Device for transporting a stack formed by open egg cartons, separating device for the egg cartons and stacking device for the emptied egg cartons

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for transporting a stack formed of a plurality of open egg cartons, which are arranged on top of one another and filled with fresh eggs, to a separating device for the egg cartons and to a stacking device for the emptied egg cartons, wherein said transport device is to be designed such that the stacks formed of the egg cartons can be transported without damaging fresh eggs, regardless of the nature of the stacks, and moreover de-stacking can be carried out without manual activities. According to the invention, the stacks formed by egg cartons arranged on top of one another are transported on platforms ( 11 ) to a destacking station ( 15 ) in order to support the respective bottom egg carton in the stack over the entire surface area. For this purpose, the respective bottom egg carton of the stack rests on support panels ( 12 ) provided with centering elements ( 14 ), which positively engage in the respective bottom egg carton in the stack from the lower face. The device according to the invention is particularly suited to separate the egg cartons which are transported away from a refrigerated warehouse and filled with fresh eggs and to subsequently empty said cartons.

1 . A device for transporting stacks formed from multiple open egg packages arranged one on top of another and equipped with raw eggs, and a separating device for the egg packages and a stacking device for the empty egg packages, characterized in that the stacks formed from multiple egg packages arranged one on top of another are transportable on platforms ( 11 ), for the utilization of the entire area of the respective bottom a package in the stack, to a destacking station ( 15 ), and the platforms ( 11 ) have support plates ( 12 ), which are provided with centering elements ( 14 ), which engage in a formfitting manner from the bottom side in the respective bottom egg package in the stack. 
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that each platform ( 11 ) is designed as U-shaped in cross-section, the parallel webs of a placed stack being oriented in the opposite direction. 
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the platform ( 11 ) to be destacked can be placed on a lift table, a drive of the lift table is controllable by means of a feeler, preferably a contactless feeler, in such a manner that the respective top egg package always stands in the same vertical position, and the lift table is rotatable by 90° via a controller after each removal of an egg package. 
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the separation of the egg packages arranged in the stack can be carried out by means of a turning device, which has at least two, preferably four controllable gripper arms ( 16 ,  17 ), which are movable along a horizontal guide path, which preferably extends transversely to the conveyor direction of the platforms ( 11 ), by means of a controllable drive. 
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 4 , characterized in that the turning device having the gripper arms ( 16 ,  17 ) is movable in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the gripper arms are movable along a guide path extending transversely to the transport direction of the platforms ( 11 ), and each egg package can be placed on intermediate conveyor ( 18 ) by means of the gripper arms ( 16 ,  17 ). 
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 6 , characterized in that the intermediate conveyor ( 18 ) is located parallel and at a distance to the transport direction of the platforms ( 11 ), and the transport direction of the intermediate conveyor ( 18 ) extends opposite to the transport direction of the platforms ( 11 ). 
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the intermediate conveyor ( 18 ) is provided on the outlet side with a sensor, or a sensor is connected downstream from the intermediate conveyor ( 18 ), respectively for the state ascertainment of the emptied egg packages. 
     
     
         9 . The device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the reusable egg packages are stackable by means of a stacking unit ( 21 ), and a contact pressure device is to be assigned to the forming stack such that the respective egg package placed on the stack can be pressed into the egg package located underneath. 
     
     
         10 . The device according to  claim 9 , characterized in that the contact pressure device consists of two pivotable contact pressure plates, the pivot axes lying in the incoming transport direction of the empty egg packages to be stacked, and the unusable egg packages can slide over the contact pressure plates in the contact pressure position and can be supplied to a chute ( 20 ).