US 6,571,532 B1 · Continuous motion case packing apparatus and method

Abstract

A continuous motion apparatus for depacking and packing articles in cases which includes a carriage which carries a plurality of transfer arms; a plurality of article pick-up heads carried by the transfer arms for picking up a group of the articles at a pick-up station to transfer the articles to a release station. In a case packing configuration of the invention, a slug metering section includes a slug feeder continuously receiving articles from an infeed conveyor. A revolving pin bar mechanism is carried in the slug metering section having a plurality of revolving pin bar assemblies to assist in forming the articles into successive groups or slugs of articles. The pin bar assemblies include spaced upstanding pins which are received in crevices between rear articles in a first slug and front articles in a second slug of articles to separate the articles for processing. A slug metering member, which can also have upstanding posts, is carried across the slug metering section and pivots in and out of a conveyance path of the articles in synchronism with the revolving pin bar mechanism to meter the articles. In the depacking configuration, a plurality of article gripper tubes are carried by each article pick-up head arranged in a matrix corresponding to the slug of articles. The gripper tubes have a grip position in which said articles are retained by the pick-up head at the pick-up station for transfer, and a release position in which the articles are released from the pick-up head at the release station. Advantageously, the gripper tubes have a first effective axial length for gripping articles at the pick-up station when the articles are in an upright configuration, and the gripper tubes have a second effective axial length which is compressed and shortened relative to the first axial length when striking an obstacle such as an inverted article to allow sufficient travel for all other gripper tubes to grip articles.

Claims33

Dependent claims

Apparatus for continuously transferring articles from a pick-up station to a release station which includes a first conveyor for conveying the articles to the pick-up station and a second conveyor for conveying said articles away from said release station, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of article transfer arms;
a plurality of article pick-up heads carried by said transfer arms for picking up said articles at said pick-up station and for releasing said articles at said release station;
a plurality of article gripper tubes included in said pick-up heads having grippers which retain said articles in a gripped position and release said articles in a release position;
said gripper tubes having a first part and a second part, and said first and second parts being axially movable relative to each other;
said first and second parts of said gripper tubes having a first relative axial position in which said gripper tubes have standard lengths for gripping articles in an upright configuration;
said first and second parts having a second relative axial position in which said gripper tubes have an effectively shortened length when engaging an article in an upside down configuration so that the remaining article grippers in a pick-up head may grip articles which are in said upright configuration;
a revolving carriage continuously moving said transfer arms along a path between said pick-up and release stations to continuously move said pick-up heads and articles from said pick-up station to said release station;
a pick-up head actuator for actuating said gripper tubes to assume said gripped position at said pick-up station and to assume said release position for releasing said articles at said release station;
said first part of said gripper tubes including a slip collar, and said second part including an inner tube slidably received in said slip collar;
and
a reciprocating mechanism carried interiorly within said slip collar biasing and maintaining said inner tube in said first axial configuration.

8 more elements

Apparatus for continuously transferring articles from a pick-up station to a release station comprising:

a plurality of transfer arms disposed about a common plane;
a plurality of article pick-up heads carried by said transfer arms, said pick-up heads having an array of article grippers carried by a pick-up head frame for gripping said articles for transfer;
a carriage carried by a frame for moving said transfer arms between said pick-up station and said release station along said common plane;
a motion mechanism operatively associated with said pick-up heads for positioning said pick-up heads over said articles for pick up at said pick-up station, and for positioning said articles for release at said release station;
and
a plurality of gripper tubes carrying said article grippers individually on said pick-up head frame having movable tube parts adapted for relative vertical movement along a vertical gripper axis so that an article gripper tube is displaced along said vertical axis in the event the gripper tube engages an article in an inverted configuration and the remainder of said article grippers pick up the articles in an upright configuration;
and
a yieldable gripper tube actuator carried interiorly within said gripper tube for actuating said article grippers and said gripper tube actuator being yieldable along said vertical gripper axis when said gripper tube engages said inverted article, wherein said yieldable actuator has a compressed configuration when engaging said inverted article and a operating configuration extended from said compressed position when gripping said articles.

5 more elements

a plurality of article transfer arms;
a plurality of article pick-up heads carried by said transfer arms for picking up said articles at said pick-up station and for releasing said articles at said release station;
a plurality of article gripper tubes included in said pick-up heads having grippers which retain said articles in a gripped position and release said articles in a release position;
said gripper tubes having a first tube part and a second tube part, and said first and second tube parts being axially movable relative to each other;
said first and second tube parts of said gripper tubes having a first relative axial position in which said gripper tubes have standard lengths for gripping articles in an upright configuration;
said first and second tube parts having a second relative axial position in which said gripper tubes have effectively shortened length when engaging an inverted article in an upside down configuration so that the remaining article grippers in a pick-up head may grip articles which are in said upright configuration;
a revolving carriage continuously moving said transfer arms along a path between said pick-up and release stations to continuously move said pick-up heads and articles from said pick-up station to said release station;
and
a gripper actuator for causing said article grippers to assume said gripped position at said pick-up station and to assume said release position for releasing said articles at said release station;
a gripper tube actuator carried interiorly within said gripper tube for actuating said gripper actuator;
and
a generally compressible, reciprocating mechanism included in said gripper tube actuator which engages said gripper actuator, said reciprocating mechanism having a compressed configuration when said first and second tube parts assume said second axial relative position so that said gripper tube yields when said gripper tube engages an inverted article.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Continuous motion case packing apparatus and method

Life of this patent

Continuous motion case packing apparatus and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims33