Method and apparatus for automatically feeding articles in aligned condition to packaging machine

An apparatus for automatically feeding articles in aligned condition to a packaging machine, including a parallel transport conveyor equipped with aligning means for aligning plural lines of articles in parallel on the parallel transport conveyor as they are fed onto the conveyor in laterally spaced relationship that corresponds to article delivery positions at the packaging machine, and article transfer means arranged between a terminal portion of the parallel transport conveyor and the packaging machine for moving the articles aligned on the parallel transport conveyor toward the delivery positions at the packaging machine by units of a required number each, said article transfer means comprising:

• (a) a positioning conveyor, a slide conveyor, and loading means which are sequentially arranged in succession to said parallel transport conveyor;
• (b) said positioning conveyor comprising a comb-like frame having a plurality of projecting frames extending in a comb teeth-like fashion from a base frame in the direction of transport of the articles, a driving roller rotatably mounted at the rear end of the comb-like frame, driven rollers rotatably supported at respective forward ends of the projecting frames, and belts trained between said driving roller and said driven rollers, said comb-like frame being upward and downward movably supported by the frame of said article transfer means, vertical drive means connected to said comb-like frame for vertically displacing the transport plane of the positioning conveyor by a predetermined quantity, and stoppers disposed above the positioning conveyor for engagement with the positioning conveyor so as to act on the articles being conveyed by said conveyor to bring the articles into alignment in corresponding relation to the delivery positions at the packaging machine;
• (c) said slide conveyor comprising a slider body horizontally movably supported by the frame of the article transfer means for movement in the direction of transport of the articles, and holding bars arranged in pairs, one pair for each longitudinal line of articles aligned in parallel on said positioning conveyor, such that they extend in a fork-like fashion from said slider body in the direction of transport of the articles, longitudinal drive means connected to said slider body for back-and-forth movement of the slider body between a retreated position at which said holding bars are caused to overlap said positioning conveyor in the direction of transport of the articles and an advanced position at which the holding bars are kept away from overlapping said positioning conveyor, said holding bars being mounted to the slider body at such a position and at such a level that they are exposed above the transport plane of said positioning conveyor between respective belts thereof when said positioning conveyor is lowered at the retreated position at which said holding bars overlap the positioning conveyor and that they are retracted to a location below the transport plane of the positioning conveyor when said positioning conveyor is elevated;
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• (d) said loading means comprising an elevating frame disposed above the article delivery positions at the packaging machine and vertically movably supported by the frame of the article transfer means, said loading means positionally overlapping said holding bars of said slide conveyor at their advanced position, said elevating frame equipped with vertical drive means for elevating and lowering said frame while kept in a horizontal position and having a plurality of holes formed therein for passage of dropping articles in corresponding relation to the article delivery positions below said elevating frame, pairs of pivot shutters rotatably mounted to said elevating frame at a position slightly above the surface thereof such that said pairs of pivot shutters partially close said holes at a level above the holes and from both sides thereof, with a space left between each pair of said pivot shutters that is sufficient to allow each pair of said holding bars of the slide conveyor to be positioned, and rotation drive means for causing articles to drop after they are received onto the pivot shutters.