Apparatus and methods for transferring continuously moving articles to continuously moving packages with intervening article grouping and group pitch adjustment
AssigneeR.A. Jones & Co. Inc.
InventorsRobert M. Kalany, Anthony B. Salvato, Matthew R. Lukes, Jerome Brugger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Packaging apparatus and methods include a plurality of article grippers driven by independently controlled motors in an end-of-arm tooling (EOAT), for picking articles, grouping articles, adjusting group pitch and placing article groups in packages where incoming articles and packages are continuously or intermittently moving and without motion of the entire EOAT in the direction in which articles and packages are picked and moved. Hole healing and incoming product registration apparatus and methods are disclosed.
Claims18
Transfer apparatus for transferring incoming articles at one pitch on an article supply conveyor and in groups to containers on another conveyor at a different pitch, and comprising:
- at least one article supply conveyor conveying articles at one pitch in a machine direction;
- at least one container conveyor conveying containers at another pitch in one direction;
- an end-of-arm tool moveable operationally between said conveyors but not itself moveable in said machine direction;
- article grippers that are carried by respective carriages directly mounted on an elongated member of said end-of-arm tool for movement there along, wherein said article grippers move independently with respect to each other and move in said machine direction, and wherein said elongated member is immoveable in said end-of-arm tool in said machine direction;
- and
- linear motors driving said grippers independently along said end-of-arm tool in said machine direction at said one pitch for picking the articles from said article supply conveyor, and advancing pitch adjusted article groups for placement in containers at said other pitch on said container conveyor.
Transfer apparatus for transferring incoming articles at one pitch on an article supply conveyor and in groups to containers on another conveyor at a different pitch, and comprising:
- at least one article supply conveyor conveying articles at one pitch in a machine direction;
- at least one container conveyor conveying containers at another pitch in one direction;
- an end-of-arm tool moveable operationally between said conveyors but not itself moveable in said machine direction;
- article grippers that are carried by respective carriages directly mounted on an elongated member of said end-of-arm tool for movement there along, wherein said article grippers move independently with respect to each other and move in said machine direction, and wherein said elongated member is immoveable in said end-of-arm-tooling in said machine direction;
- and
- servo motors driving said grippers independently along said end-of-arm tool in said machine direction at said one pitch for picking the articles from said article supply conveyor, and advancing pitch adjusted article groups for placement in containers at said other pitch on said container conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.