U.S. patent number 3,633,732 [Application Number 04/840,602] was granted by the patent office on 1972-01-11 for apparatus and method for filling boxes with a preselected quantity of discrete articles.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Brogdex Company. Invention is credited to Douglas O. Russell, all heirs, Kenneth F. Russell, deceased, Marie D. Russell, Thomas L. Russell.
United States Patent |
3,633,732 |
Russell, deceased , et
al. |
January 11, 1972 |
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FILLING BOXES WITH A PRESELECTED QUANTITY
OF DISCRETE ARTICLES
Abstract
An apparatus and method for filling a box with a preselected
aggregate number of articles or a preselected aggregate weight of
articles utilizing a vertical feed conveyor having a bottom article
release end received within a box being filled to minimize the
distance a released article falls to the bottom of the box or to a
layer of articles already deposited in the box. The box is raised
to enclose the release end of the vertical feed conveyor and as
each article is deposited in the box, it is counted. At a
preselected intermediate count of articles the box is incrementally
lowered a selected vertical interval to provide space for
additional articles. In a second example of the invention, the
weight of each article as it is placed in the box is sensed and
upon reaching a preselected intermediate weight, the box is
incrementally lowered a selected vertical interval. Means are
provided for shaking the box during the filling operation to settle
and closely arrange the articles in the box.
Inventors: |
Russell, deceased; Kenneth F.
(late of Claremont, CA), Russell; Marie D. (Claremont,
CA), Russell; Thomas L. (San Rafael, CA), Russell, all
heirs; Douglas O. (Los Angeles, CA) |
Assignee: |
Brogdex Company (Pomona,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
27096475 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/840,602 |
Filed: |
July 7, 1969 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
653239 |
Jul 13, 1967 |
3492779 |
Feb 3, 1970 |
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/500; 53/502;
53/535; 53/525; 198/575 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B
57/20 (20130101); G06M 7/00 (20130101); B65B
25/046 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65B
25/02 (20060101); B65B 25/04 (20060101); B65B
57/00 (20060101); B65B 57/20 (20060101); G06M
7/00 (20060101); B65g 043/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;198/38,40,165
;53/244,245,126,248 ;235/98 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Blunk; Evon C.
Assistant Examiner: Goodman; Alfred N.
Parent Case Text
This application is a divisional application of copending
application Ser. No. 653,239, filed July 13, 1967, now U.S. Pat.
No. 3,492,779 issued Feb. 3, 1970.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An article conveyor means for use with an apparatus for filling
receptacles with a predetermined, precise, quantitative measure of
articles, including the combination of:
an endless conveyor belt having a belt lay disposed vertically for
entrance into the top opening of a receptacle to be filled with
articles,
said belt lay including a plurality of spaced article support
elements and an opening between adjacent support elements and
opposite the position of an article on said support elements,
means supporting said receptacle below said endless conveyor
belt,
an article holding belt extending parallel to said vertical belt
lay and having a portion thereof cooperable with an adjacent
portion of the vertical belt lay to hold and position an article on
a support element,
counting means associated with the conveying means for sensing,
through the openings, the presence or absence of an article on an
article support element, and
means for moving said conveyor belt and article holding belt at
substantially the same linear speed to move the adjacent portions
thereof downwardly to carry the articles therebetween into said
receptacle.
2. An article conveyor means for use with an apparatus for filling
boxes with a predetermined, precise, quantitative measure of
articles, including the combination of:
an endless conveyor belt having a belt lay disposed vertically for
entrance into the top opening of a receptacle to be filled with
articles,
said belt lay including a plurality of spaced article support
elements and having an opening between adjacent support elements
and opposite the position of an article on said article support
element,
an article holding belt extending parallel to said vertical belt
lay and cooperable to hold and position an article on a support
element;
light-responsive means adjacent the lower end of said conveyor belt
for directing a light beam through said opening for detecting the
presence or absence of an article on an article support
element,
and means for moving said conveyor belt and article holding belt at
substantially the same linear speeds.
3. In an apparatus for precise filling of receptacles with fruit or
the like, the combination of:
means conveying each fruit in discrete longitudinal position
relative to adjacent fruit, said conveying means including
a first advancing belt provided with spaced support elements to
space said fruit;
a companion advancing belt normally biased in the direction of the
first belt and extending therealong for holding fruit in position
at said support elements on said first belt;
and light-responsive means including an opening in said first belt
adjacent each support element for response to the presence or
absence of a fruit at said support element.
4. In a conveyor means for transporting discrete articles in spaced
relation for precise filling of a receptacle with such articles,
the combination of:
means for advancing articles along a selected path;
conveyor means for changing the direction of said path into a
vertical pathway leading to a receptacle;
said conveyor means including spaced generally parallel belt means
extending into said receptacle and for holding articles in discrete
spaced relation along said vertical pathway;
means biasing one of said belt means toward the other belt means to
position and hold such articles;
and means along said vertical pathway responsive to the presence or
absence of an article in said pathway.
5. In a conveyor means as stated in claim 4 wherein said article
responsive means includes an opening in one of said belt means
and;
a light-responsive means directing a beam through said opening.
6. A conveyor means as stated in claim 5 wherein said
light-responsive means is located adjacent the lower end of said
vertical pathway for counting an article just prior to its release
into said receptacle.
7. A conveyor means as stated in claim 4 wherein said article
responsive means includes photoelectric means for directing a light
beam into said vertical pathway to determine the presence or
absence of an article.
Description
The present invention contemplates an apparatus and method for
filling boxes or receptacles with discrete articles, such as fruit,
in accordance with, in one example, numerical count of the fruit
or, in another example, weight of the fruit. The invention
contemplates a novel method and apparatus for moving the box and
fruit whereby a box may be rapidly filled under conditions which
minimize the possibility of damage to the article as it is
deposited in the box.
Prior proposed methods for filling a box of selected volume and
size with fruit, which may have been already sized in accordance
with well-known sizing apparatus, have included hand packing the
fruit in the box by arranging the fruit in layer patterns which
were predetermined according to the size and number of fruit
required to fill such a box. Such hand-packed boxes require skilled
packers to rapidly arrange the fruit into the predetermined layer
patterns and to maintain over many packing hours a suitable packing
rate. Obviously such a method for hand-packing boxes requires many
packers, is time consuming, and is generally an economically
inefficient method of packing boxes.
Prior proposed apparatuses for mechanically packing boxes have
included machines for counting fruit as they are discharged into a
box, U.S. Pat. No. 2,928,599. However, in such proposed machine,
the lemons fall a substantial distance into the box; certain types
of fruit are more fragile and subject to damage by such a fall.
In another proposed machine for filling boxes in which fall in
minimized, a vertically disposed feed conveyor lowers articles into
a box raised into box-receiving position with respect to the feed
conveyor, U.S. Pat. No. 2,061,490. However, the box was
successively lowered by scraping contact of the bottom of the
conveyor with the top surface of fruit deposited therein.
In another prior construction, a bucket-type elevator was lowered
into a container and then progressively raised with respect to the
container as the level of the articles deposited therein increased,
the raising of the loading conveyor being in response to the
increase in level of the articles, U.S. Pat. No. 2,889,676. In
still other prior constructions, particularly when filling a box in
accordance with weight, articles were fed to the box first in bulk
and then singly in order that a precise weight could be
obtained.
Such prior proposed constructions, where fall was minimized,
controlled the relative separation of the feed conveyor end and the
box being filled by contact with the articles placed in the box.
Where a feed or bucket conveyor was moved vertically, the
mechanical arrangement of such construction was expensive, complex
and heavy. In other constructions, movement of the box horizontally
and then vertically also involved expensive complex
construction.
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for precise
filling of a box with articles by count, in one example, or by
weight, in another example. The invention contemplates a novel,
simple, efficient box conveyor construction which includes a
box-transfer station to permit change in the path of travel of the
box from horizontal to vertical. The present apparatus includes
means to position the box with respect to a feed conveyor which is
vertically disposed so that fall of individual articles into the
box are minimized. Means are provided for counting each article as
it is deposited in the box or weighing an intermediate quantity of
such articles as they are fed to the box. Means are also provided
for lowering the box at selected vertical intervals as the box is
filled to accommodate additional fruit, shaking the box to settle
the articles in the box, and when a precise number articles or
weight is reached, to lower the box to the transfer station to
continue horizontal path of travel of the box for closing of the
box and discharge to storage.
The principal object of the present invention is to disclose and
provide a means and method for rapidly, precisely, accurately
filling a box with discrete articles.
An object of the invention is to disclose and provide such an
apparatus wherein one article is released at a time with a minimum
fall to the bottom of the box being filled or to a previously
deposited layer of articles in the box.
An object of the invention is to disclose and provide article
feed-conveyor means which permit the supply of articles in bulk or
random fashion and then separates the articles into a selected
number of channels, rows or lines arranged in such a manner that
only one article at a time is released for deposit in a box.
Still another object of the invention is to disclose and provide a
novel means for shaking or vibrating a box which is positioned in
filling relationship with a feed conveyor and at selected intervals
so that articles deposited therein may be settled and arranged in a
manner which approximates the layered pattern of a hand-packed
box.
A further object of the invention is to disclose and provide
control means for such an apparatus which permits substantially
automatic operation of the machine and which is reliable, rapid and
efficient in operation.
A still further object of the invention is to disclose and provide
a method and apparatus for filling boxes which is capable of
packing articles which are readily subject to damage as by abrasion
or bruising by contact with other articles or with walls of a
box.
A still further object of the invention is to disclose and provide
a novel box-conveyor construction including a box transfer station
cooperable with a box-elevating means.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily
apparent from the following description of the drawings in which
exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown.
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view partly in section of an
apparatus embodying this invention.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the box transfer portion
of the box conveyor means, the view being taken in the plane
indicated by line II--II of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1, partly in section, the
section being taken in the planes indicated by line III--III of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken in the plane
indicated by line IV--IV of FIG. 1, but with the box carriage and
box in raised filling position.
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken in the same
plane as FIG. 4 and showing the photosensing unit in detail.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the box
carriage in an intermediate position and the drive for the vertical
feed conveyor and holding belt means.
FIG. 7 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken in the plane
indicated by line VII--VII of FIG. 4.
FIG. 8 is a schematic control circuit diagram for the apparatus
shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 9 is a view of the control panel shown in FIG. 2 schematically
indicating selection of intermediate fruit count and aggregate
fruit count.
FIG. 10 is a modification of the box carriage means whereby the
apparatus shown in FIG. 1 may be adapted to filling boxes by
weight.
An article loading or packaging apparatus embodying the present
invention is generally indicated at 10, FIG. 1. In this example
fruit, such as oranges, are shown; other discrete articles such as
lemons, grapefruit, plums or nonproduce type article may be
packaged or boxed by this apparatus. Apparatus 10 comprises a
box-conveyor means 11 provided with a box-transfer station 12 at
which a vertically movable box carriage 14 may receive a box 15 for
raising to a top-feed position, FIG. 3. Box-elevator means 17, FIG.
3, includes fluid-operable means 18 for moving box carriage 14 from
its lower-box receiving position to its upper-box feeding position,
FIG. 4. In upper-feed position, box 15 receives therewithin the
lower end of a vertical article feed-conveyor means 20 which may be
fed by a bulk or random article feed-conveyor means 21. Means 22
responsive to the quantity of fruit being placed in box 15, in this
embodiment of the invention counts the fruit just prior to release
of each fruit from the vertical feed-conveyor means 20. Control
means are provided to control the vertical and bulk feed conveyors
20 and 21 in accordance with the quantitative measurement by count
or by weight of fruit placed in the box and includes means for
incrementally stepping the box carriage 14 downwardly until the
total or aggregate amount of fruit is in the box and the box
carriage 14 is then returned to its lowermost position where the
continuously moving box conveyor moves the filled box from the
box-transfer station. In one embodiment of the invention, each
fruit is counted, the number of fruit to be placed in the box being
determined by the size of the fruit. In another embodiment of the
invention, fruit being placed in the box is continuously weighed
and at certain weight intervals the box is lowered until a selected
weight of fruit is accumulated in the box whereupon the box is
lowered onto the box conveyor for removal.
In detail, apparatus 10 may comprise a base frame means 24
including suitable base from members 25, in this example, supported
upon caster 26, it being understood that the frame means 24 may be
fixed or secured to a supporting surface if desired. Extending
along the front and on top of the base frame means 24 may be a pair
of spaced channel members 27 which may form a frame for the
box-conveyor means 11.
Box-conveyor means 11 may comprise a continuously moving endless
belt 28 supported at its ends by rollers 29 mounted on shafts 30
supported in journal bearings 31 carried by channel members 27. One
of the shafts 30 may be driven by a suitable motor means 32 carried
by the base frame means. Bottom lay 33 of the belt means 28 extends
continuously between the end rollers 29. The top lay 34 is provided
with a box-transfer portion 35 located immediately below the
vertical feed-conveyor means 20. Transfer portion 35 is defined by
a pair of longitudinally spaced belt loops 36, each loop 36 being
formed by longitudinally spaced rolls 37 and a lower roll 38
mounted between and below the spaced rolls 37 so as to provide a
vertical downwardly disposed transverse opening 39 in the plane of
the top lay 34 box-conveyor belt 28. The box-transfer portion 35
may be of less length than the length of a box to be positioned
thereon so that bottom end margins 40 of a box supported by portion
35 may overlie the transverse spaces 39. Thus a box 15 moved by the
box conveyor onto belt portion 35 is positioned so that its
horizontal path of travel may be stopped and changed into a
vertical path of travel above portion 35.
Box carriage 14 may comprise spaced U-shaped end members 41
connected by sidewalls 41a which flare outwardly at their upper
portions 41b, such upper portions having a top edge return to hold
side flaps of an open box in open position. End flaps of such a box
will normally remain open or in noninterfering position. The lower
transverse portions of U-shaped end members 41 are received in
opening 39 below the plane of the top lay 34 to permit passage of a
box thereover.
Means 17 for raising and lowering box carriage 14 and a box 15
thereon may comprise an upstanding planar frame 42 including
suitable upright and horizontal frame members. At its bottom end,
frame 42 may be pivotally connected at 43 to a forwardly extending
plate 44 secured as by welding to a base frame member 25 and to a
vertical frame member 45. At its top end, frame 42 is connected by
a pivotally mounted link 46 to vibrating motor means 47 as
hereafter described.
Frame 42 carries intermediate its length upper and lower pairs of
parallelogram arms 49 and 50 respectively pivotally mounted to
frame 42 and pivoted at 51 and 52 respectively to members 41 of the
box carriage 14. Carried by an upper transverse frame member on the
upright frame 42 may be a forwardly extending bracket 53 to which
is pivotally mounted at 54 a double-acting fluid cylinder means 55
which has a piston rod 56 pivoted at 57 to an arm 58 fixed to pivot
shaft 59 which connects one end of the pair of arms 49 to frame 42.
Double-acting cylinder means 55 may be connected by fluid conduits
60 to a fluid pump means 61 driven by a motor means 62. Thus upon
selective actuation of the fluid cylinder means 55, as later
described, the box carriage 14 will be lifted vertically by the
parallelogram arms 49 and 50 until the open box receives therein
the lower end of the vertical feed conveyor 20.
It should be noted that the top of frame 42 is connected by pivoted
arm 46 to an eccentric 64 carried by a shaft 65 mounted in suitable
bearings 66 on vertical frame members 45, said shaft carrying a
pulley wheel 67 connected by a belt 68 to a motor pulley 69 driven
by vibrating motor means 70. Eccentric arm 46 will be reciprocated
generally in a horizontal direction to cause rapid forward and
backward movement of frame 42 about its bottom pivotal mounting at
43 for imparting a shaking or vibratory force to carriage 14 and to
fruit placed in box 15 to settle, compact, and arrange fruit in
layers. The carriage 14 is vibrated at selected intervals during
loading as will be described hereafter. In this example, the
respective locations of the pivot 43, arms 49 and 50, and arm 46
imparts horizontal and vertical vibratory force components to the
articles.
Means for feeding fruit to the box 15 generally comprises the
vertical feed conveyor 20 and the horizontal feed conveyor 21 which
supplies fruit to the vertical conveyor. Feed conveyor 21, FIG. 2,
may be supported in elevated horizontal position above base frame
means 24 by vertical frame members 45, upwardly rearwardly inclined
frame members 80, top horizontal frame members 81 and a suitable
arrangement of vertical and horizontal frame elements 82 and 83
located between the tops of members 45 and the horizontal frame
members 81. The feed conveyor 21 may comprise an endless belt 85
having a top lay moving across a supporting plate 86. The forward
or delivery end of top lay 85 may be supported by a roller 87 of
relatively small diameter so that the delivery end can be closely
positioned to the path of travel of the vertical feed conveyor 20.
The bottom lay 88 of the endless belt may be supported by a roller
89 mounted on horizontal frame members 81, and may then pass
downwardly and partially around a drive roll 90 and then vertically
upward. A roller 91 then supports the bottom lay from the frame
member 81 and tensions the belt against the drive roll. The bottom
lay may pass around an end roller 92 of relatively large diameter.
Fruit may be fed to the back end of the feed belt 85 by any
suitable means. The fruit may be fed at random and are contained on
the top lay of the belt between the side walls 93 of the frame
members 81. The fruit fed at random is advanced toward the delivery
end of the feed conveyor 21 and at the delivery end such random
massed fruit is separated into rows or lines of fruit by guide
rails 94 which form part of the vertical feed conveyor 20.
Vertical feed-conveyor means 20 may comprise an endless conveyor
belt 96 of the same width as belt 85 and is provided with a
plurality of longitudinally spaced cleats or fruit support elements
97 projecting at right angles from the outer face of the belt 96.
The cleats 97 in adjacent row are longitudinally offset to form an
echelon arrangement as best shown in FIG. 7. Such offsetting of
cleats in adjacent rows permits the delivery at the bottom end of
conveyor means 20 of only one fruit at a time since the cleat of
the adjacent row will be still supporting a fruit at the time of
release of the first mentioned fruit from its supporting cleat as
the belt 96 turns about the bottom of the conveyor 20.
Belt 96 is supported about a top relatively large diameter roll 98
carried by a shaft 98a supported at its ends by a tubular U-shaped
frame 99 which extends beneath roll 98. At its opposite end the
belt 96 is supported by a relatively small diameter roll 100 so as
to provide a relatively small or narrow feed-conveyor nose capable
of entering the open top of a box and extending into the box into
selected distance from the bottom of the box. Thus, as cleat 97
turns around the bottom roller 100, a fruit carried by such a cleat
will roll off the cleat and fall only a short distance to the
bottom of the box or to a layer of fruit in the box.
Means for guiding fruit from the feed conveyor 21 onto the vertical
conveyor 20 may comprise the guide rails 94 which may be supported
at their upper ends by a horizontal rod 102 supported from the top
of frame members 81. Guide rails 94 extend rearwardly over the
delivery end of feed belt 85 and then sharply turn into parallel
relationship with the belt 85 to extend over the top roll 98 of the
vertical conveyor 20 and thence downwardly in a vertical direction
to a point opposite the narrow bottom roll 100 and then turn
partially around roll 100 at the bottom of the feed conveyor. Thus
guard rails 94 together with close positioning of the top of the
conveyor 20 with the delivery end of conveyor 21 permits fruit to
be fed by feed belt 85 to the delivery end where each fruit will
fall into line with the rows of cleats on feed conveyor 20. As
fruit are discharged from the delivery end of the feed conveyor,
each fruit will fall onto a cleat 97 and be carried by such cleat
over the top of roll 98 and then fall upon the cleat forwardly
thereof. Thus fruit is held by cleats 97 between rails 94 at the
top and vertical sections of conveyor 20.
Means for holding and preventing fruit from rolling forwardly off a
cleat 97 may comprise an endless-holding belt 104 supported at its
top by a roller 105 carried on a shaft 106 mounted at opposite ends
on the forward depending end portions 107a of arms 107. Shaft 106
supports side members 108 which carry at their bottom a pivotally
mounted roll 109 for supporting the lower end of belt 104. The
holding belt 104 is also adjustably supported with respect to the
forward lay of the cleated belt 96 by a pair of springs 111
connected to side members 108 for biasing the holding belt toward
the vertical lay of the cleated belt 96. Thus the inner lay 112 of
belt 104 may be closely positioned into parallel relationship with
the cleated belt 96 so that the inner surface of the inner lay 112
may contact and hold, if necessary, fruit carried by cleats 97. It
is desirable that each fruit be not only prevented from falling
forward and off cleat 97 as it travels downwardly on conveyor 20
but also that it be properly positioned with respect to an opening
142 in cleated belt 96 to assist in counting the fruit being
dropped into the box as later described.
Each fruit supported by a cleat 97 as it travels downwardly toward
the box is held virtually stationary on the cleat by the inner lay
112 of the belt 104. Belt 104 is driven in correlation with the
driving of the vertical feed conveyor 20 so that the linear speed
of the adjacent lays 112 of belt 104 and the vertical front lay of
belt 96 will move at virtually the same linear speeds.
Means for adjusting the vertical relationship of the top of
conveyor 20 with the delivery end of conveyor 21 may comprise a
vertical post 116 slidable and fixed in a clamp means 117 secured
to the forward end of one of the frame members 81. The lower end of
post 116 may be welded to a sleeve 118, FIG. 1, carrying shaft
98a.
Means for driving the feed conveyors 21 and 20 and its associated
holding conveyor 104 may comprise a motor means 125 supported on
top of top frame members 81. Motor means 125 drives through a
suitable gear means 126 a sprocket 127 which drives a chain 128
engaged at its lower end by a sprocket 129 carried by a transverse
shaft 130. Shaft 130 supports a sprocket 131 which is engaged by a
drive chain 132 which engages at its other end a sprocket 133
carried by shaft 134 for driving the feed belt 85 of the feed
conveyor 21.
From shaft 130 may be supported a sprocket of approximately the
same diameter as sprocket 129 which drives a forwardly extending
drive chain 136 which engages sprocket 137 carried on shaft 98a of
the top roll of the vertical feed conveyor 20. Sprocket 137 drives
shaft 98a and an internal sprocket 138 which is engaged by chain
138a extends forwardly and upwardly to drive a small diameter
sprocket 139 which meshes with a sprocket 140 carried at the top
end of the holding-belt means 104. The selection of sprocket sizes
correlates the linear movement of the feed belts 85, vertical
elevator belt 96 and holding belt 104 so that fruit advanced along
the feed conveyor 21 will move at a substantially uniform rate from
the belt 85 to the belt 96 and be held without relative movement
between the belts by the inner lay 112 of belt 104.
Means 22 for counting each fruit just before it falls from the
vertical feel conveyor 20 into the box may comprise windows or
openings 142 in belt 96 between adjacent cleats 97 and centrally
between adjacent rails 94, each opening 142 being of generally
vertically elongated rectangular shape to afford sufficient belt
material between cleats 97 to prevent a fruit from falling
rearwardly through the opening. Adjacent bottom roller 100 of the
vertical feed conveyor 20 are transversely arranged a plurality of
photo or light-responsive means 143, each of said means being
aligned with a vertical row of windows 142. Each photoresponsive
means 143 may comprise a light source 144 directing a light beam
through window 142 toward the surface of a fruit carried by a cleat
97. Each light-responsive unit also includes a beam receptor 145
aligned with the window and light beam to receive the beam when it
is reflected from the surface of the fruit as the fruit passes by
the beam. Thus as belt 96 travels in a downward path to deposit a
fruit into the box, each window 142 admits the beam from the light
source 143 and the presence of a fruit is indicated by reflection
of the beam into the light receptor 145. In the event no fruit is
being carried by a cleat 97, then the light beam from the light
source 143 is not reflected and the light receptor receives no
indication of a fruit being present. Preferably belt 96 has a
smooth nonreflecting black surface facing light-responsive means
143.
The light receptors 145 of each light-responsive unit 143 are
connected to an electrical counting device (not shown) of
well-known make which includes a control panel 146, FIGS. 2, 9, for
selection of intermediate or subcount of articles and also
selection of the total count or aggregate number of articles
desired to be deposited in a box. In this example, control switches
for indicating intermediate or subcount of articles are indicated
generally at section 150 and may include a row of toggle switches
151 each placed below a numerical indicia indicating count, as for
example, 2,2,4,8,16,32 in one row and therebeneath 1,0,0,0,0,0. The
count is progressively arranged so that, for example as indicated
with the position of toggle switches 151 the intermediate article
count would be 16, that is 2+2+4+8. The set of toggle switches for
preselecting total or aggregate count is indicated in the section
152, the toggle switches being in a row 153. In this example, the
numerical count indicia is extended up to 128 so that combinations
of 2,2,4,8,16,32,64,128, and 1, may be made to preselect a desired
quantity of fruit. Thus, for example, if 88 oranges were to be
placed in a box, the intermediate set 150 may be set to count at 25
by turning up toggle switches beneath 16, 8 and turning toggle
switch down towards 1. The 25 count would be three times for a
subcount total of 75. As each intermediate or subcount was reached,
the box would be lowered an incremental amount as hereafter
described. After reaching the aggregate count of 88 set on section
152, the box would be lowered to the box-transfer station. The
distance that the box carriage travels downwardly in response to
the present intermediate count is determined by a time delay which
will be described hereinafter in connection with the operation of
the device.
In operation of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 through 9, inclusive
and referring first to FIG. 1, box 15 may be fed to box conveyor 11
from a supply or feed conveyor 160 having a continuously moving
belt 161 which moves at a slower speed than belt 34 of the box
conveyor 11. Conveyor 160 is aligned with box conveyor 11 and is
closely adjacent thereto as shown in FIG. 1. When box carriage 14
is in lowermost position, the cross member of U-shaped carriage
members 41 may depress a box-stop lever 163 pivoted at 164 to the
frame and having an upturned opposite box stop end 165 located
between ends of the infeed portion of conveyor means 11. Lever 163
is normally biased upwardly by a spring 166 located between stop
end 165 and the pressure contact of member 41.
When box carriage 14 is in lowermost position, a box 15 thereon
which has been filled will be transported by the box-conveyor belt
34 from the box-transfer station 12. Since box-stop lever 163 is
depressed, a second box will be advanced to belt 34 of conveyor 11
and as that box contacts belt 34, it will be advanced rapidly to
the box-transfer station because of the difference in speed of the
belts 161 and 34. When a second box is advanced onto box-transfer
portion 12, it will contact a switch means 170 carried at the
proximate end of the box-transfer station by the channel members 27
of the box conveyor. Switch 170 has a normally open and a normally
closed pair of contacts 170a and 170b respectively, FIG. 8. When
contacts 170a are closed by a box 15, a relay 171 having normally
open contacts 171a and 171b are closed and when switch 170 is
released by clearance of a box, actuate a relay 172 with normally
open contacts 172a for operating a four-way solenoid-actuated valve
174 with a time delay 175 having normally closed contacts 175a to
cause fluid in the conduits 60 to actuate the hydraulic-cylinder
means 55 to raise box carriage 14 through the parallelogram arms 49
and 50. The carriage is times to raise just as the box is
completely in the box station 12 (when switch 170 is released by
the passing box), the carriage lifting the box off moving
belt-transfer portion 35. As soon as the carriage 14 releases
pressure contact with box-stop lever 163, the upturned stop end 165
will be interposed in the path of the next succeeding box 15 on
belt 161 so that a succeeding box will not be advanced by more
rapidly moving belt 34 to the box-transfer station 12. Time delay
175 serves as a safety device to deactuate the solenoid valve 174
in case of jamming by a box or the like.
The fluid-cylinder means 55 raises the box carriage 14 to an
uppermost box-filling position determined by contact of arm 49 with
switch means 177 supported from a vertical member of side frame 42,
FIG. 4. Switch means 177 has normally closed contacts 177a and
normally open contacts 177b. When contacts 177a are opened by arm
49, the circuit controlling valve 174 is deenergized and lifting of
carriage 14 is stopped. When normally open contacts 177b are
closed, relay 178 having normally open contacts 178a is energized
to actuate the magnetic starter 179 to start the feed-conveyor
motor 125. This feed-conveyor motor circuit may be provided with an
overload 180 which is normally closed. Thus, when the box carriage
reaches its uppermost position as determined by switch means 177
and fluid-cylinder means 55, the feed conveyors 20 and 21 are
simultaneously energized through the above-described drive means
and fruit fed to the feed conveyor 21 will be advanced toward the
vertical feed conveyor 20 as previously described.
As the fruit are channeled into rows, are picked up by the cleats
97 on the belt 96, and are lowered in a vertical path with fruit in
adjacent paths being vertically offset, each fruit with its
correlated window 142 in belt 96 will pass the photoelectric
sensing unit 22. The beam from each light source 143 which is
directed toward the fruit and which will pass through the window
opening 142 will be reflected by a fruit carried by cleat 97 and
returned to a light receptor 144. Light receptor 144 transmits a
signal to the electrical counting device 199 in the control panel
where as previously described an intermediate or subcount of fruit
and a total aggregate count of fruit have been selected depending
upon the size of the fruit and quantity of the fruit desired to be
deposited in the box.
As each fruit passes a light beam from light source 143, it is
counted and then deposited on the bottom of the box. When the
selected subcount is reached, the electrical counting device 199
through its contacts 199a energizes a counter relay 181 having
normally open contacts 181a and a relay 182 having normally open
relay contacts 182a, 182b and 182c for actuation of a time delay
183 having normally closed contacts 183a. Time delay 183 determines
the vertical distance through which the carriage is lowered at the
end of each predetermined subcount of articles fed to the box. Time
delay 183 may be adjusted for any selected time period. Upon
closing of the open contacts of relay 182b, solenoid-actuating
valve 174 of the hydraulic pump will cause hydraulic-cylinder means
55 to move the box carriage downwardly a preselected distance as
determined by the time delay 183. During such stepped downward
movement of the box carriage 14 feeding of fruit to the box and
counting of the fruit is continued.
When relay 182 has its contacts closed, it will also energize
motor-vibrating means 70 to move frame 42 rapidly reciprocally
forwardly and backwardly to cause shaking of the box carriage 14
and the box 15 carried thereby. The vibrating-motor circuit may be
provided with a normally closed contacts 185a, time delay 185
determining the length of time that the box carriage is subject to
vibration. The motor-vibrating circuit may be provided with a
normally open toggle switch 186. If desired, the box and box
carriage may not be vibrated during filling or lowering of the box
and the period of vibration may be varied depending upon the type
of articles being packaged.
After the box has been successively moved downwardly in stepped
fashion in accordance with a selected number of intermediate or
subcount of articles, ultimately the total count of articles as
selected on the control panel is reached. Normally open relay
contacts 190 of the total count counter relay are closed to
energize time delay 191 which serves to keep the vertical
feed-conveyor belt in operation until the last fruit counted is
discharged. When the time delay contacts 191a, which are normally
open, are closed at the end of the time delay cycle, the
solenoid-actuated valve 174 is actuated to move the box carriage
downwardly by actuation of the cylinder means 55. At the same time
normally closed contacts 191b are opened, and the feed conveyors 20
and 21 stop. When box carriage 14 reaches its lowermost position in
the box-transfer station, parallelogram arm 50 contacts a switch
means 192 carried on the frame 42. Switch means 192 is normally
closed and upon opening, the hydraulic pump is deactivated,
downward movement is stopped, and the circuit is ready for the next
cycle which is started by the succeeding box 15 which has started
toward the box-transfer station 12 because stop lever 163 is
down.
As soon as the filled box is in its lowermost position as provided
by the down position of carriage 14, the bottom of the box is
engaged by box-transfer conveyor portion 35 and is immediately
advanced from the box-transfer station unto the adjacent discharge
portion of the box conveyor where the box may be closed and it may
be transported to storage.
In the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 8 it will be apparent that
the several motors may be connected with a suitable power source
through a circuit breaker 195 and that the feed-conveyor motor 125
may be provided with a suitable brake 196 in order to promptly stop
the feed conveyors so that additional fruit are not released from
the bottom of the feed conveyor to provide an overcount of fruit.
The control circuit described above may be fed from the main power
source through a suitable transformer 197 with a suitable circuit
breaker 198. The electrical counting device is indicated in circuit
diagram at 199 and is schematically connected to the light receptor
photocells 144 as shown. The carton-conveyor motor 32 may be
provided with circuit having normally closed overload 200 and a
normally closed overload 201 connected with the hydraulic motor
means 62.
Operation of the above-described apparatus and method of filling a
box with discrete articles has been illustrated with a vertical
feed conveyor having four channels or lanes to feed articles to the
discharge or release end of the vertical feed conveyor. Where fruit
may be of a smaller size than that intended for packaging with the
four-channel feed belt, it will be readily apparent that the feed
belt together with its arrangement of guide rails may be readily
removed from the vertical feed conveyor frame and replaced with a
feed belt having five, six, seven or eight channels or lanes for
feeding smaller sized fruit. The construction of such a
multichanneled feed belt may be the same as that described above
and corresponding number of light-responsive means would be mounted
in the vertical feed belt frame in place of the four-responsive
means shown in the present embodiment. Thus by simply changing the
belt of the vertical feed conveyor and the light-responsive means,
it will be apparent that apparatus 10 may be readily modified for
packaging articles of different size.
Vibrating means for the box carriage and box may permit vibration
thereof during a box-filling operation, during lowering of a box
carriage, or during both filling and lowering operations
simultaneously. Certain sized fruit may be preferred to be vibrated
in the box only during vertical movement of the box as it is
incrementally stepped downwardly in accordance with the number of
fruit deposited in the box. In such instance, the combination of
downward movement and horizontally and vertically directed shaking
force components imparts movement to articles being deposited which
causes them to quickly closely arrange themselves in a layer
pattern.
Means to steady and hold the box 15 against relative movement with
respect to carriage 14 during the filling operation and during
vibration of the box may comprise a biased spring arm or plate 210
carried by the carriage and extending through opening 211 in side
wall 41a for spring pressure engagement against the opposed wall of
the box so as to press the box against the outer wall 41a of the
carriage. Spring plate 210 is mounted so that in lowermost position
of carriage 14 the spring plate is retracted in opening 211 so that
passage of a box onto the carriage will not be interfered with. As
the carriage is initially raised, the spring plate is caused to
move through the opening 211 and into pressure engagement with the
box. As the box is returned to its lowermost position after
filling, the spring plate is again retracted through the opening
211. It will thus be apparent that movement of the box relative to
the carriage 14 during a filling operation is restrained and the
box is frictionally held in the carriage.
The width of the vertical feed-conveyor belt 36 may be only
slightly less than the longitudinal dimension of the box placed
upon the box-transfer station. Thus when fruit are deposited in the
box by accommodation of the release end of the feed conveyor
therein, each fruit is deposited substantially in a transverse zone
in which it will be ultimately located, and thus movement of the
fruit into such final location is minimized. Such placement of
fruit in the box by the vertical feed conveyor also tends to
facilitate more rapid formation of the layer pattern of fruit in
the box.
Apparatus 10 may be readily adapted to fill a box with discrete
fruit in accordance with weight by modifying the box-carriage means
and the means responsive to quantitative measurement of the
articles so that weight instead of count is made the unit of
measure. When describing this embodiment parts similar to like
parts in the prior embodiment will be given the same reference
numeral plus 200.
Box carriage 214 may be lowered and raised from a box-transfer
station 212 by parallelogram arms 249 and 250 in a manner similar
to that described in the prior embodiment. The box-conveyor means
211 includes channel section frame members 227 provided with
transverse rolls arranged as in the prior embodiment so that a
belt-transfer portion 235 will be provided at the box-transfer
station 212.
Each U-shaped end member 241 of the box carriage may carry a pair
of transversely spaced, pressure-sensing units 222 of strain gage
or electrical resistant type. As shown in FIG. 10, each
pressure-sensing unit 222 may contact and support a corner of a box
215 when raised above the transfer station. The top face of each
pressure-sensing unit 222 is located below the plane of the top lay
portions of the box-conveyor belt so that a box 215 will readily
pass thereover.
When the box carriage is raised, it will be apparent that the box
215 is supported by four pressure-sensing units 222 from the box
carriage 214. Each of the four pressure-sensing units 222 may be
electrically connected to an electronic weight unit which may be
substituted for the counter 199 of the prior embodiment and which
is responsive to signals from the pressure-sensing units 222 in
accordance with the sensing of the weight of each article deposited
in the box. Such an electronic weight unit is of well-known
manufacture and may be programmed in a manner similar to that
described for the electric counter. Thus, on a control panel, a
selected sub or intermediate weight may be preset so that as
articles are fed into the box and as the subweights are attained,
the box will be lowered in response to such subweight total in the
same manner as that described in the prior embodiment. When the
aggregate total weight is attained as preselected on the control
panel, the box carriage will be caused to move downwardly to the
box-transfer station and a box filled with articles to a
preselected weight will be discharged by the continuously running
box conveyor 212.
It will be understood that other types of pressure-sensing units
may be employed and may be carried by box carriage 214. In some
instances it may be desirable to use two pressure-sensing units,
one carried by the transverse portion of each U-shaped end
member.
When apparatus 10 is modified as above described to measure weight
of articles deposited in the box, it will be apparent that the
apparatus and box-filling method of this invention becomes readily
adaptable for filling boxes to a predetermined weight with articles
or material capable of being fed individually to the box.
In the above-described embodiments of the present invention, a box
may be rapidly filled with articles by count of the articles or by
actual weight of the articles. Thus, the articles are quantitively
measured as they are deposited in the box and the present invention
discloses a means for such quantitive measuring of the articles at
approximately the moment of placement or deposit in the box. Means
for moving apart the box carriage and the article release end of
the vertical feed conveyor in response to such quantitive measuring
means is provided at an arbitrarily preselected quantitive
measurement by either count or by weight of said articles. Precise,
accurate, rapid filling of a box with a selected number of articles
or a selected aggregate weight of articles is therefore readily
accomplished.
It will be understood that various modifications and changes may be
made in the above-identified apparatus and method which come within
the spirit of this invention. It will be understood that the term
"articles" may include fruit or produce of different type and kind
capable of being handled in bulk and discretely for packaging, and
that the article may be relatively large as for example grapefruit
or may be relatively small as for example plums, nuts or other
types of discrete articles which are of nonproduce type. All such
modifications and changes coming within the scope of the appended
claims are embraced thereby.
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