CA1098959A - Apparatus and method for stacking battery plates and separators - Google Patents

Abstract

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR STACKING
BATTERY PLATES AND SEPARATORS

Abstract of the Disclosure Battery plate elements and separator elements are maintained in racks along opposite sides of a conveyor.
Pivotally swingable vacuum pickup heads serve to withdraw plates and separators from their racks and deposit them onto the conveyor. A plurality of plates or separators are with-drawn simultaneously, and the conveyor is indexed from with-drawal station to withdrawal station for stacking the plates and separators one upon the other, alternately, whereby at any given time a plurality of plate and separator sandwiches are being formed, in different progressive stages. Capability is provided for adjustments for handling different sized plates and separators as well as the number of elements in a given stack. Synchronous drive means and adjustable vacuum means are disclosed.

Description

Background of the Invention In each cell of a lead acicl storage battery, there is a group of elements known as a battery plate group. This yroup consists of a sandwich-like arrangement of lead plates and porous separators arranged alternately. The present invention relates to the initial stacking o:E these elements.
In the battery making artl the assembling of battery pla-tes and separators for forming into groups and subsequent disposition into battery cells hasl for a long time, been accomplished by hand. Such manual assembly techniques have not always ~een satisfactory r due, for example, to the possibili-ties of human error in stacking assemblies ha~ing either too many or too few plates. In other ins-tances, the separators may he provided in inadvertently inverted Eorm; a condition which may not be detected until a much later stage of battery assembly, or even thereafter, wherein detection only comes to light as an incidence of battery malfunction.
In -the more recent past, apparatus and techni~ues have keen proposed for mechanically handling battery elements, particularly battery plates~ and in some instances the separators that are used for disposition between the plates~ whereby stacks of alternate plates and separators are to be deposited onto a conveyor, Some proposed techniques have involved strike arm mechanical feeders, whereby an arm, lever or the like, would directly engage the plates or separators and push them out of a hopper onto a conveyor. T~e use of such techniques~ would risk the possibility of damage to the rathex fra~ile ~lates, and even to the separators~ This is particularly true as the

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plates become thinner and thinner; particularly in the case of separators wherein advances in material construction permit the use of separators far thinner than separators heretofore used. By mechanically striking a separator or plate from the bottom of a hopper and causing the same to be ejected onto a conveyor, not only would limitations be imposed upon the type of plates and separators that are suscep-tible to such treat-ment, but physical damage to the materials being handled would, most like, be encountered.

~ummary of the Invention Vacuum withdrawal means provlded for withdrawing plates and separators from their stations by bringing vacuum heads close to, but avoiding the touching of, the plates or separators that are desired to be with~rawn~ The plate or separator is withdrawn from the source and is then deposited onto a conveyor. The con~eyor i5 then indexed to a subsequent station.
The vacuum ~71thdrawal i.s alternated between plates and separators at many stations~ such that a stack is formed on the conveyor as the initially ~eposited element progresses from station to station, and another plate or separator (as the case may be),. is deposited onto the stack,. There is simultaneous ~ithdrawa]. and deposition of plates and separators to form stacks~ lhus, as the conveyor inde~es from station-to-station, stacks are continually built up of alternate plates and separators.
The present invention is directed t~ providing a novel apparatus that is:mechanized for ~uick change~ ~or purposes of providing ~ersatility to the apparatusr whereby when it is desixed to change from one plate-separator size to another, such changes may rapiclly be effectedi and whereby, when it is desired to change to battery pla~e sandwiches having different numbers of plates, these changes may also he rapidly effected.
Further, I provide an apparatus and method whereby the asembly is completely mechanized, whereby plates and separators may be extracted from sources and stacked in precisely the nu~her desired for a given battery cell size, 1~ and wherein such stacking is with great precision. Also, in accordance with the present invention, many sandwiches of battery plate and separator elements may be undergoing assembly concurrently.
Ey means of the present invention, plates and separators are withdrawn from their sources by YaCUum with-drawal techniques, whereby such articles may be picked up with precision, without picking up more than one such article fro~
the s~me source ~t the same time. It is recognized that techniques may have been developed for vacuum pick up of articles. ~0~7ever, the present invention is addressed to provid~ng a novel technIque whereby vacuum picking up can be accomplished with respect to battery plate and separator elements, both of which have different physical properties, such as different degrees of porosity. The present invention provides a technique w~lereby the negative pressure causes a single plate or separator in each instance to be wLthdra~m into engagement ~7ith the v~cuum head for disposition onto a conveyor~

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More specifically, the invention provides an apparatus , for picking up and interlaying in stacks battery plates elements and battery separator elements from different sources, com-prising: a plurality of sources of elements for sequentially presenting the surfaces of the lead elements in each source toward a pick-up means at pick-up stations where the presented lead element will be disengaged from the source and pi.cked up;
vacuum head means for applying a vacuum to said elements, movable toward and away from the stations at which element surfaces are presented; said sources constructed to provide for the presentation of the lead element to the vacuum head means in an area wherein air currents can envelope said element upon application of vacu~lm to the presented surfaces; retaining means positioned in interfering relation to the egress of said lead elements from said sources toward said vacuum head means;
said retaining means with respect to said battery separator elements interfering with the egress of said battery separator elements only to the extent of not permitting them to depart from said stations in response to the means presenting them, and not to the extent that it would prevent a vacuum from withdrawing the lead separator element passed said retaining means in a direction of presentation; said retaining means with respect to said battery plate elements being yieldable;
and means for moving and positioning the vacuum head means in sufficiently close non-touching proximity to the presented element surfaces at stations that the negative pressure provided by the vacuum applied through said vacuum head means, alone, draws said presented elements from those sources passed said retaining means into engagement wit~ the vacuum head means whereby said el~ments are picked up by said vacuum head means;

and element receiving means for receiving elements thereafter deposited by said vacuum head means to form said interlaid stacks.
The invention also consists of a method oE picking up and interlaying into stacks battery plate elements and battery separator elements from different sources of such elements, comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of sources of elements with the elements arranged on edge for sequentially presenting the lead element surface from each source to be picked up; positioning a retaining means in interfering relation to the lead element in each stack to retain said element in said source prior to being acted upon by a vacuum force;
picking up only the presented elements and depositing them onto a conveyor in the form oE interlaid stacks by withdrawing the elements from said courses passed said retaining means, said picking up of the elements comprising providing a vacuum to a vacuum head means and moving the vacuum head means toward the stations at which the presented elements are to be encountered~ arranging the lead elements with respect to t~e approaching vacuum head means so as to allow air currents to be generated about said elements to dislodge them from their sources and cause them to jump to the vacuum head means;
followed by movement of the head means away from the stations for deposit of the elements onto a conveyor; with the movement of the head means upon its approaching the elements that are about to be picked up being such that the head means is brought into close but non-touching proximity to the presented element surfaces at ~he station; with the negative pressure that is provided by the vacuum alone effecting the withdrawal of the elements from their sources to said vacuum head means for deposit thereafter onto the conveyor; and with the - 5a additional steps of engaging a plurality of said plate elements along their upper surfaces by first forcing a plurality of sald elements toward a means -for retaining said elemen-ts ;~
wi,hin said statlon, and dividing the first of said elements from the remaining of said elements by positive means and retaining the remainder of said elements within said station while said initial means for positively retaining said elements i5 removed; and providing a yieldable means re-taining the upper edge of said lead element once it has been divided from said remaining elements.
Other features of embodiments of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a ~ .-reading of the brief figure descriptions, and detailed description of the preferred embodiments, and the appended claims, as well as elsewhere herein.

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Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a perspecti~e view of an apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invent.ion;
Figure 2 is a view on an enlarged scale taken as indicated by the lines and arrows 2-2 in Figure 1/ and showing in circled portions, the sukject matter of Figures 3 through 8;
Figure 3 is a further enlarged exploded view of the portion designated 3 in Figure 2, shown in perspective from the right rear side;
Figure ~ is an enlarged partial side view shown : partially in section o~ the portion of the apparatus designated 4 encircled in Figure 2j Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the . apparatus in an alternate position;
Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the ', apparatus designated 6 in Figure 2;
Figure 7 i$ an enIarged side view of a portion of the apparatus designated 7 in ~i~ure 2; which h~s desianating thereon in the br~ken line enclosure~ a ~ortion ~f the apparatus shown in Figure 8;
Figure 7a is an enlarged end v~ew taken as indicated by the lines and arrows 7a-7a in Figure 7;
Figure B is a further enlarged ~iew of a portion of the apparatus as designated by the number 8 in Figure 7;
Figure g ls a side view taken from the opposite side of the apparatus shown in Figure l;

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Figure lOa is an enlarged view of the left-hand portion of the apparatus when viewed as indicated by the lines and arrows 10-10 in Figure 9;
Figure lOb is an enlarged view of the right-hand portion of the apparatus when viewed as indicated by the lines and arrows 10-10 in Figure 9;
Figure 11 is an enlarged vi.ew partially broken away of the portion of the apparatus encircled and designated 11 in Figure 9;
Figure 12 is a perspective view of selected potions ; of the apparatus, with certain portions shown in phantom lines;
Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 12, showin~
certain details with parts removed; and Figure 14 is an end view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 12~

Description of the Preferred Embodiments Althou~h specific for.ms of the invention have been selected ~or illustration in the drawin~s, and the following 2Q description is dra~n in specific terms for the purpose of describ~ng these forms of the inventionr this description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims~
Reerring to the figures, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment my invention, designated ~enerally 7QO and co~prisin~ base frame end housings 712 and 71~ which structurall~r support the apparatus and have mounted therebetween, lon~itudinal structural support me~bers such as the beams 16, 17 and 18. In this perspective view~ the left hand side has a plurality of chutes or racks designated generally 19, and the right~hand side has a plurality of chutes or racks designated generally 20. The chutes on the left hand side form racks Eor hattery separators and those on the right-hand side form racks for battery plates.
Both plates and separators will hereinafter be referred to generally as "elements". Each chute forms a station at its discharge end for presentation of a battery element to a vacuum head.
;~ The chutes designated 20 have vertical sides which not only tilt downwardly, but also angle inwardly toward one another at their discharge ends. The side of each chute is attached -to the side of the next chute at the end most remote from the longitudinal axis of the apparatus as by means of welding. The ends of these two sides are attached to a spacer block positioned therebetween at the ends thereo~ which are ~ closest to the longitudinal axis of the machine. Thus~ each - chute is tapered toward the longitudinal axis of the apparatus~
This spacer block i5 not shown in detail, but will be apparent from what has been described~
Considering Figure 1 with particular reference to Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5, I will now describe the portion of the apparatus concerned with the retainin~ adYancement and disposition of the hattery plate elements as they are moved into ulitmate engagement ~ith the vacuum head at a partciular station.
he station shown is along the line 2-2 in Figure 1~ All of the stations on the ri~ht-hand side are identical, in accordance ~8-~r ~.~

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with this preferred embodiment. In addition to the sidewalls 22 and 24 of Fi~ure 1, the chute has a bottom plate 26 (Figures 2 and 41, upon which a plural.ity of battery plate elements, designated generally 28, (Figure 4; shown partially broken away). The si.Aewall, such as the wall 22, .is ~ixedly positioned above the plate 26 so that there is a space 23 therehetween, the function of which will ke more fully descri~ed hereinafter.
At the outward end of the chute, there is an L-~shaped deck 30, which runs substantially the length of the machine as shown in Figure l! and which is perforated This deck.
extends outwardly as shown in section in Figure 2 and serves as a means whereby an operator can manually shake down into a a fairlyregular s-tack, a plurality of hattery plates pri.or to inserting them into the chute. The chute itself is on a slight angle to the horizontal as shown in Fi~ure 2 and tilts inwardly toward the center of the apparatus.
T~e plate 26 does not ~ridge the entire gap between the sidewalls 22 and 24, but rather, there is a space on both side$ of the plate ~etween these ~7~11s. In this space, on each.
side, thexe Is a cli~n link ~echanism com~rising a chain 32 disposed about sprockets 34 and 36 (:~igure 2) driyen (:counter-clockwise, when ~iewed as ~n Fi~ure 2) by any suitable means ~not shown~ connected to shafts upon which the sprockets are mounted. Reference is made to my prior U.$,Patent No 3,~82,624 i$sued Septem~er 28~ 1976 (Canadian Patent 1,Q34~614 issued July 11, 1978)~ for a more detailed description of this chain, The chain is ele~ated above the plate 2~ a distance suf~icient to engage the ~ottom edges of the plate$ 28 and ad~a~ce those plates as it is ad~anced toward the , . . -longitudinal axis of the apparatus. The two stacking chains thus provided in each stacking chute for advancing the plates, advance one increment during each cycle of the machine. The cycles will be described more fully hereinafter. The plates are advanced to a discharge end of the chute which may be .' referred to as an escapement area or station; that is, the place at which the plate will escape from or be discharged . from the chute and jump onto the vacuum head which has been moved into close proximity, but non-touching relationship to it.
: 10 The mechanism for controlling the egress of the plate from the chute will now be described in greater detail.
~unning longitudinall.y through the machine is a beam ` 17 supported at its longitudinal ends to the base mem~ers 712, 714. This is a principal, structural member of the machine and serves to support numerous other members. One member so supported is the hracket 42, Figure 3, which has extending therefrom a channel-shaped slide mechanism, designated generally ~ 44 of Figure 3~ This mechanism has side members 46, 48 which . have longitudinally extending slots 47, 49 (~igure 3). Mounted therein is a slide 50 having ears 52 and 54 for slidingly engaging the slots 47 and 49 respectively. ~ threaded shouldered stud 56 is threadedly engaged in the slide 54 and positioned so that its reduced diameter cylindrical section 58 is free to slide in a hole 60 in a cover plate 62, which is fixedly attached hy means of the bolts 64 to the longitudinal ends of the side members 46 and 48. An adjusting nut 66 threadingly engages the end of the stud 56. By means of this arran~ement, ~ 10--, ......... .... ..
,~, it will be readily apparent that turning the stud 56 will advance or retract the slide 50 longitudinally along the members 46 and 48.
The downwardly depending support bracket 68 is fixedly formed with the slide 50 so that it moves therewith. This support bracket has an inwardly depending 1ange 70 with a hole 72 therethrough. Passing through that hole, is the threaded portion74 of the housing of a cylinder 76. This threaded portion is engaged hy a retaining nut 78 to mount the air cylinder 76 to the slide 50. In order to prevent this air cylinder from rotating akout its axis r and outrigger mechanism is provided. This mechanism comprises two ridged links 80 and 82. The bottom link 82 is in threaded engagemenk with the upper threaded portion 84 of the housing of the air cylinder and is retained thereon by a nut 86. The upper link 80 is in threaded engagement with a reduced thereaded terminal end 88 o~ the extending piston shaft 90; which forms part of the piston which operates within the cylinder 76. ~t a portion of the link remote from its connection to the portion 88, there is a threaded hole ~2, through which i9 threadedly engaged a shaft 94, which in turn is fixedly retained by a nut ~6. At the same distance from the axis of the piston rod 90, along -the link 82 there is a hole for sliding engagement with the outer surface of the shaft 94~ By comparing the arrangement of Figure 3 with the arrangement of ~igures 4 and 5, it will be readily apparent that the link 82 is maintained in fixed relationship ~ith the housing of the cylinder 76 and thus as the piston sh~ft 90 moves up and down in the cylinder, it is restrained --11~

~~985~S9 from rotating therein b~T means of the outrigger and the shaft 94 which is fixedly engaged to the link 80 and which moves up and down through the link 82.
The arrangement above described is for the purpose of maintaining the accurate disposition o the control head designated generally 100 in Figure 3~ This control head comprises a mounting plate 102, which is threadedly engaged with the threaded end 104 o.f the movable piston shaft in the cylinder 76, and which is retained by the ].ock washer and nut 105 and 106. This mounting plate supports a multi~fingered leaf spring 108, which is xetained thereon by means of the har 1]0 and screws 112. It also supports a locating knife edge 114 which ~ is formed with or mounted on a block. 116, retained by screws : 118 to the plate 102. Finally, it supports two rubber engaging blocks or pads 120 and 122 by any suitable means such as the bolts and spacers 123 and 124, respecti~ely.
The functions of the depending fingers, the knife edge, and the blocks will be more fully described with particular reference to Figures 4 and 5. In Figure 4, the appaxatus is shown partially in section and viewed on a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the apparatus. Therein~ it ~i.ll be noted that the rear finger 126 depends down~ardly towards the upper edge of the plates 28, a greater distance than either the front fingers 128 or the knife edge sepaxator 114. It will be noted that although not completely ~isi~le, there is a second flnger 128 along the opposite edge of the leaf spring lQ8, the uppex surface of which can be ~iewed in Fîyure 3 so that th.e two fingers 128 depend in a fork-like fashion towaxd 1~

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the plane of the upper edge of the plates 280 Between this fork is the depending knife edge separator ].14.
As the piston within the cylinder 76 descends, the leading free edge of the spring finger 126 is first to engage the upper edge of the plates at a point at which there are pexhaps a dozen plates between the discharge end of the chute and the spring. As the piston continues to descend toward the plates, the spring is bent or bowed in such a manner that it forces the plates forward against the retainlng fingers 130 and 132 and in positive registry with themO This is necessary, in part, because plates are to a slight extent, tapered, w~en viewed in vertical section, so that the ~ottoms are slightly wider than the tops. Thus ! even t~ou~h the plates are uniformly advancea, the tops are not necessarily uniformly spaced from one another, or in en~agement with one another until they are pushed into en~agement with one another by the : spring finger 126.
~ s the piston continues to advance~ the sprin~ fingers 128 assume a position of overlying the front face of the lead plate, which is to be discharged from the chute~
~ s the piston continues to advance, the leading edge of the knife-like sep~rator finger 114 adv~nces to a position bet~een the reax of the outermost (that is th.e most advanced3 plate ~uch as the plate 134, shown in phantom lines in Figure 5 and the next plate in line (~uch as the plate 136~.
As the piston continues to advance~ the knife~like edge 114 is driven do~n between the .~irst ~nd second plates ~nd eventually the longitudinal edges 138 and 14a o~ the resilient ~13~

member 120 (and indeed of the resilient member 122 on the opposite side) engage the upper edges of the plates and a back pressure begins to build in the piston as further resistance to advance-ment is met. In this regard it is noted that the undersides of the members 120~ and 122 are concave to allow for reasonable flexibility and to prevent excessive pressure and damage to the plate tops. Note that the pads 120, 122 do not engage the top of the first plate in line. When a predetermined pressure ls reached, further advancement of the piston is prevented.
Since the piston is mounted above the pla-tes, its stroke is such that it will accommodate the highest plates, and yet still come down low enough to engage the shortest plates anticipated. ~he plate elements are now ready to have the lead plate removed by vacuum action~ Shafts 142 and 144 are longitudinally mounted through the machine for rota~ion in bearings in response to a drive mechanism~ Upon ap~ropriate rotation of the shafts, the holed back fingers 13Q and 132, respectivley, are moved from the position sho~m in Figure 4 to the position shown in ~igure 5 r therehy mo~ing out of inter-ferring relation with the lead pl~te 134. The vacuum head, designated generally 146, is moved from the position shown in Figure 4 to the position shown in Figure 5 by a ~echanism to be described more fully hereinafter. The position shown in Figure 5 is the closest which the vacuum head will come to the lead plate. In this position it is closely adjacent to the lead plate 134, but does not engage the plate. ~he vacuum is applied through the head and the resulting suction creates a sufficient force that the plate jumps from its position shown ~14~

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in Figure 5 into engagement with the head as, for example, the position of the plate 134 shown in Fi~ure 6. In doing so, the re-tarding force of the spring fingers 128 is overcome.
To aid in this process, the sides 22 and 24 are spaced from the bottom 26 of the chute as previously descrihed, allowing for the passage of air therebetween.
Before moving on to a description of the adjustahle stations retaining the separator ele~ents, it is noteworthy to mention that the position of the vacuum head 146 with respect to the bottom edge of a particular plate, ~hen ~iewed as in Figure 4, is fixed. Thus~ if a plate such as the plate 134 of Figure 6, was rotated downwardly from the substantially vertical position shown to a horizontal positionr -the left-hand edge of the plate ~ould alwavs be the same fixed distance from the left-hand edge of the cup of the vacuum head regardless of the height of the plate, This will be impoxtant when considering ; the adjustments necessary to insure that a plate group is staked with the ~ottom ed~e~ co-incident with one edge of the separator elements in the stack as will be more fully explained hereinafter.
~eferring to ~'igures 1 and 2, and more particularly, to Figures 7, 8 and ~, I will now descri~e t~e stations ~hich h~ndle the separators prior to stacking. ~ representative station is sho~n at 15Q a~d comprises laterally extending sidewalls 152 and 154 forr,ing a channel; once again positioned to slope inw~rdly to~ard the center of the machine as clearly indicated in Figures 2 and 7, P~ p]urality of separators are shown in ~igure 8 desi~nated generally 158. The separators are thin, rather fll~ms~ elements, particularly when compared with ..

the heavier lead plates. Furthermore, the. separators vary greatly in outside physical characteristics, not only in size and thickness, but in texture and surface construction (such as ribbing). Thus, they do not stack uniformly with any degree of ease. In this embodiment as in t~e em~odiment involving the plates, the kase 160 upon which the separa~.ors rest, is spaced from the sidewalls as shown in Figure 7. Once a~ain, the function of this spacing (1611 is to allow air cuxxents to move in freely behind the separators and aid in the discharge process.
The ~ase 160 is mounted on springs 162 and 164 wh.ich, in turn, are mounted on beams 166 and 168, respect~velyr which traverse the length of the machine and are connected to the ends mounted above the floor~ Also extending the length of the apparatus is a shaft 17Q~ A plurality of eccentrics ~such as 172) are mounted thereon for rotation therewithO The eccentric travels in a housing 174 fixedly mounted to the bottom of the ~ase 160 by any suita~le means such as the scxews 176. Upon rotation o~ the shaft 170, the eccentric 172 rotates within the housin~ l7a and causes the housing to move vertically, upwardly and downwardly against the action of the springs and the weight of the separators on the base 16 a, This creates a vibratory action within the chute and tends to shake them down evenly so that th.e bottom edgçs lie flat against the plate 160; so that they move ~enerally to a unifoxmly stacked condition against the right~hand restraints at t~e inner terminus of the sidewalls 152 and 154, It is desirable to usç a variable speed drive (not shown~ fox the cam vib~ating ~.echani$m fo~ the ~16-separators, since the separators vary greatly in thickness and the various frequencies of vibration are desirable, depending upon the charac-teristics of the separators. These restraints are small pieces of plastic 178 and 179 (Figure 7a) which bridge the wall and which are fixedly mounted thereto as by means of the screws 180. These pieces of plastic extend partially over and in front of and in interferring relationship with the lead spearator, such as the separator 182 (Figure 7).
Four such restraints are provided; two on each wall.
Mounted above and below each station are mounting brackets 184 and 186, affixed in any suitable way to the beams 167 and 168, respectively. Mounted for rotation within these mounting brackets are shafts 187 and 188, respectively, which are driven by any suitable mechanism (not shown). Mounted through the shafts are depending mounting fingers lY9 and 190, respectively, and mounted to the fingers are resilient fingers 191 and 192, respectively. As can best be seen in Figure 8, the fingers are moved from the phantom position to the full line position along an arch which causes the resilient ends of the fingers to bend back as they begin to engage the outer group of separators, and as the rotation continues, they tend to fan or somewhat separate the leading separators and move the trailing separators into a closer relationship~ Notice the close spacing of the separators 158 to the left of the finger 191 of Figure 8, as compared to the spacing of the remaining seven separators forming the leading group most proximate to the discharge end of the chute or station. Note also on Figure 9 that the fingers 191 and 192 are substantially, centrally disposed between the ~'r,~7=
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sidewalls 152 and 154. mhe action of the fingers in restraining the separators keeps them from piling up too much weight against one another as they are restrained by the small tabs', such as the tabs 178 and 179. Too much pressure against t~ese tabs would cause the separators to become locked in against them and mi~ht prevent their release as vacuum is applied to them.
~ s shown in phantom lines in Figure 7, the vacuum head designated generally 1~4, can ~e positioned in close proximity, but in non-touching relation, to the leading separator 182.
As the vacuum is applied through the head, the separator will jump from its restraints into ega~ement with the head and as long as the vacuum is applied, will re~ain in en~agement with the head as the head is rotated to the vertical position shown in Figure 6.
Note that in that position, the right~-~hand edge of the separator 1~2 would be referenced to the ri~ht-hand edge of the lip of the vacuum head 194~ Since this i's the opposite of t~e referenced condition with respect to the head handling the plates, the stacks could conceivably be out of appropriate referenced condition relative to plates and separators unless some adjustment ~as made. I have provided for that adjustment in a number of ways, For one, the vacuum headsthemselves are adjustable alon~ their axes (.~hich will be more fully described hereinafter~ to adjust the pick-up vacuu~, necessary at particular stations. Sec~ndly, I have pro~ided a means for moving the entire bed holding th.e chutes of separators transvexsely to the axis of the apparatus. This movement means is designated generally 200 (Fi~ure 7~, and comprises a b~se supp~rt 2Q2 mounted to s.lide -18~

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upon bed 204 in response to the action of a lead screw 206 threaded into the base 202. The screw is mounted for rotation in a kearing 208 Cin a bearing block 2101, upon actuation by a handle 212 as will be readily a~parent from the figure. The portion within the bearing~ of course, does not move axially, nor does the screw, ho~ever, as the screw is rotated, the base 202 advances or retracts axially. To control the extent of such advancement or retraction, I ha~e provided a scale 214 with an indicator 216. Upwardly extending from the base are a plurality of jack screws 218, the function of which will be more fully described hereinafter Suffice it to say for present purposes that the jack scre~s support the base member 22~ to which the beams 166 and 168 are affixed and therefore upon mo~ement oE the base member 202, all of the racks of separators will be moved toward or away from the center of the machi.ne.
.hus, for particular chan~es in separators, as ~or example, switching from a li~ht separator to a heavy separator in all of the racks, it is possible to move a predeterminec1 distance along the scale to com.pensate for the needed vacuum~
To compensate for the proper uniform registry or referencing of the edges of the alternating plates and separators in the stack, particularly dependi.n~ upon the height of the separatorsl th.e jack screws may be adjusted, as for example, by means of the permanently a~fixed handle 722 and the chain 224 !
mounted about sprockets (not visi~le with the chain in placel which are fixedly connected to the jack screws, Thus, by turning the handle, the sprockets are turned as ~ell as the jack screws and this turnin~ either raises or lowers the base 220~ As will be apparent from what has been descrihed, this will accurately change or adjust the distance between the upper edge of the separator and the upper edge of the vacuum cup 194. Thus, the problem previously posed has been solved, sinc~ now th~ reference is between the left-hand edge of the separator 132 and the cup 194, as shown in Figure 6, so as to coincide with the left-hand edge of the plate 134, as its associated cup. This allows for uniform stacking and regis-try of the bottom edge of the plate/
separator element stacks. This is the appropriate edge to have in registry for ~urther processing of the stacks in accordance with battery-~aklng procedures well known in the art.
Before considering the structure and function of the vacuum head means, refer to Figure lOb wherein a mechanism for synchronizing the action of the restraining fingers 130 and 132 is shown. The shafts 142 and 144 are mounted through the end housing of the machinery and mounted to them are identical gears 143. These gears mate with identical rack ~ears 145 mounted on a movable housing 147~ fixedly connected to the shaft 149, which ls tne end of a rod extending from a plston within an air cylinder 151, wh~ch is fixeldy mountea by bracket 153 to the end of the machinery. Thus, upon an appropr~ate air input signal to the cylinder 151r the shaft 149 extends or retracts thereby uniformly rptatlng -the shafts 142 and 144 and movin~ the fingers 130 and 132 between the phantom line positions shown.
Runnlng the length of the machine is a longitudinally extending central vacuum chamber 300 which is divided into separate pie-shaped longitudinally extending vacuum c~ambers 302 and 304, which ~re not inner~connected. The means for supplying ~20-~8~

the vacuum to these independent chambers will be descri~ed her~inafter. These chambers are mounted on the surface of a hollow central shaft 306 (Figure 6 and l.l). This central shaft is supported by a cylindrical end block 308 which in turn is fixed.ly connected to a central moti~e shaft 310, arranged through bearin~s 312 so as to be connected for rotation to a drive gear 314 driven by a rack 316 (Figure lOa) in response to air pressure supplied to a cylinder and piston :arrangement designated generally 318. The rack recipr~cates in timed sequence and responds to impulses generated upon appropriate sensor activities such as the en~a~ement of the feeler 320 with the axms of the p ck-up sensors 32~ and 324. It is noted that throughout this application, electric powex means, pneumati.c power means, vacuum means, and logic circuitry are cons.idered to be within th.e re~lm of the state of the art available and kno~n to one skilled in the art in view of the invention disclosed herein and should be adpated to the ends of this invention, p~rticularl~ in view of the d~sclosure of the invention in this application~ Therefore, t~ey will, generall~7, not he described in detail~
Th.e reciprocation of the rack 316 rotates the gear 314 and the shaft 306 ~rom one quadr~nt and then back so that the vacuum head designated ~enerally 146 in Fi~ure 6 and a hoxizontal position as shown by the vacuum head 194 in Figure 6.
Of course, the vacuum head 19.4 would be opposite to the position of vacuum head 134 sh.own in Figure 6 and sli~hlty ~bove a horizontal line, w~en it (1943 Inoves its ~ertical position.
That is, if it were shown in Figure 6, it would be on the left---21~

hand side in its alternate position. In that position, it would be in a position necessary to retract a separator, such as the separator 182.
The shaft 306 runs the length of the apparatus and is supported at both ends. Positioned along its length are a plurality of adjustable vacuum head means. These means comprise a piston and cylin~er arran~ement r a resilient vacuum head, a means for adjusting the position of the vacuum head relative to its axis and yarious other means for performing sundry functions which will be more fully explained hereinafter.
Referring particularly to Figures 2 and 6, it will be noted that each of the vacuum head means comprises a cylinder such as the cylinder 40Q, which is disposed to pass through one wall of the hollow circular shaft 306 ~nd be affixed to the other wall on a line d~ametrically disposed therethrough; as for instance ~y the nut 4Q2 engaging a portion of the housing of the cylinder 40Q. Extending from the cylinder is a piston shaft terminating in a threaded portion, such as 404. The piston shaft extends from the piston within the cylinder and it will be noted from the singal hole ~06 that the cylinder is a single acting one in which pressure drives the piston outwardly from the cylinder and the piston is thereafter returned ~y a sprin~ means mounted within the cylinder (not shown) when the pressure is removed. Such a device is kno~n as a sin~le acting spring return piston and cylinder. Mounted on the end o~ the piston shaft is a fitting 408 made of copper or other suitable material which is ~enerally in the sh~pe of a "T"~ Connected to the stem of this 'IT" is a copper elbo~ ~lQ which can be ~.~....

affixed thereto as by means of soldering in order to provide an air-tight connection. Extending from the other end of the elbow 410 is a short length of copper tu~ing 412, also soldered.
This arrangement provides a passageway from the chamber 304 for communicating ultimately with the cup 414 at the end of the "T" opposite to the portion of the ~'T" which is connected to the piston rod 404. At the end which is connected to the piston rod 404, the "T" necks down as clearly shown in ~igure 6 and is soldered to a bushin~ which is threaded onto the piston lQ rod 404 and thereafter a nut 416 is applied in order to retain the bushiny and "T" arrangement~ Since the connections are all soldered, it ~ill be apparent that when the piston rod extends from the cylinder~ t~e entire vacuum head means li~kewise extends.
A housin~ 418 extends concentrically ~ith the short length of tubing 412 and envelopes it. In order to maintain a vacuum between this hou$ins which is se~lingly engaged with the w~lls ~orming the c~amber 304, an annular washer 420, U-shaped in cross section, is prvvided. Since a ~acuum is produced in the chamber 3Q4, the U shaped section will tend to 2Q open outwardly and grip the external surface of t~e memher 412 thereby pro~idin~ an effec-tive seal. ~t the same ti~e, it will be understood that the maximum extension of the rod 404 will not extend the tubin~ 412 beyond the limits of the member 418 so that the Y~cuum is always m~intained, In this manner, a constant ~acuum will ~e obtained even though the suction head 194 is moved to~Jard and away fro~ the station at which it is to pick up a separator such as the separator 182.

~23~

.~ A r ,,, ~.

For sealing purposes and in order to maintain the vacuum even -though applied to an irregular sur:Eace such as the surface of a plate or separator, the suction head itself is provided with a cup, such as the cup 425, ~hich has a feathered external lip of resilient material there~y providiny maximum flexibility for engagin~ the sur~ace of the o~jects to be retalned thereon.
The position o this cup with respect to the remainder of the T shaped fitting 408 may be adjusted by turning the housing clesignated generally 427 rotatively with respect to the fitting upon which it is threaded (as shown at 429), thereby advancin~ or retracting it. This turning can be accomplished by means of the pins 431 extending from the housing a27. Once adjusted, the head can be fixed against further turning by any suitable means, such as a set screw (not shown). In this manner, the heads may be individually adjusted with resp~ct to the particular element station.
It will be appreciated that the manifolding pro~ided by the chambers 302 and 3Q4 provides for uniform suction through the suction heads t ~ach of the remainin~ heads is identical to the one just described and the overall ar~an~ement provides a system which is dynamically balanced in te~ms of the forces necessary during the intermittent rotatiQn in opposite directions, since the pistons are mounted throu~h the central shaft., ~ common air supply is provided throu~h a manifold 501 (Figure 6) and this supplies air to the pistons such as the piston 400 for extension of the piston rod and application of the vacuum to the plates or separatoxs as ~he c~se may be.

~

..

The vacuum manifol~ing is controlled by means of a box slide valve shown particularly in Figures 12 and 14 with reference to Figure 9. The output of the blo~ler 900 which provides the vacuum is divided into two tubes g01, 902, which go to the right and left hand sides, respectivley, of the machine (when vie~ed as in Figure 14)o On the right-hand side there is a gauge ~9~ and on the left-hand side there is a damper 904. The right~hand tubing is connected hy a piece of tubing 600 into a bellows tubing 602 and then into an el~ow 604.
The elbow is fi~edly mounted in a slide plate 6Q6 and communicates with the dual-chambered bQX 6Q8~ The slide plate is moved by a piston 612 extending from a fixedly mounted cylinder 610. Thus, as the cylinder activates the piston to extend from the position shown in Figure 14, it moves upwardly in order to supply a vacuum to the upper chamber 614 as opposed to the lower chamber 616. In the position shown in Figure 14, the vacuum is provided through the connecting conduit 618, the bello~7s section 620 and the manifold 302 to the plate-side vacuu~ heads; that is the vacuum head$ which serve the plate stations. If the slide plate 6Q6 is moved to the up~er position, it ~ill ~upply a vacuum through the chamber 614 and the bellows 622 to the chamher 30~, ~hich supplies vacuum to the heads adjacent the separator stations.
!~he vacuum source is not sho~m in Figure 1 for the sake of clarity.~
The gauge 999 xe~ulates the amount of vacuum to the ; pick-off stations, When there is an e~xcess of vacuum! the left-hand side Q02 (Figure 122 will operate fox t~o ~urposes to be more fully explainedO ~ top duct 910 runs the length of the machine ,, ~25-: ,,~.~,~P

and hasa series of small slots (desiynated generally 912) along the inner edge. A lower duct 914 i5 also pro~ided with a series of slots along the edge. The portion 202 is connected to a header 918 which is connected to a "C" shaped manifold 920, which is connected to the ducts 910, ~14. The slots in the ducts increase in size the further they are away from -the vacuum source, since a greater vacuum is required to pull the dust and foreign materials in the air into the duct. This dust collection is provided only by excess vacuum, that is, that vacuum not required by the particular vacuum heads lifting off plates and separators.
Obviously, where vacuum heads are not being used to lift off plates or separators such as in the case o~ stacks being made with less plates and separators then the total capacity of the machine (that is, not all of the chutes are fU~ there will not be as much vacuum re~uired and the flapper valve ~04 will open more in order to provide more ~acuum to the dust collection means.
~ y adjustlng the pressure on the cylinder ~22 controlling the piston and thereby controllin~ the position of the flapper valve (note the rack and pinion attached to the piston in Figure 12a) within the duct, the amount of ~acuum to the pick off stations can be adjusted. ~ere again the ~auge provides the neces.sary datum line to make this adjustment, This maximizes t~e efficiency of the blowers. The dust collection draws the dust downwardly and away from the machine operator.
By watching the gauge~ the operator can determine visually how much-vacu~ is actually necessary to run the machine, dependin~ on the number of pick=~ff stations bein~

~6 , .~
,, .

55a used. The upper duct, by means of the holes along the edge, draws clust upwardly and away from the machine operator, whereas the lower duct draws clust downwardly and awav from the machine operator; particularly dust which is collected in the trough.
Note that the plate which covers the box-shaped manifold with the divider, must be in sealed engagement with it ev~n though it is in sliding en~agement with the face providing the openings thereto.
The problem with the vacuum is that when the machine is not making as many elements in a s-tack as it is ca~able of making (that is when it i5 not workin~ as many stations), some of the vacuum cups are open to the atmosphere~ At ~hat time, a bigger portion of the output from the blower is required in order to proyide ~ con$tant vacuum for the cups that are bein~ used.
During operation o~ the machine, the cups are advanced toward either the separators and the plates and are normally positioned in close p~oxi~ity to them. Of courser this must be adjsuted depending upon the particular plates and separators bein~ used and the amount of vacuum being used. Once acljusted, however, it will be noted that the len~th of the stroke of the piston is al~ays the same so that as the stack builds there is additional pressure~ That is, normally after the separator or plate has jumped to the cup, it is maintained in intimate contact with the lip of the cup so that as it is swung around to the horizontal position from the vertical position, it maintains its relative position on the cup. This is important for registry as previously described. ~hen the piston extends do~7n~a~dly to ~.
~27-'~ ~

gently lay the plate or separator onto the stack during formation.
Once it has reached the full extent of its downward stro~e, it is timed so that the vacuum is discontinued and the plate or separator simply remains in place as the piston is withdrawn and the shaft is rotated hack to its alternate position. The length of the stroke is not the same because as the stack builfls the stroke gets shorter. The pressure is uniform at approximately twenty-five pounds per square inch, this, of course, allows for variation 'n the thickness of the plates and variation in the thickness of the separa~ors without any adjustment of th.e ~achine be~ng necessary.
In Figure 10a, there is shown an end v~ew of the drive mechanism. The uppex shaft 310 is the centxal drive shaft for the stacker vacuum means~ That swing sha,ft 31~ is given a reciprocating motion by th.e large rack and pinion previously described. That motion is related to the drive motion for the belt 800 ~Flgure 11) which holds the stacks.
Because the upper shaft reciprocates, and the belt always has to be driven forward (in the direction of th.e arrow ~, whether the reciprocation ~s in one direction or the other~ I have coupled that shaFt through a ~miversal gear box 8Q2 t.Fisure 10a) to a plurality of cam clutches 804, 806. I^lhen the gear 314 is turned in one direciton, it turns t~e ~ear 8Q8 in the same direction, andr through the gear ~cx 802, it turns the cam clutch which drives -the belt. ~en the rotation of the gear is reversed, that cam clutch disenga~es, and the one on the other side engages to drive the ~elt forward., ~2~-,~

;, .

Since precise synchronous movement is required of the belt 800 in order to keep the stacks exactly equal as they go down and to avoid any cumulative error; and also to provide for error which would be caused ~y wear, a t~ree-sprocket arrangement with an adjustable idler ~09 is used engaging the drive chain 810. Normally such chains have a certain slac}
factor in them. In order to make this slack/idler gear system work, I select a gear tooth arrangemen-t which would nor~ally drive the lower gear 8Q8 to such an ex-tent that the belt 800 would advance too ~ar. It is -then possible to use the chain slack on the idler to compensate for this. In otherwords, there is a looseness in the system which applies in both directions and thus the bottom gear 8Q8 will not drive the belt 8Q0 too far, but rather just exactly the right amount.
~his compensates for wear in the fol~owing manner: as any part of the gear train wears, one can then tighten up on the slack by advancing the idler gear 809 -to the right by means of the ~'~ screw and slide bolt designated generally 812 (upon which the ` idler is mounted) and there~y achieve perfect synchronization~
,~ 20 T~ith this type of arran~ement/ even though the pr;mary gear 314 and rack did not function perfectly, as :Eor example, , when the air pressure drops off, the advancement of the belt will precisely mate in turns of synchronization and slack off itself so that the ele~ent will be dropped in an e~en stack.
; It will be understood that various changes in the details, ma-terials and arranaement of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of this invention may be ~ade by those skilled in -~he art ~29~

~x~

within the principle and scope of the invention ~s expressed in the following claims.
In particular, once the principles of ~y invention are understood by the previous description in the specification of this application, changes in particular parts might be made hy those skilled in the art which were heretofore not possible in view of the development of the art to date. While numerous attempts have been made to solve the pro~lems of providing a stacker of the type described~ none have been successful. I ~ave provided a means for gently~ accurately and consistently removing battery plate ~lements and hattery separator elements from racks and depositing them in accurately-aligned stacks by a vacuum dispoition means which approaches, but does not touch, the elements in their racks. In part, this means has been made ef~ective by a number of the adjust-: ments and controls ~hich I have previously descri~ed and ~7hich can generally be referred to as: means for retaining and present-ing for disposition ~atter~ plate elements; means for retaining and presentin~ for disposition battery separator elementsi means for adjustin~ the position of the ~acuum heads xelative to said last-mentioned means, means for adjusting, ~egulatin~ and controllin~
~acuum and its application throughout th.e machinery; and means for synchronizing the operation o~ the machinery to produce accurately-aligned $tac~$ of elements.
In accordance with -the preferred nethod of operation of the apparatus in accordance with my invention, a constant vacuum i5 pro~ided to a plurality of adjustably positioned vacuum heads d~namically mounted through a centxal shaft and -3a~

in c07nmunication with separate vacuum cha~bexs~ The shaft rotates less than 360 and then reciprocates back to its original position. The elements are aligned in their racks in accordance with the particular req~tirements of the physical charact~ristics of the particular elements. ~11 of the elements are positioned on edge and are inclined slightly to~ard the center of the machine~ In the case of battery plates r means are provided for selectively presentin~ only the first plate in a stack to the vacuum head means. In the case of battery elements such as separators, means are pxovided fox relieving the build-up pressure against the first element at the dischar~e station and separate tab means are provided for xetaininy the flexi~le elements so that the vacuum provided i$ just sufficient to allow the flexible eler,lents to bo~7 outwardly and jump ~rom their stations past the ta~ means ~,7hen a perfect vacuum is provided.
In the case of both battery plates and battery separatoxs~ the design of the rack is such t~at air currents induced by the suction of the vacuum, are generated around ! under and ~,ehind the element to ~e pick-off ~y the vacuum head~

''' :

~31-

Claims (25)

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for picking up and interlaying in stacks battery plates elements and battery separator elements from differ-ent sources, comprising: a plurality of sources of elements for sequentially presenting the surfaces of the lead elements in each source toward a pick-up means at pick-up stations where the pre-sented lead element will be disengaged from the source and picked up; vacuum head means for applying a vacuum to said elements, mov-able toward and away from the stations at which element surfaces are presented; said sources constructed to provide for the presen-tation of the lead element to the vacuum head means in an area wherein air currents can envelope said element upon application of vacuum to the presented surfaces; retaining means positioned in in-terferring relation to the egress of said lead elements from said sources toward said vacuum head means; said retaining means with respect to said battery separator elements interfering with the egress of said battery separator elements only to the extent of not permitting them to depart from said stations in response to the means presenting them, and not to the extent that it would prevent a vacuum from withdrawing the lead separator element passed said retaining means in a direction of presentation; said retaining means with respect to said battery plate elements being yieldable;
and means for moving and positioning the vacuum head means in sufficiently close non-touching proximity to the presented element surfaces at stations that the negative pressure provided by the vacuum applied through said vacuum head means, alone, draws said presented elements from those sources passed said retaining means into engagement with the vacuum head means whereby said elements are picked up by said vacuum head means; and element receiving means for receiving elements thereafter deposited by said vacuum head means to form said interlaid stacks.

2. The invention of Claim 1 wherein said yieldable re-taining means with respect to said battery plate elements comprises leaf spring means retaining an edge of said battery plate element against egress from its station.

3. The invention of Claim 1 wherein said retaining means with respect to said lead battery plate elements, interferes with the egress of said battery plate elements only to the extent of not permitting them to depart from said stations in response to the means presenting them, but permitting the vacuum to draw the lead plate element passed the retaining means by flexing said yieldable retaining means.

4. The invention of Claim 1 wherein means are provided to engage a plurality of battery plate elements and exert a force along the upper edges thereof to push them forward in the direction of presentment within said sources into closer alignment with one another in the direction of presentment.

5. The invention of Claim 1 wherein means are provided for dividing the lead battery plate element from the remaining elements and for physically retaining said remaining elements against the action of said vacuum.

6. The invention of Claim 1 wherein said vacuum head means comprises a cup-shaped member made of flexible material feathered toward its outermost ends, said cup being adjustably positioned on a tubular member connected for movement to the terminal end of a piston rod extending from a piston within a single acting cylinder, said tubular member being interconnected by conduit means to a vacuum chamber, said conduit means comprising a conduit disposed in sliding engagement with a seal maintained and supported in a bracket whereby said conduit is freely extendable and retractable within said bracket and is maintained in vacuum communication with said chamber.

7. The invention of Claim 1 wherein said element receiv-ing means comprises an incrementally advancing conveyor, and means of providing for synchronizing the indexing of the movement of said conveyor with the movement of said vacuum head means for disposition of said battery elements thereon, and wherein said synchronous means comprises a plurality of cam clutches engaging said conveyor means to drive said conveyor means in one direction only upon reciprocation of said vacuum means.

8. The invention of Claim 7 wherein said synchronization means comprises a plurality of gears interconnected by a chain mechanism and having engaged therewith an idler mechanism to take up the slack of said chain, said gears normally having a gear ratio which would overdrive said gear such that said conveyor means would overtravel and become out of synchronization were it not for the slack adjustment of said idler gear.

9. The invention of Claim 5 wherein said last-mentioned means is adjustable positionable and resilient to accommodate variations in the upper edges of said battery plate elements.

10. The invention of Claim 1 wherein said retaining means initially retains the entire stack of battery plate elements and thereafter when only one of said elements has been segregated from the remaining elements, said retaining means is released with the exception of a resilient portion thereof.

11. The invention of Claim 1 wherein said resilient means are provided for relieving the pressure of a portion of the stack against said retaining means.

12. The invention of Claim 6 wherein said seal is annu-lar and U-shaped in cross-section and the U-shaped portion thereof has its outer edges facing away from the source of the vacuum so as to draw outwardly and into engagement with the walls of said conduit means upon application of a vacuum thereto.

13. The invention of Claim 6 wherein said cup may be adjusted and means are provided for fixedly retaining said cup in a plurality of positions along an axial path relative to said piston rod.

14. The invention of Claim 1 wherein an initial retain-ing means is provided for said plate elements comprising a plural-ity of gates engaging each of said lead elements at each station in a plurality of positions; the gates being synchronously opened and closed.

15. The invention of Claim 1 wherein said vacuum head means is connected to a vacuum source; said source having alterna-tive distribution conduit means communicating with a plurality of beams extending the length of said machine; said beams having slots therein through which particulate-matter may be drawn by said vacuum.

16. The invention of Claim 15 wherein said slots in-crease in area in proportion to their distance from said vacuum source.

17. The invention of Claim 15 wherein control means are provided on said alternative source to operate in response to excess vacuum only.

18. The invention of Claim 1 wherein the vacuum provided to the plurality of vacuum head means is provided through longitu-dinally extending chambers in a beam extending the length of the apparatus; one such. chamber being provided for the vacuum head means associated with the removal of the plate elements and the other such chamber being provided for the vacuum head means associ-ated with the removal of said separator elements; each of said chambers having means connected to a valve means; said vacuum being supplied by a vacuum source connected to said valve means communicating alternately with said chambers; and means to actuate said valve means to provide vacuum to one chamber or to the other chamber so as to apply a vacuum to either one of said vacuum head means servicing the battery plate elements or to the other said vacuum head means servicing the battery separator elements.

19. The invention of Claim 18 wherein flexible conduit means connects said chambers communicating with said sets of vacuum head means and with the chambers and said valve.

20. The invention of Claim 18 wherein the conduit con-necting the valve means with the source is flexible.

21. The invention of Claim 1 wherein the vacuum provided to the plurality of vacuum head means is provided through longi-tudinally extending chambers in a beam extending the length of the apparatus; one such chamber being provided for the vacuum head means associated with the removal of the plate elements and another such chamber being provided for the vacuum head means associated with the removal of said separator elements; each of said chambers having means connected to a valve means; said vacuum being supplied by a vacuum source connected to said valve means communicating alternately with said chambers; and means to actuate said valve means to provide vacuum to one chamber or to the other chambers so as to apply a vacuum to either one set of vacuum head means servicing the battery plate elements or to the said vacuum head means servicing the battery separator elements; said beam being reciprocated about a longitudinally extending axis in re-sponse to said means for moving and positioning the vacuum head means to pick off said elements; and means are provided for engag-ing said battery separator element sources to vertically adjust their position with respect to their associated vacuum head means.

22, The invention of Claim 18 wherein said valve com-prises. a multi-chambered device having a plate insliding engagement with an opening communicating with each chamber; said plate retain-ing a connection to a flexible member from said vacuum source in fluid flow communication therethrough and said plate engaging means for moving said plate in synchronization with the movement of said vacuum head means toward and away from said sources,

23. A method of picking up and interlaying into stacks battery plate elements and battery separator elements from differ-ent sources of such elements, comprising the steps of:
providing a plurality of sources of elements with the elements arranged on edge for sequentially present-ing the lead element surface from each source to be picked up;
positioning a retaining means in interferring relation to the lead element in each stack to retain said element in said source prior to being acted upon by a vacuum force;
picking up only the presented elements and depositing them onto a conveyor in the form of interlaid stacks by withdrawing the elements from said sources passed said retaining means;
said picking up of the elements comprising providing a vacuum to a vacuum head means and moving the vacuum head means toward the stations at which the presented elements are to he encountered;
arranging the lead elements with respect to the approach-ing vacuum head means so as to allow air currents to be generated about said elements to dislodge them from their sources and cause them to jump to the vacuum head means;
followed by movement of the head means away from the stations for deposit of the elements onto a conveyor;

with the movement of the head means upon its approaching the elements that are about to be picked up being such that the head means is brought into close but non-touching proximity to the presented element surfaces at the station;
with the negative pressure that is provided by the vacuum alone effecting the withdrawal of the elements from their sources to said vacuum head means for deposit thereafter onto the conveyor;
and with the additional steps of engaging a plurality of said plate elements along their upper surfaces by first forcing a plurality of said elements toward a means for retaining said elements within said station, and dividing the first of said elements from the remaining of said elements by positive means and retaining the remainder of said elements within said station while said initial means for positively retaining said elements is removed; and providing a yieldable means retaining the upper edge of said lead element once it has been divided from said remaining elements.

24. The invention of Claim 23 which comprises the additional step of synchronizing the reciprocal motion of said vacuum head means from their pick-up position to their disposition position and back again with the movement of a conveyor upon which disposition of the elements is made.

25. The invention of Claim 23 wherein the additional step of providing an exhaust vacuum pick-up means within said apparatus for the pick-up and removal of particulate matter in the air in close proximity with the apparatus; and the additional step of adjusting the vacuum to said exhaust means so that it operates on excess vacuum only.