The invention relates to a conveying system, comprising a conveying track with a conveying face which is provided with a plurality of conveyor belts.

Such a conveying system is utilized when, for instance, the length of a single conveyor belt is insufficient. A problem that occurs here is the transition of products to be conveyed in the conveying face between conveying belts successive in conveying direction.

With conveyor belts arranged in end to end transition, the transition for the products to be conveyed in the transport face is often too abrupt, so that the products may fall over, while on an interposed slide-over plate, during clearing of the conveying track, products may unintendedly remain behind.

Therefore, in practice, conveyor belts successive in conveying direction are often placed side by side with their extremities slightly

overlapping, and an S-shaped guide is provided for guiding the products from one conveyor belt to the other conveyor belt.

A drawback of such an overlapping configuration is not only that more floor surface is taken up by the conveying system and that the conveyor belts have a smaller effective length, but also that passing through the S-curve especially at higher speeds increases the risk of damage occurring, especially with more delicate products.

The object of the invention is a conveying system of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph with which, while maintaining the advantages mentioned, the drawbacks mentioned can be obviated.

To that end, the invention provides a conveying system comprising a conveying track with a conveying face which is provided with a plurality of tracks extending side by side in conveying direction with conveyor belts arranged in end-to-end transition, wherein the end-to-end transitions between the conveyor belts of adjoining tracks are staggered relative to each other in conveying direction.

What can be achieved by dividing the conveying face into a number of tracks with conveyor belts mutually arranged in end-to-end transition, whose transitions are staggered relative to each other in conveying direction, is that transversely to the conveying direction, the transition does not have to extend over the entire conveying face. As a result, there is always at least one continuous conveyor belt in the conveying face, so that the transition can be less abrupt and furthermore, when self-clearing, products can be carried along better. Further, an S-curve can be omitted, so that products which are more sensitive to damage run a smaller risk of damage even at higher speeds.

Further, the effective length of the conveyor belts can be greater and the conveying system can take up less floor surface.

When the width of the tracks is chosen to be smaller than the width of the base surface of the products to be conveyed, the advantage of the division into tracks with staggered transitions can be optimally utilized. In practice, often, bottles and cans with substantially circular base surface with a diameter of approximately 5 cm are conveyed, so that, advantageously, the width of the tracks is approximately 4 cm or less.

The end-to-end transitions can be mutually staggered alternately forward and rearward transversely to the conveying direction. As a result, the area where the transition takes place in conveying direction can have a relatively small length. It is preferred that the length over which the end-to- end transitions between adjoining tracks are staggered is approximately once or twice the width of the track. However, it is also possible to design the staggering differently, for instance via a stepped pattern.

In particular with conveyor belts of modular design, such as, for instance, modular conveyor mats and modular conveyor chains, in spite of the occurring polygon effect, still, a good end-to-end configuration can be realized. In order to form relatively narrow tracks, such modular conveyor belts may be designed with transversely to the conveying direction a singular row of modules. However, it is naturally also possible to design the conveyor belts with several modules lying side by side transversely to the conveying direction, and to optionally have rows of modules successive in conveying direction stagger relatively to each other transversely to the conveying direction in a so-called brick -pattern.

The conveyor belts can advantageously be designed to be endless and can then circulate between return elements. By interconnecting the return elements of a set of conveyor belts arranged in end-to-end transition, a reliable construction can be realised. By interconnecting return elements of conveyor belts of adjoining tracks at the location of the staggered end-to-end transitions, also, a reliable construction can be realized. Applying these features in combination provides for a particularly reliable construction.

By designing the return elements of the conveyor belts at the location of the end-to-end transitions as nose-over bar or return roller, a transition with a relatively small diameter can be realized for instance relative to a return wheel, so that the interruption in the conveying face at the location of the end-to-end transition can be relatively small.

By providing between adjoining tracks supporting edges extending in conveying direction which reach into the conveying surface, additional support can be provided to products located on the conveying face. When the supporting edges continue at the location of the end-to-end transition, the products at the location of the end-to-end transition can be additionally supported.

By providing in the conveying face at the location of end-to-end transitions between the conveyor belts of a track slide -over surfaces whose dimension transversely to the conveying direction corresponds to the width of the track, the products can further be additionally supported. Compared to a slide -over surface which extends over the entire width of the conveying surface, the risk of products remaining behind can be considerably smaller. By providing a connecting bracket which forms a connection between return elements of a set of conveyor belts of a track arranged in end-to-end relation, a stable and reliable construction can be realized relatively easily. When the connecting bracket then forms a connection between return elements of conveyor belts of one or more adjoining tracks at the location of the end-to-end transition, a construction can be realized that is relatively easy to mount. In an advantageous manner, the connecting bracket between adjoining tracks can be provided with supporting edges extending in the conveying direction, which reach into the conveying face. Here, the supporting edges can continue at the location of the end-to-end transition. The connecting bracket can further be provided with one or more slide-over surfaces which are located in the conveying face and whose dimension transversely to the conveying direction corresponds to the width of the track. With the aid of a connecting bracket having one or more of the above-mentioned features, a plurality of tracks extending side by side in conveying direction with conveyor belts arranged in end-to-end transition, while the end-to-end transitions between the conveyor belts of adjoining tracks are staggered relative to each other in conveying direction, can be coupled in a relatively simple and reliable manner. Therefore, the invention also relates to a support bracket for a conveying system.

The invention will be further elucidated on the basis of an exemplary embodiment represented in the drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view from the top of a conveying system according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a schematic top plan view of the conveying system of

Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 shows a schematic cross section of the conveying system of Fig. 2 along the line A-A.

In the Figures, identical or corresponding parts are represented with the same reference numerals. The drawings are only schematic representations of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which is given by manner of non-limiting exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 1 shows a conveying system 1. The conveying system 1 comprises a conveying track 2 with a conveying face 3. Over the conveying face 3, products can be conveyed such as, for instance, a cylindrical product 4. The conveying face 3 is provided with a plurality of tracks 5 extending side by side in the conveying direction indicated with the double arrow P. The tracks 5 each have one or more conveyor belts 6 arranged in end-to-end transition. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, there are four tracks 5, and each time two conveyor belts 6 successive in conveying direction P of each track 5 are shown which are placed with their ends 7 in end-to-end transition against each other, so that an end-to-end transition 8 is formed.

The end-to-end transitions 8 between the conveyor belts 6 of adjoining tracks 5 are staggered relative to each other in conveying

direction P.

In the exemplary embodiment it is shown that the end-to-end transitions 8 are alternately staggered forward and rearward relative to each other transversely to the conveying direction P.

In the exemplary embodiment represented here, the conveyor belts 6 are of modular design with a row of modules 9 successive in conveying direction P, which are connected to each other with the aid of hinge pins. As shown here, the conveyor belts 6 are designed with a singular row of modules transversely to the conveying direction P. The conveyor belts 6 are endless, and circulate between return elements. In Fig. 3 it is visible that the conveyor belts 6 each circulate around return element 10. In this exemplary

embodiment, the return element is designed as a so-called nose-over bar.

Together, the upper parts 11 of the conveyor belts 6 form the conveying face 3 of the conveying track 2. The lower parts 12 are only represented for a small part. The conveyor belts 6 each circulate about further return element (not represented), which can for instance also be placed in end-to-end transition with another conveyor belt 6 of the track 5. The conveyor belts are driven with drive wheels, for instance chain wheels not represented in the drawings.

The return elements 10 of a set of conveyor belts 6 arranged in end- to-end transition of each track 5 are here coupled via a connecting element 13; the connecting element is here designed as a connecting bracket. The return elements 10 of conveyor belts 6 of adjoining tracks 5 can further be coupled at the location of the staggered end-to-end transitions 8 via the same connecting element 13.

Between adjoining tracks 5, supporting edges 14 extending in conveying direction P are provided. The supporting edges reach into the transport face 3. Further, the supporting edges 14 continue at the location of the end-to-end transitions 8. Further, in the example, at the location of the end-to-end transitions 8, between the conveyor belts 6 of each track 5, a slide- over surface 15 is provided in the conveying face 3. The dimension transversely to the conveying direction P of the slide -over surface corresponds to the width of the track 5. In this exemplary embodiment, the connecting bracket forms the connecting element 13 between return elements of a set of conveyor belts 6 arranged in end-to-end transition of a track 5, and, if desired, it also forms the connecting element 13 between return elements 10 of conveyor belts 6 of adjoining tracks 5. The connecting bracket is further provided with the supporting edges 14 and the slide-over surfaces 15. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the product 4 has a base surface whose smallest dimension is greater than the width transversely to the conveying direction P of the track 5. When the product passes the transition 8, it is also supported on a conveyor belt 6 of an adjoining track 5 whose transition 8 is located elsewhere. As a result, the product 4 can remain standing in a more stable manner and also, when partly standing on a slide-over surface 15, will want to move along with the continuing conveyor belt 6.

By selecting the width of the conveyor belts 6 of the different tracks 5 transversely to the conveying direction P to be smaller than or equal to approximately 10 centimetres, preferably smaller than or equal to

approximately 5 centimetres, a multiplicity of customary products can be conveyed relatively well. When, for instance, the width of the conveyor belts 6 of the tracks 5 is selected to be approximately 42 millimetres or 3.25 inches, for instance beer cans with a diameter of approximately 51-52 millimetres can be excellently conveyed.

As the influence of the polygon effect at the end-to-end transition can be mitigated in this way, the pitch of the modules in the conveying direction can be relatively great, for instance approximately 38.1 millimeters (approximately 1.5 inches) or even approximately 57 millimeters

(approximately 2.25 inches).

It will be clear to the skilled person that the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment represented here. For instance, the tracks of the conveyor belts can mutually have a different width transversely to the conveying direction, and the end-to-end transitions can be mutually spaced apart with different intermediate distances. Further, the tracks can be formed with so-called straight mats or chains, or, conversely, with so-called sideflexing mats or chains which can pass through a bend in the conveying face. The conveyor belts can be designed, for instance, as metal or plastic modular mats or modular conveying chains, but can also be of non-modular design, such as, for instance, endless rubber conveyor belts.

Such variants will be clear to the skilled person and are understood to fall within the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

1. Conveying system

2. Conveying track

3. Conveying face

4. Product

5. Tracks

6. Conveyor belt

7. Ends

8. End-to-end transition

9. Modules

10. Return element

11. Upper parts

12. Lower parts

13. Connecting element / Connecting bracket

14. Supporting edges

15. Slide -over surface

P. Conveying direction