| JP60114708 | CONVEYING APPARATUS OF SOLID MEDICAL TABLET |
| JP2002307020 | AUTOMATIC WEIGHT SORTING APPARATUS |
| JP2010260003 | MAGNETIC SUBSTANCE-SORTING APPARATUS |
Kout, Andries Pieter (Wiegers 1, MS Monster, NL-2681, NL)
| 1. | Device intended for inspecting, sorting and/or dosing chaotically arranged objects, comprising: a feed buffer (1) for feeding chaotically arranged objects; conveyor means, which are arranged in the form of a star and extend outwards from the feed buffer (1), for conveying the objects outwards; passage chutes (18), which are arranged in the form of a star and extend downwards and inwards from the ends of the conveyor means; a discharge (30) for discharging a defined quantity of objects; the feed buffer (1) being positioned substantially in the centre of the star and opening into the conveyor means, the conveyor means opening into the associated passage chutes (18), and the passage chutes (18) opening into the discharge (30), which is positioned substantially centrally at a certain distance below the feed buffer (1), characterized in that each conveyor means comprises dosing means (10) for delivering repeatedly one object to an associated passage chute (18); and in that the device furthermore comprises inspection equipment (20), which is arranged in the region of each passage chute (18) for inspecting the objects guided through the passage chute (18) one by one, separating means (22) for separating objects which have been approved and rejected by the inspection equipment (20), and a side discharge (25) for rejected objects. |
| 2. | Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the inspection equipment (20) is positioned in the space which is substantially delimited by the feed buffer (1), the dosing means (10), the passage chutes (18) and the discharge (30). |
| 3. | Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the dosing means are suitable for delivering repeatedly one object in a specific position to an associated passage chute, and the passage chute is suitable for guiding the object past the inspection equipment (20) in this position. |
| 4. | Device according to one of claims 13, intended to be used for objects comprising a body and a head, characterized in that the dosing means (10) comprise two driven rolls (11), between which there is a gap which is large enough to allow through the body and small enough to retain the head. |
| 5. | Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the rolls (11) are of conical design, the largest diameter of the cone lying on the outside. |
| 6. | Device according to one of claims 13, intended to be used for objects comprising a body and a head, characterized in that the dosing means comprise a driven roll (33) and a vibrating plate (34), between which there is a passage gap (35) which is large enough to allow through the body and small enough to retain the head. |
| 7. | Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the vibrating plate (34) on one side (38) delimits the passage gap (35) and on the opposite side adjoins the adjacent driven roll (33). |
| 8. | Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the vibrating plate (34) is provided on the topside with a Vshaped guide wall (40). |
| 9. | Device according to one of claims 68, characterized in that the feed buffer is a rotating distributor disc (31), the circumferential edge of which reaches as far as over the head ends of the vibrating plates (34). |
| 10. | Device according to one of claims 69, characterized in that adjustment means are provided for varying the gap width between a driven roll (33) and a vibrating plate (34). |
| 11. | Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the adjustment means for the plurality of passage gaps (35) are coupled to one another and are controlled centrally. |
A device of this kind is known and is marketed, inter alia, by the present applicant. This known device is used for dosing predetermined, identical quantities of objects which are supplied to the device. In this case, the chaotically arranged objects are fed via a conveyor belt to a buffer disc having a circumferential wall in which delivery openings are arranged. The delivery openings open into vibrating chutes which are arranged in the form of a star. The vibrating chutes vibrate the objects free from the mass of objects and deliver them to passage chutes, which are each designed as sleeve-like flexible pipes suspended beneath the vibrating chutes. The flexible pipes come together at a discharge bin which is situated at a certain distance below the buffer disc. The discharge bin is also a weighing means and delivers set, identical quantities of objects to a packaging machine.
A drawback of this known device is that it does not offer the option of automatically inspecting the objects one by one.
The object of the present invention is to provide a device in which these drawbacks are eliminated.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of the characterizing feature of claim l.. By installing dosing means between the feed buffer and the passage chutes, the advantage is achieved that repeatedly one, preferably positioned, object is delivered each time by a dosing means to an associated passage chute. As a result, it is possible to inspect positioned objects one by one in the passage chutes. In this case, the approved obje. cts are discharged to the central discharge, and the rejected objects are discharged, via the separating means,
to a side discharge. The inspection of each object may, for example, comprise inspections of shape, dimensions and material properties. The star-shaped arrangement of the device according to the invention provides the possibility of simultaneously inspecting objects one by one at a plurality of locations while retaining a central feed and discharge of objects, which enables the inspection capacity to be very high. Furthermore, the star-shaped arrangement has the considerable advantage that the installation space required for the device is limited. The device ensures that all the objects arriving at the discharge have been inspected and found to be in order. Then, the approved objects may be, for example, weighed and immediately packaged. Due to the fact that the feed buffer and the discharge are designed centrally, the device according to the invention is particularly suitable for rapid adaptation to various methods of feeding and discharging the objects.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are specified in claims 2-11.
Preferred embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the enclosed drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a very schematic view, in section, of a first main embodiment of a device according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a second main embodiment of a device according to the invention; Fig. 4 is a very schematic view, in section, on line IV-IV in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a schematic view, in section, on line V-V in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a view, partially in section, showing a schematic illustration of a mechanism for adjusting the gap width; Fig. 7 shows a view in section on line VII-VII in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a view of part of Fig. 6 after the adjustment mechanism has been actuated in order to increase
the gap width; and Fig. 9 is a partial view in accordance with Fig. 8 with a reduced gap width.
Figs. 1 and 2 show a device for inspecting bolts or objects comprising a body and a head. The reference numeral 1 indicates a feed buffer. The feed buffer 1 comprises an inclined round disc 2, which at the top is delimited by a boundary wall 3 which is provided with passage openings.
Eight vibrating chutes 6 are arranged beneath the circumferential edge of the disc 2. The vibrating chutes 6 are arranged in the form of a star and serve to some extent to separate by vibration the bolts supplied from the feed buffer 1 and to convey them outwards. A dosing means 10 is positioned beneath the outer end of each vibrating chute 6.
Each dosing means 10 comprises two driven rolls 11, between which there is a gap which is large enough to allow through the body of a bolt and small enough to retain the head of a bolt. Bolts which arrive from a vibrating chute 6 onto a set of rolls 11 will come to hang between the rolls 11, with the head at the top. Undersized products or contaminating material will fall through the gap between the rolls 11 and will be collected in a collecting funnel 14 of a discharge duct 15. In order to ensure that bolts come to hang between the rolls 11 with the head at the top, it is also possible to arrange a manipulator above the rolls, which manipulates the bolts in such a manner that the body passes into the gap. The rolls 11 are each of cylindrical design or, as illustrated, of conical design, while the axis of each roll 11 is placed at a slight angle.
By driving the rolls 11, the bolts hanging between them are conveyed outwards. The start of a passage chute 18, in the figure a slide 19, is situated beneath the outer end of each dosing means 10. The slides 19 extend downwards and inwards, and in particular are at an angle of inclination which is such that the positioned bolts which pass into them slide downwards at an adjustable interval. During this sliding movement, the bolts move past inspection equipment 20. The fact that the bolts move past the inspection equipment 20 one by one is of considerable importance
according to the invention for optimum inspection of the bolts. The inspection equipment may, for example, comprise means A for inspecting the dimensions, means B for inspecting the screw thread and means C for inspecting the material composition. A separating means 22, in the form of a swing-out bottom part 23 of the slide 18, is situated downstream of the inspection equipment 20. If the inspection equipment 20 transmits a signal that a bolt has been rejected, the bottom part 23 will be folded downwards and the rejected bolt will pass into a side discharge 25.
Approved bolts pass into a discharge 30. In this embodiment, the discharge 30 is a centrally positioned bin 31, into which all eight slides 18 open. The bin 31 has a swing-open base 32, which only swings open after a set quantity of approved bolts have passed into the bin 31. The quantity of bolts can be set, for example, by making the bin 31 suitable for weighing bolts, or by counting the number of approved bolts which pass through the slides 18.
The counting option is advantageously possible, since repeatedly one bolt passes through a slide 18 at a time.
It is thus possible using the device according to the invention to inspect eight bolts simultaneously while employing one central feed buffer 1 and one central discharge 30. The star-shaped arrangement of the vibrating chutes 6, the dosing means 10 and the slides 18 moreover provides a very compact structure of the device. In particular, the inspection equipment 20 is in this case positioned in the space between the feed buffer 1, the vibrating chutes 6, the dosing means 10, the passage chutes 18 and the discharge 30. As a result, the space required is utilized even more effectively and the sensitive inspection equipment 20 is moreover disposed in a protected position.
Each assembly of a vibrating chute 6 and an associated dosing means 10 forms a conveyor means for conveying bolts outwards from the feed buffer 1, the bolts being positioned one by one at the end of each dosing means 10 and, from there, being delivered to an associated slide 18. Instead of the eight sets of conveyor means and slides shown, any number which can be placed in the form of a star
is possible. For this purpose, at least three sets are required, while in practice it has been found that the maximum number lies in the region of 25 sets.
The dosing means shown, with the gap between the driven rolls, is suitable primarily for objects comprising a head and a body, for example bolts. For other types of objects, but also for bolts, it is naturally also possible to employ other dosing means (which are known per se), provided that these dosing means ensure that the objects are delivered one by one to the passage means which lead past the inspection equipment.
In one variant, the dosing means can be placed with one end directly below the feed buffer, without the vibrating chutes being provided. Numerous commercially available variants are also possible for the separating means.
Instead of the bolts, the device according to the invention can be used to inspect, dose, count and/or position very diverse objects. These may include nuts, but also medicaments or fittings.
Packaging machines may be positioned beneath the central discharge, so that after inspection the objects can be packaged directly in fixed, set quantities. This rules out any risk of the objects becoming mixed with other objects, for example rejected objects. Due to the fact that there is only one central discharge, it is very easily possible to use various types and dimensions of packaging means which are adapted to the customer's requirements.
The feed buffer may be loaded manually, but may also, for example, be continuously provided with chaotically arranged objects via a conveyor belt.
Figs. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment of a device for inspecting, sorting and/or dosing bolts and the like.
The device has a central feed buffer, which is formed by a rotating distributor disc 31. The distributor disc 31 is driven by a motor 32. The distributor disc 31 is provided with bolts via a conveyor means (not shown). By placing the distributor disc on a weight sensor (not shown), the supply of bolts can be monitored and, if desired, adapted. Eight
sets of conveyor means, each comprising a driven roll 33 and a vibrating plate 34 lying opposite the roll, are disposed around the distributor disc 31. The rolls 33 and vibrating plates 34 extend outwards, in the radial direction, from the underside of the circumferential edge of the distributor disc 31. Rotation of the distributor disc 31 causes bolts to fall off the distributor disc 31 and pass onto one of the vibrating plates 34. A passage gap 35 is left between each roll 33 and the associated vibrating plate 34. The gap width is such that a bolt body can project through it, while a bolt head is retained. Each vibrating plate 34 is connected on the underside to a vibrating motor 36, by means of which the plate can be vibrated at a suitable frequency (Fig. 3 shows two vibrating motors in dashed lines). The line of action of the vibrating movement of the vibrating plate 34 is indicated in Fig. 3 by arrow 37 and extends substantially parallel to the axis of the associated roll 33. Driving the vibrating plates 34 causes bolts which pass from the distributor disc 31 and onto the vibrating plates 34 to be conveyed outwards in the radial direction. Furthermore, driving the vibrating plates 34 causes bolts delivered by the distributor disc 31 to be separated by vibration.
The top surfaces of the vibrating plates 34 are each provided with an upright V-shaped guide wall 40. Bolts which arrive at these guide walls 40 during the outward vibration movement are forced towards the passage gaps 35 by these walls. Having arrived at a passage gap 35, the bolt bodies can fall through the passage gap 35, while the bolt heads remain suspended from the circumferential wall of a roll 33 and that side 38 of the vibrating plate 34 which lies opposite the roll 33. In order to make it easier for a bolt body to fall into the gap, the relevant side 38 of the vibrating plate 34 is rounded and the roll 33 is made to rotate to the left. Once they are hanging in the gap, bolt heads remain in contact with the rounded side of the rotating plate 34. As a result, the bolts continue to be vibrated outwards in the radial direction, and thus move into a continuously narrowing passage which is delimited by
two mutually opposite wall parts 41 and 42. The rotation of the roll 33 contributes to the suspended bolts being conveyed rapidly outwards through the passage gap 35. The wall parts 41 and 42 form part of two mutually opposite vibrating plates 34a and 34b, respectively. A brush 45 (of which two are illustrated schematically in Fig. 3) is arranged above the narrow passage. The narrow passages, together with the brushes 45, ensure that only bolts whose bolt body is suspended in a passage gap 31 can pass. The brush 45 is positioned above the end of the passage and is driven in rotation, via the roll 33 situated beneath it (cf. Fig. 4), by means of a gearwheel transmission 46. The wall part 42 is not present at the location of the brush 45. A bolt which at the end of the passage is still lying on top of a roll 33 and a vibrating plate 34 will be swept away to the side of the roll 33 by the brush 45.
At the end of the passage gaps 35, the bolts are delivered one by one, with the bolt body downwards and the bolt head at the top, to associated passage chutes 50. Just as in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the passage chutes 50 extend downwards and inwards from the ends of the passage gaps 35. The passage chutes 50 are again provided with inspection equipment 51 for inspecting bolts guided through the passage chute 50 one by one. The passage chutes 50 open into a central discharge container 54, which may in turn be connected to a central packaging machine. The star- shaped arrangement of the passage chutes 50 can clearly be seen in Fig. 5. For the sake of simplicity, this figure has omitted all the other components of the device. It can also be seen that a separating flap 56 is provided in each passage chute 50. If the detection means 51 indicate that a bolt does not satisfy the requirements, the separating flap 56 is activated, and the rejected bolt passes out of the passage chute 50 and into a side discharge 58.
Collection funnels 60 are positioned beneath each passage gap 35 (Fig. 4). Contaminating material and bolts 61 which are too small and fall through a gap pass into the collection funnels 60, after which they can be discharged in a suitable manner.
Each V-shaped guide wall 40 can be characterized in more detail by angles a and ß, respectively, which are included by the two limbs 65,66 of the V-shaped guide wall 40 and the line of action 37 (Fig. 3). It is advantageous here for the angle a to be an acute angle and for the angle g to be an obtuse angle. The limb 65 which includes the acute angle a has a large vector parallel to the line of action 37. Bolts which come up against this limb 65 will be conveyed relatively quickly towards an adjacent passage gap 35a. The limb 66 which includes the obtuse angle/3 has a large vector perpendicular to the line of action 37. Bolts which come up against this limb 66 will be conveyed relatively slowly towards the adjacent passage gap 35b.
Thus there is in each case a main feed direction and an auxiliary feed direction for bolts in the direction of a passage gap. From the main feed direction, the bolts fall off the rounded side 38 of the vibrating plate 34a and into the passage gap 35a, and then strike the rotating roll 33.
The rotation of the roll 33 ensures that the bolt body quickly comes to lie parallel to the passage gap 35a and can fall through this gap. Due to the fact that the vibrating plate 34a adjoins the passage gap 35a over a considerable part of the length of the roll 33, it is advantageously possible to position a plurality of bolts simultaneously.
All the vibrating plates 34 lie in the same horizontal plane and are interrupted only by the rolls 33 and the free passage gaps 35. In this case, each roll 33 is partially covered by one side of a vibrating plate 34b (see also the top centre of Fig. 6). If the situation arises where bolts begin to build up on one vibrating plate 34, for example as a result of a blockage, a continued supply of bolts from the distributor disc 31 will advantageously be distributed over the other vibrating plates 34.
Both the vibration frequency of the vibrating plates 34 and the rotational speed of the driven rolls 33 are adjustable. In particular, each passage chute 50 is provided with means for determining the number of bolts passing through per unit time. If the measured passage
speed is too high or too low, it is possible to adapt the rotational speed and/or the vibration frequency. In practice, it has been found that the rotational speed allows the most precise adjustment. Moreover, the rotational speed of all the rolls 33 can be controlled centrally, as will be explained below. In order to increase the speed and to assist with the progress of the process, all the vibrating plates and rolls may also be placed at a slight angle.
The gap width of the passage gaps of the device illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 can advantageously be adapted quickly and easily to bolts of different dimensions.
Adjustment means for adapting all the gap widths in one operation are shown in Figs. 6 and 7. For the sake of simplicity, the remaining components of the device are not shown in these figures. The central part of Fig. 6 shows a partial view, in cross-section, at the location of the centre of a roll 33. A common drive for all the rolls 33 can also be clearly seen in Figs. 6 and 7. Each roll 33 is connected, via a drive belt 65, to a drive shaft 70 positioned beneath the roll 33. The drive shafts 70 of the plurality of rolls 33 are connected to a centrally disposed motor 72 via bevel gear transmissions 71. Each roll 33 is suspended such that it can pivot about its underlying drive shaft 70 via connection pieces 76. As a result, each roll 33 can be displaced around its drive shaft 70, with the result that the gap width between the roll 33 and the opposite vibrating plate 34a becomes bigger or smaller.
This displacement of a roll 33 around its drive shaft 70 is effected by means of a tilting arm 75, which is fixedly connected to the associated connection piece 76. The tilting arm 75 is provided at its free end with a threaded bore through which a threaded rod 77 projects. Turning the threaded rod 77 causes the tilting arm 75 to move upwards or downwards, with the result that the gap width is increased or reduced (cf. inset Figs. 8 and 9, respect- ively). Each threaded rod 77 is provided at the bottom end with a gearwheel 78. All the gearwheels 78 are connected to one another via a chain 79. The chain 79 is operated
centrally by means of a stepper motor 80.
Each assembly comprising driven roll 33 and vibrating plate 34 forms both a conveyor means for conveying objects radially outwards and a dosing means for delivering repeatedly one positioned product to an associated passage chute 50. This simultaneous conveying, positioning and dosing is very efficient, rapid and cost- effective. Practical tests have shown that the combination of driven roll 33 and vibrating plate 34 works very effectively. The star-shaped arrangement in which the vibrating plates 34 virtually adjoin one another moreover ensures that any build-up of objects is distributed over the other vibrating plates 34.
In a variant, the driven rolls are omitted. The gap widths are then defined by in each case two mutually opposite side edges of two vibrating plates. The gap widths may, for example, be varied by displacing the slightly tapering vibrating plates radially inwards or outwards.
The device according to the invention thus allows inspection of positioned objects one by one and at a very high speed on a plurality of paths positioned in the form of a star, while the installation space required for the device, including the inspection equipment, is advantageously small, and the feed and discharge of objects take place centrally.