Packaged or non-packaged (naked) products are usually temporarily buffered or collected from a production supply for the subsequent fully or partially automatic further processing, such as measuring, counting, packaging, coding etc., in an apparatus which is especially suitable for this purpose. An example of such an apparatus is described in applicant's European patent 0 509 583.

With this known apparatus products supplied with random spacing can be set at an almost constant pitch, which is important for the above mentioned further processing. In order to obtain a sufficiently high capacity, wherein for instance six hundred products per minute are fed and discharged, all components of this known apparatus must meet very high standards, particularly because of the great decelerations and accelerations taking place at each step of feed and discharge.

The present invention provides an apparatus for temporarily storing or buffering and/or setting to pitch of products, comprising:

- a conveyor belt;

- carrying means for transporting by the conveyor belt for carrying a plurality of products; - infeed means for feeding products into the carrying means at a predetermined location of the conveyor belt; and

- outfeed means for discharging the products from the carrying means at a second predetermined location at a distance from the above said location.

Because the above mentioned accelerations and decelerations only need take place at feed and discharge and not in the case of the conveyor belt on which the

product carrying means are transported, a simple and therefore less expensive storage/buffer apparatus is provided by the present invention.

The carrying means preferably comprise a product carrier for receiving a plurality of products fed mutually adjacently, which product carriers can then be transported over the conveyor belt at for instance relatively low speed.

It is important that the product carriers are positioned precisely in relation to the infeed means and outfeed means during respectively feed and discharge of products.

Preferred embodiments of the product carriers comprise for this purpose a tooth track on the underside of a product carrier, suction means close to an infeed location, or a groove or a pin on a product carrier whereby transport thereof can take place in precise manner.

Through use of the product carrier an extremely flexible apparatus and method can be applied in accor¬ dance with conditions desired by the user.

The present invention further provides a method and a product carrier for use in the apparatus and method according to the present invention. The product carrier is preferably constructed from standardized carrier elements and the product carriers are releasably connectable to each other.

Further advantages, features and details of the present invention will be elucidated on the basis of the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the annexed drawings, wherein: fig. 1 shows a view in perspective of an infeed station for use in an apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 2 shows a view in perspective of a second preferred embodiment of an infeed station according to the present invention;

fig. 3 shows a view in perspective of a third preferred embodiment of an infeed station according to the present invention; fig. 4 shows a view in perspective of a fourth preferred embodiment of an infeed station according to the present invention; fig. 5 shows a view in perspective of a fifth preferred embodiment of an infeed station for use in the present invention; fig. 6 shows a view in perspective of a sixth preferred embodiment of an infeed station according to the present invention; fig. 7 shows a view in perspective of a seventh preferred embodiment of an infeed station according to the present invention; fig. 8 shows a top view of an apparatus and method according to the present invention; fig. 9 shows a view in perspective of an alternative embodiment of the apparatus and method according to the present invention; fig. 10 shows a top view of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 11 shows a top view of a further embodiment of the apparatus and method according to the present invention; fig. 12 shows a view in perspective of an outfeed station for use in the apparatus and method according to the present invention; fig. 13 is a perspective view of an alternative for use in the outfeed station according to fig. 12; fig. 14 is a perspective view of a method and apparatus applicable in the present invention for temporarily storing or buffering carrying means; fig. 15 is a perspective view of an infeed station for use in the apparatus according to the present invention;

fig. 16 shows a top view of an outfeed station for use in the apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 17 shows a view in perspective of an alternative embodiment of the method and apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 18 is a view in perspective of products in a carrying member; fig. 19 shows a view in perspective of a plurality of product carrying means disposed mutually adjacently; fig. 20 shows a view in perspective of an outfeed station for use in the apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 21 is a perspective view of another outfeed station for use in the apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 22 is a perspective view of another outfeed station for use in the apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 23 shows a perspective view of an outfeed station for use in the apparatus and method according to the present invention; fig. 24 shows a perspective view of means for carrying products for use in an apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 25 shows a perspective view of an alternative for the connection of carrying elements of fig. 24; fig. 26 shows a perspective view of an alternative carrying element; fig. 27 shows a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of a product carrying element for use in the apparatus and method according to the present invention; fig. 28 shows a view in perspective of a further preferred embodiment of product carrying elements

for use in the apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 29 shows a view in perspective of a further preferred embodiment of product carrying elements according to the present invention; fig. 30 shows a perspective view of a further preferred embodiment of a product carrying device for use in an apparatus and method according to the present invention; fig. 31 shows a perspective view of an application of a product carrying element; fig. 32 is a view in perspective of a plurality of coupled product carrying elements; fig. 33 is a view in perspective of product carrying elements coupled in alternative manner; fig. 34 shows a view in perspective of another preferred embodiment of mutually coupled product carrying elements; fig. 35 shows a view in perspective of the apparatus of fig. 34 in the product releasing position; fig. 36 shows a perspective view of the apparatus of fig. 34 and 35 in an alternative embodiment; fig. 37 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a product carrying element according to the present invention; and fig. 38 shows a perspective view of a further preferred embodiment of a product carrying element according to the present invention.

In a first preferred embodiment (fig. 1) of the apparatus and method according to the present invention, product carrying elements 10, 11 are fed onto a conveyor belt 12. On the underside the product carriers are pro¬ vided with a tooth track 13 respectively 14. The product carriers 10, 11 are transported in the direction of arrow A by means of pinions 15 respectively 16 which engage on racks and which are connected via shafts 17 respectively 18 to an electric stepping motor 19. The drive of shaft 17 takes place via a toothed belt 20, wherein it is

recommended that shaft 17 is driven at slightly greater speed than shaft 18 by means of a correctly chosen transmission ratio. Shaft 17 is further provided with a slip coupling 21. It is important that product carriers 10, 11 can be filled successively in accurate manner with products P, P', P". By causing toothed wheel 15 to run faster the product carrier 11 is caught up by product carrier 10 and the latter can connect precisely onto product carrier 11 at the infeed station. The slip coupling 21 prevents the product carrier 10 pushing product carrier 11 further along in the connected position. Toothed wheel 15 is pressed firmly into the toothing 13 by a spring 23 which is arranged on a frame part 22. Depending on the process, the product carriers

10 and 11 can be driven stepwise or at a more continuous speed.

In the infeed station according to fig. 2 the product carriers 30, 31, 32, 33 are transported in the direction of arrows B, C and D and supplied and discharged using a conveyor belt 34. A conveyor belt 35 provided with suction apertures 36 is driven faster than conveyor belt 34 such that product carrier 30 is moved toward product carrier 31 in accelerated manner and held fixedly by suction through apertures 36. A further conveyor 37 provided with carriers 38 ensures that the product carriers are moved at the correct (stepped or continuous) speed to a position close to a feed conveyor 39 for feeding products Q into the product carriers. The final position of the product carriers relative to the feed conveyor 39 can be determined by the carriers 38 and the speed of the drive belt 37, which is slightly lower than the speed of belt 35 whereby some slip of the product carriers occurs relative to conveyor 35. The degree of suction through the suction apertures must be adapted accordingly.

In the embodiment of fig. 3 products R are fed into a product carrier 40 which is preferably driven

intermittently using an electric motor, in each case until an opening of the product carrier 40 arrives in front of a feed conveyor 42. The product carrier 40 (and corresponding product carrier 43) are each provided with a cam 44, the presence of which is detected by a control system (not shown) by means of a ratchet 45.

When cam 44 has passed ratchet 45 the product carrier 43 is moved in accelerated manner in the direction of the arrow B using the rear part of ratchet 45 and the cam 44, for instance using an air cylinder, until product carrier 43 connects seamlessly to the product carrier 40.

At the loading -station according to fig. 4 a product carrier 50 is driven intermittently as according to arrows E by a conveyor 51 with carriers 52. During the standstill period the product carriers 50 can be loaded with products S via feed conveyor 53. Using a pushing member 54 one product carrier 50 at a time is pushed from the main conveyor belt 55 in the direction of the arrow F onto the final conveyor 51, while it is guided back as according to arrow G onto the main conveyor belt 55 using guides 56 and 57.

In the embodiment of fig. 5 product carriers 61 are provided on the underside with gripping elements 62 which are gripped on both sides by belts 63, 64 and 65 respectively. These belts are pushed against the gripping elements 62 using bellows members 66, 67, 68 and 69 which are filled with liquid or gaseous medium and which are brought under pressure in each case during transport in the direction of the arrow H.

In a manner not shown the infeed of a product into product carrier 61 is preferably determined using a photocell, whereafter transport takes place intermittently using belts 63-65 and bellows members 66- 69. In this embodiment the product carriers 61 do not have to connect to each other seamlessly.

In the embodiment of fig. 6 the product carriers 70, 71 and 72 being moved forward in the

direction of arrow I are provided with a guide groove 73 on the underside thereof. The product carriers are provided in each case with a cam 74 onto which engages a pusher part 75 which is pushed by pushing cylinder 76. In the groove 73 engages a pin part 77 which is moved reciprocally according to arrow J along slide rod 79 using a cylinder 78. The underside of pin 77 is guided in a curve path 81 using a wheel 80, whereby pin 77 is also moved up and downward as according to K. Portions 82 of groove 73 are embodied in each case slightly deeper than the other parts thereof in accordance with the guiding in the curve path 81.

Through co-action of cylinders 76 and 78 the product carriers 70 and 71 are further displaced through one cycloid curve of groove 73 at each reciprocal movement of the pin 77, which displacement corresponds with an infeed position for a product in product carrier 71.

In the case of the drive of the product carrier shown in fig. 6, gas or liquid cylinders can suffice for the driving.

In the embodiment according to fig. 7 the displacement through one infeed position for feeding products T above product carriers 90 is realized in co- action with a pushing cylinder 91, a pusher part 92 of which engages on protrusion 93 , and a curve roller 95 driven by an electric motor 94 in the curve of which a pin part 96 engages in each case on the underside of the product carriers. An apparatus 100 as according to fig. 8 comprises a main conveyor belt 101 driven substantially at constant speed on which product carriers 102 are discharged at the outfeed station 103 using discharge device 104, such as a so-called top loader, for instance in (cardboard) boxes 105. On the supply side 106 are placed two feed conveyors 107 respectively 108 with which the product carriers 102 must be filled with products. In this arrangement each of the embodiments shown in fig. l-

7 can be used for the infeed stations 109 respectively 110. In order to enable simultaneous operation with two infeed stations a conveyor 111 is placed adjacently of the main conveyor belt 101, to which conveyor 111 product carriers are fed by means of a pushing device 112, which product carriers are returned to the main conveyor belt 101 using a second pushing device 113.

In this arrangement according to fig. 8 it is therefore possible to feed products into product carriers 102 with double infeed unit without the speed of the main conveyor belt 101 having to correspond with the speed of this infeed, whereby less stringent requirements are made of the components of this main conveyor belt 101 and whereby the arrangement enables a flexible adaptation in determined production environments.

In the compact arrangement of fig. 9 product carriers 120 are filled with products T from a supply conveyor 122 at an infeed station 121 and emptied at an outfeed station 122, using for instance a pick-and-place robot 123, into a box 124 for further processing of the products T. The emptied product carriers 120 are transported back via a return conveyor 125, whereafter they can be fed again onto the main conveyor belt 126 on the left-hand side 9. Fig. 10 illustrates an arrangement wherein products Q are fed into product carriers 131 at an infeed station 130 and subsequently transported via the main conveyor belt 132 to an outfeed station 133, taken from the product carriers 131 and placed into packagings 134 for instance using a top loader 135.

In the arrangement of fig. 11 use is made of a single infeed station 140 to feed products U into product carriers 141, while the speed of a robot 142 is utilized optimally by causing discharge of the products from the product carriers take place on the main conveyor belt 146 as well as on an adjacently disposed, substantially parallel conveyor belt 143, on which product carriers 141

are likewise supplied and discharged using pushing mem¬ bers 144 respectively 145.

Fig. 12 shows a preferred embodiment of an outfeed station 140, wherein products V are pushed, using fingers 147 on a pushing member 148, out of a product carrier 141 into a box 149. A plurality of such pushing members 148 can of course be arranged adjacently of each other.

In the alternative embodiment of fig. 13 two product carriers 141 are arranged one above the other and a pushing member 150 is provided with fingers 151 arranged adjacently of and above each other to slide products V into a box 152".

If the application of the apparatus according to the present invention gives cause thereto, the product carriers, such as 141 of fig. 12 and 13, can be buffered in a buffer station 160 (fig. 14) . In the shown embodiment a product carrier 141 is fed into the input end 161 and added to the bottom of stack 162, while at the top an upper product carrier is added to a second stack 162.

On the outfeed side 164 the bottom product carrier 143 is discharged in each case, whereby a system of first-in-last-out results. It is equally conceivable to obtain a system of first-in-first-out with a different arrangement of stacks. In the embodiment according to fig. 15 a product carrier 170 is for instance first of all filled with a packaging 171 which is placed in prod¬ uct carrier 170 by a placing member 172 provided with teeth. Products W are then placed in the direction of arrow M into the product carrier provided with a packag¬ ing 171. The packaging with products W is subsequently pushed upward out of product carrier 170 by a press-out member 173. In this preferred embodiment of the present invention products and packagings are simultaneously removed from the product carrier, which simplifies further operations.

In the arrangement according to fig. 16 there are two feed conveyors 180 respectively 181 for separate infeed stations 182 respectively 183 for products X which are placed in a product carrier 184 on two main conveyor belts 185 respectively 186, wherein outfeed stations 187 respectively 188 are positioned mutually adjacently so that a pick-and-place robot 189 can transfer products X out of the product carriers into boxes 190.

In the embodiment of fig. 17 products Y are placed into product carriers 201 at infeed station 200 and products Y are removed by a robot arm 203 at outfeed station 202, whereafter product carriers 201 return to feed part 205 upside down along the underside of the transporting device 204. In this manner an extremely compact apparatus according to the present invention is obtained.

In fig. 18 a product carrier 210 is shown in which products Z are arranged in a plurality of product carriers with products in a number of different directions, a so-called multiple product carrier, which can have advantages in particular applications.

Another embodiment of a multiple product carrier is shown in fig. 19, in which products Z are placed in the same direction adjacently of each other in a multiple product carrier 212 and can be discharged simultaneously into three boxes 214 using pushing members (for instance as in fig. 12) which are not shown in fig. 19.

In the preferred embodiment according to fig. 20 products AA are pushed out of product carrier 220 using a pushing member 221 and into a stationary product carrier 222 which is arranged in alignment with product carrier 220, so that the product carriers do not have to wait until a robot arm 224 has finished discharging products from a product carrier but a new product carrier 220 can be transported directly in front of pushing member 221.

In the preferred arrangement of fig. 21 product carriers 230 are supplied as according to arrow N and pressed by a pressing member 231 transversely of this main transporting direction N, wherein a robot arm which is not shown in fig. 21 is capable of discharging the products from the product carriers in both positions in front of the pressing member 231.

In the preferred embodiment of fig. 22 a plurality of product carriers 241 is emptied using a robot arm 240, whereafter these product carriers can be discharged at a level under the supply belt 242 by a conveyor belt 243 to further accelerate discharge of the products. For this purpose the product carriers 241 are gripped at the sides by side belts 244 and clamped therebetween during discharge of the products, whereafter product carriers 241 are released by the side belts 244 and fall onto the lower conveyor belt 243 under the influence of the force of gravity.

In an arrangement as according to fig. 23 full product carriers 245 are received by a conveyor 246 which moves up and downward, wherein the full product carriers 245 are first moved upward, then emptied using a robot arm 247 and subsequently further transported in empty state on a parallel conveyor belt 248. The products BB are discharged into a box 249. This preferred embodiment has the further advantage that while products BB are being transferred into the box 249 by robot arm 247, a number of full product carriers can already be standing ready thereunder. The preferred embodiment of fig. 24 relates to the situation wherein products CC in a product carrier 251 are turned over using a manipulator 252 and, in a turned-over position designated with dotted lines of product carrier 251 above a box 253, a plate 255 above box 253 is subsequently pulled away by means of a further manipulator 254, whereafter products CC drop into the box 253.

In a preferred embodiment of a product carrier 260 (fig- 25) this latter is constructed from basic elements 261 which are can slide into each other using a dovetail joint to form a product carrier of desired size. Using the separate connecting element 271 according to fig. 26 both side walls of two successive product carriers, which are manufactured for instance from extruded aluminium or plastic material, can take an identical form, which further facilitates the manufacture.

In the preferred embodiment of a product carrying element 280 according to fig. 27 with closed end faces 281 respectively 282 there is a bin-like form, which is preferably obtained using injection moulding techniques for injection moulding such an element 280, for instance from plastic. In the product carrier 290 of fig. 28 there is an outer bin 291 in which, depending on the product for handling, a separate inner part 292 can be placed which is exchangeable and which can thus be easily adapted to the dimensions of a product.

A product carrier 300 according to fig. 29 is particularly suitable for products 231 in a flexible packaging such as bags and comprises upward inclining wall parts 232 between which the packagings 233 can be introduced using a downward sloping outfeed conveyor 233.

Using the product carriers 310 and 320 (fig. 30 respectively 31) products DD can be clamped between standing wall parts 311 using resilient lips 312, which is also of importance for particular forms of packaging. This clamping is achieved according to fig. 31 by using link connections 321 between successive side walls 322 of product carrier 320.

In the embodiment of fig. 32 a product carrier 330 is used in a process for realizing a product EE, for instance cake, prior to the baking process in an oven

332. It is equally conceivable to have assembly of prod¬ ucts and product carriers and packaging of an assembled product from a product carrier take place consecutively.

In the product carrier 340 according to fig. 33 two product carrying elements 341 respectively 342 are mutually connectable using a permanent magnet 343 and a metal plate 344, whereby a seamless connection takes place with sufficient adhesive force, while the product carrying elements 341 and 342 can be pulled apart if desired.

In the embodiment of fig. 34 two product carrying elements 351 and 352 are mutually connected for the same purpose using a ratchet element 354 which is provided with a hook element 353 and which can be actuated using a cam (not shown) on an embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention.

In the product carrier 360 of fig. 35 separate elements 361, 362, 363, 364, 365 can be moved apart along guide rods 366, for instance to the opened position shown in fig. 36, wherein insertion of products GG can take place more easily. It is likewise possible to open only one product position, for instance the one furthest to the right between elements 365 and 364, for insertion of the relevant GGG (fig. 37) .

A further preferred embodiment relates to a product carrier 390 as shown in fig. 38, wherein the bottom is formed by at least partly elastic cords 391, so that using a press-through member 392 a product HH can be pressed through the bottom into a packaging box 393, wherein as application the situation can for instance be envisaged where the products HH are for instance cro¬ quettes. An alternative preferred embodiment relates to a product carrier 400 as according to fig. 39, wherein the bottom is formed by pins 401 extending halfway which are manufactured for instance from polyurethane or silicone rubber and through which the products HH can be pressed into a packaging box 402.

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