Device For Orienting Eggs And Bringing Them With The Narrow End Downwards Into Transport Means Having Receiving Pockets

Abstract

The invention relates to a device in which eggs are conveyed on a conveyor having a plurality of parallel rollers, all rotating in the same direction to a transport means having receiving pockets. Each egg is carried by two rollers and moves laterally to the conveying direction in the direction of its narrow end until it comes up against a lateral defining wall. The eggs are thus lined up according to the position of the narrow end and the air chamber end. Guide tongues are provided to reorient the eggs as they pass over a conveyor deflection roller so that they turn with their narrow ends pointing downwardly into the receiving pockets of the transport means.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the storage of eggs it is usual with a view to improving storage life to store them with the narrow end pointing downwards, because then the air chamber end of the eggs comes to lie above the content of the egg. This position is quite difficult to achieve in the case of mechanical packing, and hitherto it was always sought to achieve it by use of the center of gravity of the egg.

The oldest known method makes use of a vertical shaft formed from two converging plates in which the egg to be oriented, being held at its largest periphery, slides downwards in such a way that the narrow end in this case tilts downwards by reason of the position of the center of gravity. Then the egg is liberated by mechanical widening of the plate spacing and drops into the receiving pocket in the desired position. In practice however this action does not always proceed satisfactorily, on account of unavoidable effects of friction influences or other troublesome forces, so that there is no guarantee of a reliable manner of operation.

A more recent device, by means of which the drawbacks occurring were to be eliminated, permitted the eggs, oriented with the aid of rotating rollers, to tilt out of the horizontal position over a transverse rod, whereupon, again corresponding to the position of the center of gravity, they fell with the narrow end downwards between two receiving plates serving for further guidance into the receiving pockets. In this connection, however the quite considerable stressing of the eggs, leading to damage, had an unfavorable effect, so that this design also was not without disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a device in which the eggs can be conducted reliably with the narrow end pointing downwards into the receiving pockets of any desired transport means, and can receive very gentle handling. Moreover, reliance upon the egg size and upon the egg shape within certain limits is to be avoided, which hitherto frequently gave rise to difficulties.

According to the invention, there is provided a device for orienting eggs and introducing them with their narrow ends pointing downwards into transport means having receiving pockets comprising an endless conveyor having a plurality of parallel rollers rotating in the same direction when in the conveying path of said conveyor, each egg being supported by two of said rollers, lateral defining walls extending in the conveying direction above said rollers against which the narrow ends of the eggs engage as a result of lateral movement of the eggs relative to the conveying direction, a forward deflecting roller for said conveyor to which said eggs, oriented in rows according to the position of their narrow ends and their air chamber ends, are guided by said defining walls and at which said eggs are transferred from said conveyor to said transport means, elastic guide tongues situated in the region of said deflecting roller, arranged transversely thereof and pointed counter to said conveying direction and means for clamping said tongues only at their upper ends, the tongues acting to hold back said eggs so as to cause said eggs to turn themselves, as they pass said deflecting roller, with their narrow end pointing downwards into said receiving pockets of said transport means which arrive in readiness beneath said tongues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic lateral elevation of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a cross section, represented without eggs, along the line A-B in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 shows a partial elevation, reproducing the operational condition with eggs, of the cross section shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

According to FIGS. 1 and 2 the device shown therein comprises an endless conveyor 1 which is composed mainly of parallel rollers 2 which are rotatably connected at their ends with the chains 3. Stationary tracks 4 are provided in the upper run of the conveyor 1, on which tracks the rollers 2 roll in the clockwise direction during their forward movement. At the rear end eggs 6 are supplied to this conveyor 1 by way of chutes 5, which eggs come to lie on the conveyor each being supported by two rollers 2. Under the effect of the rotating movements of the rollers 2 in the same direction, the eggs 6 then travel in the direction of their narrow ends until they come into contact with the lateral defining walls 8 extending above the rollers 2 in the conveying direction 7. Thus firstly orientation of the eggs 6 is effected in rows according to the position of the narrow end and the air chamber end, whereupon they are fed to the forward deflecting roller 9 of the conveyor.

After the deflecting roller 9 is reached, transference of the eggs 6 to the receiving pockets 10 of the adjoining transport means 11 is to proceed in such a manner that the eggs 6 assume a position in the receiving pockets 10 where their narrow ends point downwards. This is achieved in the main by means of elastic guide tongues 14 clamped only at their upper edges in retainers 12 on the transverse bar 13, which tongues are situated transversely in the region of and transversely to the deflecting roller 9 of the conveyor 1. Furthermore they are pointed counter to the conveying direction 7 and are at such a distance from the adjoining defining walls 8 that the eggs 6 arriving in oriented fashion on the rollers 2 are held back by them at the air chamber end, and thus during passage past the deflecting roller 9 turn with the narrow end pointing downwards into the receiving pockets 10 which arrive ready beneath the guide tongues 14. This action may be seen from FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, while FIG. 3 shows the guide tongues 14 in the rest position.

FIGS. 1 and 4 especially show clearly what effects the guide tongues 14, produced from sheet metal or synthetic plastics material, have upon the eggs 6. Thus it can be seen that the eggs 6 contacted by the guide tongues 14 at the air chamber end are pivoted with the narrow end forwards by means of the rollers 2 which continue to move onwards, while the inwardly bent lower ends of the defining walls 6 guide their narrow ends into the receiving pockets 10. The eggs 6, which are mostly somewhat wider in cross section, then press the guide tongue 14 aside by the necessary amount and finally slide between it and the corresponding defining wall 8 into the receiving pocket 10 intended for them, without in this action being subjected to any mechanical stressing whatever. To assist in this guiding action, the lower edges of the defining walls 8 are bent towards the guide tongues as shown.

As in the present case, the width of the orienting passages 15 formed by the individual defining walls 8 is most expediently equal to twice the distance of the guide tongues 14 from the defining walls 8, so that the guide tongues 14 divide the orienting passages 15 centrally and become effective for the eggs 6 arriving on both sides thereof. Thus all receiving pockets of the transport means 11 always fill up without forming gaps, which constitutes the prerequisite for continuous operation.

The transport means 11 receiving the eggs 6 after orientation consists, in the example as described, of the receiving pockets 10 arranged in rows which are mounted, suitably secured for displacement on constantly circulating transverse rods 16. Moreover they are subject to the influence of longitudinal guides 17 which reduce the distance between them in the manner visible from the drawing by such an amount that the subsequent removal of the eggs 6 by means of a suction head is rendered possible. Likewise however, in modification of the device as reproduced, it is also readily conceivable to replace the transport means 11 as shown here by packaging containers lying on a conveyor belt, which thus could directly receive the eggs 6 delivered by the conveyor 1.

The progress achieved by the above-described device in comparison with the prior art is to be seen primarily in that the newly developed device works largely independently of the position of the center of gravity of the eggs, which imparts great functional reliability to it. Furthermore it operates without any mechanical stressing of the egg surface and likewise requires only quite low expense for construction, which makes its economical use possible.

Claims

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A device for orienting eggs and introducing them with their narrow ends pointing downwards into transport means having receiving pockets comprising an endless conveyor having a plurality of parallel rollers rotating in the same direction when in the conveying path of said conveyor, each egg being supported by two of said rollers, lateral defining walls extending in the conveying direction above said rollers against which the narrow ends of the eggs engage as a result of lateral movement of the eggs relative to the conveying direction, a forward deflecting roller for said conveyor to which said eggs, oriented in rows according to the position of their narrow ends and their air chamber ends, are guided by said defining walls and at which said eggs are transferred from said conveyor to said transport means, elastic guide tongues situated in the region of said deflecting roller, arranged transversely thereof and pointed counter to said conveying direction and means for clamping said tongues only at their upper ends, the tongues acting to hold back said eggs so as to cause said eggs to turn themselves, as they pass said deflecting roller, with their narrow end pointing downwards into said receiving pockets of said transport means which arrive in readiness beneath said tongues.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the individual defining walls define between them orienting passages centrally divided by said tongues which can thus act on eggs passing on either side of said tongues.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said defining walls include downwardly terminating ends bent towards said guide tongues so as to guide the narrow ends of the downwardly sliding eggs passing over the said deflecting roller into said receiving pockets.