ES1309300U - EQUIPMENT FOR PACKAGING CHERRIES AND OTHER FRUITS (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Equipment for packaging cherries and other fruits, comprising at least one calibrating element that feeds at least a first conveyor belt (2) that drags the fruits to a packaging station in which the fruits are first introduced inside of some lamellar containers (7), and subsequently, said containers (7) with the fruits inside are introduced individually into some boxes (12); characterized in that the packaging station comprises: - a weighing device (3) that receives the fruits dragged by the first conveyor belt (2); where said weighing device (3) includes a second conveyor belt (4) on which the fruits coming from the first conveyor belt (2) rest; - a packaging module (6) in which the containers (7) are formed unitarily and filled with the fruits; where said packaging module (6) includes an inclined base (8) on which each container (7) with the fruits inside rests; where each container (7) is formed by means of an inclined Flow pack system in accordance with the inclination of the inclined base (8) of the packaging module (6); and where the second conveyor belt (4) moves synchronously with the Flow pack system to feed the fruits gently and form the container (7); - a third conveyor belt (11) located below the packaging module (6); where the containers (7) of the packaging module (6) descend along their inclined base (8) down the slope towards the third conveyor belt (11); and where the lowest lower end of the inclined base (8) opens into a first confluence area (15) in proximity to the third conveyor belt (11) that drags the boxes (12); - an area for placing lids (14) for the boxes (12); where the empty boxes (12) are dragged by the third conveyor belt (11) a first distance until reaching the first confluence area (15) in which the containers (7) with the fruits inside are introduced synchronously into the boxes. boxes (12) during their dragging along the third conveyor belt (11). (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

EQUIPMENT FOR PACKAGING CHERRIES AND OTHER FRUITS

Object of the invention

The object of the invention relates to equipment for packaging cherries and other similar delicate fruits using Flow Pack technology, in order to considerably reduce the costs of this type of installation, and also to reduce the dimensions that said installations currently have.

Furthermore, it should be noted that with the equipment of the invention it is possible to combine the entire fruit packaging process in a single installation: first the fruit is packaged in laminar packages, and then the sets of said packages with the fruit inside are introduced into boxes that are finally closed with lids; all this in a continuous process with one or more packaging lines. It allows each package to be made using the Flow pack system directly from a calibration element, unlike other systems that depend on intermediate steps.

Background of the invention

Nowadays, the use of the Flow pack packaging type is widespread, especially in the food industry where it is possible to easily make packages of sizes suitable for consumption.

In general, Flow Pack consists of using rolls of film made of a heat-sealable material, which are used to create a compartment or bag that is filled with the product to be packaged and then sealed, leaving a completely closed, airtight and watertight bag. There are predominantly two types of Flow Pack packaging: vertical and horizontal.

Horizontal flow packs are more widely used for packaging fragile products such as fruit, vegetables or baked goods such as biscuits. For this purpose, they are supplied individually or in groups, so that later they will form the final package on a transport line by separating them from each other.

The Flow pack station usually consists of a device in which, at the input, there are two rolls of heat-sealable film, one above and one below, respectively. At a certain point in the process, the elements to be packaged, individually or in groups, are transferred to a transport device in which the lower film of the lower zone is already extended. In parallel, in the upper zone, the upper film is also unrolled. Both elements advance, unrolling in parallel, to the heat-sealing equipment, which is usually made up of a head with a hot zone that acts by sealing and cutting the outsides of both films, at the same time the sides of the films are welded together, creating a single Flow pack.

Vertical flow packs are more widely used for less fragile foods such as nuts, jelly beans or crisps. They are also more widely used for granular foods because they can be easily used with a feed hopper that, through the effect of gravity, supplies the product portions.

In a normal vertical Flow pack process, the rolls of heat-sealable film are formed into bags, heat-sealing the lower end and the sides, so that the product enters through the top, then by means of the effect of gravity the product advances towards its lower deposit, making both heat-sealable films advance, and forming a new bag for subsequent filling.

A record that exemplifies a method of using horizontal Flow pack is the patent with publication number ES2632118, which describes a procedure and a system for grouping individual products into product groups and for supplying them to handling means, such as Flow pack type means, or a box packer or similar.

Description of the invention

In order to achieve the objectives and avoid the drawbacks mentioned in the previous sections, the invention proposes equipment for packaging cherries and other fruits comprising at least one calibrating element that feeds at least one first conveyor belt that drags the fruits to a packaging station in which the fruits are first introduced into laminar packages, and subsequently, said packages with the fruits in their interior space are introduced individually into boxes.

The packaging station comprises at least one weighing device, at least one packaging module in which the fruits are introduced into each laminar package, at least one third conveyor belt and at least one fourth inclined conveyor belt; where the weighing device includes a second conveyor belt.

The weighing device receives the fruit dragged by the first conveyor belt; said weighing device includes the second conveyor belt on which the fruit supplied by the first conveyor belt rests.

In the packaging module, the containers are formed individually and filled with the fruit; said packaging module includes an inclined base on which each container rests with the fruit housed in its interior space; each container is formed by means of an inclined Flow pack system in accordance with the inclination of the inclined base of the packaging module; and where the second conveyor belt moves synchronously with the Flow pack system to gently feed the fruit and form the respective container.

The third conveyor belt is located below the packaging module, such that the containers from the packaging module descend along its inclined base downwards towards the third conveyor belt; where the lower end of said inclined base ends in a first confluence zone close to the third conveyor belt that carries the boxes.

The fourth inclined conveyor belt ends at its lower end in a second confluence zone close to the third conveyor belt; where said fourth inclined conveyor belt drags covers down the slope to cover the boxes in the second confluence zone.

With this described arrangement, in one phase, the empty boxes are dragged by the third conveyor belt a first distance until reaching the first confluence zone in which the containers with the fruit inside are introduced synchronously into the boxes while they are dragged by the third conveyor belt.

In another subsequent phase as a continuation of the phase described in the previous paragraph, the boxes with the containers inside are dragged a second distance by the third conveyor belt until reaching the second confluence zone where the lower end of the third conveyor belt ends, such that in said second confluence zone the lids are synchronously coupled onto the openings of the respective boxes as they are dragged along the third conveyor belt.

The first conveyor belt is located below the gauging element; said first conveyor belt is arranged along a longitudinal alignment that is perpendicular to a transverse alignment along which the gauging element is located; and where the fruits fall by gravity downwards from the gauging element to the first conveyor belt.

The third conveyor belt includes a first inclined section uphill as the boxes are dragged before the lids are positioned on said boxes, and a second horizontal section in which the boxes are dragged by the third conveyor belt after the lids are placed on closing the mouths of the boxes; where the first confluence zone in which the containers are introduced into the boxes is located in correspondence with the first inclined section of the third conveyor belt; and where the second confluence zone in which the boxes are closed with the lids is located in proximity to the convergence of the first section and the second section of the third conveyor belt.

It is also possible that the area where the lids are placed to close the boxes is located in a different area from the second confluence area, and could even be in a different machine or equipment.

In one embodiment of the invention, the equipment of the invention includes a supplying device for absorbent sheets, which are placed on the second conveyor belt of the weighing device to provide support for the fruits to absorb their moisture; where the set of each absorbent sheet and the fruits is dragged to the packaging module; and where the supplying device is located next to the weighing device.

The fruit calibrating element (cherries) supplies them, properly counted, to the first conveyor belt, and from here the fruits are dragged to the second conveyor belt, which transfers the fruits to the weighing device that introduces the set or group of fruits, counted and weighed, into the tubular container formed by means of the inclined Flow pack system arranged at a certain angle in accordance with the same inclination as the inclined base of the weighing device. Below this, the empty boxes arrive in a synchronized manner and are filled with the fruits housed in the containers, and above said weighing module the lids run dragged by the fourth conveyor belt, this and the third conveyor belt converging in the second confluence zone where the lid is applied or mounted on the box filled with the fruit container.

In one embodiment of the invention, the equipment of the invention comprises at least two first conveyor belts in parallel, at least two packaging modules with their two second conveyor belts, at least two third conveyor belts and at least two fourth conveyor belts; with this embodiment, increasing production in packaging.

Below, to facilitate a better understanding of this descriptive report and as an integral part of it, a series of figures are attached in which the object of the invention has been represented for illustrative and non-limiting purposes.

Brief description of the figures

Figure 1.- Shows an elevation view of the equipment for packaging cherries and other fruits, object of the invention.

Figure 2.- Shows a plan view of a part of the equipment of the invention.

Figure 3.- Shows an elevation view of a part of what is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4.- Shows an elevation view of a cherry weighing conveyor device.

Figure 5.- Shows an elevation view of what is shown in Figure 1, where the cherries are housed inside a laminar container arranged on an inclined plane.

Description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention

Considering the numbering adopted in the figures, the equipment for packaging cherries C and other fruits comprises a conventional calibrating element 1 that feeds two first conveyor belts 2 in parallel located below the calibrating element 1; where the first conveyor belts 2 are arranged along two longitudinal alignments that are perpendicular to a transverse alignment along which the calibrating element 1 is located.

With this described arrangement, from the calibrating element 1, the cherries C fall by gravity towards one or the other first conveyor belt 2, counting their number, so that later said cherries C are dragged by the first conveyor belts 2 to weighing devices 3 that are arranged after the first two conveyor belts 2.

Each of the weighing devices 3 includes a second conveyor belt 4, on the upper branch of which the cherries C are accumulated until completing a group of them previously counted by the calibrating element, such that in this situation the weighing device 3 is responsible for controlling the weight of each group of cherries C. On said upper branch of the second conveyor belt 4 of the weighing device 3 there is an absorbent sheet 5 to keep the cherries C dry, which rest on said absorbent sheet 5.

The group of cherries C formed in the weighing device 3 is a package P of cherries which is dragged together with the absorbent sheet 5 by its second conveyor belt 4 to a packaging module 6, in which said package P of cherries together with the absorbent sheet 5 is packaged inside a container 7 of plastic material, which is formed in the packaging module 6 itself by means of the known Flow pack system. The packaging module 6 includes an inclined base 8, on which the container 7 with the cherries C and the absorbent sheet 5 will slide inside said container 7.

It should be noted that each package 7 is formed by means of an inclined Flow pack system in accordance with the inclination of the inclined base 8 of the packaging module 6; where said inclination is preferably 45°.

For this purpose, two rolls of heat-sealable plastic film are provided: an upper roll 9 and another lower roll 10 placed below the upper roll 9, such that the film of the lower roll 10 is deployed and unrolled on the inclined base 8 of the packaging module 6, while the film of the upper roll 9 is deployed and unrolled parallel to the film of the lower roll 10, whereby the package P of cherries is placed inside the container 7 during its formation, which will be finished forming by joining both films of the upper roll 9 and lower roll 10 by a heat-sealed joint that corresponds to the entire perimeter contour of the container.

In one of the phases of the formation of each container 7 by means of the inclined Flow pack system, the container 7 is closed by heat sealing around its entire perimeter, with the exception of a mouth located at the highest part of said container 7 being formed, such that in this phase is when the package P of cherries is introduced into the container 7 being formed, and finally the inclined Flow pack system proceeds to close said mouth by heat sealing and simultaneously cuts the formed container 7 which will fall by gravity down the slope sliding along the inclined base 8 to the respective box 12.

In a subsequent phase, each package 7 closed with the package P of cherries and the absorbent sheet 5, slides by gravity down the inclined base 8 of each packaging module 6, ending in an area where said package 7 with the cherries falls into a box 12 dragged by a third conveyor belt 11 that transports the boxes 12 to house in them, individually and in a synchronized manner, the packages 7 with the cherries C fed from the packaging module 6. The lower, lower end of the inclined base 8 of the packaging module 6 ends in a first confluence area 15 close to the third conveyor belt 11 that drags the boxes 12.

The equipment of the invention also includes two fourth inclined conveyor belts 13, each of which opens out at its lower end close to the respective third conveyor belt 11 to carry out the synchronized closing of the boxes 12 dragged by the third conveyor belt 11. To do this, the fourth inclined conveyor belt 13 drags covers 14 by means of which the openings of the boxes 12 are closed.

The third conveyor belt 11 includes a first section 11a inclined upward as the boxes 12 are dragged before the lids 14 are positioned on said boxes 12, and a second horizontal section 11b in which the boxes 12 are dragged by the third conveyor belt 11 after the lids 14 are placed on the boxes 12.

In line with what has been said in the previous paragraph, the fourth inclined conveyor belt 13 ends at its lower, lower end precisely in a second confluence zone 16 close to the third conveyor belt 11; said second confluence zone 16 is located close to the convergence of the two differentiated sections 11a, 11b of the third conveyor belt 11, thus achieving a better and more precise assembly of the lids 14 to close the mouths of the boxes 12. In this way it is possible to speed up the assembly process of the lids 14 on the boxes 14.

Between the two weighing devices 3 that include the two second conveyor belts 4 (figure 2), there is arranged a supplying device 17 of the absorbent sheets 5 that can be a manipulator arm, a robot, a dispenser, a person placing the absorbent sheets, etc.

On the other hand, instead of the first conveyor belts 2, conveyors implemented with other transport methods different from those shown in the figures can be installed. For example, water channels can be used onto which the calibrating element 1 drops the cherries C, which would be dragged by the water flow until they fall onto the second conveyor belts 4 of the respective weighing devices 3.

Claims (6)

1. - Equipment for packaging cherries and other fruits, comprising at least one calibrating element that feeds at least one first conveyor belt (2) that drags the fruits to a packaging station in which the fruits are first introduced into laminar packages (7), and subsequently, said packages (7) with the fruits inside are introduced individually into boxes (12); characterized in that the packaging station comprises: - a weighing device (3) that receives the fruit dragged by the first conveyor belt (2); said weighing device (3) including a second conveyor belt (4) on which the fruit coming from the first conveyor belt (2) rest; - a packaging module (6) in which the packages (7) are unitarily formed and filled with the fruits; where said packaging module (6) includes an inclined base (8) on which each package (7) with the fruits inside rests; where each package (7) is formed by means of an inclined Flow pack system according to the inclination of the inclined base (8) of the packaging module (6); and where the second conveyor belt (4) moves synchronously with the Flow pack system to gently feed the fruits and form the package (7); - a third conveyor belt (11) located below the packaging module (6); where the containers (7) of the packaging module (6) descend along its inclined base (8) downhill towards the third conveyor belt (11); and where the lower end of the inclined base (8) ends in a first confluence zone (15) in proximity to the third conveyor belt (11) that carries the boxes (12); - an area for placing covers (14) for the boxes (12); where the empty boxes (12) are dragged by the third conveyor belt (11) a first distance until reaching the first confluence zone (15) in which the containers (7) with the fruits inside are introduced synchronously into the boxes (12) during their dragging by the third conveyor belt (11). 2. - Equipment for packaging cherries and other fruits, according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a fourth inclined conveyor belt (13) which ends at its lower end in a second confluence zone (16) in proximity to the third conveyor belt (11); where said fourth inclined conveyor belt (13) drags the lids (14) down the slope to cover the boxes (12) in the second confluence zone (16) which constitutes the area for placing the lids (4); where the empty boxes (12) are dragged by the third conveyor belt (11) a first distance until reaching the first confluence zone (15) in which the containers (7) with the fruits inside are introduced synchronously into the boxes (12) during their dragging by the third conveyor belt (11); where the boxes (12) with the containers (7) inside them are dragged a second distance by the third conveyor belt (11) until reaching the second confluence zone (16) where the lower end of the third conveyor belt (11) ends, such that in said second confluence zone (16) the lids (14) are synchronously coupled onto the openings of the respective boxes (12) during their dragging by the third conveyor belt (11). 3. - Equipment for packaging cherries and other fruits, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first conveyor belt (2) is located below the calibrating element (1); wherein said first conveyor belt (2) is arranged along a longitudinal alignment that is perpendicular to a transverse alignment along which the calibrating element (1) is located; and wherein the fruits fall by gravity downwards from the calibrating element to the first conveyor belt (2). 4. - Equipment for packaging cherries and other fruits, according to claim 2, characterized in that the third conveyor belt (11) includes a first section (11a) inclined upwards as the boxes (12) are dragged before positioning the lids (14) on said boxes (12), and a second horizontal section (11b) in which the boxes (12) are dragged by the third conveyor belt (11) after placing the lids (14) on the boxes (12); where the first confluence zone (15) in which the containers (7) are introduced into the boxes (12), is located in correspondence with the first section (11a) of the third conveyor belt (11); and where the second confluence zone (16) in which the boxes (12) are closed with the lids (14), is located close to the convergence of the first section (11a) and the second section of the third conveyor belt (11). 5. - Equipment for packaging cherries and other fruits, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes a supply device (17) of absorbent sheets (5), which are placed on the second conveyor belt (4) of the weighing device (3) to provide support for the fruits; where the set of each absorbent sheet (5) and the fruits is dragged to the packaging module (6); and where the supply device (17) is located next to the weighing device (3). 6.- Equipment for packaging cherries and other fruits, according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises at least two first conveyor belts (2) in parallel, at least two packaging modules (6) with their two second conveyor belts (4), at least two third conveyor belts (11) and at least two fourth conveyor belts (13).