THREE-DIMENSIONAL ARRAY AND A SHELF SUPPORTING DEVICE, A

TROLLEY AND A SHELF FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH THE TRANS- FERRING DEVICE.

The present invention relates to a device for transferring packages from a discharge conveyor of a packing machine into a three-dimensional array in form of layers arranged on shelves positioned one above the other. Furthermore, the invention relates to a shelf-supporting device for raising and lowering several shelves positioned one above the other, which shelves are to be filled by means of the device, a trolley for carrying the shelves filled by means of the device, and a shelf to be filled by means of the device according to the invention.

The basis of the invention is the realization of the need for a device of the above-mentioned type. For instance in super markets with their own butcher•s store or delicatessen articles are wrapped in packages by means of an automatic packing machine which delivers the packages to a discharge conveyor. To transport the packages from the packing machine to for instance the refrigerated display cases in the sales area of the super market, it is customary to place the packages on shelves which are placed or may be placed above each other in a trolley, whereafter they are taken to the refrigerated display cases. The transfer of the packages from the discharge conveyor of the packing machine to the shelves is normally carried out manually.

The object of the invention is to provide a device and equipment, by means of which the transfer of packages from the discharge conveyor to the shelves placed above one another may take place automatically. This is obtained by means of a device which comprises means for assembling a number of packages in a row, the total length of which does not exceed a predetermined value, means for successive lateral movement of

successively formed rows for the formation of an assembly of adjacent rows in a layer on a shelf at a predetermined level in the three-dimensional array, the total length of the assembly transversely to the length of the rows not exceeding a predetermined value, and means for raising the shelves for successive filling of subjacent shelves. By means of such a device packages which are conveyed one by one on a discharge conveyor are transferred to a three- dimensional array. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the device comprises means for scanning the length of the packages, said means being positioned ahead of the means for assembling a row, and means for scanning the width of the packages, said means being positioned outside the range of the three-dimensional array. In this way a close positioning of the packages in the individual layers is made possible.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention the means for assembling a row comprise a conveyor with a control means adapted to activate the conveyor on arrival of a package to the conveyor and to inactivate the conveyor when the rear end of the packages relative to the direction of travel, has reached a predetermined position. In this way a row of immediately successive packages will be provided on the conveyor.

The conveyor is preferably a roller conveyor, and the means for lateral movement of rows preferably comprise a pusher means. The means for lateral movement of rows preferably comprise further support means for one row of packages, said support means being adapted to extend between the ridges of the conveyor rollers, the support means and the conveyor rollers are adapted to move vertically relative to each other and the support means are adapted to carry the row of packages during the lateral movement. In this way a very careful lateral movement of the rows of packages is obtained without any sliding friction against the underlayer.

The object of the invention is further met by means of a shelf-supporting device for raising and lowering several shelves positioned one above the other to be filled by means of the device according to the invention, which shelf-supporting device is characteristic in having two vertical rows of shelf-supporting profiles positioned one above the other in such a way that two shelf-supporting profiles from each their row together may support a shelf, two shelf-supporting profiles from each their row being synchronously raisable by means of a driving device, and wherein subjacent shelf-supporting profiles are carried by their superjacent neighbouring profile by means of a pulling means which substantially cannot transfer compressive forces. Hereby is obtained that the underlying shelves may be brought closely together such that the uppermost shelf may be brought down to a comparatively low level where it is filled, which contributes to reducing the total height of the device and the equipment.

The object of the invention is further met by means of a trolley for carrying the shelves filled by means of the device, said trolley being characteristic in a bottom frame with a rectangular contour and a wheel in each corner, as well as two stanchions which carry two vertical rows of parallel, substantially horizontally protruding carrier rods for the shelves above the bottom frame. Finally, a shelf for use in connection with the device according to the invention is characteristic by having a rectangular tray which at two opposite sides is provided with two downwards facing support surfaces positioned above each other, preferably in form of sides of a square tube at the two sides of the tray. Such a shelf may easily be transferred from the self-supporting device to the trolley by simply advancing the trolley such that the horizontal carrier rods penetrate under the uppermost of the downwards facing support surfaces positioned above each other, and in case the downwards facing support surfaces are constituted by square tubes, the shelves will be retained very safely

in the trolley, even if they are drawn out relative to the trolley in order to remove the packages from the shelves.

The invention will be explained in detail in the following by means of examples of embodiments with reference to the schematic drawing, in which

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a device for transferring packages according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a lateral view of the device according to Fig. 1 and of the shelf-supporting device according to the invention,

Fig. 3 shows a detail of the shelf-supporting device according to Fig. 2,

Fig. 4a-4c shows the pusher means of the device shown in Fig. 1 in three different positions, Fig. 5 shows a trolley according to the invention,

Fig. 6 shows a shelf according to the invention, and

Fig. 7 shows a second embodiment of a shelf according to the invention.

The device shown in Fig. 1 for transferring packages comprises a roller conveyor 1 with driven rollers 2. The roller conveyor is carried height-adjustably by a frame 3 with legs 3a of the device by means of carrier rods 4, which are guided vertically retractable in square socket pipes 5. The frame 3 carries a pair of horizontal, parallel sliding guide rods 6, which carry a sledge 7 suspended on the sliding guide rods 6 by means of slide bushes 8. The sledge 7 may be moved forwards and backwards along the sliding guide rods 6 by means of a pneumatic cylinder 9.

The sledge 7 is divided into an upper sledge 10 comprising the slide bushes 8 and a lower sledge 11 provided with sliding rods 12 extending parallel with the sliding guide rods 6 and slidably journalled in the front end of the upper sledge 10. The rear end of the lower sledge 11 is by means of slide bushes 13 slidably journalled on the sliding guide rods 6. The lower sledge 11 may be moved relative to the upper sledge 10 by means of a driving belt 14 running over rollers 15 and 16, the former

one of which being driven by means of an electromotor 17 through an angular drive 18, and which is fastened to the lower sledge 11 at 19. The movement of the drive belt 14 and the lower sledge 11 may be measured (and thus controlled) , for instance by providing one of the rollers 15 and 16 with peripheral cams, the passage of which past a photocell is registered.

The lower sledge 11 carries a pushing plate 20 and a pair of supporting rods 21 which may be moved forwards and backwards relative to the pushing plate 20 by means of a pneumatic cylinder 22.

Fig. 2 shows in addition to the transferring device according to Fig. 1 a shelf-supporting device 23. In Fig. 2 the device is shown from one side, and a number of L- profiles 24 placed above one another is shown. These profiles are mutually connected by means of rods 25, which at their upper end are fastened to one L-profile and extending downwards through a bushing 26 in the immediately underlying L-profile (see Fig. 3) . The rods 25 are at their lower end provided with a thread, on which a nut 27 and a counternut are provided to establish a stop for the bushing 26. The rods 25 runs easily in the bushings 26, and it is therefore possible to lower the L-profiles 24 and thereby gather them, as shown at the bottom of Fig. 2. If the uppermost L-profile 24a is lifted, it will be raised until the nuts 27 meet the under side of the bushings 26 of the immediately underlying L-profile, following which this will be lifted and so on.

The L-profiles are at their ends provided with guide blocks 29 having a cam which extends in corresponding guide tracks in two side pillars 30 of the shelf-supporting device 23. On top and at the bottom the side pillars 30 hold between them shafts 31, 32, the latter one of which being driven by means of a motor 33. The shafts 31,32 carry rollers 34, over which two belts 35 are running, said belts being fastened to the uppermost L-profile 24a such that it may be raised and lowered by means of the motor 33.

It will be understood that even though the shelf- supporting device according to Fig. 2 is only shown from one side, it looks the same way from the opposite side, the shelf-supporting device 23 comprising two rows of L- profiles 24 arranged mutually in such a way that two L- profiles of each their row between them may carry a shelf on their support surface 36, the upper L-profiles 24a of each row being at any time at the same horizontal level, and the two rows may be raised synchronously by a suitable connection between their driven shafts 32 and the motor 33.

By means of the transfer device according to Fig. 1 and the shelf-supporting device 23 packages, which are delivered one by one to a discharge conveyor by a packing machine not shown, may be transferred to a three- dimensional array, each pair of L-profiles 24 in the shelf- supporting device 23 carrying between them a shelf, on which rows of packages are placed side by side in the following way.

Packages are supplied to the roller conveyor 1 from for instance its right side as seen in Fig. 1 by means of a feed conveyor not shown. The roller conveyor 1 is by means of not shown power means raised relative to the supporting rods 21 such that these rods are positioned between the ridges of the rollers 2. Means are provided for determining the size of the arriving packages, as well longitudinally, as transversely to the roller conveyor 1. These means may for instance comprise a row of photocells 37 at the access end of the roller conveyor 1 and a computer controlling the entire device. By driving the roller conveyor 1 synchronously with the feed conveyor and by comparing their travel speed with the time used by a definite package in passing the photocells 37, the length of the packages may be determined, whereas the width of the package may be read directly by means of the photocells 37 by registering how many of the photocells are covered by the package during its passage.

The roller conveyor is activated by the computer when

a signal is received from the photocells to the effect that a new package has arrived from the feed conveyor not shown. The roller conveyor 1 runs until the package has passed the photocells 37, after which it stops again. In this way a row of packages will step by step assemble on the roller conveyor until a predetermined length of the row has been reached. The computer registers the length of the row by summing up the package lengths measured in the way described above. When a row of the desired length has formed, the roller conveyor 1 is lowered by means of the power means not shown, the carrier rods 4 sliding down into the socket pipes 5. Then the supporting rods 21 are withdrawn relative to the pusher plate 20 by means of the pneumatic cylinder 22, such that they extend somewhat from the pusher plate 20 corresponding to the biggest registered width of a package in the row. The row of packages are now carried by the supporting rods 21 in abutment with the pusher plate 20 and the supporting rods 21 do not extend beyond the broadest package in the row. At this time the sledge 7 is advanced by means of the pneumatic cylinder 9 (Fig. 4b) , whereby the packages are transferred onto a shelf in the shelf- supporting device 23, in the example shown in Fig. 2 the upper shelf, which is carried by the uppermost L-profiles 24a. The pusher plate 20 is conveyed transversely over the roller conveyor 1 and placed at the front edge of the shelf in question closest to the roller conveyor 1.

Then the lower sledge 11 comprising the pusher plate 20 and the supporting rods 21 is advanced a predetermined distance, for instance by bringing the row of packages to the rear edge of the shelf (Fig. 4c) . Then the supporting rods 21 are further retracted by means of the pneumatic cylinder 22 in such a way that the packages drop down onto the shelf. Then the sledge 67 and the lower sledge 11 are withdrawn to the position shown in Fig. 1 and 4a, and the supporting rods 21 are advanced. The roller conveyor 1 is raised once more and the device is ready for the formation

058 PCI7DK95/00447

8 of a new row. The new row will not be conveyed to the rear edge of the shelf when formed, but only to the row already placed there, the distance, which the new row is to be moved on the shelf by means of the lower sledge 11, being calculated by the computer on basis of the registered widths of the rows.

When the total width of rows, which are thus placed on the uppermost shelf, has reached a predetermined value, the uppermost shelf is raised, the motor 33 being activated, whereby the next shelf is raised to the level of the roller conveyor 1, following which this shelf may be filled and so on, until all shelves have been filled.

With a view to further transport of the shelves thus filled a shelf has been provided according to the invention, as shown in Fig. 6, and a trolley, as shown in Fig. 5. The shelf 38 shown in Fig. 6 is at its side edges provided with two support surfaces 39, 40 placed above one another in form of an exterior and interior side surface of square tubes 41. In the shelf-supporting device 23 the shelves 38 will rest against their support surfaces 39 against the support surfaces 36 of the L-profiles 24. For transfer of the shelves 38 from the shelf-supporting device 23 to the trolley 42 shown in Fig. 5, which trolley has four wheels 43 and 44 and two stanchions 45, each of which carries a row of horizontal, mutually parallel carrier rods 46, the height of the shelves 38 on the L-profiles 24 is adjusted by means of the motor 33 such that the carrier rods 46 may be inserted in the corresponding square tubes 41 of the shelves 38 by advancing the trolley 42. Then the L-profiles 24 are lowered, and the shelves 38 are then carried by the carrier rods 46 of the trolley 42, said carrier rods resting against the support surfaces 40 within the square tubes 41. The trolley 42 is then driven away with the shelves 38. By performing this method in descending order, a new supply of shelves 38 may be placed in the shelf-supporting device 23. One of the pair of wheels 44 of the trolley 42 is preferably pivotable around

a vertical axis to facilitate manouvering of the trolley. The shelf 138 shown in Fig. 7 comprises like the one shown in Fig. 6 a plate 50, which constitutes the support surface of the shelf 138, and square tubes 41 at two opposite sides of the plate 50. However, the shelf 138 differs from the shelf 38 by comprising evenly spaced, throughgoing notches 51 extending parallel with the sides provided with the square tubes 41. At the two remaining sides the remaining part of the plate 50 is held together by means of upright edges or strips 53 which are provided with notches 52 corresponding to the notches 51.

With this embodiment of the shelf it is possible when assembling rows of packages, instead of using the previously mentioned pusher plate 20 for pushing a row of packages into a shelf 38, to draw out the shelf 138 into a position above the roller conveyor 1, the ridges of the rollers 2 protruding through the notches 51 and into the notches 52. Thereby, packages may be assembled in a row directly on the shelf, as they are still able to roll on the rollers 2 , the ridges of which protrude through the notches 51. When a row has been completed, the roller conveyor 1 is lowered, the packages being carried by the plate 50, and the shelf 138 is inserted so far into the shelf-supporting device 23, that the row formed on the shelf is removed from the path of the next packages to be assembled into row. Then the roller conveyor 1 is raised once more, and new packages may be rolled in over the shelf 138 for the formation of a new row. This goes on until the shelf 138 has been filled. The part of the shelf 138 to be displaced in order to move a row formed out of the path of the next one, is determined on basis of measurements of the width of the individual packages, means being provided to ensure that the packages which are transported on to the roller conveyor 1 are placed such that they have a definite, small distance to the side of the roller conveyor 1 facing the shelf-supporting device. When a new shelf 138 is to be filled, it is firstly advanced so far that its

rear edge is positioned at said side of the roller conveyor 1, whereby it is ensured that the first row of packages is placed near said rear edge with a definite spacing therefrom. To perform this method the pusher plate 20 and the supporting rods 21 are replaced by means for gripping a shelf 138 in the shelf-supporting device 23, advancing it a predetermined distance forward, keeping it in a constant height and pushing it with predetermined steps back into the shelf-supporting device 23.