DESCRIPTION:

Field of the invention The invention relates to a system for gripping eggs from a first position in which the eggs are situated in a first pattern relative to one another, and placing them in a second position in which the eggs are situated in a second pattern, and vice versa, comprising a plurality of gripping means which can each grip an egg, as well as

transfer means which can transfer the gripping means between a first position in which they are situated over the eggs in the rectangular pattern and a second position in which they are situated over the eggs in the triangular pattern.

The first position may for example be found in a feeding direction of the egg filling machine where the eggs are fed in parallel lines and the second position may for example be found in a packing tray.

State of the art

A system of this type is generally known. In the known system the eggs are gripped one by one and transferred from a feeding system to a packing tray.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the invention to provide a system of the type defined in the opening paragraph where the packing tray may be filled in a more accurate manner than in the known system. For this purpose the system according to the invention is characterized in that:

the gripping means comprise a plurality of pins, and

the transfer means comprise a first plate which has first slots, where one of said pins is projected through each first slot, and in a state where the pins are present at a first spot in the first slots, the gripping means are situated in the first position and in a state where the pins are present at a second spot in the first slots the gripping means are situated in the second position,

which transfer means further include a second plate which is present on the first plate and has second slots where also through each second slot one of said pins is projected and in a state where the pins are situated at a first spot in the second slots the gripping means are situated in the first position and in a state where the pins are situated at a second spot in the second slots, the gripping means are situated in the second position and, in that

the transfer means comprise shifting means which are capable of shifting the first and the second plate relative to each other, where owing to this shifting operation the pins are moved in the slots between the first and the second spot.

In the first pattern the eggs may lie against each other for example in a rectangular pattern, where the eggs are placed in the corners of imaginary squares. In the second pattern the eggs may be placed in a triangular pattern, where the eggs are placed in the corners of an equilateral triangle.

An advantageous embodiment of the system according to the invention is characterized in that each of the gripping means is attached to an individual pin. As a result, for each individual lift means the first and second positions can be determined separately so that moving the eggs in any conceivable pattern is possible.

Another advantageous embodiment of the system according to the invention is characterized in that the system comprises a plurality of carriers, where each carrier carries two or more gripping means and where two of said pins are attached to each carrier. This entails that fewer pins and slots are needed. The carriers are, for example, elongated while the pins are attached to the carriers close to the ends of the carriers.

Preferably, the spots in the slots are the ends of the slots, so that the positions are well defined and the slots may be manufactured in the smallest form possible.

An embodiment of the system according to the invention is characterized in that the plates can shift relative to each other between a first state in which the plates are located above each other and a second state in which the plates are located in a position shifted relative to each other in longitudinal or width direction compared to the first position. This allows the shift means to be embodied in a simple manner, for example by a pneumatic cylinder.

In an advantageous embodiment of the system according to the invention the gripping means are formed by vacuum heads comprising each an accordion-shaped suction pad which can be placed on an egg. The suction pads may be connected to suction means via a hollow pin which means create an under pressure in the suction pads.

In a further advantageous embodiment the carrier has a hollow structure and one of the pins connected to the carrier also has a hollow structure, while the cavities in the suction pads are connected to the cavity in the carrier. In this way only each carrier needs to be connected to vacuum creating means and not each individual suction pad.

Brief description of the drawing figures The invention will be further described below in more detail with reference to an embodiment of the system according to the invention represented in the drawing figures, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective top view of the embodiment of the system;

Fig. 2 shows a perspective bottom view of the system;

Fig. 3 shows a bottom view of the system showing the suction pads in the first position while a plurality of the suction pads have been omitted;

Fig. 4 shows a bottom view of the system showing the suction pads in the second position while a plurality of the suction pads have been omitted;

Fig. 5 shows a perspective top view of the two plates showing the shifting means and the suction pads in the first position;

Fig. 6 shows a perspective bottom view of the two plates and the suction pads in the first position;

Fig. 7 shows a perspective top view of the two plates and the shifting means with the suction pads in the second position;

Fig. 8 shows a perspective bottom view of the two plates and the suction pads in the second position; and

Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of the system in which vacuum hoses are connected to the suction pads. Detailed description of the drawing figures

Figs. 1 and 2 show a perspective top view and a perspective bottom view respectively of an embodiment of the system for placing eggs from a feeding device in a packing tray. The system 1 comprises gripping means which can grip the eggs and transfer means which can transfer the gripping means between a first position in which they are situated over the eggs in the rectangular pattern (cf. Fig. 6) and a second position in which they are situated over the eggs in the triangular pattern (cf. Fig. 8).

In the rectangular pattern the eggs (cf. Fig. 3) are situated with their centres in the corners of imaginary squares, where the eggs 2 (indicated by broken lines) are situated against one another. In the triangular pattern the eggs (cf. Fig. 4) are situated with their centres in the corners of an equilateral triangle, while the eggs 2 (again indicated by broken lines) are again situated against one another.

The gripping means are formed by vacuum heads each comprising an accordion-shaped suction pad 3 which can be placed on an egg. These suction pads are connected to tray-shaped carriers 23, where the cavity in the suction pads is connected to the cavity in the carriers. Pins 5 and 7 are fixed to the carriers while pins 5 are hollow and are connected to the cavity in the carriers. Vacuum suction means are connected to these hollow pins. These vacuum suction means are formed by a vacuum pump (not shown) which is connected to a connecting pipe 17. This connecting pipe is connected to a dividing head 19 from where vacuum hoses (not shown) are led to the hollow pins 5. In the embodiment shown three suction pads are accommodated on each carrier and two pins are fitted to each carrier.

The transfer means have two plates 9 and 11 placed one above the other which are provided with slots 13 and 15 through which the pins 5 and 7 are projecting. From these two plates a first plate 9 is provided with first slots 13 while a second plate 11 is provided with second slots 15. One of said pins is projected through each first slot and a second slot placed above the first slot. When the pins are present at a first location A in the slots (at an end of the slots) the suction pads 3 are situated in the first position and when the pins are situated at a second location B in the slots (at the other end of the slots) the suction pads 3 are situated in the second position.

The transfer means further include shifting means 21 (cf. Fig. 7) which can shift the plates 9 and 1 1 relative to each other. During the shifting operation the pins 5 and 7 are shifted in the slots 13 and 15 between the first and the second position. These shifting means 21 are formed by a pneumatic cylinder containing a piston movable inside it. One end 21a of this cylinder - piston combination is connected to the second plate 11 while the other end 21b is connected to the first plate 9. A guide strip 22a is accommodated on the first plate 9, which guide strip 22a can be shifted in a guide slot 22b provided in the second plate 11. As a consequence of this the plates are guided relative to each other during this shifting operation.

The transfer means are capable of shifting the plates 9 and 11 relative to each other between a first position C in which the plates are situated above each other and a second position D in which the plates have taken up a position shifted in longitudinal or width direction relative to each other compared to the first position. This is clearly noticeable in Figs. 3 and 4. These Figures show in bottom views the system having the suction pads in the first or second position respectively, while a plurality of the suction pads have been omitted.

For illustrative purposes Figs. 5 and 6 show in perspective top and bottom views respectively the two plates 9 and 11 and the shifting means 21 while the suction pads 3 have adopted the first position. Figs. 7 and 8 show a perspective top and bottom view respectively of the two plates 9 and 11 carrying the shifting means 21 while the suction pads 3 have adopted the second position.

Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of the complete system 1. Vacuum hoses 25 connected to the cavity in the dividing head 19 are connected to the upper ends of the hollow pins 5 which are projected through the slots in the two plates 9 and 11. The connecting pipe 17 is connected to the dividing head to which connecting pipe can be connected a pipe to the vacuum pump. The hollow pins 5 are fitted to the carriers 23 and are connected via the lower openings to the hollow cavity in the carriers. The suction pads 3 are fitted to the bottom of the carriers where the cavities in the suction pads are connected to the cavity in the hollow carriers.

Albeit the invention has been described in the foregoing with reference to the drawings Figures, it should be pointed out that the invention is not by any manner or means restricted to the embodiment shown in the drawings. The invention also extends over any embodiment deviating from the embodiments shown in the drawing Figures within the framework defined by the claims.