Device for the accumulation and release of products, especially products arranged in ranks feeding packaging lines for such products

A device for the accumulation and release of products (P) arranged in ranks, of the type comprising:

• an accumulation buffer (2) with corresponding openings for receipt (4) and delivery (6) of the products (P),
• a plurality of container elements (7) guided so as to move between said receiving and delivery openings (4, 6) within said buffer (2), each container element (7) being provided with a plurality of supporting planes (9) in order to hold ranks of products (P),
• drive means (10, 11, 42, 50) for said container elements (7) to control movement of said containers within the accumulation buffer (2) so as to present each container element (7) which has to be filled at the receiving opening (4) in sequence so that ranks of products (P) arriving at the corresponding supporting planes (9) of the container can be loaded, and conveying containers (7) previously filled with products (P) to the delivery opening (6) for the corresponding release of ranks of products leaving the accumulation buffer (2),
• pusher means (70) provided at the delivery opening (6) capable of moving the ranks of products from each supporting plane (9) in a corresponding container (7) onto conveyor means (69) for discharging products (P) from the buffer (2), the pusher means comprising at least one pusher element (71, 72) which can be moved towards and away from the corresponding container (7) being discharged in a direction transverse to the path of the container's movement, to engage each supporting plane (9) in the container in sequence and push the products (P) out of the container onto the discharge conveyor means (69), characterised in that said at least one pusher element (71, 72) of the pusher means (70) is further guided so as to move along a direction substantially parallel to the direction (Z) of movement of the container (7) close to the delivery opening (6) in order to be able to follow the container (7) during the discharge stage for at least parts of the path along which it moves in that direction, wherein the conveyor means feeding the buffer are provided to deliver sequences of ranks of the products to the feed opening so as to sequentially load the supporting planes (9) in the container (7) being loaded conveyed close to the feed opening (4), the conveyor means comprising at least one conveyor belt (90) of the tilting type, and
• at least one tilting belt (90) comprises an active section (90a) extending between a first (90b) and a second opposite extremity (90c), the first extremity (90b) more distal from the container being loaded associated therewith being hinged about a tilt axis (Y′), the second extremity (90c) capable of being tilted through a predetermined angular course, at least one pair of conveyor belts (95, 96) having corresponding active sections (95a, 96a) engaged in translational movement being located between the at least one tilting belt (90) and the container (7), each belt in the pair having corresponding opposite extremities (95b, 95c and 96b, 96c), one of which (95c, 96c) is capable of being lined up with a supporting plane (P) in the container being loaded, the other extremity (95b, 96b) being lined up with the tilting extremity (90c) of the tilting belt (90) following predetermined tilting of the tilting belt.

A device for the accumulation and release of products (P) arranged in ranks, of the type comprising:

• an accumulation buffer (2) with corresponding openings for receipt (4) and delivery (6) of the products (P),
• a plurality of container elements (7) guided so as to move between said receiving and delivery openings (4, 6) within said buffer (2), each container element (7) being provided with a plurality of supporting planes (9) in order to hold ranks of products (P),
• drive means (10, 11, 42, 50) for said container elements (7) to control movement of said containers within the accumulation buffer (2) so as to present each container element (7) which has to be filled at the receiving opening (4) in sequence so that ranks of products (P) arriving at the corresponding supporting planes (9) of the container can be loaded, and conveying containers (7) previously filled with products (P) to the delivery opening (6) for the corresponding release of ranks of products leaving the accumulation buffer (2),
• pusher means (70) provided at the delivery opening (6) capable of moving the ranks of products from each supporting plane (9) in a corresponding container (7) onto conveyor means (69) for discharging products (P) from the buffer (2), the pusher means comprising at least one pusher element (71, 72) which can be moved towards and away from the corresponding container (7) being discharged in a direction transverse to the path of the container's movement, to engage each supporting plane (9) in the container in sequence and push the products (P) out of the container onto the discharge conveyor means (69), characterised in that said at least one pusher element (71, 72) of the pusher means (70) is further guided so as to move along a direction substantially parallel to the direction (Z) of movement of the container (7) close to the delivery opening (6) in order to be able to follow the container (7) during the discharge stage for at least parts of the path along which it moves in that direction, wherein the conveyor means feeding the buffer are provided to deliver sequences of ranks of the products to the feed opening so as to sequentially load the supporting planes (9) in the container (7) being loaded conveyed close to the feed opening (4), the conveyor means comprising at least one conveyor belt (90) of the tilting type.