CA1093595A

CA1093595A - Shingle packaging system

Info

Publication number: CA1093595A
Application number: CA336,461A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Fred H. Muth
Original assignee: MUTH FRED H
Current assignee: MUTH FRED H
Priority date: 1979-09-24
Filing date: 1979-09-24
Publication date: 1981-01-13

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure This invention is an automatic shingle packer that performs the operations of sorting, selection, layering and packaging in a continuous manner. The selection of the shingles which have been separated according to width is by computer. Sensors on the shingle storage bins signal the presence or absence of shingles to the computer thus affecting the selection program and permitting alternative selections. Conveyors feed the shingles, layer by layer, into a final assembly apparatus. A rotatable bin, as part of this apparatus, receives a layer of shingles from a series of pickup wheels and rotates 180° before the next layer is deposited. This provides the opposed directions of adjacent layers. When sufficient layers have been built up, the bundle is strapped and ejected from the rotatable bin.

Description

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This invention relates to an automatic shingle packer that performs theoperations of sorting, selection, layering and packaging in a continuous manner as random width shingles are fed on to a sorting belt and thence into storage bins.

The sorting belt has a longitudinally angled guide bar just above its upper surface and a series of sensor devices along one side of the belt and facing the guide bar. The narrowing space between the line of sensors and the guide bar triggers the sensors or proximity switches into operation according to shingle wiclth.

When a proximity switch is triggered by shingle contact it actuates a solenoid and a pair of air nozzles. The resultant air ;treams move the shingle laterally off the sorting belt into one of a plurality of storage bins of varying width and lateral projection below the sorting belt. It is thus seen that wide shingles are moved off first into the wide bin and progressively narrower shingles into narrower bins. Five separations according to width are considered ade~uate.

The bottoms of the storage bins are funnel-shaped and are each equippedwith a sensor and an ejection means that respond to a computer selection control. The selection is made of sufficient shingles to provide one layer across in the final bundle.

The selected layer of shingles and successive layers go on to a transfer belt that is-located laterally below the bins. From here they go onto a timing belt that is in end to end relation to the transfer belt. The timing belt has a pair of cam controlled timing gates that are synchronized with a series of pickup wheels that rotate on a common axis. The cam that raises and lowers the timing gates is also on this axis.

The pickup wheels are provided with fingers that engage the thick ends of the shingles and lay them into a rotatable bin where the final bundle is made up. After receiving the first layer of shingles this latter bin is rotated 180 to provide the opposed directions of adjacent layers. This rotation of 180 is repeated after each layer is received and until sufficient layers to form a bundle are built up. The bundle is then strapped and ejected by an air cylinder.

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Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a plan view of the entire machine, and Figure 2 is an elevation of the final assembly apparatus.

As shown in Figure 1, a sorting belt 1 has a longitudinally angled guide bar 2 fixed above the upper surface of the sorting belt. Along one side of the belt and facing the guide bar is a series of proximity switches 3.
When shingles of random width are fed on to the sorting belt they will contact the appropriate proximity switch according to their width because the space between the switches and the guide bar becomes narrower in the direction of travel of the belt and the shingles on it. When a proximity switch is triggered by shingle contact it actuates a solenoid valve 4 and a pair of air nozzles 5. The air streams from the nozzles move that shingle laterally off the belt into one of a plurality of storage bins 6. The lateral projection of these bins bears a relationship to shingle widths with wide shingles dropping into the wide bin and so on. The number of separations depends on the number of proximity switches in the series.

In response to the computer selection the shin~les are delivered from the storage bins on to a transFer belt 7 that is located laterally below the bins. The sensor that each bin is equipped with will indicate the presence or absence of shingles in that bin. Thus alternative selections can be made. The selected shingles are brought abreast of each other on a timing belt ~ that is in end to end relation to the transfer belt. This is achieved by a pair of timing gates 9 shown in Figures 1 and 2. The first gate of the pair of gates lines the shingles up and the second gate lets through one layer at a time for the pickup wheels 10 to engage and to lay into a rotatable bin 12.

Reference is made to Figure 2 for detail of the pickup wheels and for the configuration of a cam 11 that is mounted on one end of the shaft that carries the pickup wheels. This cam raises and lowers the timing gates through a rocking beam connection shown at 13. When the cam is rotated into contact with a pin 14 at one end of the rocking beam it causes the latter to pivot about a pin 15 and to raise the timing gates. Further rotation of cam 11 frees its contact with pin 14, the rocking beam returns to its original position and the timing gates are lowered. It is thus seen that the ~359~

timing gates that let through one layer of shingles at a time and the pickup wheels that engage the shingles are synchronized.

The final component in the system is a rotatable bin 1~ that rotates 180 between the deposit of each layer. This provides the opposed directions of adjacent layers. I~hen sufficient layers have been built up, the bundle is strapped and then ejected by an air cylinder 16. ~leans to swing the air cylinder out of the way to permit rotation of the bin are not shown but may be any conventional hinge arrangement.

The invention described is a complete and automatic shingle packing system.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A shingle packaging apparatus comprising a sorting belt on which are fed pre-cut random width shingles, storage bins beneath the sorting belt that receive the separated shingles, sensors on the storage bins that signal a computer control, selection means initiated by the computer to call up a combination of shingles for one layer across in a final bundle, transfer means for the selected shingles and assembly means for forming a plurality of layers into a final bundle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the assembly means impart opposed directions to adjacent layers of shingles, with the thin ends of the shingles in inner overlapping relationship.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sorting belt has a row of proximity switches along one side and a longitudinally angled guide bar above its upper surface to provide a gradually narrowing space therebetween.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein shingle contact with a proximity switch actuates a solenoid and air nozzles that move that shingle laterally off the sorting belt where it is guided into one of a plurality of bins below the sorting belt.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the bins are provided with sensors and ejection means that respond to a computer selection of sufficient shingles for one layer.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the bins have lateral projections that guide ejected shingles on to a transfer belt.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein successive shingle layers are moved on to a timing belt and thence into a rotatable bin.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein timing gates mounted on the timing belt are synchronized with pickup wheels on a transverse axis at the end of the timing belt and cam means on the transverse axis raise and lower the timing gates.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the rotatable bin has an increment of rotation of 180° that occurs between the deposit of one layer of shingles and the next and which provides the opposed directions of adjacent layers.