WO1998036644A1 - Method and installation for producing at least a product line on a conveyor belt - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and a device for producing one line or several parallel lines of products (13) on a conveyor belt (3), for supplying an automatic unit making sandwiches, such as stuffed luncheons for example, said line or parallel lines (13) consisting of at least two different kinds of regularly alternating products (10, 12) to form the upper part and the lower part of said sandwich. The method is characterised in that it consists in: forming separate lots (14, 14') of identical products (10 or 12) corresponding to each kind of products entering the composition of the line(s) (13) of alternating products, each lot (14, 14') being arranged on its own conveying structure (16, 18); then setting one after the other the products or rows of products (10, 12) of each lot (14, 14') on the conveyor belt (3) which feeds the sandwich making unit, this arrangement being controlled so as to form the line or said parallel lines (13) of alternating products.

Description

METHOD AND INSTALLATION FOR MAKING AT LEAST ONE PRODUCT LINE ON A CONVEYOR BELT

The present invention relates to the food industry; it relates more particularly to a method and an installation which make it possible to produce a line or several parallel lines of products on a conveyor belt, for the supply of an automatic sandwich manufacturing unit, for example of the filled snack type, the said line or lines of products being made up of at least two different kinds of regularly alternating products, in particular to form the top part and the bottom part of said sandwich.

Sandwich biscuits of the snack-filled type, for example, consist of two sandwich halves superimposed between which a filling ingredient, such as cream or jam, has been deposited.

Each half of the sandwich usually consists of a simple cookie. In some cases, the two associated sandwich halves are identical in nature and structure; in other cases, their nature and / or structure are different. These sandwich cookies can be manufactured on a completely automated line comprising, successively, a unit for preparing and shaping cookie dough, a unit for baking cookies and a unit for manufacturing sandwiches. The sandwiches are made from rows of cookies constituting the sandwich halves, arranged on a conveyor belt. In these different rows, one half of sandwiches out of two receives the filling ingredient on its upper face and the other half covers or covers the whole. Preferably, the faces of the two sandwich halves in contact with the filling ingredient correspond to the faces of said sandwich halves which were in contact with the cooking support. So in the rows of sandwich halves, half of sandwiches out of two (the one on which the filling ingredient is placed) must be turned over.

Patent documents US-A-4,098,909, US-A-4,194,443 or even EP-A-0 556 656 describe installations for making such sandwich cookies. These installations are arranged downstream of the cooking unit for the sandwich halves and they are adapted to operate from identical lines of products arranged on a transport plane and each consisting of one kind of product or two kinds of regularly alternating products. From these identical parallel queues, a turning station performs the operation of turning one product out of two; this operation is carried out by means of a pivoting flap implemented selectively during a fall imposed on the various products. The returned products then receive the filling ingredient and the rows of alternating products finally reach the so-called "capping" station at which the second half of the sandwich covers the bottom half and the filling ingredient.

A first drawback of this type of installation lies in the need to turn over one product in two in the different queues. This requires the presence of a pivoting flap whose movement limits the rates.

On the other hand, in the case where two different kinds of products are used to form the top parts and the bottom parts of the sandwich, these two kinds of products must be regularly alternated in each line which feeds the turning station. The automated means for preparing the cookies constituting the sandwich halves are adapted accordingly.

However, if for one reason or another there appears an accidental alternation fault in the queues (for example if a product is missing), this defect leads to a total disorganization of the following stages of turning and making sandwiches. This leads to poor workmanship at the end of the chain which can cause significant losses if we do not quickly see the existing problem.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks by proposing a new process and a new installation which make it possible to produce rows of alternating products, suitable for supplying a sandwich-making unit, this more safely. and faster than with current state of the art solutions.

To achieve this result, the process according to the present invention consists of:

- to form separate batches of identical products corresponding to each sort of different product entering into the composition of the said line or rows of alternating products, each batch being placed on its own conveying structure, then - to deposit one after the other products or product rows of each of said lots on the conveyor belt which supplies the sandwich manufacturing unit, this depot being managed to form the line or said parallel lines of alternating products.

The products or the rows of products are deposited one after the other on the moving conveyor belt, which allows the realization of the line or lines of alternating products, continuously.

Before the operation of “mixing” the products on the conveyor belt which supplies the sandwich manufacturing unit, all the identical products of the same batch can be treated, for example subjecting them to a turning operation.

In the context of the present invention, by “different” products is meant products of different nature or structure, but also products of the same nature or structure, simply turned over with respect to one another. Preferably, batches of identical products are formed, arranged in several parallel rows on their conveying structure; number of lines of each batch is the same and it corresponds to the number of lines of alternating products which supply the sandwich making unit.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the batches of identical products are formed from a common source consisting of a plurality of rows of at least two kinds of products placed on the same conveyor structure, the products being identical on each of said queues. This conveying structure corresponds for example to the plan for transporting the products at the outlet of the cooking unit; the means of prior preparation of the sandwich halves are adapted to form these lines of identical products.

In this context, the method consists in separating the lines of products from the common source to form the batches of identical products on different conveyor structures, to reorganize said products on each conveyor structure to reform the number of lines of the common source , then to phase the products of each batch to ensure their alternative deposit in a line or in several lines on the conveyor belt which supplies the sandwich manufacturing unit.

The present invention also relates to the installation for producing a line or several parallel lines of alternating products. According to the invention, this installation consists of at least two superimposed conveyor structures each intended to guide a batch of identical products corresponding to one of the kinds of products used in the composition of the rows of alternating products, the downstream ends said conveyor structures extending to the conveyor belt intended to supply the sandwich making unit; these conveyor structures comprise means for synchronizing the products or the rows of products which they support, which are adapted to allow the alternating recovery of said products or of said rows of products on said conveyor belt. According to another characteristic, the superimposed conveyor structures are supplied at their upstream end by a common source consisting of a conveyor belt extended by a juxtaposition of distribution chutes, and each includes means for multiplying product lines.

Still according to the invention, the superimposed conveyor structures each comprise means for distributing the products or rows of products, in the form of rotary indexers for example, which distribution means are synchronized with one another to ensure the alternating recovery of said products or rows of products on the feed conveyor belt of the sandwich manufacturing unit. Still according to the invention, one of the superimposed conveyor structures comprises a system for turning over all the products or all the rows of products which it supports. This reversal system preferably consists of a juxtaposition of inclined ramps arranged on a sliding plate; these ramps are associated with means for distributing the rows of products, upstream, and with means for realigning said rows of products deposited on the feed conveyor belt of the sandwich manufacturing unit.

The invention will now be described in more detail on the basis of a particular embodiment of the installation shown diagrammatically in the appended figure.

This figure illustrates an interface installation 1 which allows the processing of product lines between an upstream conveyor belt 2 and a downstream conveyor belt 3. The treated products consist of flat products which are intended to be coupled to make sandwiches, in combination with a filling ingredient. For example, they may be round cookies, for the manufacture of sandwich cookies, of the filled snack type. The conveyor belt 2 forms a transport plane for products arranged in substantially parallel rows; on each line taken in isolation, the products are identical. In the illustrated embodiment, the conveyor belt 2 carries four rows 5, 6, 7 and 8 of two kinds of products 10, 12. The products 10 of the two rows 5 and 7 are identical, just like the products 12 of the two rows 6 and 8. On the other hand, products 10 and 12 are different from each other, either in their nature or in their structure; this is the reason why they were represented differently.

The two kinds of products 10 and 12 are intended, one to form the bottom part of the sandwiches and the other the top part. The treatment applied to them in the interface installation 1 is adapted to allow the production of four identical rows 13 of products 10, 12 regularly alternated on the downstream belt 3, to ensure the supply of the manufacturing unit of the sandwiches, not shown.

For this, the products 10, 12 arranged on the upstream belt 2 are separated to form two lots 14 and 14 'of identical products. This separation is carried out by means of first distribution chutes 15 which direct the products 10 from the queues 5 and 7 to a first conveying structure 16, and by means of second chutes 17 which direct the products 12 from the queues 6 and 8 to a second conveyor structure 18. The two independent conveyor structures 16 and 18 are superimposed and oriented in the same direction.

The conveyor structure 16 consists of a conveyor belt 20 provided with a station 21 for multiplying the lines. This station 21, simply shown diagrammatically in the figure, can be made up of deflector systems with paddles, conventional in the field concerned. These deflectors make it possible to reconstitute four rows of products 10 at the downstream end of the conveyor belt 20.

Downstream of this conveyor belt 20, the products 10 in rows are taken up by an inclined sheet 22 which extends to the conveyor belt 3. This inclined sheet 22 is associated with a rotary indexer 24 which makes it possible to phase the transverse rows of products 10. This rotary indexer 24 can be in the form of a motorized roller provided with fingers protrusion; it ensures alignment of the successive rows of products 10 and their regular distribution to the conveyor belt 3.

Just behind the rotary indexer 24, all the products 10 undergo a turning operation by appropriate means, shown diagrammatically at 26. These turning means 26 consist of inclined ramps 27 fixed, placed opposite each row of products 10. These ramps 27 are adapted to impose a helical movement on the products 10, leading to their overturning on the transport plane. To illustrate this turning, upstream of the turning station 26, the upper face of the products 10 is marked with a reference cross; downstream of station 26, the upper face of the products 10 no longer has this mark.

Behind the turning station 26, the rows of returned products 10 continue to slide towards the conveyor belt 3 on which they are deposited.

The conveyor structure 18 consists of a first conveyor belt 28 on which is placed a station 29 for multiplying the lines. This station 29 is of the same type as that 21 provided on the conveyor belt 20; it makes it possible to reconstitute four parallel rows of products 12 at the downstream end of the belt 28.

In the continuity of the conveyor belt 28, the products 12 are taken up by an inclined sheet 30 associated with a rotary indexer 31. This indexer 31 is in the form of a motorized roller provided with projecting fingers, arranged transversely to the product advancement direction; it ensures the alignment of the rows of products 12 and their regular distribution on a second conveyor belt 32. The conveyor belt 32 makes the connection between the inclined ramp 30 and the conveyor belt 3 on which the rows of products 12 are deposited.

The conveyor structure 16 consisting of the conveyor belt 20 and the inclined sheet 22, on the one hand, and the conveyor structure 18 consisting of the conveyor belt 28, the inclined sheet 30 and the conveyor belt 32, on the other hand, both extend from the end downstream of the conveyor belt 2 to the upstream end of the conveyor belt 3. At this level, the rows of products 12 distributed by the rotary indexer 31 are directly taken up by the conveyor belt 3 and the rows of products 10 distributed by the 'rotary indexer 24 are deposited by the sheet 22 so that they are inserted between two rows of products 12. The rotary indexers 24 and 31 are synchronized accordingly, mechanically or electronically.

The end of the sheet 22 is placed at a sufficient distance above the conveyor belt 3 so as not to hinder the passage of the rows of products 12.

At the line for depositing the rows of products 10 on the conveyor belt 3, it is possible to provide for the presence of an additional rotary indexer 34 making it possible to ensure correct positioning of the rows of products 10 which come from the turning station 26 , between the rows of products 12. The rotary indexer 34 consists of a transverse roller provided with projecting fingers; it is arranged so as not to interfere with the movement or positioning of the products 12. The rotary indexer 34 is mechanically or electronically synchronized with the other two indexers 24 and 31 arranged upstream. In the appended figure there are shown two rows of products 10 being transferred to the sliding plane 22, between the two rotary indexers 24 and 34. However, preferably, the interface installation 1 is adapted so that a single row of products 10 at a time is interposed between the two rotary indexers 24 and 34; in this way, if the installation is stopped, the restart can be carried out practically normally, without appreciable consequence on the alternation of the products in the final queues 13.

This gives rows 13 of products 10, 12 regularly alternated which will be able to supply the sandwich manufacturing unit. These rows 13 of alternating products are obtained continuously and without subjecting a change of direction to the products concerned 10, 12, which allows high rates. The interface installation 1 in accordance with the present invention makes it possible to treat independently of each other the various kinds of products used in the composition of the rows of alternating products. This allows for greater speed and greater processing security. The means for preparing the products 10, 12 upstream of the interface installation 1 which has just been described, are adapted to obtain the particular arrangement of the products in a row illustrated on the conveyor belt 2. The products 10, 12 being identical on each line 5, 6, 7 or 8, any possible accident on one of the products has no effect on obtaining the final lines 13 of products 10, 12 regularly alternated. Of course, this installation structure applies in the same way to a smaller or a greater number of rows of products on the upstream belt 2.

Note also that the number of rows 13 of alternating products 10, 12 on the downstream belt 3 can be different from the number of rows of products on the upstream belt 2. Having a number of identical rows simplifies the step of multiplication of the queues.

Also, the same principle can be envisaged for obtaining rows of alternating products made up of more than two different kinds of product. This application can be envisaged for the manufacture of multilayer sandwiches; a number of independent conveyor structures corresponding to the number of different kinds of products entering into the composition of the rows of alternating products will then be provided. On the other hand, in the embodiment described above, the interface installation 1 processes two kinds of products 10, 12 of different nature and / or structure. This same installation can also be used to process a sort of product simply, the difference between the alternating products of the queues 13 being situated only in the alternation of positioning of each product linked to the turning operation at the station 26.

Claims

 - CLAIMS - 1.- Method of making a line or several parallel lines (13) of products on a conveyor belt (3), for the supply of an automatic sandwich manufacturing unit, of the snack-filled type example, said line or said parallel lines (13) consisting of at least two different kinds of products (10, 12) regularly alternated to form in particular the top part and the bottom part of said sandwich, characterized in that it consists: - To form separate batches (14, 14 ') of identical products corresponding to each sort of different product (10, 12) used in the composition of the said line or rows of alternating products (13), each batch (14, 14' ) being arranged on its own conveying structure (16, 18), then - depositing, one after the other, the products or the rows of products (10, 12) of each of said batches (14, 14 ') on the conveyor belt (3) which feeds the sandwich making unit, this deposit being managed to form the queue or said parallel queues (13) of alternating products. 2.- Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it consists in forming batches (14, 14 ') of identical products arranged in several parallel rows on their conveying structure (16, 18), the number of rows of each batch (14, 14 ') being the same and corresponding to the number of rows (13) of alternating products which supply the sandwich manufacturing unit. 3.- Method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it consists in subjecting all the identical products (10) of one of the lots (14) to a turning operation before making the queue or the parallel rows (13) of alternating products. 4.- Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it consists in forming the batches (14, 14 ') of identical products (10, 12) from a common source consisting of a plurality of rows (5, 6, 7, 8) of at least two kinds of products (10, 12) placed on the same conveyor structure (2), the products (10, 12) being identical on each of said rows (5, 6, 7, 8). 5.- Method according to claim 4, characterized in that it consists: - separating the product lines (5, 6, 7, 8) from the common source (2) to form the batches (14, 14 ') of identical products on the different conveying structures (16, 18), - reorganizing said products (10, 12) on each conveyor structure (16, 18) to reform the number of rows of the common source (2), then - phasing the products (10, 12) of each batch (14, 14 ') to ensure their alternative deposition in one or more rows (13) on the conveyor belt (3) which feeds the sandwich manufacturing unit. 6.- Installation for producing a line or several parallel lines (13) of products on a conveyor belt, for supplying an automatic sandwich making unit, of the stuffed snack type for example, said line or said parallel rows (13) consisting of at least two different kinds of products (10, 12) regularly alternated to form in particular the top part and the bottom part of said sandwich, characterized in that it consists of at least two structures conveyor lines (16, 18) superimposed, each intended to guide a batch (14, 14 ') of identical products corresponding to one of said kinds of products, the downstream ends of said conveyor structures (16, 18) extending up to 'to the conveyor belt (3) intended to supply said sandwich making unit, which conveying structures (16, 18) include means for synchronizing (24, 31) the products or rows of products (10, 12), which are adapted to allow the alternating recovery of these or these on said conveyor belt (3). 7.- Installation according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises superimposed conveying structures (16, 18) fed at their upstream end by a common source consisting of a conveyor belt (2) extended by a juxtaposition chutes (15, 17) which distribute the product lines (5, 6, 7, 8) over said conveying structures (16, 18), these being also provided with means for multiplying (21, 29) the rows of products. 8.- Installation according to any one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that the conveyor structures (16, 18) each comprise means of distribution (24, 31) of the products or rows of products (10, 12) , in the form of rotary indexers for example, which distribution means (24, 31) are synchronized with one another to ensure the alternating recovery of said products or rows of products (10, 12) on the conveyor belt (3) for feeding the sandwich manufacturing unit. 9.- Installation according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that one of the superimposed conveying structures (16) comprises a turning system (26) of the products or rows of products (10). 10.- Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises a turning system (26) consisting of a juxtaposition of inclined ramps (27) arranged on a sliding plate (22), this turning system (26 ) being associated with distribution means (24) of the rows of products (10), upstream, and with means (34) for realigning said rows (10) deposited on the conveyor belt (3) supplying the sandwich manufacturing unit.