CA1063056A - Conveyor for flexible sheet material - Google Patents
Conveyor for flexible sheet materialInfo
- Publication number
- CA1063056A CA1063056A CA279,522A CA279522A CA1063056A CA 1063056 A CA1063056 A CA 1063056A CA 279522 A CA279522 A CA 279522A CA 1063056 A CA1063056 A CA 1063056A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- belt
- articles
- travel
- belts
- pulleys
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G15/00—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration
- B65G15/10—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration comprising two or more co-operating endless surfaces with parallel longitudinal axes, or a multiplicity of parallel elements, e.g. ropes defining an endless surface
- B65G15/12—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration comprising two or more co-operating endless surfaces with parallel longitudinal axes, or a multiplicity of parallel elements, e.g. ropes defining an endless surface with two or more endless belts
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A43—FOOTWEAR
- A43D—MACHINES, TOOLS, EQUIPMENT OR METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING OR REPAIRING FOOTWEAR
- A43D117/00—Racks for receiving or transporting shoes or shoe parts; Other conveying means
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
- B65G2201/02—Articles
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Sewing Machines And Sewing (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A flat, flexible shoe upper component, e.g. a pair of interconnected quarters, is conveyed on edge from the discharge end of a tandem sewing machine system and a cutting and discharge apparatus, both mounted on a single table, by a conveyor including a pair of roller brushes, which effect intermittent feed of the component to a rotary brush opposed and driven by an endless link belt, the rotary brush being followed by a rail which also opposes the belt for conveying the component around a rear corner of the table and along one side thereof to the front end of the table and sewing machine system where the operator can view the components. Alterna-tively, the shoe upper component is fed from the roller brushes to an endless V-belt opposing the link belt for conveying the component around the rear corner of the table and along such one side thereof to the front end of the table.
A flat, flexible shoe upper component, e.g. a pair of interconnected quarters, is conveyed on edge from the discharge end of a tandem sewing machine system and a cutting and discharge apparatus, both mounted on a single table, by a conveyor including a pair of roller brushes, which effect intermittent feed of the component to a rotary brush opposed and driven by an endless link belt, the rotary brush being followed by a rail which also opposes the belt for conveying the component around a rear corner of the table and along one side thereof to the front end of the table and sewing machine system where the operator can view the components. Alterna-tively, the shoe upper component is fed from the roller brushes to an endless V-belt opposing the link belt for conveying the component around the rear corner of the table and along such one side thereof to the front end of the table.
Description
10~3~356 This invention relates to a conveyor apparatus for flexible sheet material and in particular to an apl~aratus for conveying flexible footwear upper components on edge.
Applicant's Canadian patent application Serial No.
237,494, filed October 14, 1975 discloses a discharge and cutting apparatus for attachment to the trailing end of a tandem sewing machine system, which is used to sew footwear components along their rear edge, and for applying tape to the seam thus produced. The discharge and cutting apparatus includes a work surface for receiving the components inter-connected by the contlnuous strip of tape from the sewing machine system, pressure rollers driven in synchronism with the sewing machines for feeding the components and tape away from the sewing machine system, and a cutting device for chopping the tape at the leading and trailing ends of the components.
The separated tape bits and components are fed down a ramp, where the tape is discharged into a refuse container and the components are discharged for further processing.
With the above described apparatus, there exists a need for a conveyor for receiving the footwear upper components interconnected by the stitching and tape, and for returning such components to the front of the sewing machine, so that the operator can view the finished product and determine whether the sewing and cutting operat ons are being carried out properly. In the absence of such a conveyor, either a second operator is required to collect the components, or alternatively the sewing machine operator must stop work at the input end of the tandem sewing machine system and go to the discharge end of the discharge and cutting apparatus to examine the product.
1~63056 Since a plurality of the sewing machine systems are usually located in one work area, it is preferable that the conveyor occupy the smallest possible area. Otherwise, the work area required for the systems would be unduly large. In fact, it is preferable to be able to instal the conveyor on existing sewing machine systems without moving the systems apart, or with a minimum of rearrangement.
The object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple and compact conveyor apparatus for receiving and conveying flexible sheet material on edge. Because of the structure of the conveyor apparatus, the sheet material must be flexible, and with the shoe upper components mentioned hereinbefore, this requirement is met.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a conveyor apparatus for conveying articles formed of flexible sheet material on edge including a plate for receiving the articles one at a time on edge; primary feed means mounted on said plate for feeding said articles one at a time along a first straight line path of travel; and a belt conveyor for receiving each said article from said primary feed means and feeding the article on edge around a corner and along a second straight line path of travel perpendicular to the first straight line path of travel. -More specifically, the conveyor apparatus in~ludes the plate, which receives the articles on edge; a pair of -primary feed rollers, each having a single longitudinally extending brush for engaging and moving the articles along the first straight line path of travel which is perpendicular to the line of descent of the articles to the plate and generally in the same plane as the plane of descent of the articles onto the plate; and a second or main feed device including a rotary brush opposed by an endless link belt, which is opposed by a guide rail throughout most of its length for receiving the articles from the roller brushes and ~eeding such articles along the first straight line path of travel, around a corner, and along the second straight line path of travel perpendicular to and on the same level as the first straight line path of travel.
The primary feed roller brushes, which are formed by a roller with a single, rarrow longitudinally extending brush are driven in synchronism and out of phase, i.e. during a conveying operation, the first brush engages the leading end of the article to be conveyed approximately one eighth of a revolution before the second brush engages the article. The use of such brush rollers with such intermittent feed, permits the article to drop onto the plate. A roller with brushes around its entire periphery would not permit the articles to drop fully onto the plate. The rotary brush is driven by the link belt or at least in synchronism with the belt, so that wear on the rotary brush due to slippage is avoided. The link belt comes with projections or teeth for gripping the articles, which are sandwiched first between such belt and the rotary brush and then between the belt and the guide rail during travel away from the primary feed roller brushes. The link belt also possesses the advantage of being relatively easy to replace. The guide rail is provided with gates at the corner and at its trailing end facilitating passage of the articles between the belt and the rail.
A second embodiment of the conveyor apparatus includes the plate for receiving the articles on edge; a pair of primary feed rollers, each having a pair of brushes extending outwardly from the top end thereof for engaging and moving the articles along the first straight line path of travel, and a second or main feed device including at least one endless belt opposed by an endless link belt for receiving the articles from the roller brushes and feeding such articles along the first straight line path of travel, around the corner, and along the second straight line path of travel.
By using a pair of brushes extending outwardly from the upper end, i.e. above the middle of the primary feed rollers, the components are engaged more quickly by the brushes than with single brushes, but the brushes are still absent from the feed area most of the time so that the articles can drop onto the plate.
As in the case of the rotary brush the endless belt opposing the endless link belt is driven by the latter. The endless belt can be a V-belt or a double V-belt. The advantage of a double V-belt is that it is intended to flex two ways, rather than one way as in the case of the single V-belt. The endless belt replaces both the rotary brush and the guide rail.
However, a low rail is provided beneath the belt, forming a channel for the bottom ends of the articles. Such an arrange-ment is advantageous when feeding shoe upper components, since any tape ends dropping into the channel are swept along with the components and removed from the conveyor apparatus with the components.
The endless belt of the second embodiment of the invention is mounted on pulleys, and is driven solely by the endless link belt. The pulleys are mounted on bases, which are rotatably mounted on the article-receiving plate, so that the - , ~ . ~ . , ;
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belt and pulley can move away from the link belt to facilitate passage of thick articles or thick portions of articles.
As already mentioned, the apparatus of the present invention was designed to convey footwear upper components, but it will be readily apparent that the apparatus can be used to convey any articles having sufficient flexibility to go around a corner. Of course, the articles must be sufficiently rigid and/or heavy that they will slide down a ramp into the area of the primary feed brushes. In other words, the articles should more or less retain their normal shape during passage into the conveying apparatus. The footwear upper components in question are formed of natural or man made fabrics including canvas, leather and plastic.
The apparatus of this invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and wherein: -Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the conveying apparatus of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 with a sewing machine system, and a discharge and cutting apparatus;
Figure 3 is an elevation view of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2;
Figure 4 is a schematic bottom view of the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 3;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of Fig. l;
Figures 6 and 7 are schematic plan views of primary rollers and brushes used in the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 5 in two positions;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the primary feed rollers of a second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the second or main feed device of the second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 10 is a schematic plan view of the feed device of Fig. 9; and Figure 11 is a schematic plan view of the primary feed rollers used in the apparatus of Figs. 8 to 10.
With reference to Figs. 1 to 3 and 8, both embodiments of the conveyor apparatus of the present invention are intended for use with a tandem sewing machine system generally indicated at 1, and a discharge and cutting apparatus generally indicated at 2, both of which are mounted on a table 3. Shoe upper components, in this case quarters are fed into the tandem sewing machine system 1 at a leading or front end 4 of the table 3 in overlapping relationship to each other. The components are sewn together with a line of stitching adjacent and parallel to their rear edges by a first sewing machine 5.
The components are then spread apart and the edges outside the line of stitching are folded apart flat against the component -~
between the sewing machine 5 and a second sewing machine 6. A
tape i8 applied to the folded edges and sewn to the guarters by two lines of stitching in the second sewing machine 6. Then the discharge and cutting apparatus 2 draws the components and tape from the second sewing machine 6. The discharge and cutting apparatus 2 cuts the tape at the leading and trailing edges of each component and discharges the separated components and tape down a ramp 7, where the components drop onto a plate 8, which forms part of the apparatus of the present invention, and the tape ends drop through an opening 9 into a refuse container (not shown).
: , ~f, , ,, - ., -FIRST EMBODIMENT
In the first embodiment of the invention (Figs. 1 to 7), the plate 8 is mounted beneath the trailing or discharge end 10 of the table by means of posts 11. The-p~a~e 8 supports a primary feed device generally indicated at 12, and a secondary or main feed device generally indicated at 13. The primary feed device 12 receives a footwear component 14 (Figs. 6 and 7) on edge from the discharge and cutting apparatus 2, and feeds it to the main feed device 13, which feeds the component around a rear corner 15 of the table 3, along one side 16 to the front end 4 thereof (Fig. 2).
The primary feed device 12 includes a pair of rollers 17 and 18 mounted on shafts 19 and 20, respectively for rotation therewith. The shafts 19 and 20 extend downwardly through the plate 8, with pulleys 21 and 22, respectively mounted on their bottom ends. Each roller 17 and 18 is provided with a single longitudinally extending, narrow brush 23 and 24, respectively for engaging the component 14 and feeding it to the main feed device 13. The brushes 23 and 24 extend from the top to the bottom of their respective rollers, and their lowermost bristles touch the plate for removing any sections of tape accidentally reaching the plate 8 from the ramp 7. In order to ensure that the rollers 17 and 18 rotate in synchronism with each other, sprockets 25 are mounted on the top of shafts 19 and 20. The sprockets 25 are interconnected by a chain 26 which also extends around a sprocket 27 rotatably mounted on a stub axle formed by the top end of a post 28 extending upwardly from the plate 8 for tensioning the chain 26. The second primary feed brush 24 is followed in the path of travel by a fence 29 in the form of a post 30 mounted on the plate 8, :: :
'' '''";'' ' , ' ~ ": '~ ' ' , '. ' ~' ... . . , . ~ .
1~63~56 with a plurality of fingers 31 extending outwardly therefrom towards the roller 18. The bristles of the brush 24 pass between the fingers 31 during use.
A shield 32 (Fig. 3), with openings 33 and 34 for the brushes 23 and 24, is mounted on the plate 8 between the chain 26 and the ramp 7. The shield 32 has a curved top end 35 arcing towards the ramp 7. A rod 36 is connected to each bottom corner of the shield 32 for removably mountin~ the shield on the plate 8. The rods 36 extend downwardly through apertures (not shown) in the plate 8 into sleeves 37 mounted on the bottom of the plate.
A rotary brush 38 is rotatably mounted on the plate 8 downstream of the primary feed brushes 23 and 24 in the ~ -direction of travel of the component. The brush 38 is freely rotatable on an axle 39 extending through the plate 8, with a bushing 40 between the brush 38 and the axle 39. A pulley 41 is rotatably mounted on the bottom end of the axle 39. The rotary brush 38 is annular with bristles 42 around its entire periphery.
The rotary brush 38 is opposed and driven by an endless link belt 43. The belt 43 is formed of a plurality of overlapping rectangular segments 44 interconnected by rivets 45. The leading ends of the segments 44 project outwardly from the plane of the belt for pushing footwear upper components 14 toward the front end 4 of the table 3. The link belt 43 passes around pulleys 46, 47, and 48 mounted on the plate 8 opposite the rotary brush 38, beneath the rear corner 15 of the table 3 and beneath a front corner 49 (Fig. 2) of the table, in that order. The pulley 46 is mounted on a shaft 50 opposite the rotary brush 38, i.e. a line connectin~ the :
longitudinal axes of the ~xle 39 and the sh~ft 50 is pexpendi-cular to the path of travel o~ the footwear upper component, The distance between the longitudinal axes of the axle 39 and the shaft 50 is slightly less than the sum o~ the radi~ of the rotary brush 38 and the pulley 46, so that the rotary brush is driven by the belt 43 pass~ng around the pulley 46.
The rotary brush 38 i`s followed in the direction of travel of the footwear upper components ~y a guide rail 51 (Figs. 1, 3 and 5), which extends around the rear corner 15 of the table and along the side 16 to the front or input end 4 of the table 3. The rail 51 is integral with a flange 52 extending upwardly from the plate 8 for maintaining the rail 51 at the level of the belt 43. The rail 51 and flange 52 are retained on the plate 8 by brackets 53. As best illustrated in Fig. 5, the guide rail 51 has a generally U-shaped cross-sectional configuration, with short, horizontally extending arms 54, the inner free ends 55 of which are rounded to ensure smooth sliding of the component 14 between the belt 43 and the rail 51.
When conveying thick components 14 or when the components have a thick portion such as the tape sewn onto folded portions of the shoe upper components, there is the danger that the components will get jammed between the belt 43 and the rail 51, particularly in the area of the pulleys 47 and 48. Accordingly, gates 56 and 57 are provided at the rear corner and at the discharge end of the rail 51. Each gate S6 and 57 includes a sleeve 58 connected to the gate and rotatably mounted on a pin 59 extending upwardly from the plate 8. As the component 14 passes between the belt 43 and the rail 51 in the area of the pulley 47 or 48, the gate 56 or 57 i8 free to swing out facilitating passage of such component.
~ . , .:
_ 9 ._ .. . . . . - ~ , . . .
- .
,, . ~ . .
.. - -1063~356 Each gate 56 and 57 is biased to the closed position by a helical spring 60 mounted on a pin 61, the pin extending inwardly toward the gate from a flange 62 mounted on the plate 8.
DRIVE
All of the movable elements of the apparatus described hereinbefore are operated by a single drive, which includes a motor 63 mounted beneath the plate 8 and the table 3. A right angle drive 64 on the outer end of the motor 63 is ~ounted beneath the plate 8 by means of a bracket 65. A pulley 66 is connected to an output shaft 67 of the right angle drive 64. -The pulley 66 is connected to a pulley 68 by a V-belt 69. The pulley 68 is mounted o~ the same shaft 50 as the pulley 46 for driving the link belt 43. A third pulley 70 is mounted on the same shaft 50 above the pulley 68 for driving the pulleys 21 and 22 on the bottom ends of the shaft 19 and 20 bearing the rollers 17 and 18. The pulley 70 is connected to the pulleys 21 and 22 by an O-ring 71, which passes around tensioning pulleys 72 and 73 mounted on stub axles 74 and 75, respectively at opposite sides of the plate 8, and bears against pulley 41, which acts as a tensioning pulley, and tensioning pulley 76 mounted on a stub axle 77 extending downwardly between the pulleys 21 and 22. The stub axle 75 is connected to the plate 8 by a screw 78, which passes through one of a row of aligned openings 79 in the plate 8 for permitting adjustment of the . -:
tension on the O-ring 71.
Theoretically the rotary brush 38 could be driven by the pulley 41 if the brush and pulley 41 were fixed on the axle 39. However, with such an arrangment, if slippage occurs, the -brush 38 and belt 43 would move at different speeds and thus rapid wearing of the brush would occur. Thus, it is pre~erable :, ' ' ' to have the brush 38 driven by the belt link 43 as stated hereinbefore. The brush 3~, being driven at exactly the same speed as the belt 43 will not wear as quickly as with sepa~ate drive arrangements which permit slippage between the belt and brush. The O-ring 71 is used as a safety measure. While, with a V-belt or chain and sprocket drive there is no slippage between the driving and driven elements, an O-ring will slip, and thus one can manually stop rotation of the rollers 17 and 18 without being injured.
It will be appreciated that in order to facilitate the handling of large (high) footwear components, a second set of pulleys could be mounted on shafts supporting the pulleys 46, 47, and 48 above such pulleys, and a second link belt could be provided above the first link belt 43 for stabilizing the components during conveying by the main feed device 13. More-over, for long components more than two primary feed brushes can be used.
OPERATION OF FIRST EMBODIMENT
When the sewing machine system 1 is in operation, the motor 63 is constantly running, and thus the brushes 23, 24 and 38 are constantly rotating in a clockwise direction when viewed from above, and the belt 43 is continuously moving around the pulleys 46, 47 and 48 in the direction of arrow A (Fig. 1).
As a shoe upper component 14 slides down the ramp 7 from the discharge and cutting apparatus 2 it drops onto the plate 8 in the area of the primary feed device 12, which is located slightly downstream of the centre line C (Figs. 6 and 7), if one of the brushes 23 or 24 is in a component engaging position when the component drops, the component will sit on the brush for an instant until the brush passes and then fall onto the plate 8.
.' , ' '~ ' .
Ideally, the component is engaged first at its leading end by the brush 24 and then by the brush 23. With.this sequence, the leading end of the component 14 cannot curl into the area between the rollers 17 and 18. If the component 14 ~s engaged first by the brush 23, it tends to buckle or fold in front of brush 23. However, even if the component 14 is engaged first by the brush 23, the brush 24 is in position (Fig. 7) to function as a fence, preventing movement of the component far out of the intended straight line path of travel. With the brushes rotating at high speed, e.g. 120 revolutions per minute, the brush 23 or 24 will seldom be in position to prevent the component 14 from dropping onto the.plate 8.
After normal engagement of the component 14 by the brush 25, the latter acts as a fence to prevent curling of the leading end of the component around the roller 18 between such roller and the rotary brush 38. The fence 29 also prevents such curling. Once the shoe upper component 14 has passed the fence 29, it is picked up by the rotary brush and belt 43, and fed into the channel defined by such belt 43 and the rail 51.
The component 14 is conveyed around the rear corner of the rail 51. If necessary, because of the thickness of the component or a portion thereof, the component 14 opens the gates 56 and 57 during passage to the discharge end of the apparatu~ at the front end 4 of the table 3. If the gates 56 and 57 are opened they are returned to the closed position by the springs 60.
SECOND EMBODIMENT
With reference to Figures 8 to 11, the second embodiment ..
of the invention will now be described. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals have been used to identify the same elements.
. ~
As with the first embodiment of the invention, a plate 8 is mounted beneath the trailing or discharge end 10 of the table 3. The plate 8 supports a primary feed device generally indicated at 12 and a secondary or main feed device generally indicated at 13.
The primary feed device 12 includes a pair of rollers 17 and 18 mounted on shafts 19 and 20, respectively. The shafts 19 and 20 extend downwardly through the plate 8, with pulleys 21 and 22, respectively mounted on their bottom ends. Each roller 17 and 18 is provided with a pair of brushes 80 and 81, respectively. Each of the brushes 80 and 81 includes bristles extending outwardly from a sleeve 82, which can be moved out of the roller 17 or 18 to compensate for bristle wear. The sleeves 82 are locked in position by set screws (not shown) extending downwardly through the top of the rollers 17 and 18.
It has been found that the best positions for the brushes 80 on the roller 17 are 40-45 apart, with the brushes 81 on the roller 18 being diametrically opposed (Fig. 11). With this arrangement, one of the brushes 80 may engage the shoe component 14 before either of the brushes 81. However, the apparatus still operates efficiently to move the components 14 towards the main feed device 13.
As in the first embodiment of the invention, rotation of the rollers 17 and 18 is synchronized by a chain 26 extending around sprockets 25 on the rollers and around a sprocket 27 rotatably mounted on a stub axle formed by the top end of a post 28. Protective discs 83 are provided above each of the sprockets 25 and 27 to prevent injury to the operator should fingers be inserted into the area of the sprockets.
Unlike the first embodiment of the invention, the exit ~-1063~56 end of the discharge and cutting apparatus 2 is provided with an arcuate shield 84 which prevents shoe components 14 curving upwardly away from the plate 8. It has been found that some large components tend to curve upwardly away from the conveying apparatus. The shield 84 directs the components downwardly towards the conveyor. Of course, such a shield can also be provided in the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 7. The apparatus of Figs. 8 to 11 also includes a shield 85 between the rollers 17 and 18, and the ramp 7. The shield 85 is in the form of a plate with a slot 86 for the brushes 80 and 81. The shield 85 is pivotally mounted on a bracket 87 for rotation around a pin 88. A sleeve 89 on the bracket contains a spring and ball (not shown) projecting through an aperture in the bracket for bearing against a depression in the outer surface of the shield 85 for releasably holding the shield in position. An L-shaped bracket 90 on the plate 8 acts as a guide and stabilizer for bottom arm 91 of the shield 85. The arm 91 of the shield 85 extends beyond the brushes 81 to the leading end of the second or main feed device 13.
The main feed device 13 includes the link belt 43 which is opposed by a pair of V-belts 92 and 93 (Figs. 9 and 10). While one V-belt could be used, it is preferable to use two belts, so that the length of the second feed device is readily adaptable to different lengths of sewing tables 3. The V-belt 92 passes around pulleys 94, 95 and 96, and the V-belt 93 passes around pulleys 97 and 98. Each of the pulleys 94 to 98 is rotatably mounted on the top end of a stub axle 99 extending upwardly from a small base plate 100. Each base plate 100 is pivotally mounted by a screw 101 on the plate 8. The belts 92 and 93 are tensioned by idler rollers 102 rotatably mounted on stub axles 103 extending upwardly from base plates 104. The base plates 104 are pivotally mounted on the plate 8 for rotation around screws 105. One end of each base plate 104 opposite the end carrying the roller 102 is biased outwardly by a helical spring 106, maintaining the roller 102 against the belt 92 or 93, and consequently tensioning the belts 92 and 93.
With the above described arrangement, the belts 92 and 93 are biased against the link belt 43. The belts 92 and 93 can move outwardly away from the link belt 43 in the area of the pulleys 94 to 98 to permit passage of thick components 14 o~ thick portions of such components. When a thick component or thick portion of a component 14 passes between the link belt 43 and the belt 92 or 93 in the area of one of the pulleys 94 to 98, the pulley moves outwardly; the pulley, stub axle 99 and plate 100 rotating around the screw 101. At the same time, one ~ -of the tensioning rollers 102, stub axles 103 and plates 104 rotates around the screw 105 against the action of the spring 106. After the thick component or portion thereof passes the pulley 94 to 98, the spring 106 causes the base plates 100 and 104, the stub axles 99 and 103, the roller 102 and the pulley to return to their rest positions.
A small fence 107 (Figs. 8 and 10) is provided on the plate 8 following and overlapping the trailing end of the botto.
arm 91 of the shield 85. The fence 107 extends beneath the pulleys 94 to 98 preventing the escape of any stray strips of tape into the area of the base plates 100 and 104, and acting as a guide for the bottoms of components 14 being conveyed by the apparatus. Posts 108 are also provided on the plate 8 for ~, . . .- .
supporting a protective cover (not shown). A top cover above , .. .. . - . ......................... : .... - : - - : :
' ' ' ' ~: ' '' ,' ' . ;. ,.. ... :, . , 1063~56 the pulleys 94 to 98 will facilitate conveying of the components 14 by preventing escape of the components from the apparatus, and prevents injury to the operator.
DRIVE (SECOND EMBODIMENT) The drive of the second embodiment of the invention is the same as that of the first embodiment, except that the pulley 41 is mounted on its own stub axle (not shown) extending down-wardly from the bottom of the plate 8 and the O-ring 71 passes around the outside of the pulley 41 (Fig. 9). Only the pulleys 21 and 22, and consequently the brush rollers 17 and 18 are driven by the O-ring 71. The V-belts 92 and 93 bear against and are driven by the link belt 43.
OPERATION OF THE SECOND EMBODIMENT
The operation of the second embodiment is also similar to that of the first embodiment. As a shoe upper component 14 slides down the ramp 7, it drops into the channel defined by the bottom end of the ramp 7 and the shield 85. Sometimes, during cutting of the tape at the leading and trailing ends of the components 14, bits of tape jump onto the components and are carried down the ramp 7 with the components rather than dropping through the opening 10. In any event, the components 14 and some tape bits drop into the channel where they are engaged by the brushes 80 and 81 extending through the slot 86 in the shield 85, and fed to the main feed device 13. In the main feed device 13, the components 14 are sandwiched between the link belt 43 and the V-belts 92 and 93. Thus, the components 14 are conveyed around the rear corner of the table 3 and along the side 16 to the front or operator end of the table. If necessary, because of the thickness of a component or a portion thereof, the component moves the endless belt 92 or 93 and one .
, ' . ' 1063~)56 of the pulleys 94 to 98 outwardly. The belt and pulley are returned to their rest position by the spring 106, which biases the tensioning roller 102 against the belt. Any tape bits dropping onto the plate 8 with the components 14 are swept along with the components and discharged at the front end of the table 3.
Both embodiments of the above described apparatus can be used to convey thin strips of material or several thicknesses -of material, the gates in the first embodiment and the pivotally mounted pulleys in the second embodiment facilitating passage of a variety of thicknesses of material.
1063~56 SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
As mentioned in the principal disclosure, the belt conveyor portion of the apparatus can be modified in a variety of ways, includIng the provision of a second set of pulleys mounted on the shafts support`ing the pulleys carrying the V-belts, which oppose the link belt. Moreover, the V-belts can be replaced with 0-rings opposing the link belt. It has been found that such an arrangement affords advantages over the two embodiments of the invention disclosed hereinbefore. Specific-ally, the use of a pair of 0-rings opposing the endless link belt throughout the trailing end of the path of travel of the flexible sheet material provides for three-point gripping of the material~
Thus, in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention, the conveyor apparatus includes a plate for receiving articles formed of flexible sheet material one at a time on edge; primary feed means mounted on the plate for feeding the articles one at a time along a first straight line path of ~ travel; belt conveyor means for receiving each of the articles ! 20 from the primary feed means and feeding the articles on edge around a corner and along a second straight line path of travel perpendicular to the first straight line path of travel, the belt conveyor means including a first belt having projec-`~ tions for engaging the articles, and a pair of endless belts opposing the first belt, in planes above and below the first ~' belt for holding the articles against the first belt during 1~ conveying thereof, the belts defining a portion of the first ,I straight line path of travel, the corner and the second straight line path of travel.
The third embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying 1` A
``_ 1C~63~56 drawings ! wherein;
Figure 12 is a perspective yiew of the second or main feed device of a thi~rd embodiment of the inven~ion;
Figure 13 is a plan view of the feed device of Fig. 12;
Figure 14 is a partly sectioned end view of the feed device of Figs. 12 and 13; and Figure 15 is a perspective view of a gate used in the feed device of Figs. 12 to 14.
In Figs. 12 to 15, wherever possible, the same reference numerals have been used to identify the same elements as in Figs. 1 to 11.
Referring to Figs. 12 to 15, a third form of main feed device includes a pair of endless belts 110 and lll which oppose and slightly overiap an endless link belt 43. The link belt 43 passes around pulleys 46, 47 and 48. As best illustrated in Fig. 14 the belts 110 and 111 are disposed in planes above and below the link belt 43, whereby a shoe component or other sheet of flexible material is sandwiched between the belts 43, 110 and 111 for positive three-point gripping. The endless belts 110 and 111 are 0-rings and thus have a circular cross-sectional configuration.
The belts 110 and 111 pass around double pulleys 112, 113 and 114 opposite the pulleys 46, 47 and 48. Each of the pulleys 112, 113 and 114 is rotatably mounted on a stub axle 115. The stub axle 115 is mounted on one end of a plate 116, which is pivotally mounted with a screw 117 on the plate 8.
The axle 115 is eccentrically mounted on the plate 116, i.e. a line through the longitudinal axes of the axle 115 and the screw 117 is not parallel to the path of travel of the belt 43 or ~elts 110 and 111. Thus, as thick shoe components or a plurality of thin shoe components pass between the belts 43, 110, .
- 19 - .
-` 1063~56 111, each pulley 112~ 113 or 11~ ~nd its ~ssociated plate 116 is free to pIVOt outwardly away from the opposing pulley 46, 47 or 48 to permit passage of the component(s~.
The first double pulley 112 includes upper and lower belt-receiving grooves in upper and lower discs 118 and 119, respectively. Four brushes 120 extend outwardly from the centre of the roller shaft between the discs 118 and 119. The brushes 120 are spaced equidistant apart (at 90% with respect to each other) and extend outwardly beyond the periphery of the pulley 112 and slightly beyond the outer edge of the belts 110 and 111 or positively engaging components as they are fed to the main feed device from the primary feed device. A fence 121 is pro-vided behind the belts 110 and 111 following the pulley 112 in the direction of feed of the components to prevent edges of the components entering the area behind the belt and getting caught between the pulley 113 and either of the belts 110 or 111. The fence 121 is L-shaped with a base portion 122 secured to the plate 8 by screws 123 (Fig. 13).
The plate 8 in the straight stretch following the corner pulley 113 is provided with an elongated slot 124 extending almost the entire length of such straight stretch with an open trailing end 125, so that bits of tape entering the main feed device can fall from the plate 8.
The trailing end of the plate 8 is reinforced by a plate 126 (Fig. 14) secured to the plate 8 on each side of the trailing end 125 of the slot 124. The plate 126 is provided with a rectangular notch 127 in its top surface beneath the slot 124 permitting the passage of components.
A gate 128 is provided near the pulley 114 for ensuring that components do not enter the area between the belts 110 and 111 and the pulley 114. The gate 128 (Figs. 14 and 15),having ' -,. - ' ~, , ' ,,....... ~ '': .
1~63~56 a C-shaped cross-sectional configuration, is pivotally mounted on a post 129 by a screw 130. The gate 128 is so positioned that the trailing end of its top and bottom arms 131 and 132, respectively slightly overlap the link belt 43. The gate 128 is retained in position by a bolt 133 in the top end of an L-shaped bracket 134. The trailing end of the gate 128 is biased outwardly into the path of travel of the components by a helical spring 135 mounted on a bolt 136 in the bracket 134. The brac-ket 134 is L-shaped, with a bottom arm connected to the plate 8 by srews 137.
- Brackets 138 and posts 139 are also provided on the plate 8 for supporting covers 140 (shown in part in Figs. 12 and 14) for preventing injury to the machine operator or others. The covers 140 can hold a switch (not shown) open when the covers are closed, whereby opening of the covers will automatically close the switch to stop the machine. The covers 140 include a downwardly extending projection or extension 141 for preventing accidental access to the drive mounted beneath the piate 8. The drive in the third embodiment of the invention is the same as that employed in the second embodiment on the invention (Fig. 10). -In use, the third embodiment of the invention functions in essentially the same manner as the main feed device of the first two embodiments of the invention. A shoe component 14 is fed by the primary feed device from the bottom of the ramp 7 to the area between the pulleys 46 and 112, i.e. between the belt 43 and the endless belts 110 and 111. The component 14 is then fed around the corner 15 of the table 3 towards the trailing end of the belt conveyor while sandwiched between the belts 43, 110 and 111. The component 14 passes through the gate 128, and is dis-charged from the apparatus for further processing. When passing through the gate 128, the component is firmly gripped between the arms 131 and 132 of the gate 128, and the belt 43.
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.
. . . . .
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Applicant's Canadian patent application Serial No.
237,494, filed October 14, 1975 discloses a discharge and cutting apparatus for attachment to the trailing end of a tandem sewing machine system, which is used to sew footwear components along their rear edge, and for applying tape to the seam thus produced. The discharge and cutting apparatus includes a work surface for receiving the components inter-connected by the contlnuous strip of tape from the sewing machine system, pressure rollers driven in synchronism with the sewing machines for feeding the components and tape away from the sewing machine system, and a cutting device for chopping the tape at the leading and trailing ends of the components.
The separated tape bits and components are fed down a ramp, where the tape is discharged into a refuse container and the components are discharged for further processing.
With the above described apparatus, there exists a need for a conveyor for receiving the footwear upper components interconnected by the stitching and tape, and for returning such components to the front of the sewing machine, so that the operator can view the finished product and determine whether the sewing and cutting operat ons are being carried out properly. In the absence of such a conveyor, either a second operator is required to collect the components, or alternatively the sewing machine operator must stop work at the input end of the tandem sewing machine system and go to the discharge end of the discharge and cutting apparatus to examine the product.
1~63056 Since a plurality of the sewing machine systems are usually located in one work area, it is preferable that the conveyor occupy the smallest possible area. Otherwise, the work area required for the systems would be unduly large. In fact, it is preferable to be able to instal the conveyor on existing sewing machine systems without moving the systems apart, or with a minimum of rearrangement.
The object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple and compact conveyor apparatus for receiving and conveying flexible sheet material on edge. Because of the structure of the conveyor apparatus, the sheet material must be flexible, and with the shoe upper components mentioned hereinbefore, this requirement is met.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a conveyor apparatus for conveying articles formed of flexible sheet material on edge including a plate for receiving the articles one at a time on edge; primary feed means mounted on said plate for feeding said articles one at a time along a first straight line path of travel; and a belt conveyor for receiving each said article from said primary feed means and feeding the article on edge around a corner and along a second straight line path of travel perpendicular to the first straight line path of travel. -More specifically, the conveyor apparatus in~ludes the plate, which receives the articles on edge; a pair of -primary feed rollers, each having a single longitudinally extending brush for engaging and moving the articles along the first straight line path of travel which is perpendicular to the line of descent of the articles to the plate and generally in the same plane as the plane of descent of the articles onto the plate; and a second or main feed device including a rotary brush opposed by an endless link belt, which is opposed by a guide rail throughout most of its length for receiving the articles from the roller brushes and ~eeding such articles along the first straight line path of travel, around a corner, and along the second straight line path of travel perpendicular to and on the same level as the first straight line path of travel.
The primary feed roller brushes, which are formed by a roller with a single, rarrow longitudinally extending brush are driven in synchronism and out of phase, i.e. during a conveying operation, the first brush engages the leading end of the article to be conveyed approximately one eighth of a revolution before the second brush engages the article. The use of such brush rollers with such intermittent feed, permits the article to drop onto the plate. A roller with brushes around its entire periphery would not permit the articles to drop fully onto the plate. The rotary brush is driven by the link belt or at least in synchronism with the belt, so that wear on the rotary brush due to slippage is avoided. The link belt comes with projections or teeth for gripping the articles, which are sandwiched first between such belt and the rotary brush and then between the belt and the guide rail during travel away from the primary feed roller brushes. The link belt also possesses the advantage of being relatively easy to replace. The guide rail is provided with gates at the corner and at its trailing end facilitating passage of the articles between the belt and the rail.
A second embodiment of the conveyor apparatus includes the plate for receiving the articles on edge; a pair of primary feed rollers, each having a pair of brushes extending outwardly from the top end thereof for engaging and moving the articles along the first straight line path of travel, and a second or main feed device including at least one endless belt opposed by an endless link belt for receiving the articles from the roller brushes and feeding such articles along the first straight line path of travel, around the corner, and along the second straight line path of travel.
By using a pair of brushes extending outwardly from the upper end, i.e. above the middle of the primary feed rollers, the components are engaged more quickly by the brushes than with single brushes, but the brushes are still absent from the feed area most of the time so that the articles can drop onto the plate.
As in the case of the rotary brush the endless belt opposing the endless link belt is driven by the latter. The endless belt can be a V-belt or a double V-belt. The advantage of a double V-belt is that it is intended to flex two ways, rather than one way as in the case of the single V-belt. The endless belt replaces both the rotary brush and the guide rail.
However, a low rail is provided beneath the belt, forming a channel for the bottom ends of the articles. Such an arrange-ment is advantageous when feeding shoe upper components, since any tape ends dropping into the channel are swept along with the components and removed from the conveyor apparatus with the components.
The endless belt of the second embodiment of the invention is mounted on pulleys, and is driven solely by the endless link belt. The pulleys are mounted on bases, which are rotatably mounted on the article-receiving plate, so that the - , ~ . ~ . , ;
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, .
belt and pulley can move away from the link belt to facilitate passage of thick articles or thick portions of articles.
As already mentioned, the apparatus of the present invention was designed to convey footwear upper components, but it will be readily apparent that the apparatus can be used to convey any articles having sufficient flexibility to go around a corner. Of course, the articles must be sufficiently rigid and/or heavy that they will slide down a ramp into the area of the primary feed brushes. In other words, the articles should more or less retain their normal shape during passage into the conveying apparatus. The footwear upper components in question are formed of natural or man made fabrics including canvas, leather and plastic.
The apparatus of this invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and wherein: -Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the conveying apparatus of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 with a sewing machine system, and a discharge and cutting apparatus;
Figure 3 is an elevation view of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2;
Figure 4 is a schematic bottom view of the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 3;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of Fig. l;
Figures 6 and 7 are schematic plan views of primary rollers and brushes used in the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 5 in two positions;
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the primary feed rollers of a second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the second or main feed device of the second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 10 is a schematic plan view of the feed device of Fig. 9; and Figure 11 is a schematic plan view of the primary feed rollers used in the apparatus of Figs. 8 to 10.
With reference to Figs. 1 to 3 and 8, both embodiments of the conveyor apparatus of the present invention are intended for use with a tandem sewing machine system generally indicated at 1, and a discharge and cutting apparatus generally indicated at 2, both of which are mounted on a table 3. Shoe upper components, in this case quarters are fed into the tandem sewing machine system 1 at a leading or front end 4 of the table 3 in overlapping relationship to each other. The components are sewn together with a line of stitching adjacent and parallel to their rear edges by a first sewing machine 5.
The components are then spread apart and the edges outside the line of stitching are folded apart flat against the component -~
between the sewing machine 5 and a second sewing machine 6. A
tape i8 applied to the folded edges and sewn to the guarters by two lines of stitching in the second sewing machine 6. Then the discharge and cutting apparatus 2 draws the components and tape from the second sewing machine 6. The discharge and cutting apparatus 2 cuts the tape at the leading and trailing edges of each component and discharges the separated components and tape down a ramp 7, where the components drop onto a plate 8, which forms part of the apparatus of the present invention, and the tape ends drop through an opening 9 into a refuse container (not shown).
: , ~f, , ,, - ., -FIRST EMBODIMENT
In the first embodiment of the invention (Figs. 1 to 7), the plate 8 is mounted beneath the trailing or discharge end 10 of the table by means of posts 11. The-p~a~e 8 supports a primary feed device generally indicated at 12, and a secondary or main feed device generally indicated at 13. The primary feed device 12 receives a footwear component 14 (Figs. 6 and 7) on edge from the discharge and cutting apparatus 2, and feeds it to the main feed device 13, which feeds the component around a rear corner 15 of the table 3, along one side 16 to the front end 4 thereof (Fig. 2).
The primary feed device 12 includes a pair of rollers 17 and 18 mounted on shafts 19 and 20, respectively for rotation therewith. The shafts 19 and 20 extend downwardly through the plate 8, with pulleys 21 and 22, respectively mounted on their bottom ends. Each roller 17 and 18 is provided with a single longitudinally extending, narrow brush 23 and 24, respectively for engaging the component 14 and feeding it to the main feed device 13. The brushes 23 and 24 extend from the top to the bottom of their respective rollers, and their lowermost bristles touch the plate for removing any sections of tape accidentally reaching the plate 8 from the ramp 7. In order to ensure that the rollers 17 and 18 rotate in synchronism with each other, sprockets 25 are mounted on the top of shafts 19 and 20. The sprockets 25 are interconnected by a chain 26 which also extends around a sprocket 27 rotatably mounted on a stub axle formed by the top end of a post 28 extending upwardly from the plate 8 for tensioning the chain 26. The second primary feed brush 24 is followed in the path of travel by a fence 29 in the form of a post 30 mounted on the plate 8, :: :
'' '''";'' ' , ' ~ ": '~ ' ' , '. ' ~' ... . . , . ~ .
1~63~56 with a plurality of fingers 31 extending outwardly therefrom towards the roller 18. The bristles of the brush 24 pass between the fingers 31 during use.
A shield 32 (Fig. 3), with openings 33 and 34 for the brushes 23 and 24, is mounted on the plate 8 between the chain 26 and the ramp 7. The shield 32 has a curved top end 35 arcing towards the ramp 7. A rod 36 is connected to each bottom corner of the shield 32 for removably mountin~ the shield on the plate 8. The rods 36 extend downwardly through apertures (not shown) in the plate 8 into sleeves 37 mounted on the bottom of the plate.
A rotary brush 38 is rotatably mounted on the plate 8 downstream of the primary feed brushes 23 and 24 in the ~ -direction of travel of the component. The brush 38 is freely rotatable on an axle 39 extending through the plate 8, with a bushing 40 between the brush 38 and the axle 39. A pulley 41 is rotatably mounted on the bottom end of the axle 39. The rotary brush 38 is annular with bristles 42 around its entire periphery.
The rotary brush 38 is opposed and driven by an endless link belt 43. The belt 43 is formed of a plurality of overlapping rectangular segments 44 interconnected by rivets 45. The leading ends of the segments 44 project outwardly from the plane of the belt for pushing footwear upper components 14 toward the front end 4 of the table 3. The link belt 43 passes around pulleys 46, 47, and 48 mounted on the plate 8 opposite the rotary brush 38, beneath the rear corner 15 of the table 3 and beneath a front corner 49 (Fig. 2) of the table, in that order. The pulley 46 is mounted on a shaft 50 opposite the rotary brush 38, i.e. a line connectin~ the :
longitudinal axes of the ~xle 39 and the sh~ft 50 is pexpendi-cular to the path of travel o~ the footwear upper component, The distance between the longitudinal axes of the axle 39 and the shaft 50 is slightly less than the sum o~ the radi~ of the rotary brush 38 and the pulley 46, so that the rotary brush is driven by the belt 43 pass~ng around the pulley 46.
The rotary brush 38 i`s followed in the direction of travel of the footwear upper components ~y a guide rail 51 (Figs. 1, 3 and 5), which extends around the rear corner 15 of the table and along the side 16 to the front or input end 4 of the table 3. The rail 51 is integral with a flange 52 extending upwardly from the plate 8 for maintaining the rail 51 at the level of the belt 43. The rail 51 and flange 52 are retained on the plate 8 by brackets 53. As best illustrated in Fig. 5, the guide rail 51 has a generally U-shaped cross-sectional configuration, with short, horizontally extending arms 54, the inner free ends 55 of which are rounded to ensure smooth sliding of the component 14 between the belt 43 and the rail 51.
When conveying thick components 14 or when the components have a thick portion such as the tape sewn onto folded portions of the shoe upper components, there is the danger that the components will get jammed between the belt 43 and the rail 51, particularly in the area of the pulleys 47 and 48. Accordingly, gates 56 and 57 are provided at the rear corner and at the discharge end of the rail 51. Each gate S6 and 57 includes a sleeve 58 connected to the gate and rotatably mounted on a pin 59 extending upwardly from the plate 8. As the component 14 passes between the belt 43 and the rail 51 in the area of the pulley 47 or 48, the gate 56 or 57 i8 free to swing out facilitating passage of such component.
~ . , .:
_ 9 ._ .. . . . . - ~ , . . .
- .
,, . ~ . .
.. - -1063~356 Each gate 56 and 57 is biased to the closed position by a helical spring 60 mounted on a pin 61, the pin extending inwardly toward the gate from a flange 62 mounted on the plate 8.
DRIVE
All of the movable elements of the apparatus described hereinbefore are operated by a single drive, which includes a motor 63 mounted beneath the plate 8 and the table 3. A right angle drive 64 on the outer end of the motor 63 is ~ounted beneath the plate 8 by means of a bracket 65. A pulley 66 is connected to an output shaft 67 of the right angle drive 64. -The pulley 66 is connected to a pulley 68 by a V-belt 69. The pulley 68 is mounted o~ the same shaft 50 as the pulley 46 for driving the link belt 43. A third pulley 70 is mounted on the same shaft 50 above the pulley 68 for driving the pulleys 21 and 22 on the bottom ends of the shaft 19 and 20 bearing the rollers 17 and 18. The pulley 70 is connected to the pulleys 21 and 22 by an O-ring 71, which passes around tensioning pulleys 72 and 73 mounted on stub axles 74 and 75, respectively at opposite sides of the plate 8, and bears against pulley 41, which acts as a tensioning pulley, and tensioning pulley 76 mounted on a stub axle 77 extending downwardly between the pulleys 21 and 22. The stub axle 75 is connected to the plate 8 by a screw 78, which passes through one of a row of aligned openings 79 in the plate 8 for permitting adjustment of the . -:
tension on the O-ring 71.
Theoretically the rotary brush 38 could be driven by the pulley 41 if the brush and pulley 41 were fixed on the axle 39. However, with such an arrangment, if slippage occurs, the -brush 38 and belt 43 would move at different speeds and thus rapid wearing of the brush would occur. Thus, it is pre~erable :, ' ' ' to have the brush 38 driven by the belt link 43 as stated hereinbefore. The brush 3~, being driven at exactly the same speed as the belt 43 will not wear as quickly as with sepa~ate drive arrangements which permit slippage between the belt and brush. The O-ring 71 is used as a safety measure. While, with a V-belt or chain and sprocket drive there is no slippage between the driving and driven elements, an O-ring will slip, and thus one can manually stop rotation of the rollers 17 and 18 without being injured.
It will be appreciated that in order to facilitate the handling of large (high) footwear components, a second set of pulleys could be mounted on shafts supporting the pulleys 46, 47, and 48 above such pulleys, and a second link belt could be provided above the first link belt 43 for stabilizing the components during conveying by the main feed device 13. More-over, for long components more than two primary feed brushes can be used.
OPERATION OF FIRST EMBODIMENT
When the sewing machine system 1 is in operation, the motor 63 is constantly running, and thus the brushes 23, 24 and 38 are constantly rotating in a clockwise direction when viewed from above, and the belt 43 is continuously moving around the pulleys 46, 47 and 48 in the direction of arrow A (Fig. 1).
As a shoe upper component 14 slides down the ramp 7 from the discharge and cutting apparatus 2 it drops onto the plate 8 in the area of the primary feed device 12, which is located slightly downstream of the centre line C (Figs. 6 and 7), if one of the brushes 23 or 24 is in a component engaging position when the component drops, the component will sit on the brush for an instant until the brush passes and then fall onto the plate 8.
.' , ' '~ ' .
Ideally, the component is engaged first at its leading end by the brush 24 and then by the brush 23. With.this sequence, the leading end of the component 14 cannot curl into the area between the rollers 17 and 18. If the component 14 ~s engaged first by the brush 23, it tends to buckle or fold in front of brush 23. However, even if the component 14 is engaged first by the brush 23, the brush 24 is in position (Fig. 7) to function as a fence, preventing movement of the component far out of the intended straight line path of travel. With the brushes rotating at high speed, e.g. 120 revolutions per minute, the brush 23 or 24 will seldom be in position to prevent the component 14 from dropping onto the.plate 8.
After normal engagement of the component 14 by the brush 25, the latter acts as a fence to prevent curling of the leading end of the component around the roller 18 between such roller and the rotary brush 38. The fence 29 also prevents such curling. Once the shoe upper component 14 has passed the fence 29, it is picked up by the rotary brush and belt 43, and fed into the channel defined by such belt 43 and the rail 51.
The component 14 is conveyed around the rear corner of the rail 51. If necessary, because of the thickness of the component or a portion thereof, the component 14 opens the gates 56 and 57 during passage to the discharge end of the apparatu~ at the front end 4 of the table 3. If the gates 56 and 57 are opened they are returned to the closed position by the springs 60.
SECOND EMBODIMENT
With reference to Figures 8 to 11, the second embodiment ..
of the invention will now be described. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals have been used to identify the same elements.
. ~
As with the first embodiment of the invention, a plate 8 is mounted beneath the trailing or discharge end 10 of the table 3. The plate 8 supports a primary feed device generally indicated at 12 and a secondary or main feed device generally indicated at 13.
The primary feed device 12 includes a pair of rollers 17 and 18 mounted on shafts 19 and 20, respectively. The shafts 19 and 20 extend downwardly through the plate 8, with pulleys 21 and 22, respectively mounted on their bottom ends. Each roller 17 and 18 is provided with a pair of brushes 80 and 81, respectively. Each of the brushes 80 and 81 includes bristles extending outwardly from a sleeve 82, which can be moved out of the roller 17 or 18 to compensate for bristle wear. The sleeves 82 are locked in position by set screws (not shown) extending downwardly through the top of the rollers 17 and 18.
It has been found that the best positions for the brushes 80 on the roller 17 are 40-45 apart, with the brushes 81 on the roller 18 being diametrically opposed (Fig. 11). With this arrangement, one of the brushes 80 may engage the shoe component 14 before either of the brushes 81. However, the apparatus still operates efficiently to move the components 14 towards the main feed device 13.
As in the first embodiment of the invention, rotation of the rollers 17 and 18 is synchronized by a chain 26 extending around sprockets 25 on the rollers and around a sprocket 27 rotatably mounted on a stub axle formed by the top end of a post 28. Protective discs 83 are provided above each of the sprockets 25 and 27 to prevent injury to the operator should fingers be inserted into the area of the sprockets.
Unlike the first embodiment of the invention, the exit ~-1063~56 end of the discharge and cutting apparatus 2 is provided with an arcuate shield 84 which prevents shoe components 14 curving upwardly away from the plate 8. It has been found that some large components tend to curve upwardly away from the conveying apparatus. The shield 84 directs the components downwardly towards the conveyor. Of course, such a shield can also be provided in the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 7. The apparatus of Figs. 8 to 11 also includes a shield 85 between the rollers 17 and 18, and the ramp 7. The shield 85 is in the form of a plate with a slot 86 for the brushes 80 and 81. The shield 85 is pivotally mounted on a bracket 87 for rotation around a pin 88. A sleeve 89 on the bracket contains a spring and ball (not shown) projecting through an aperture in the bracket for bearing against a depression in the outer surface of the shield 85 for releasably holding the shield in position. An L-shaped bracket 90 on the plate 8 acts as a guide and stabilizer for bottom arm 91 of the shield 85. The arm 91 of the shield 85 extends beyond the brushes 81 to the leading end of the second or main feed device 13.
The main feed device 13 includes the link belt 43 which is opposed by a pair of V-belts 92 and 93 (Figs. 9 and 10). While one V-belt could be used, it is preferable to use two belts, so that the length of the second feed device is readily adaptable to different lengths of sewing tables 3. The V-belt 92 passes around pulleys 94, 95 and 96, and the V-belt 93 passes around pulleys 97 and 98. Each of the pulleys 94 to 98 is rotatably mounted on the top end of a stub axle 99 extending upwardly from a small base plate 100. Each base plate 100 is pivotally mounted by a screw 101 on the plate 8. The belts 92 and 93 are tensioned by idler rollers 102 rotatably mounted on stub axles 103 extending upwardly from base plates 104. The base plates 104 are pivotally mounted on the plate 8 for rotation around screws 105. One end of each base plate 104 opposite the end carrying the roller 102 is biased outwardly by a helical spring 106, maintaining the roller 102 against the belt 92 or 93, and consequently tensioning the belts 92 and 93.
With the above described arrangement, the belts 92 and 93 are biased against the link belt 43. The belts 92 and 93 can move outwardly away from the link belt 43 in the area of the pulleys 94 to 98 to permit passage of thick components 14 o~ thick portions of such components. When a thick component or thick portion of a component 14 passes between the link belt 43 and the belt 92 or 93 in the area of one of the pulleys 94 to 98, the pulley moves outwardly; the pulley, stub axle 99 and plate 100 rotating around the screw 101. At the same time, one ~ -of the tensioning rollers 102, stub axles 103 and plates 104 rotates around the screw 105 against the action of the spring 106. After the thick component or portion thereof passes the pulley 94 to 98, the spring 106 causes the base plates 100 and 104, the stub axles 99 and 103, the roller 102 and the pulley to return to their rest positions.
A small fence 107 (Figs. 8 and 10) is provided on the plate 8 following and overlapping the trailing end of the botto.
arm 91 of the shield 85. The fence 107 extends beneath the pulleys 94 to 98 preventing the escape of any stray strips of tape into the area of the base plates 100 and 104, and acting as a guide for the bottoms of components 14 being conveyed by the apparatus. Posts 108 are also provided on the plate 8 for ~, . . .- .
supporting a protective cover (not shown). A top cover above , .. .. . - . ......................... : .... - : - - : :
' ' ' ' ~: ' '' ,' ' . ;. ,.. ... :, . , 1063~56 the pulleys 94 to 98 will facilitate conveying of the components 14 by preventing escape of the components from the apparatus, and prevents injury to the operator.
DRIVE (SECOND EMBODIMENT) The drive of the second embodiment of the invention is the same as that of the first embodiment, except that the pulley 41 is mounted on its own stub axle (not shown) extending down-wardly from the bottom of the plate 8 and the O-ring 71 passes around the outside of the pulley 41 (Fig. 9). Only the pulleys 21 and 22, and consequently the brush rollers 17 and 18 are driven by the O-ring 71. The V-belts 92 and 93 bear against and are driven by the link belt 43.
OPERATION OF THE SECOND EMBODIMENT
The operation of the second embodiment is also similar to that of the first embodiment. As a shoe upper component 14 slides down the ramp 7, it drops into the channel defined by the bottom end of the ramp 7 and the shield 85. Sometimes, during cutting of the tape at the leading and trailing ends of the components 14, bits of tape jump onto the components and are carried down the ramp 7 with the components rather than dropping through the opening 10. In any event, the components 14 and some tape bits drop into the channel where they are engaged by the brushes 80 and 81 extending through the slot 86 in the shield 85, and fed to the main feed device 13. In the main feed device 13, the components 14 are sandwiched between the link belt 43 and the V-belts 92 and 93. Thus, the components 14 are conveyed around the rear corner of the table 3 and along the side 16 to the front or operator end of the table. If necessary, because of the thickness of a component or a portion thereof, the component moves the endless belt 92 or 93 and one .
, ' . ' 1063~)56 of the pulleys 94 to 98 outwardly. The belt and pulley are returned to their rest position by the spring 106, which biases the tensioning roller 102 against the belt. Any tape bits dropping onto the plate 8 with the components 14 are swept along with the components and discharged at the front end of the table 3.
Both embodiments of the above described apparatus can be used to convey thin strips of material or several thicknesses -of material, the gates in the first embodiment and the pivotally mounted pulleys in the second embodiment facilitating passage of a variety of thicknesses of material.
1063~56 SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
As mentioned in the principal disclosure, the belt conveyor portion of the apparatus can be modified in a variety of ways, includIng the provision of a second set of pulleys mounted on the shafts support`ing the pulleys carrying the V-belts, which oppose the link belt. Moreover, the V-belts can be replaced with 0-rings opposing the link belt. It has been found that such an arrangement affords advantages over the two embodiments of the invention disclosed hereinbefore. Specific-ally, the use of a pair of 0-rings opposing the endless link belt throughout the trailing end of the path of travel of the flexible sheet material provides for three-point gripping of the material~
Thus, in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention, the conveyor apparatus includes a plate for receiving articles formed of flexible sheet material one at a time on edge; primary feed means mounted on the plate for feeding the articles one at a time along a first straight line path of ~ travel; belt conveyor means for receiving each of the articles ! 20 from the primary feed means and feeding the articles on edge around a corner and along a second straight line path of travel perpendicular to the first straight line path of travel, the belt conveyor means including a first belt having projec-`~ tions for engaging the articles, and a pair of endless belts opposing the first belt, in planes above and below the first ~' belt for holding the articles against the first belt during 1~ conveying thereof, the belts defining a portion of the first ,I straight line path of travel, the corner and the second straight line path of travel.
The third embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying 1` A
``_ 1C~63~56 drawings ! wherein;
Figure 12 is a perspective yiew of the second or main feed device of a thi~rd embodiment of the inven~ion;
Figure 13 is a plan view of the feed device of Fig. 12;
Figure 14 is a partly sectioned end view of the feed device of Figs. 12 and 13; and Figure 15 is a perspective view of a gate used in the feed device of Figs. 12 to 14.
In Figs. 12 to 15, wherever possible, the same reference numerals have been used to identify the same elements as in Figs. 1 to 11.
Referring to Figs. 12 to 15, a third form of main feed device includes a pair of endless belts 110 and lll which oppose and slightly overiap an endless link belt 43. The link belt 43 passes around pulleys 46, 47 and 48. As best illustrated in Fig. 14 the belts 110 and 111 are disposed in planes above and below the link belt 43, whereby a shoe component or other sheet of flexible material is sandwiched between the belts 43, 110 and 111 for positive three-point gripping. The endless belts 110 and 111 are 0-rings and thus have a circular cross-sectional configuration.
The belts 110 and 111 pass around double pulleys 112, 113 and 114 opposite the pulleys 46, 47 and 48. Each of the pulleys 112, 113 and 114 is rotatably mounted on a stub axle 115. The stub axle 115 is mounted on one end of a plate 116, which is pivotally mounted with a screw 117 on the plate 8.
The axle 115 is eccentrically mounted on the plate 116, i.e. a line through the longitudinal axes of the axle 115 and the screw 117 is not parallel to the path of travel of the belt 43 or ~elts 110 and 111. Thus, as thick shoe components or a plurality of thin shoe components pass between the belts 43, 110, .
- 19 - .
-` 1063~56 111, each pulley 112~ 113 or 11~ ~nd its ~ssociated plate 116 is free to pIVOt outwardly away from the opposing pulley 46, 47 or 48 to permit passage of the component(s~.
The first double pulley 112 includes upper and lower belt-receiving grooves in upper and lower discs 118 and 119, respectively. Four brushes 120 extend outwardly from the centre of the roller shaft between the discs 118 and 119. The brushes 120 are spaced equidistant apart (at 90% with respect to each other) and extend outwardly beyond the periphery of the pulley 112 and slightly beyond the outer edge of the belts 110 and 111 or positively engaging components as they are fed to the main feed device from the primary feed device. A fence 121 is pro-vided behind the belts 110 and 111 following the pulley 112 in the direction of feed of the components to prevent edges of the components entering the area behind the belt and getting caught between the pulley 113 and either of the belts 110 or 111. The fence 121 is L-shaped with a base portion 122 secured to the plate 8 by screws 123 (Fig. 13).
The plate 8 in the straight stretch following the corner pulley 113 is provided with an elongated slot 124 extending almost the entire length of such straight stretch with an open trailing end 125, so that bits of tape entering the main feed device can fall from the plate 8.
The trailing end of the plate 8 is reinforced by a plate 126 (Fig. 14) secured to the plate 8 on each side of the trailing end 125 of the slot 124. The plate 126 is provided with a rectangular notch 127 in its top surface beneath the slot 124 permitting the passage of components.
A gate 128 is provided near the pulley 114 for ensuring that components do not enter the area between the belts 110 and 111 and the pulley 114. The gate 128 (Figs. 14 and 15),having ' -,. - ' ~, , ' ,,....... ~ '': .
1~63~56 a C-shaped cross-sectional configuration, is pivotally mounted on a post 129 by a screw 130. The gate 128 is so positioned that the trailing end of its top and bottom arms 131 and 132, respectively slightly overlap the link belt 43. The gate 128 is retained in position by a bolt 133 in the top end of an L-shaped bracket 134. The trailing end of the gate 128 is biased outwardly into the path of travel of the components by a helical spring 135 mounted on a bolt 136 in the bracket 134. The brac-ket 134 is L-shaped, with a bottom arm connected to the plate 8 by srews 137.
- Brackets 138 and posts 139 are also provided on the plate 8 for supporting covers 140 (shown in part in Figs. 12 and 14) for preventing injury to the machine operator or others. The covers 140 can hold a switch (not shown) open when the covers are closed, whereby opening of the covers will automatically close the switch to stop the machine. The covers 140 include a downwardly extending projection or extension 141 for preventing accidental access to the drive mounted beneath the piate 8. The drive in the third embodiment of the invention is the same as that employed in the second embodiment on the invention (Fig. 10). -In use, the third embodiment of the invention functions in essentially the same manner as the main feed device of the first two embodiments of the invention. A shoe component 14 is fed by the primary feed device from the bottom of the ramp 7 to the area between the pulleys 46 and 112, i.e. between the belt 43 and the endless belts 110 and 111. The component 14 is then fed around the corner 15 of the table 3 towards the trailing end of the belt conveyor while sandwiched between the belts 43, 110 and 111. The component 14 passes through the gate 128, and is dis-charged from the apparatus for further processing. When passing through the gate 128, the component is firmly gripped between the arms 131 and 132 of the gate 128, and the belt 43.
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.. . . .
.
. . . . .
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Claims (16)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A conveyor apparatus for conveying articles formed of flexible sheet material on edge comprising a plate for receiving the articles one at a time on edge; primary feed means mounted on said plate for feeding said articles one at a time along a first straight line path of travel, said primary feed means including a plurality of brush means for intermittent feeding of each said article; belt conveyor means for receiving each said article from said primary feed means and feeding the articles on edge around a corner and along a second straight line path of travel perpendicular to the first straight line path of travel; and drive means for driving said primary feed means and said belt conveyor means.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said brush means includes a plurality of rollers aligned in a plane parallel to the intended path of travel of said articles; a brush on each said roller extending into the path of travel of said articles, the brushes on successive rollers being out of phase, whereby the brush furthest downstream in the direction of travel of the articles engage the component first more often than the brushes upstream thereof.
3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said brush is a single longitudinally extending narrow brush on each said roller.
4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said belt conveyor means includes a belt having projections for engaging said articles; and a rail opposing said belt for holding said articles against said belt during conveying of the articles, the belt and rail defining a portion of the first straight line path of travel, the corner and the second straight line path of travel.
5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said belt conveyor means includes a rotary brush opposing the leading end of said belt in the direction of travel of the articles, said brush being followed, in the direction of travel of said articles, by said rail.
6. An apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein said belt conveyor means includes pulleys supporting said belt at the leading and trailing ends of the path of travel of said articles with the belt, and at said corner; gate means in said rail at the corner and at said trailing end for movement toward and away from said belt for facilitating passage of the articles between the belt and rail.
7. An apparatus according to claim 2, including a pair of brushes on each said roller.
8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said belt conveyor means includes a first belt having projections for engaging said articles; and at least one second belt opposing said first belt for holding said articles against said first belt during conveying of the articles, the first and second belts defining a portion of the first straight line path of travel, the corner and the second straight line path of travel.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said belt conveyor means includes a pair of second belts opposing said first belt, one said second belt with the first belt defining said portion of the first straight line path of travel, the corner and a portion of the second straight line path of travel, the other second belt with the first belt defining the remainder of the second straight line path of travel.
10. An apparatus according to claim 8, including tension means for moving portions of said second belt from a rest position away from said first belt for permitting passage of thick components or thicker portions of components, and for returning said second belt to said rest position.
11. An apparatus according to claim 10, including pulleys guiding said second belts and tension means, said tension means including rollers for pressing against said second belts; base plates pivotally mounted on said plate supporting said pulleys and rollers; and spring means biasing said base plates in such a manner that said rollers are biased against said second belts to maintain the second belts in releasable engagement with said first belt.
12. An apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said drive means includes a motor; pulleys connected to said primary feed means and to said belt conveyor means; a drive belt connecting said motor to one of the pulleys of said belt conveyor means for driving the belt conveyor means; and an O-ring connec-ting one of the pulleys of said primary feed means to said one of said belt conveyor pulleys for driving the primary feed means.
CLAIMS SUPPORTED BY SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
CLAIMS SUPPORTED BY SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
13. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said belt conveyor means includes a first belt having projections for engaging said articles; and a pair of endless belts opposing said first belt for holding articles against said first belt during conveying of the articles, one of said pair of belts being disposed in a horizontal plane above said first belt, and the other of said pair of belts being disposed in a horizontal plane below said first belt; said first belt-and said pair of endless belts defining a portion of the first straight line path of travel, the corner and the second straight line path of travel.
14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said belt conveyor means includes double pulleys carrying said pair of endless belts, a first of said double pulleys including-brushes opposing said first belt at the leading end of the belt conveyor means in the direction of travel of the articles.
15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said double pulleys are movably mounted on said plate for movement towards and away from said first belt to facilitate passage of said articles between the first belt and said pair of belts in the region of said double pulleys.
16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said belt conveyor means includes gate means at its trailing end in the direction of travel of the articles for movement towards and away from said first belt between said pair of belts to ensure positive discharge of said articles from the belt conveyor means.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA279,522A CA1063056A (en) | 1977-05-31 | 1977-05-31 | Conveyor for flexible sheet material |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA279,522A CA1063056A (en) | 1977-05-31 | 1977-05-31 | Conveyor for flexible sheet material |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1063056A true CA1063056A (en) | 1979-09-25 |
Family
ID=4108775
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA279,522A Expired CA1063056A (en) | 1977-05-31 | 1977-05-31 | Conveyor for flexible sheet material |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1063056A (en) |
-
1977
- 1977-05-31 CA CA279,522A patent/CA1063056A/en not_active Expired
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