• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    PACKAGE SPINNER AND METHOD FOR SPINNING A TRANSPORTED ARTICLE This is a package spinner and associated method for rotating transported items. The package spinner includes a pair of conveyor belts (14, 16) that advance side by side in a transport direction (18). The belts, which are angled downwards towards each other, have rows of cylinders supporting articles (20) that can rotate freely on geometric axes parallel to the direction of transport. Each of the belts advances at a different speed, such that an article that transposes both belts is rotated at the same time that it is carried along the belt. The differential speed is adjusted to provide a desired degree of rotation for the length of the two belts.
    公开号:BR112013024879B1
    申请号:R112013024879-3
    申请日:2012-03-19
    公开日:2021-03-02
    发明作者:Matthew L. Fourney
    申请人:Laitram, L.L.C；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    BACKGROUND
    The invention relates, in general, to power driven conveyor belts and, more particularly, to conveyor belts and methods for rotating packages using conveyor belts with cylinders that sustain selectively activated packages.
    Traditional package conveyor belts use two side-by-side conveyor belts that run parallel to each other at different speeds. When a package is supplied as food and transposes the two belts, the fastest belt pulls one side of the package forward, causing the package to rotate, moving its front edge towards the slowest belt. The package continues to rotate as it is transported along the conveyor belt, finally, it rests predominantly on the slower belt and is rotated a little less than 90 °. The package is then grooved in its lateral location and final orientation by a rail that extends through the conveyor belt.
    Thus, there is a need for a package rotator that can rotate packages completely 90 ° within a short distance without the need for groove formation. SUMMARY
    This need and other needs are covered by a package turning conveyor that incorporates features of the invention. One version of such a package spinner comprises a first conveyor belt and an adjacent second conveyor belt, both advancing in a transport direction. The first conveyor belt advances at a first speed, and the second conveyor belt advances at a second speed different from the first speed. Both the first and second conveyors have cylinders that support freely rotating articles on geometric axes parallel to the direction of transport. The first conveyor belt defines a foreground and the second conveyor belt defines a second plane that crosses the first plane at an intersection angle less than 180 °.
    Another version of a package spinner incorporating features of the invention comprises a pair of conveyor belts that advance side by side in a transport direction. The conveyor belts are tilted downwards towards each other. Each of the conveyor belts has cylinders that support freely rotating articles on geometric axes parallel to the direction of transport. A drive system advances the pair of conveyor belts at a differential speed between each of the conveyor belts.
    In another aspect of the invention, a method for rotating a conveyed article comprises: (a) advancing a pair of side-by-side conveyor belts inclined downwards towards each other in a direction of transport; (b) transporting an article that transposes the pair of conveyor belts side by side on cylinders that support articles on the conveyor belts that are freely rotatable on geometric axes parallel to the direction of transport; and (c) advancing the pair of conveyor belts at a differential speed between each of the conveyor belts to cause the article to rotate, while being transported in the direction of transport. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
    These features and aspects of the invention are exemplified in greater detail in the following description, attached claims and attached drawings, in which:
    Figure 1 is an isometric view of a portion of a package turning conveyor that incorporates features of the invention;
    Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the package turning conveyor of Figure 1 shown along line 2-2 of Figure 1; and
    Figure 3 is a top plan view of the transport route portion of the package turning conveyor of Figure 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
    A version of a package turning conveyor or a package spinner is shown in Figures 1 to 3. The package spinner 10 is shown in operation along a portion of the transport route 12 of an endless belt path for which the return is not shown. The package rotator includes a pair of conveyor belts 14, 16 that advance side by side in a transport direction 18. The conveyor belts each have a series of rows of cylinders 20 that are freely rotatable on cylinder axes that define geometrical axes of rotation 22 parallel to the direction of transport 18. The cylinders are not actively rotated; these operate passively, rotating only through contact with transported items. Each of the belts can be a flat belt, a plate belt or a pair of cylinder chains that flank and support cylinders. Or the belts can be modular plastic conveyor belts, such as the INTRALOX belt series 7000 or the INTRALOX belt series 400 TRT. The belts are contiguous with each other or are separated by a gap along the central line of the conveyor belt. The belts are supported on wear strips 24 mounted on rails 26. The wear strips are positioned in spaces between cylinders to allow the cylinders to rotate freely on their geometrical axes without coming into contact with the wear strips.
    The rails 26 increase in height away from the center line of the conveyor, such that the wear strips 24 support the conveyor belts 14, 16 on the transport route in relation to not coplanar. Each conveyor belt defines a plane 28, 30 inclined off the horizontal. As shown in Figure 2, the two planes 28, 30 form a V-angle with a vertex, or intersection 32, which is an obtuse angle less than 180 °. For example, an intersection angle 32 between about 176 ° and about 178 ° works well. The planes shown also cross a horizontal plane 34 by an inclination angle 36. For example, inclination angles between about 1 ° and about 2 ° work well.
    The articles, such as flat-bottomed packages 38, are mounted on top of the cylinders that support articles 20. As shown in Figure 2, the flat-bottomed articles that span the two straps 14, 16 are supported only on the edges of the articles that belong to the downward slope of the belts towards each other on the center line. The peripheries 39 of the cylinders may have a high friction characteristic, such as a rough surface or a high friction surface made of a high friction rubber, elastomer, or other resilient material, to satisfactorily pick up the articles.
    As shown in Figure 3, the conveyor belts are separately driven by motors 40, 41 that drive pulleys or teeth (not shown) on drive shafts 42, 43. In this example, the left conveyor belt 14 is driven at a speed higher than 44 lower speed 45 of the right conveyor belt 16. An article 38 is fed to the two cylinder top conveyor belts 14, 16 by an inlet conveyor belt 46. Due to the fact that the left conveyor belt 14 advances faster than the right belt 16, the article is rotated clockwise around a vertical geometric axis as indicated by the curved arrow 48 as the article is transported along the transport route. The freely rotating cylinders facilitate rotation by providing winding contact with the articles. The differential speed between the two conveyor belts is defined to ensure that the article is rotated 90 °, or any degree of rotation is desired, since it exits the two conveyor belts 14, 16 on a downward conveyor belt 50.
    The lower speed 45 is defined to correspond to the general package rate, that is, the flow rate of articles on the inlet and descending conveyor belts 46, 50. The differential speed, that is, the difference between the upper speed 44 and the lower speed 45, is defined to provide the desired degree of rotation, which depends on the length of the two conveyor belts 14, 16 along the transport route 12. The differential speed can also depend on the physical characteristics of the article, such as the shape of its bottom, its weight, and the coefficient of friction between the bottom of the article and the cylinders. The speeds of two belts can be set at predetermined speeds based on the desired degree of rotation and the known length of the two belts. However, speeds can be controlled automatically along control lines 52, 53 by a controller 54, which is part of a drive system with two motors 40, 41, axles 42, 43, and pulleys or teeth. The flow rate, the orientation of incoming articles and the orientation of outgoing articles can be detected by input and output sensors 56, 57, such as optical capture systems or visualization systems. The sensor signals are sent to the controller 54 along signal lines 58, 59. The controller can use the sensor signals to automatically compute and adjust the speeds of the conveyor belts 5 to match the overall flow rate and reach the grade desired item rotation.
    权利要求:
    Claims (8)
    [0001]
    1. PACKAGE SPINNER, comprising: a pair of conveyor belts (14, 16) that advance side by side in a transport direction (18) and inclined downwards towards each other; a drive system that advances the pair of conveyor belts with a differential speed between each of the conveyor belts; characterized by each of the conveyor belts having cylinders that support articles (20) freely rotating (20) on axles (22) parallel to the direction of transport.
    [0002]
    2. PACKAGE SPINNER, according to claim 1, characterized in that the peripheries of the cylinders that support articles (20) are made of a high friction material.
    [0003]
    PACKAGE SPINNER, according to either of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the drive system adjusts the differential speed as a function of the length of the conveyor belt pair.
    [0004]
    PACKAGE SPINNER, according to either of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the drive system adjusts the differential speed as a function of the physical characteristics of an article to be transported by the pair of conveyor belts.
    [0005]
    5. PACKAGE SPINNER, according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the pair of conveyor belts (14, 16) is inclined out of the horizontal by an inclination angle between 1 ° and 2 °.
    [0006]
    6. METHOD FOR ROTATING A TRANSPORTED ARTICLE (38), characterized by comprising: advancing a pair of conveyor belts (14, 16) side by side inclined downwards towards each other in a transport direction (18); transporting an article that transposes the pair of conveyor belts (14, 16) side by side on cylinders that support articles (20) on the conveyor belts that are freely rotating on axles (22) parallel to the transport direction (18); advance the pair of conveyor belts (14, 16) with a differential speed between each of the conveyor belts to cause the article (38) to rotate at the same time as it is transported in the direction of transport (18).
    [0007]
    METHOD according to claim 6, characterized in that it further comprises adjusting the differential speed as a function of the length of the pair of conveyor belts side by side.
    [0008]
    METHOD according to claim 6, characterized in that it further comprises adjusting the differential speed as a function of a physical characteristic of the article.
    类似技术:
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    JPH09110126A|1997-04-28|Chain conveyor system
    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
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    CA2831280C|2019-01-29|
    CN103443000A|2013-12-11|
    EP2694410A1|2014-02-12|
    JP2014511808A|2014-05-19|
    MX337263B|2016-02-22|
    CA2831280A1|2012-10-11|
    US8205738B1|2012-06-26|
    WO2012138468A1|2012-10-11|
    AU2012240555B2|2016-06-09|
    MX2013011663A|2013-11-01|
    PL2694410T3|2016-01-29|
    ZA201307334B|2015-03-25|
    AU2012240555C1|2016-09-22|
    BR112013024879A2|2020-06-09|
    ES2546161T3|2015-09-21|
    KR101898310B1|2018-09-12|
    RU2013145285A|2015-05-20|
    KR20140022050A|2014-02-21|
    CN103443000B|2016-07-06|
    RU2592760C2|2016-07-27|
    AU2012240555A1|2013-09-19|
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    法律状态:
    2020-06-23| B06F| Objections, documents and/or translations needed after an examination request according [chapter 6.6 patent gazette]|
    2020-06-30| B06U| Preliminary requirement: requests with searches performed by other patent offices: procedure suspended [chapter 6.21 patent gazette]|
    2020-11-03| B06A| Notification to applicant to reply to the report for non-patentability or inadequacy of the application [chapter 6.1 patent gazette]|
    2021-01-26| B09A| Decision: intention to grant [chapter 9.1 patent gazette]|
    2021-03-02| B16A| Patent or certificate of addition of invention granted|Free format text: PRAZO DE VALIDADE: 20 (VINTE) ANOS CONTADOS A PARTIR DE 19/03/2012, OBSERVADAS AS CONDICOES LEGAIS. |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    US13/083,171|2011-04-08|
    US13/083,171|US8205738B1|2011-04-08|2011-04-08|Two-belt passive-roller case turner|
    PCT/US2012/029632|WO2012138468A1|2011-04-08|2012-03-19|Two-belt passive-roller case turner|
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