U.S. patent number 3,722,741 [Application Number 05/126,545] was granted by the patent office on 1973-03-27 for indexing carousel infeed unit for can ends.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Fleetwood Systems, Inc.. Invention is credited to Wallace W. Mojden.
United States Patent |
3,722,741 |
Mojden |
March 27, 1973 |
INDEXING CAROUSEL INFEED UNIT FOR CAN ENDS
Abstract
A carousel type infeed unit for supplying can ends to a
receiving station of a can processing line, or the like. The infeed
unit employs drive means including an endless conveyor element to
which is attached a plurality of carrier members capable of
receiving and releasably retaining a stack of can ends. The drive
means further includes an indexing arrangement capable of producing
controlled, incremental movement of the conveyor element, whereby
the can end carrier members may be aligned with said receiving
station, at which time an ejector arrangement is employed to engage
and forcibly transfer a stack of can ends from the aligned carrier
member to the receiving station. In addition, there is disclosed
control means adapted for use with the infeed unit, which control
means monitors the supply of can ends at said receiving station so
as to attain automatic operation of the infeed unit as the need for
additional can ends arises.
Inventors: |
Mojden; Wallace W. (Hinsdale,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Fleetwood Systems, Inc.
(Countryside, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
22425405 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/126,545 |
Filed: |
March 22, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
221/11;
221/104 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B21D
51/30 (20130101); B21D 51/2653 (20130101); B65B
5/06 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65B
5/06 (20060101); B21D 51/30 (20060101); B21D
51/26 (20060101); B65h 007/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;198/24
;221/11,81,104,105,106,113,119,121 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Reeves; Robert B.
Assistant Examiner: Kocovsky; Thomas E.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Apparatus for supplying can ends, or the like, to a receiving
station, said apparatus comprising: a frame; drive means mounted to
said frame and including an endless conveyor element; a plurality
of carrier members mounted to said conveyor element, each said
carrier member including a frame construction comprising, an
elongate supporting standard attached to said conveyor element, a
base plate carried by said standard for supporting a stack of can
ends, and spring means including a pair of spaced elongate elements
attached to said supporting standard by resilient means and
disposed such that the distance therebetween is less than the
maximum width of the can ends to be disposed therein, such that
said elongate elements may be forcibly spread to provide for
reception and ejection of a stack of can ends, while permitting
said stack of ends to be moved laterally of said carrier member;
said drive means further including means capable of producing
controlled, incremental movement of said conveyor element whereby
said carrier members may be sequentially aligned with said
receiving station; ejector means for engaging a stack of can ends
carried by a carrier member aligned with a receiving station and
forcibly transferring said stack of can ends laterally from said
aligned carrier member to said receiving station.
2. Apparatus for supplying can ends, or the like, to a receiving
station, said apparatus comprising: a frame; drive means mounted to
said frame and including an endless conveyor element; a plurality
of carrier members mounted to said conveyor element, each said
carrier member including a frame construction comprising, a base
plate for supporting a stack of can ends, and spring means for
releasably receiving and retaining the stack of can ends supported
on said base plate, while permitting said stack of ends to be moved
laterally of said carrier member; said drive means further
including means capable of producing controlled, incremental
movement of said conveyor element whereby said carrier members may
be sequentially aligned with said receiving station; ejector means
for engaging a stack of can ends supported by a carrier member
aligned with said receiving station, and said ejector means, upon
engagement with said stack of can ends moving said stack laterally
of the carrier member past said spring means, thereby forcibly
transferring said stack of can ends from said aligned carrier
member to said receiving station.
3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said carrier member
further includes an elongate supporting standard carrying said base
plate and said spring means, and being attached to said conveyor
element; and said spring means include a pair of spaced elongate
elements attached to said supporting standard by resilient means
and disposed such that the distance therebetween is less than the
maximum width of the can ends to be conveyed, such that said
elongate elements may be forcibly spread to provide for reception
and ejection of a stack of can ends.
4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 further including sensing means
associated with said receiving station for monitoring the level of
can ends and being operably connected with said ram means, such
that when the supply of can ends at said receiving station reaches
a predetermined level, said ram means will be operated to transfer
an additional stack of can ends to said receiving station.
5. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 further including control means
associated with said receiving station for monitoring the level of
can ends therein, said control means being such that when said
level falls below a predetermined value, said drive means is
operated to index a full carrier member into position, and said ram
means is energized to transfer a fresh supply of can ends to said
receiving station.
6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said control means
includes photoelectric sensing means associated with said receiving
means for monitoring the level of can ends therein, said
photoelectric sensing means being such that when said level falls
below a predetermined value, a control signal is produced which
effects indexing of the carrier members and operation of said
ejector means to transfer a fresh supply of ends to the receiving
station.
7. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said endless drive means
includes a pair of spaced, sprocket gears over which is engaged an
endless sprocket chain which has the carrier members attached
thereto, and indexing means operatively connected with one said
sprocket gear for producing a desired degree of movement upon
actuation thereof.
8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 further including alignment
means for properly positioning the carrier members with respect to
the receiving station, such that transfer of said stack of can ends
from said carrier members to said receiving station may be
completed.
9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said alignment means
comprises retractable stop means, and means having at least one
abutment surface formed thereon and being rotatable in conjunction
with said drive means, with the relative angular relationship
between said abutment surface and said stop means being correlated
to the positioning of said carrier members with respect to said
receiving station, such that upon an instance of engagement of said
stop means with said abutment surface, further operation of said
drive means is precluded with one said carrier member being
properly aligned with said receiving station, retraction of said
stop means permitting further operation of said drive means to
bring an additional carrier member into proper alignment.
10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein a plurality of abutment
surfaces are provided, the circumferential spacing between adjacent
surfaces being proportionally related to the spacing between
adjacent carrier members.
11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein the proportional
relation is of a ratio of 1-to-1.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to can assembling and manufacturing
industries, and more specifically to apparatus for assuring a
continuous supply of can ends to a processing line.
The level of technology in the design and development of can
processing and manufacturing equipment has proceeded to a point
wherein presently this equipment operates at extremely high rates
of speed. Speed of operation is necessary in order to attain
economic production; however, this factor has created certain
problems with regard to can end supply. More specifically, the
rates of speed of operation encountered are such that existing
infeed arrangements either require continuous supervision and
attention by an employee, or, if of an automated or semi-automatic
nature, it has not proven dependable in service.
The various objectionable features of the prior art devices are
obviated by the apparatus of the present invention in that there is
provided an infeed unit which may be characterized as being of the
indexing, carousel variety. This infeed unit is capable of
receiving and storing a quantity of can ends sufficient to permit
the processing line with which it is associated to operate for an
extended period of time. Accordingly, the indexing and transfer
steps being automatically performed, the only manual operation
required is the loading of the can end receiving members or trays.
The elimination of continued supervision, taken in conjunction with
the dependable automatic operation afforded by this invention,
permits a single employee to attend and service a plurality of
processing lines. Taking into account the fact that can processing
plants normally operate on a 24-hour a day basis and employ a
substantial number of processing lines, this elimination of
maintenance personnel materially reduces operating costs.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an indexing carousel infeed
unit constructed in accordance with the present invention and
associated with a receiving station; for purposes of clarity,
alternate tray or carrier members have been broken away to expose
to view the chain-type conveyor element employed;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the unit of FIG. 1, illustrating the
disposition of the can end receiving carrier or tray members;
FIG. 3 is a front elevational view similar to FIG. 1 but on an
enlarged scale and having all but one of the carrier members
removed for purposes of illustration;
FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the unit of FIG. 3, the tray
member in alignment with the receiving means having been deleted to
expose to view the forward end of the ejector ram;
FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view taken through the machine of
FIG. 3, and illustrating the transfer mechanism employed with the
present invention;
FIG. 6 is an interrupted view of a preferred form of carrier
member, illustrating the construction of the upper and lower
segments of said member; and
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the tray carrier member of FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a carousel infeed
unit 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention and
associated with a receiving station 12 for supplying the can ends
14 thereto. The receiving station 12, as illustrated, receives and
maintains the can ends 14 in stacked relation and may be
operatively connected with a conveyor for transferring the can ends
14 to a remotely located processing machine, or alternately, the
station 12 may be directly coupled with a processing machine to
serve as the input thereof.
The infeed unit 10, as can be understood from a viewing of FIGS. 1
and 2, is comprised of a frame 16 about which is mounted a
plurality of can end carrier or tray members 18. These carrier or
tray members 18 are constructed to receive and releasably retain a
stack of can ends 14, the preferred construction thereof being
detailed hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. Continuing
with reference to FIG. 2, the individual, vertically disposed
carrier members 18 are mounted on an endless conveyor element in
the form of a sprocket chain 20. The sprocket chain 20 is
operatively connected to a drive arrangement 22 for controlled,
incremental movement, as will be explained and discussed more
completely with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Disposed interiorly of
frame 16 of the illustrated and preferred form of the invention, is
a can end ejector or transfer mechanism, designated generally 24,
and illustrated in FIG. 5. Upon alignment of one of the carrier
members 18 with the receiving station 12, same will also come into
alignment with the ejector mechanism 24 which then may be operated
to engage and forcibly transfer can ends from said aligned carrier
18 to the receiving station 12.
In addition to the above-mentioned basic elements of unit 10, in
the illustrated, preferred embodiment, a control arrangement 26 is
employed. This control arrangement 26 monitors the level of the can
ends at the receiving station 12, and upon reduction of said level
below a selected location, generates a pulse or signal which will
initiate a cycle of operation of the unit 10. As such, the carousel
infeed unit of the present invention is thus adapted for automatic
operation, as the need for can ends at station 12 arises.
It should be realized that the control arrangement 26 may be of any
one of a number of known constructions. In the illustrated
embodiment, a photoelectric arrangement, comprised of an emitter 28
and a receiver 30, is employed. The emitter and the receiver 28 and
30 are positioned such that a beam of energy from the emitter 28
passes through the receiving station 12 at a relatively low
prescribed level. Accordingly, when a supply of can ends exists at
said station above said level, the beam is blocked; however, when
said supply drops below the preselected level, the beam falls upon
the receiver 30, thus producing the control signal which effects
indexing and resupply.
For purposes of an initial understanding of the present invention,
the general mode of operation of the infeed unit 10 will be
described briefly. Accordingly, assuming a supply of can ends 14 at
the receiving station 12 and an emptied carrier tray 18 in
alignment therewith, as the level of can ends at station 12 drops
below the desired level, a control signal is produced by receiver
30 which energizes the drive arrangement 22. The operation of said
drive arrangement 22 is cyclic rather than continuous, producing a
controlled, incremental movement of the sprocket chain 20, and
correspondingly, indexing of the carrier members 18. The degree or
length of this movement will, of course, vary depending upon the
geometry of the infeed unit; however, it is selected to be such as
to bring the next succeeding carrier member 18 into alignment with
the receiving station 12. Accordingly, upon arrival of the loaded
carrier member 18 in alignment with the receiving station 12, the
transfer mechanism 24 is operated to eject forcibly and transfer a
stack of can ends from said carrier member 18 to the receiving
station 12. The transfer mechanism 24 then retracts, completing a
cycle of operation.
It should be noted, however, that the exact sequence or timing of
the various steps in the above-described cycle may be varied, as
desired. For example, the cycle could start with a loaded carrier
tray 18 in alignment with the receiving station 12, the first
positive operation being operation of the transfer mechanism 24.
Accordingly, upon retraction of the ram mechanism 24, the drive
means 22 will be operated to index the next succeeding, loaded
carrier member 18 into aligned relation with station 12, completing
the indexing cycle. The particular control circuitry, including
timing devices and the like, has not been detailed, as one skilled
in this area could devise numerous control systems to attain a
desired sequence of operation.
As can be seen from the above, the operation of the infeed unit 10
is controlled by and regulated to the demands of the processing
machinery utilizing the can ends 14. As the need for can ends
arises, the infeed unit 10 will be cycled to supply a fresh stack
of ends 14 to the receiving station 12. Thus, an operator need
perform but one manual function, and that is the loading of the
numerous carrier members or trays 18 with can ends. Since this
operation can be effected rapidly and efficiently with pre-stacked
and packaged can ends, a single operator can easily service a
plurality of machines, the exact number depending upon the speed of
the processing line.
Attention is now directed to FIGS. 3-5 in conjunction with which a
more detailed description of the construction of unit 10 will now
be given. That is to say, the specific elements of the preferred
embodiment which enable attainment of the automated, cyclic
operation described above will be reviewed in detail. In this
regard, it should be noted that the unit 10, as shown in FIG. 3,
has all but one of the carrier or tray members removed for purposes
of clarity of illustration.
Considering first the drive arrangement 22, said arrangement
includes a prime mover 32 in the form of an air or hydraulic
cylinder mounted atop a frame 16. In the illustrated embodiment,
the piston rod (not shown) of the cylinder 32 is operatively
engaged with gearing (also not shown) disposed within the housing
34. Engaged with said gearing, through a chain coupling 36, is a
main drive shaft 38 which is journaled for rotation relative to the
frame 16 at the rear portion thereof. Positioned on the drive shaft
38, at spaced locations, are a pair of sprocket gears 40 and 42.
Proximate the forward end of the infeed unit 10, there are mounted
two additional, spaced, independently journaled sprocket gears 44
and 46 which operate as idler gears. The aforementioned endless
sprocket chain 20 is engaged over the gears 40 and 44, and an
additional sprocket chain 20' is engaged over the sprocket gears 42
and 46. Thus, said sprocket chains 20 and 20', as well as the
respective gears 40-46 are connected for joint, correlated
movement.
Upon operation of the infeed unit 10 to achieve indexing, the
cylinder 32 is energized, the movement of its piston being
converted to rotary motion of the drive shaft 38 by means of the
gearing in housing 34 and the chain coupling 36. When shaft 38
rotates, the gears 40 and 42 are driven to produce movement of the
respective sprocket chains 20 and 20' to which are attached the
numerous can end carrier members 18.
By adjusting the stroke of the piston for the cylinder 32, the
approximate cyclic movement of the carrier members 18 can be
attained. However, it is absolutely necessary that these carrier
units 18 be properly aligned with the receiving station 12 and the
transfer mechanism 24. Should the carrier members 18 be out of
alignment, the effective transfer of the stacked can ends will not
be accomplished.
To attain the desired and necessary alignment of the carrier
members 18 with the receiving station 12, the present invention
employs novel alignment means 50 as discussed immediately
hereinafter. Recalling the independent journaling of the sprocket
gears 44 and 46 provided at the forward end of unit 12, the
movement of these gears will be correlated directly to that of the
sprocket chains 20 and 20' and correspondingly, the resulting
movement of the carrier units 18. As such, the novel alignment
means 50 of the present invention operates in conjunction with one
or the other, or both, of these gears 44 and 46. In the preferred,
illustrated embodiment, a pair of said alignment means 50 is
employed, one for each of said sprocket gears 44 and 46.
Since the alignment means 50 for each said sprocket gear 44 and 46
is identical, only that mounted atop the frame 16 will be discussed
in detail, it being understood that the lower construction is
substantially identical thereto. Basically, the alignment means 50
includes a disc or plate 52 mounted to an end of the shaft 54 which
is journaled to frame 16 and has the aforementioned sprocket gear
44 mounted on the opposite end thereof. The plate member 52
includes a plurality of abutment surfaces provided by a number of
studs or elements 56 depending from a surface thereof. The
circumferential spacing between the adjacent studs or members 56 is
calculated so as to correspond to the length of movement required
to index a carrier member 18 into proper alignment with the
receiving station 12. Disposed adjacent to said plate 52 is a stop
arrangement 60 which includes a retractable stop member 62 operated
by a solenoid 63.
Accordingly, prior to indexing of the infeed unit 10, the solenoid
63 is energized to effect retraction of the stop 62 from its
blocking engagement with a first one of the studs 56. This action
frees the plate 52 and correspondingly, the gear 44 for rotation;
however, as soon as said first stud 56 passes the stop 62, it is
returned to its initial position wherein it will now engage the
next succeeding stud 56 thereby preventing further movement of the
gear 44, as well as the sprocket chain 20. The relation of the
studs 56 to each other being correlated to the spacing between
respective carrier members 18, the allowed movement thus produced
will bring a new carrier member 18 into proper alignment with the
receiving station 12. To accommodate this blocking action, without
an adverse effect on the entire drive arrangement, the gearing in
housing 34 preferably is such as to provide for some slippage,
should the piston stroke be longer than actually required to attain
alignment.
It will be noted that the drive ratio between the gear 44 and plate
52 is 1-to-1 in the illustrated embodiment. As such, by employing
different ratios, the spacing between the studs 56 may be altered
while achieving the same result, provided that a proportional
relation to the movement of the carrier members 18 is maintained.
In fact, with a proper gear ratio, only one such stud may be
employed, in this instance the full 360 degree circumferential
movement of the stud 56 producing the necessary incremental
movement required to attain the proper alignment of member 18 as
discussed above.
When in proper alignment with the receiving station 12, the carrier
members 18 are also aligned with the transfer mechanism 24.
However, in order to understand the transfer operation, it must be
realized that the carrier members 18 are of an open frame
construction, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. As such, the forward
ram element of the transfer mechanism 24 can enter said frame
construction to engage and forcibly eject the stack of can ends 14
from said carrier member.
With regard to FIGS. 3-5, the construction of the transfer
mechanism 24 of the preferred and illustrated embodiment will now
be detailed. In this instance, the general construction of the
transfer mechanism 24 is probably best understood upon a viewing of
FIG. 5, keeping in mind that said figure is a partial, horizontal
sectional view taken through the machine 10 and providing a plan
view of said mechanism. Basically, the transfer mechanism 24 is
comprised of a ram or pusher in the form of two spaced, parallel,
vertically disposed, elongate members 70. The spacing between the
respective members 70 is such as to be somewhat less than the
diameter of the can ends 14. Elongate members 70 are connected at
the upper and lower ends thereof to two pair of horizontally
disposed rods 72 which are slidably mounted to the frame 16 at
spaced locations by a plurality of slide bushings 74, so as to
provide for rectilinear movement of the members 70. A plate element
76 is affixed to rods 72 for movement therewith, and is in turn,
operatively coupled to the piston rod 78 of an air or hydraulic
cylinder 80. The cylinder 80 is stationary, being mounted to the
frame 16 by a bracket 82. Accordingly, upon operation of the
cylinder 80, the plates 76, rods 72 and the elongate ram members 70
will move forward. This forward movement will cause the elongate
pushers 70 to enter within framework of the carrier members 18 to
engage and forcibly eject a stack of can ends therefrom. Therefore,
assuming proper alignment with the receiving station 12, the stack
of can ends will be transferred to said station. The transfer
operation being completed, the cylinder 80 is then operated to
retract the ram 70, therefore enabling subsequent indexing of the
carrier elements 18 as needed.
While it is envisioned that various types or constructions of
carrier elements 18 may be employed, FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a
preferred form. In this regard, FIG. 6 is a fragmentary,
elevational view of the carrier member 18 illustrating the
construction of the upper and lower segments thereof. FIG. 7, on
the other hand, is a top view augmenting FIG. 6.
More specifically, each carrier member 18 is comprised of an
elongate, vertically disposed main standard 84, having on one side
thereof, means for attachment to the respective spaced sprocket
chains 20 and 20'. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, this means is
in the form of a pair of chain links 86 and 88 mounted directly to
said standard by brackets 90.
On the opposite side of standard 84, there is positioned the means
for releasably retaining a stack of can ends. In this regard, the
carrier or tray members 18 include a base or supporting plate 92
mounted to the lower portion of standard 84 by a bracket 94 and
suitable bolt means. Disposed outwardly of the standard 84 and in
proximity to the periphery of the plate 92, is a pair of elongate,
vertically disposed rod elements 96. These rod elements 96 are
connected to the standard 84 at the upper and lower portions
thereof by a pair of leaf springs 98 and 100. As such, the rod
elements 96 are expandable or separable to allow for the entry or
discharge of can ends into or from the framework provided by the
carrier members 18. In addition, the width of the main standard 84
in the horizontal plane, is somewhat less than the spacing between
the ram elements 70 so as to permit said ram members to pass freely
on opposite sides thereof during engagement and transfer of the can
ends supported on the base plate 92.
To facilitate and insure complete transfer of the can ends, the
base plate 92 is provided with a pair of spaced, parallel grooves
or channels 102 and 104. During the transfer operation and upon
entry of the elongate ram elements 70 within the framework of the
carrier members 18, the lower ends of said ram elements 70 will be
received within the channels 102 and 104, as illustrated by the
phantom outline of the rods 70 in FIGS. 6 and 7.
The employment of the channels 102 and 104 for reception of the
ends of the elongate elements 70 provide several important
features. Primarily, this disposes the ends of the elements 70
below the lowermost can end 14 so as to insure complete transfer.
In addition, the channels or grooves 102 and 104 provide a
fail-safe factor in that if the carrier members 18 are not properly
aligned, the ram elements 70 will strike either the periphery of
the plate 92 or the standard 84, thus preventing further movement
and premature ejection of the can ends.
Accordingly, it is believed clear that the present invention
provides an infeed unit which is capable of controlled, automated
supply of can ends to a receiving station. It should be kept in
mind, that the unit 10 shown in the drawings and hereinabove
described, is illustrative of but one form or embodiment of the
present invention, and it is envisioned that various changes in the
structure, or alternate sequences of operation from those
described, will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art; as
such, said changes or modifications are to be understood as forming
part of the present invention, insofar as they fall within the
spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto.
* * * * *