Method and device for portion packaging of flat products

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method and to a device for portion packaging of flat products, such as potato chips, in which the products are conveyed as product portions along a plurality of product conveying sections, which are disposed adjacent to each other, to a product transfer device for transferring the product portions into packaging containers, wherein, between each product conveying section and two transfer conveyors of the product transfer device, which are disposed adjacent next to each other, the product portions delivered via the product conveying section are distributed to the transfer conveyors by means of a redistributing device in such a manner that during occurrence of a conveying gap between two product portions conveyed on the product conveying section, the redistributing device is switched from a first connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the first transfer conveyor and a second connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the second transfer conveyor, the speed of the product portions on conveying sections of different lengths of the transfer conveyors being influenced by means of a synchronizer in such a manner that at the end of a feed cycle of a packaging unit, which comprises packaging containers disposed in columns and rows of a packaging container matrix of the packaging unit and is moved forward in a clocked manner along a packaging conveying section perpendicular to the product conveying sections, the product portions are transferred from a transfer position into the packaging containers.

1 . A method for portion packaging of flat products, such as potato chips, in which the products are conveyed as product portions along a plurality of product conveying sections, which are disposed adjacent to each other, to a product transfer device for transferring the product portions into packaging containers, wherein, between each product conveying section and two transfer conveyors of the product transfer device which are disposed adjacent next to each other, the product portions delivered via the product conveying section are distributed to the transfer conveyors with a redistributing device in such a manner that during occurrence of a conveying gap between two product portions conveyed on the product conveying section, the redistributing device is switched from a first connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the first transfer conveyor and a second connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the second transfer conveyor, the speed of the product portions on conveying sections of different lengths of the transfer conveyors being influenced by means of a synchronizer in such a manner that at the end of a feed cycle of a packaging unit, which comprises packaging containers disposed in columns and rows of a packaging container matrix of the packaging unit and is moved forward in a clocked manner along a packaging conveying section perpendicular to the product conveying sections, the product portions are transferred from a transfer position into the packaging containers. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein   the feed motion carried out along the packaging conveying section in the feed cycle corresponds to the product of the column spacing a of the packaging container matrix and the number of columns of the packaging container matrix.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein   during conveying of the product portions on the transfer conveyors, packaging units are produced in a packaging container production portion of the packaging conveying section.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein   in the packaging container production portion of the packaging conveying section, packaging units comprising packaging containers disposed in a packaging container matrix are produced out of plastic film in a thermoforming process, and once a packaging container unit has been produced, it is moved forward in a clocked manner into a product transfer area of the product transfer device by a feed motion corresponding to the product of the column spacing a and the number of columns.   
     
     
         5 . A device for portion packaging of flat products, such as potato chips, the device having a plurality of product conveying sections, which are disposed adjacent next to each other and serve to convey product portions, and a product transfer device for transferring the product portions into packaging containers, a redistributing device being provided between each product conveying section and two transfer conveyors, which are disposed adjacent next to each other, said redistributing device being switchable between a first connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the first transfer conveyor and a second connection configuration for establishing a conveying connection between the product conveying section and the second transfer conveyor, the transfer conveyors of the product transfer device, which have conveying sections of different lengths, are each provided with a synchronizer for synchronized arrival of the product portions in a transfer position at a transfer end of the transfer conveyors, and with a packaging conveyor for clocked conveying of packaging units, which comprise packaging containers disposed in a packaging container matrix, along a packaging conveying section disposed perpendicular to the product conveying sections. 
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein   a thermoforming device for producing packaging units comprising packaging containers disposed in a packaging container matrix out of plastic film is provided in a packaging container production portion of the packaging conveying section.   
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein   the product transfer device has at least one transfer unit comprising a plurality of transfer conveyors forming conveying sections of different lengths in such a manner that the transfer ends of the transfer conveyors are disposed on a transfer line which is inclined at a transfer angle α relative to the conveying direction V of the packaging conveyor.   
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein   the foremost transfer conveyor of a transfer unit in the conveying direction forms the shortest conveying section of the transfer unit, and the rearmost transfer conveyor in the conveying direction forms the longest conveying section of the transfer unit.   
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein   a number of product conveyors corresponding to half of the number of transfer conveyors is assigned to each transfer unit.   
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein   the number of transfer units of the product transfer device corresponds to the number of forming stamps of a forming tool of the thermoforming unit comprising forming stamps disposed in the form of a matrix which are disposed in columns oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction V, and the number of transfer conveyors of the transfer units corresponds to the number of rows of the forming stamps, which are oriented in the conveying direction V.   
     
     
         11 . The device according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein   the redistributing device is realized as a conveying device that can be pivoted in the horizontal plane.   
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 11 ,
 wherein   the conveying device is realized as a conveyor belt device.   
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein   the synchronizer of the transfer conveyors of the product transfer device is realized as a stop device that can be pivoted about a horizontal axis in the conveying direction of the transfer conveyors.   
     
     
         14 . The device according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein   the synchronizer of the transfer conveyors is realized as a conveyor belt device which is disposed above the transfer conveyors and which circulates in the conveying direction and which has at least two stop devices whose mutual distance can be changed and which can be moved independently of each other.   
     
     
         15 . The device according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein   an introducing element is provided for filling product portions from the transfer end of the transfer conveyors into a packaging container of the packaging unit.   
     
     
         16 . The device according to  claim 15 ,
 wherein   the introducing element can be pivoted about a horizontal axis.   
     
     
         17 . The device according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein   the introducing element is disposed between a transfer end of the transfer conveyor and a move-along element, which extends the conveying section of the transfer conveyor, in such a manner that the introducing element can be pivoted between a filling position for filling the product portions into the packaging container and a move-along position for moving the product portions along.