CA1071566A - Apparatus for orienting objects - Google Patents
Apparatus for orienting objectsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1071566A CA1071566A CA298,468A CA298468A CA1071566A CA 1071566 A CA1071566 A CA 1071566A CA 298468 A CA298468 A CA 298468A CA 1071566 A CA1071566 A CA 1071566A
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- objects
- conveyor
- movement
- conveyor means
- path
- Prior art date
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Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Objects such as bottles which are asymmetric about their vertical axis are oriented for processing, e.g. labelling or filling by means of a conveyor which receives the objects in either of two opposite orientations with respect to their vertical axes, a scanner for sensing the presence of the objects on the conveyor, and a device activated by the scanner for rotating the objects to the desired orientation while the objects are on the conveyor.
Objects such as bottles which are asymmetric about their vertical axis are oriented for processing, e.g. labelling or filling by means of a conveyor which receives the objects in either of two opposite orientations with respect to their vertical axes, a scanner for sensing the presence of the objects on the conveyor, and a device activated by the scanner for rotating the objects to the desired orientation while the objects are on the conveyor.
Description
6~
This inventio~l relates to apparatus for orientin~
objects as~nNnetric about a vertical axi6~
Asymme-tric objects which re~uire mechanical processing generally must be fed to the processing machinery in a regu~ar u~iform manner. For example, in the case of bottles which are asymmetric about their vertical axis, it lS often required to have the bottles oriented uniform]y in one direction for -the following reasons:
(1) ~here is a demand for a label to be placed in one particular position on the bottle.
This inventio~l relates to apparatus for orientin~
objects as~nNnetric about a vertical axi6~
Asymme-tric objects which re~uire mechanical processing generally must be fed to the processing machinery in a regu~ar u~iform manner. For example, in the case of bottles which are asymmetric about their vertical axis, it lS often required to have the bottles oriented uniform]y in one direction for -the following reasons:
(1) ~here is a demand for a label to be placed in one particular position on the bottle.
(2) ~he mouth of the bottle may be offset from the vertical axis of the bottle and therefore the bottle must ~ enter a filling or other processing machine in one uniform ~rientation only.
It is -therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatus of relatively simple cons-truction and effective operation which collects asymmetric obJects of either of two opposite orientations and unifor~
mly orients the objects to one of the two opposite orien-tations before discharge -from the apparatus.
With this object in view there is provided apparat1ls for orienting objects asymmetric about a vertical axis comprising means to convey -the objects in spaced - relation along a predetermined path, means to feed the ;
objects to said conveyor means in either of -two opposite orientations with respect to said vertical axis, means to sense the presence on the conveyor means of objects having a selected one of said two opposite orientations, and means activated by said sense means to change objects from said selected to the opposi-te orientation while the objects are f,`~
~'J'~'' S~6 on the conveyor means.
I'he objects may be caused to move along a part circular path by the conveyor means being of a rotary type such as a member rotatable on a vertical axis. The conveyor means conveniently includes a plurality of spaced ro-tatable discs each of which will support one of the objects while the objec-ts are moved along the path of the conveyor means.
More specifically -the conveyor means may include a plurality of discs comprising a first se-t of ro-tatable discs and a second set of rotatable discs for engagement ~ith -the top and bottom of an object respectively. The first and second sets of discs are conveniently uniformly - distributed around a vertical ~xis upon which the conveyor means rotates. The discs of the first set of discs are pre~erably movable between a lower object engaging position and an upper object disengaging position as the conveyor means rotates. These movable discs may be mounted on pivotal arms which are raised and lowered by respective rollers acting on a stationary cam track.
Preferably the~eans of feeding the objects to the conveyor means includes a star wheel which is timed with the movement of the conveyor so as to engage each object and feed an object into the pitch circle of the discs in either of two opposite orientations with respect to the vertical axis of rotation of the conveyor means.
The objects on the conveyor means may pass a scanning device which is activated by a cam on the second set in response to the movement of the conveyor means. The scanning device is preferably posi-tioned such that upon detection of objects having a selected one of the afore-mentioned two opposite orientations7 it will acti.val;e me~ns to ch~nge the objec-ts from the selected to the opposite oriengation~ while the objects are on the conveyor means. , , Preferably the change means includes power sources operatively connected to shoes which act on drums coupled t~ the first and second discs. The power sources ,are converlien-tly of the solenoid or ai.r cylinder type.
'lihe shoes m~y be tim~ by timer or cam means to engage the respective drum for a period,sufficient to rotate the, associated discs through 180 so that the object is changed.
f'rom the s~lected to th'e opposite orientation, and then release the shoes. The object continues along its pre-det.e~,~ined path until the assoclated first disc is disen-gaged from the object by means of the roller and stationary cam.
Discharge means are conveniently positioned a.t the termination of the predetermined path of travel of the objects for discharging the uniformly oriented objects to additional feed means whlch trans~er the objects -to processing machi.nery.
The apparatu~ accordin~ to the present invention is ~dvalntageously used for orienting bottles asymmetric about a vertical axis, however, it is to be understood that -' it ~a.y be used for orienting other types of containers and other objects in general which are asymmetric about a vertical axis.
The i11vention wi'll be more readily understood from '.
the following description of one practical arrangement of the machine as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
T.~l the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the ~ - 3 -machine th~,ough the plane 1~1 in Figure 2;
Figuxe 2 is a sectional ele~ation along the line 2~2 in ~igure 1.
Referring now to the drawings the orientating apparatvs 5 includes a straight line co,nveyor 6 and a rotary conveyor 7. ~he straight line conveyor 6 delivers -the objects to the circular conveyor 79 and also carries them - therefrom after all of the objects have been correctly orientated. The screw 8 is mounted for rotation about an a~is parallel to the direction of movement of the straight line conveyor and co-operates with the objects on the conveyor as they approach the orientating apparatus 5.
~he pitch of the screw 8 and the speed at which it is rotated by a suitable ~otor (not shown) is selected so that the objects on the straight line conveyor are delievered to the feed star wheel 9, and hence to the rotary conveyor 7, at the required speed -to match the speed of the rotary conveyor 7.
- The contour of the feed star wheel 9, and of the surface 10 on the guide 11, are selected to effect transfer of the objects from the straight line conveyor 6 to the rotary conveyor 7. ~he feed star wheel shown in the drawing will transfer four objects for each revolution of the feed wheel 9.
The rotary conveyor 7 comprises a vertical main shaft 12 supported in suitable bearings for rotation about a vertical axis. ~he lower frame 13 is secured to the shaft 12 to rotate therewith, and carries a plurality of object support discs 14, in this instance six, equally spaced about a common pitch circle concentric with the shaft 12. Each 7~;6~;
disc 14 i.s .mounte(i on a shaft 14a supported in bearings on the lower fra~e 13 so that the disc ma,y rotate about a vertlcal axis parallel to the shs,ft 120 ~.he shaft 14a supporting the disc 14 also carries a drum 15 coupled to the shaft to rotate in unison therewith and with the di.sc 14.
The upper frame 20 ls also mounted to rot,ate wi-th the shaft 12 through the sleeve 210 The upper fr~e 20 carries an '' equal num'ber of discs 22, again in this instance six, each disc 22 being in substantial vertieal allgnment with a e~mplimentary disc 14 on the lower frame 13. Each disc 22 is su.ppor-ted in the upper frame 20 for rotation a,bout the axis of the disc and also for limited axial movement~
~ drum 23 is mounted on each shaft 22a carrying the res-pective discs 22 so that these three components will rotate in unison.
~ lift a~m 24 is associated with. each upper disc 22, and is pivoted at its inner end 25 to the sleeve 219 and connected intermediate its length through the.boss 26 t,o the shaft 22a. The outer end of each lift arm 24 '' carries a roller 27 which cooperates with a circular cam track 28 mounted on -the frame of the machine 29 concentric with the shaft 12. The contour of the cam 'track 28 effects limited axial movement of the disc 22 through the action of the rol.ler 27 and lift arm 24 i.n timed relation to the . .
rotation of the shaft 12 in a manner which will be described ', in more detail later.
~ he vertical distance between the lower disc 14 and the complimentary upper disc 22 is selected in relation-ship -to the height of the objects being processed so that, when the disc 22 is raised by the cam track 28 the objec-t ~ ~ 5 -c`( ~
Y~1L11 freely .en-ter between the discs 22 and 14, and when the d~sc 22 iS lowered it will engage the upper end of the object which is then supported on the lower disc 14. A
sprlng 3~ ma~ be interposed between the disc 22 and the *rame 20 to urge the disc 22 in a downward direction to ensure that the roller 27 faithfully follows the contour of the cam 28, and also to ensure that there is sufficien.t ~'rictional grip between the discs 20 and 14 and the objects therebetween so that upon rotation of the discs the object will also rotate therewith in a manner later to be described.
The surface 32 on the guide 1i is contoured -to extend into the path of the discs 14 as the shaft rotates, and to guide the objects supported on the discs off the rotary conveyor back on to the straight line conveyor 6.
The sca~ning device 34 comprising a light source 35 and a sensor 36 are mounted in a-fixed position on the -frame o~ the machine so that the beam of the light inter-sects the path of travel of objects on the rotary conveyor 7. The scanning device is energi~ed by a switch operated in response to the rotation of the shaft 12 so that.-the light source is switched on at regular intervals timed in - relationship to the rotation of the shaft 12, and corres- .
ponding to each set of compllmentary discs 14 and 22 being in a predetermined position relative to the light beam~
The position and timing of the energizing of the light is selected in accordance with the particular shape of the objects being processed so that if the object is located in one of two opposite selected orientations, the light beam will not be broken when the scanner is switched on, _ 6 --~7 whilst if the object is in the other of said two opposite orientations the ligh-t beam will be broke~.
~ he two power cylinders 40 and 41 are fixed to the machine fralne and the piston rod of each carries res-pective arcuate shaped shoes 42 and 43, having concave frictional inner surfaces 42a and 43a. The shoes may be moved by the respective power cylinders between operative positions wherein they would be in driving engagement with the drums 15 and 23 respectively as the drums pass the shves during rotation of the rotary conveyor, and retrac-ted positions wherein the drums 15 and 23 may pass the shoes ~ithout contact therewith. It will be appreciated tha-t whilst either drum is in contact with the complimentary shoe, the rotation of the shaft 12, and hence the whole rotary conveyor, wiIl cause the drums 23 and 15 to rotate on their axis with a corresponding rotary movement being transmitted through the discs 22 and 24 to the object which ~s held therebetween. The length of the friction surface on the shoe relative to the diameter of the cooperating drum and/or the period durine which the shoe is in contact with the drum is selected so that the drum, and hence the disc and object associated therewith, will revolve through one half of a revolution about the axis of the object and thus the orientation of the object is reversed.
The opera-tion of the powar cylinders 40 and 41 is controlled by -the scanning device 34 so that if the scanning device detects an object having the incorrect orientation the shoes will be moved to the operative position so that as that particular object moved further along the rotary conveyor the drums associated with that object will engage ~)79~S~;~
the shoes and hence the orientation of -the object will be reversed in-to what is the desired correct orientation. It will equally be appreciated that if the scanning device detects that the object has the correct orien-tation then the power cylinders will not be operated and thus the object will not ~dergo any change in orientation as it moves around the rotary conveyor.
~ he cam track 28 which effects the raising and lowering of the upper discs 22 is contoured so that the discs are raised whilst an object is being delivered onto the rotary conveyor to be supported on the lower disc 14~
and is also raised while the objects are being discharged from the rotary conveyor by the guide surface 32 of the guide 11. During the remainder of the-duration of travel of the object on the rotary conveyor 7 the disc 22 is in its lowest position so that it engages the upper end of the object to transmit any rotary movement there-to which may be impar-ted to the drums 15 and 239 and to also prevent any accidental movement of the objec-ts as they move between the entry and exit point of the rotary conveyor.
It will be appreciated that the objects to be processed by this orientation device must be asymmetrical and that the straight line conveyor 6 ~ust be so contructed that the objects as they are deiivered to the orientating device occupy one of two opposite orientationsO In the example shown in the drawings the objects being processed are bottles having on one side thereof a handle 4. The scanning device 34 is arranged so that if the handle 4 is on the forward side of the container as it moves through the light beam then the power cylinders will be operated so 5~i~
as to rotate the bottle through one half of a revolution~
and t~us put the hcmdle on the trailing si.de of the bo-ttle.
However if the bott~l.e already has the handle in -the trail-~ing positiorl when i-G iS scanned by the light beam the power cylinder3 will not be activated, ~nd hence the bottle will move on around the rotary conveyor without any ch~mge in its orientation.. Accor.~dingly it will be seen -that all bottles will be discha~ged from the rotary conveyor ~ith-the handles in thetrailing relationship to the bottle~
_ g _.
It is -therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatus of relatively simple cons-truction and effective operation which collects asymmetric obJects of either of two opposite orientations and unifor~
mly orients the objects to one of the two opposite orien-tations before discharge -from the apparatus.
With this object in view there is provided apparat1ls for orienting objects asymmetric about a vertical axis comprising means to convey -the objects in spaced - relation along a predetermined path, means to feed the ;
objects to said conveyor means in either of -two opposite orientations with respect to said vertical axis, means to sense the presence on the conveyor means of objects having a selected one of said two opposite orientations, and means activated by said sense means to change objects from said selected to the opposi-te orientation while the objects are f,`~
~'J'~'' S~6 on the conveyor means.
I'he objects may be caused to move along a part circular path by the conveyor means being of a rotary type such as a member rotatable on a vertical axis. The conveyor means conveniently includes a plurality of spaced ro-tatable discs each of which will support one of the objects while the objec-ts are moved along the path of the conveyor means.
More specifically -the conveyor means may include a plurality of discs comprising a first se-t of ro-tatable discs and a second set of rotatable discs for engagement ~ith -the top and bottom of an object respectively. The first and second sets of discs are conveniently uniformly - distributed around a vertical ~xis upon which the conveyor means rotates. The discs of the first set of discs are pre~erably movable between a lower object engaging position and an upper object disengaging position as the conveyor means rotates. These movable discs may be mounted on pivotal arms which are raised and lowered by respective rollers acting on a stationary cam track.
Preferably the~eans of feeding the objects to the conveyor means includes a star wheel which is timed with the movement of the conveyor so as to engage each object and feed an object into the pitch circle of the discs in either of two opposite orientations with respect to the vertical axis of rotation of the conveyor means.
The objects on the conveyor means may pass a scanning device which is activated by a cam on the second set in response to the movement of the conveyor means. The scanning device is preferably posi-tioned such that upon detection of objects having a selected one of the afore-mentioned two opposite orientations7 it will acti.val;e me~ns to ch~nge the objec-ts from the selected to the opposite oriengation~ while the objects are on the conveyor means. , , Preferably the change means includes power sources operatively connected to shoes which act on drums coupled t~ the first and second discs. The power sources ,are converlien-tly of the solenoid or ai.r cylinder type.
'lihe shoes m~y be tim~ by timer or cam means to engage the respective drum for a period,sufficient to rotate the, associated discs through 180 so that the object is changed.
f'rom the s~lected to th'e opposite orientation, and then release the shoes. The object continues along its pre-det.e~,~ined path until the assoclated first disc is disen-gaged from the object by means of the roller and stationary cam.
Discharge means are conveniently positioned a.t the termination of the predetermined path of travel of the objects for discharging the uniformly oriented objects to additional feed means whlch trans~er the objects -to processing machi.nery.
The apparatu~ accordin~ to the present invention is ~dvalntageously used for orienting bottles asymmetric about a vertical axis, however, it is to be understood that -' it ~a.y be used for orienting other types of containers and other objects in general which are asymmetric about a vertical axis.
The i11vention wi'll be more readily understood from '.
the following description of one practical arrangement of the machine as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
T.~l the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the ~ - 3 -machine th~,ough the plane 1~1 in Figure 2;
Figuxe 2 is a sectional ele~ation along the line 2~2 in ~igure 1.
Referring now to the drawings the orientating apparatvs 5 includes a straight line co,nveyor 6 and a rotary conveyor 7. ~he straight line conveyor 6 delivers -the objects to the circular conveyor 79 and also carries them - therefrom after all of the objects have been correctly orientated. The screw 8 is mounted for rotation about an a~is parallel to the direction of movement of the straight line conveyor and co-operates with the objects on the conveyor as they approach the orientating apparatus 5.
~he pitch of the screw 8 and the speed at which it is rotated by a suitable ~otor (not shown) is selected so that the objects on the straight line conveyor are delievered to the feed star wheel 9, and hence to the rotary conveyor 7, at the required speed -to match the speed of the rotary conveyor 7.
- The contour of the feed star wheel 9, and of the surface 10 on the guide 11, are selected to effect transfer of the objects from the straight line conveyor 6 to the rotary conveyor 7. ~he feed star wheel shown in the drawing will transfer four objects for each revolution of the feed wheel 9.
The rotary conveyor 7 comprises a vertical main shaft 12 supported in suitable bearings for rotation about a vertical axis. ~he lower frame 13 is secured to the shaft 12 to rotate therewith, and carries a plurality of object support discs 14, in this instance six, equally spaced about a common pitch circle concentric with the shaft 12. Each 7~;6~;
disc 14 i.s .mounte(i on a shaft 14a supported in bearings on the lower fra~e 13 so that the disc ma,y rotate about a vertlcal axis parallel to the shs,ft 120 ~.he shaft 14a supporting the disc 14 also carries a drum 15 coupled to the shaft to rotate in unison therewith and with the di.sc 14.
The upper frame 20 ls also mounted to rot,ate wi-th the shaft 12 through the sleeve 210 The upper fr~e 20 carries an '' equal num'ber of discs 22, again in this instance six, each disc 22 being in substantial vertieal allgnment with a e~mplimentary disc 14 on the lower frame 13. Each disc 22 is su.ppor-ted in the upper frame 20 for rotation a,bout the axis of the disc and also for limited axial movement~
~ drum 23 is mounted on each shaft 22a carrying the res-pective discs 22 so that these three components will rotate in unison.
~ lift a~m 24 is associated with. each upper disc 22, and is pivoted at its inner end 25 to the sleeve 219 and connected intermediate its length through the.boss 26 t,o the shaft 22a. The outer end of each lift arm 24 '' carries a roller 27 which cooperates with a circular cam track 28 mounted on -the frame of the machine 29 concentric with the shaft 12. The contour of the cam 'track 28 effects limited axial movement of the disc 22 through the action of the rol.ler 27 and lift arm 24 i.n timed relation to the . .
rotation of the shaft 12 in a manner which will be described ', in more detail later.
~ he vertical distance between the lower disc 14 and the complimentary upper disc 22 is selected in relation-ship -to the height of the objects being processed so that, when the disc 22 is raised by the cam track 28 the objec-t ~ ~ 5 -c`( ~
Y~1L11 freely .en-ter between the discs 22 and 14, and when the d~sc 22 iS lowered it will engage the upper end of the object which is then supported on the lower disc 14. A
sprlng 3~ ma~ be interposed between the disc 22 and the *rame 20 to urge the disc 22 in a downward direction to ensure that the roller 27 faithfully follows the contour of the cam 28, and also to ensure that there is sufficien.t ~'rictional grip between the discs 20 and 14 and the objects therebetween so that upon rotation of the discs the object will also rotate therewith in a manner later to be described.
The surface 32 on the guide 1i is contoured -to extend into the path of the discs 14 as the shaft rotates, and to guide the objects supported on the discs off the rotary conveyor back on to the straight line conveyor 6.
The sca~ning device 34 comprising a light source 35 and a sensor 36 are mounted in a-fixed position on the -frame o~ the machine so that the beam of the light inter-sects the path of travel of objects on the rotary conveyor 7. The scanning device is energi~ed by a switch operated in response to the rotation of the shaft 12 so that.-the light source is switched on at regular intervals timed in - relationship to the rotation of the shaft 12, and corres- .
ponding to each set of compllmentary discs 14 and 22 being in a predetermined position relative to the light beam~
The position and timing of the energizing of the light is selected in accordance with the particular shape of the objects being processed so that if the object is located in one of two opposite selected orientations, the light beam will not be broken when the scanner is switched on, _ 6 --~7 whilst if the object is in the other of said two opposite orientations the ligh-t beam will be broke~.
~ he two power cylinders 40 and 41 are fixed to the machine fralne and the piston rod of each carries res-pective arcuate shaped shoes 42 and 43, having concave frictional inner surfaces 42a and 43a. The shoes may be moved by the respective power cylinders between operative positions wherein they would be in driving engagement with the drums 15 and 23 respectively as the drums pass the shves during rotation of the rotary conveyor, and retrac-ted positions wherein the drums 15 and 23 may pass the shoes ~ithout contact therewith. It will be appreciated tha-t whilst either drum is in contact with the complimentary shoe, the rotation of the shaft 12, and hence the whole rotary conveyor, wiIl cause the drums 23 and 15 to rotate on their axis with a corresponding rotary movement being transmitted through the discs 22 and 24 to the object which ~s held therebetween. The length of the friction surface on the shoe relative to the diameter of the cooperating drum and/or the period durine which the shoe is in contact with the drum is selected so that the drum, and hence the disc and object associated therewith, will revolve through one half of a revolution about the axis of the object and thus the orientation of the object is reversed.
The opera-tion of the powar cylinders 40 and 41 is controlled by -the scanning device 34 so that if the scanning device detects an object having the incorrect orientation the shoes will be moved to the operative position so that as that particular object moved further along the rotary conveyor the drums associated with that object will engage ~)79~S~;~
the shoes and hence the orientation of -the object will be reversed in-to what is the desired correct orientation. It will equally be appreciated that if the scanning device detects that the object has the correct orien-tation then the power cylinders will not be operated and thus the object will not ~dergo any change in orientation as it moves around the rotary conveyor.
~ he cam track 28 which effects the raising and lowering of the upper discs 22 is contoured so that the discs are raised whilst an object is being delivered onto the rotary conveyor to be supported on the lower disc 14~
and is also raised while the objects are being discharged from the rotary conveyor by the guide surface 32 of the guide 11. During the remainder of the-duration of travel of the object on the rotary conveyor 7 the disc 22 is in its lowest position so that it engages the upper end of the object to transmit any rotary movement there-to which may be impar-ted to the drums 15 and 239 and to also prevent any accidental movement of the objec-ts as they move between the entry and exit point of the rotary conveyor.
It will be appreciated that the objects to be processed by this orientation device must be asymmetrical and that the straight line conveyor 6 ~ust be so contructed that the objects as they are deiivered to the orientating device occupy one of two opposite orientationsO In the example shown in the drawings the objects being processed are bottles having on one side thereof a handle 4. The scanning device 34 is arranged so that if the handle 4 is on the forward side of the container as it moves through the light beam then the power cylinders will be operated so 5~i~
as to rotate the bottle through one half of a revolution~
and t~us put the hcmdle on the trailing si.de of the bo-ttle.
However if the bott~l.e already has the handle in -the trail-~ing positiorl when i-G iS scanned by the light beam the power cylinder3 will not be activated, ~nd hence the bottle will move on around the rotary conveyor without any ch~mge in its orientation.. Accor.~dingly it will be seen -that all bottles will be discha~ged from the rotary conveyor ~ith-the handles in thetrailing relationship to the bottle~
_ g _.
Claims (9)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Apparatus for orienting objects asymmetric about a vertical axis comprising means to convey the objects in spaced relation along a predetermined path, said conveyor means includ-ing a plurality of individual object supports each mounted for rotation to permit reversal of the orientation with respect to the direction of travel of the conveyor of an object on the support, means to feed the objects to said conveyor means in either of two opposite orientations with respect to said vertical axis, scanning means to sense the presence on the conveyor means of objects having a selected one of said two opposite orientations, and means activated by said scanning means to change objects from said selected to the opposite orientation while the objects are on the conveyor means, including means to effect rotational movement of the respective object supports.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means to effect rotational movement includes a friction member selec-tively movable between an operative position wherein object supports will rollably engage the friction member when moved therepast by the conveyor means and thereby effect said rota-tional movement of the object support, and a retracted position clear of the path of the object supports.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the object supports each comprise two vertically spaced grip members adapted to receive therebetween one of the objects being processed, at least one of the grip members being supported for vertical move-ment relative to the other, and means operable to selectively effect said vertical movement to increase the vertical spacing to permit entry and exit of the objects to the conveyor means, and reduce said spacing so that the grip members engage the respective ends of the object.
4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein each upper grip member is supported for raising and lowering movement relative to the co-operating lower grip member, and cam means are provided to effect said movement of the upper grip member in response to movement of the conveyor means.
5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein each object support includes a drive drum co-axial with the axis of rotation of the object support, said drive drum being disposed to engage and roll along the friction member when the latter is in the operative position.
6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scanning means includes a light source disposed to establish a beam inter-secting the path of the objects on the conveyor means, and means to selectively energize said light source when each object occupies a position on said path predetermined so that only objects having said selected orientation will break the light beam.
7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the means to selectively energize the light source includes a switch operated in response to the movement of the conveyor means.
8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, including power means to effect movement of the friction member between the operative and retracted position, and means to control said power means in response to the scanning means, said control means being arranged to locate the friction member in the opera-tive position for a preset time interval each time the scanning means senses an object having said selected orientation.
9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveyor means moves the objects along an arcuate path, and feed means are provided to regulate the delivery of the objects to the conveyor means so that one object is fed onto each support member as the latter passes a selected point on the arcuate path, said feed means being adapted to feed objects having either of said two opposite orientations.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA298,468A CA1071566A (en) | 1978-03-08 | 1978-03-08 | Apparatus for orienting objects |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA298,468A CA1071566A (en) | 1978-03-08 | 1978-03-08 | Apparatus for orienting objects |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1071566A true CA1071566A (en) | 1980-02-12 |
Family
ID=4110939
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA298,468A Expired CA1071566A (en) | 1978-03-08 | 1978-03-08 | Apparatus for orienting objects |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1071566A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016000076A1 (en) * | 2014-07-02 | 2016-01-07 | Doben Limited | System and method with drag conveyor for high rate production welding |
-
1978
- 1978-03-08 CA CA298,468A patent/CA1071566A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016000076A1 (en) * | 2014-07-02 | 2016-01-07 | Doben Limited | System and method with drag conveyor for high rate production welding |
| CN106687398A (en) * | 2014-07-02 | 2017-05-17 | 多宾有限公司 | System and method with drag conveyor for high rate production welding |
| US9895775B2 (en) | 2014-07-02 | 2018-02-20 | Doben Limited | System and method with drag conveyor for high rate production welding |
| CN106687398B (en) * | 2014-07-02 | 2019-03-08 | 多宾有限公司 | System and method with the drag conveyor welded for high-speed production |
| US10471549B2 (en) | 2014-07-02 | 2019-11-12 | Doben Limited | System and method with floating welder for high rate production welding |
| US11883908B2 (en) | 2014-07-02 | 2024-01-30 | Doben Limited | System and method with floating welder for high rate production welding |
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