Vacuum apparatus for transferring round food articles

摘要

Apparatus for picking up and transferring layers of round food articles and the like is disclosed including movable pickup heads mounted on a carriage, each pickup head comprising a vacuum manifold or plenum forming multiple openings on a lower surface and adapted for developing low vacuum, high flow rate conditions variant, a vacuum cup mounted in each of the openings and having a bellows-like construction for permitting expansion and contraction along its axis, a flexible base portion of the vacuum cup forming a seal surface for engagement with one of the round food articles, the vacuum cup also forming a relatively large orifice for permitting relatively unrestricted communication between the vacuum cup and the plenum upon engagement of the vacuum cup with a food article in order to very rapidly produce a vacuum within the cup for causing adherence of the food article. The vacuum cup is also particularly adapted for assuring that the food article is retained upon the vacuum cup until released. A quick connect-disconnect latch assembly is also provided for facilitating replacement of the pickup heads on the carriage. A switching arrangement is also provided which functions automatically upon bottoming out of the pickup heads for initiating or terminating operation of a vacuum source in order to cause the vacuum cups to either engage or release the food articles.