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the movement profile of the transporting element ( 38 ) is

Assignees

• Van De Loecht Heinrich
• Reinisch Martin
• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Van De Loecht Heinrich
• Reinisch Martin

Classifications

• B65G47/31 Primary

  by varying the relative speeds of the conveyors forming the series · CPC title

• B65G47/841

  Devices having endless travelling belts or chains equipped with article-engaging elements · CPC title

• B65G47/82 Primary

  Rotary or reciprocating members for direct action on articles or materials, e.g. pushers, rakes, shovels {(means for pushing glass articles onto a conveyor C03B9/453)} · CPC title

• B65G54/02

  electrostatic, electric, or magnetic · CPC title

• B65G47/88

  Separating or stopping elements, e.g. fingers (attached to star-shaped wheels B65G47/84) · CPC title