A tray feeding system and a method of operating such a tray feeding system

摘要

This invention relates to a tray feeding system (200). A first conveyor (202) is adapted to be used as a buffer conveyor for trays (209), where the first conveyor includes a first conveyor belt (210) including a plurality of spaced apart rollers (207a, 207b, ...) acting as free running rollers having rotation axis being substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction (208) of the first conveyor. The plurality of spaced apart rollers are arranged such that the rollers partly extend upward from the carrying surface of the first conveyor belt (210) such that the trays resting on the first conveyor at least partly rest on the rollers. A second conveyor (203) has a receiving end (211) placed adjacent to an outputting end of the first conveyor and is adapted to be used as a tray conveyor where items are placed into the trays by a tray filling means (204, 205). The tray feeding system further includes a roller interacting mean (212) positioned below and adjacent to the carrying surface of the first conveyor belt at an outputting end area (206) of the first conveyor, the roller interacting means being adapted to engage with the rollers upon arriving at the outputting end area when the first conveyor belts is moving forward causing a rotational movement of the rollers positioned within the outputting end area and thus an acceleration of the tray or trays resting on the first conveyor within the outputting end area (206) of the first conveyor towards the receiving end (211) of the second conveyor.