CA2135584C - Apparatus for placing corner protectors and top protectors on palletized loads - Google Patents
Apparatus for placing corner protectors and top protectors on palletized loadsInfo
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- CA2135584C CA2135584C CA 2135584 CA2135584A CA2135584C CA 2135584 C CA2135584 C CA 2135584C CA 2135584 CA2135584 CA 2135584 CA 2135584 A CA2135584 A CA 2135584A CA 2135584 C CA2135584 C CA 2135584C
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- corner
- load
- conveyor
- arm
- protector
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Abstract
Apparatus for wrapping a load in film material is provided with magazines of vertically oriented corner protectors, each associated with a corner of the load, and from which a corner protector is withdrawn and transferred to cover the corresponding corner of the load prior to wrapping the latter with plastic film material. The magazines comprise a pair of vertically spaced apart conveyor belts which feed the corner protectors to a discharge end of the magazine, and a pick-up and transfer arm pivotal about a single arm axis transfers a corner protector from the magazine through an arc of 135° which aligns the corner protector for movement into engagement with the corner of the load. The apparatus further includes a shuttle mechanism including a pick-up and transfer assembly for moving a top protector from a supply station onto the top of the load, and the pick-up and transfer assembly includes finger plates each of which is pivotal about a corresponding axis to initial bend a marginal edge portion of the top protector downwardly relative to the top edges of the load, and each of which finger plates is horizontally reciprocable to complete the bending of the marginal edge portions against the sides of the load.
Description
CA 0213~84 1998-08-20 APPARATUS FOR PLACING CORNER PROTECTORS AND TOP
PROTECTORS ON PALLETIZED LOADS
Background of the Invention The present invention relates in general to the art of apparatus for wrapping or banding palletized loads and, more particularly, to improved apparatus for placing corner protectors and/or top protectors onto a load prior to the wrapping or banding thereof.
The improvements according to the present invention find particular utility in conjunction with apparatus of the character disclosed int eh foregoing copending application and, accordingly, will be described herein in conjunction with such apparatus. At the same time, it will be appreciated that the improvements have utility in conjunction with other apparatus for packaging loads in plastic film material as well as apparatus by which loads are banded as opposed to being wrapped in plastic film material.
Load or article wrapping apparatus of the character to which the present invention relates generally comprises a stationary frame for receiving a load to be wrapped, and a rotating and vertically reciprocable film dispensing unit supported on the frame for rotation about the load to wrap the latter in the film. The load to be wrapped may, for example, be comprised of a plurality of square or rectangular articles placed side-by-side and end-to-end in a plurality of vertical layers, whereby the load has opposed pairs of opposite vertical sides, adjacent ones of which sides meet at an angle to provide a vertical corner therebetween. The load also has a top defined by horizontal top edges extending between the vertical corners. Prior to wrapping or banding the load, it is often desirable to apply corner protectors to the corners of the load and/or to apply a top protector to the top of the load so as to protect the vertical corners and top edges of the load from CA 0213~84 1998-08-20 being crushed by the wrapping film or strapping, or being crushed or otherwise damaged during transportation and storage of the wrapped or strapped load.
The corner protectors are generally made from paper or paperboard material pre-folded to provide a pair of panels having inside surfaces meeting at an angle corresponding to that of the corners of the load. Generally, apparatus for applying corner protectors onto a load comprises, for each corner of the load, a magazine arrangement for storing a supply of the corner protectors, and a pick-up and transfer mechanism associated with the magazine for removing a corner protector from the magazine and transferring the protector to the corresponding corner of the load. One such apparatus heretofore proposed for the latter purpose is disclosed in U.S. Patent 5,226,180 to Scherer et al wherein the magazine for the corner protectors is in the form of an inclined chute having an inner discharge end relative to the load and from which the corner protectors are withdrawn and transferred to the load. The corner protectors slide downwardly along the chute toward the discharge end under the influence of gravity and a wheeled feed carriage therebehind. The innermost corner protector is removed from the magazine and transferred to the corresponding load corner by an articulated arm assembly pivotal sequentially about two pivot axes to initially orient the corner protector relative to the corner.
Thereafter, portions of the arm assembly are jogged horizontally in directions perpendicular to one another to move the protector into engagement with the corner of the load.
Apparatus of the foreyoing character i8 structurally and operationally complex and, thus, expensive from the ~tandpoint of cost of construction, maintenance and operat-in~ time. In thi~ respect, ~or example, the magazine car-riage has to be withdrawn and held at the upper end of the chute during loading thereof with corner protectors and then relea~ed to engage behind the outermost one of the corner protectors relative to the dischar~e end of the chute. Fur-tharmore, while there is a restraint ~or engagin~ the inner-most corner protector in tlle chut~ to preclude more than one corner protector being witlldrawn a~ a time from ~he maga-zine, including a ~inger for engagincJ the upper end or the innermost corner protector, the mecllanism for this purpo~e is structurally complex and there is a time during~removal of a corner protector from the maqazine when the finger pro-vides the only restraint and fails to perform its function resulting in one or more of the corner protectors falling outwardly of the discharge end of the magazine. Particular-ly in this respect, the corner pro~ectors are often recycled and intermixed witl- otller pro~ectors whereby, as the result of damaged ends or ~uch intermixill~ ~he magazine i8 filled with pxotector6 of different lengths. Thus, one or a number of n short" protector~ reaching the innermost end of the mag-azine are not enqaged by tlle ~in~er and ~all out of the mag-azine. Such unintended discharge of one or more of the cor-ner protector~ is disruptive with respect to operation of thc wrapping or strapping apparatus and, additionally, re-quires removal of the corner protectors from the area at the discharge end of the magazine and discarding thereof as un-usable. Still further, the articulated arm arrangement by which a corner protector is removed from the magazine a'nd transferred to the corresponding corner of the load is like-wise structurally complex requiring mechanisms for pivoting one portion of the arm abou~ one axis and the entire arm about a second axi~ in order to appropriately position the 213~584 inner sides of the corner protector relative to the corner of the load. This undesirably adds to the expense of the construlction of the apparatus as well as to the maintenance and operation thereo~.
S Top protec~ors are also made of paper or paperboard material, and top protector applica~ors heretofore provided generally include a shuttle mechanism carrying a pick-up and transfer assembly by wllich a ~lat top protector is picked-up from a supply station and transferred to a position on top of the load. The piclc-up and ~ransfer ~ssembly includes fingers by wllich margin~l edge por~ions o~ the top pro~ector are bent downwardly to overlie tlle upper ends o~ the sides of the load. Hereto~ore, the ~ingers by which the marginal edge portions o~ the top protec~or are folded downwardly are pivotal about axes parallel to ~he top edges of the load and laterally or horizontally fixed rela~ive ~hereto. Accord-ingly, a di~~erent folding finger assembly has to be provid-ed ~or each load having difEerent top edge dimensions. In this respect, a finger assembly in wllich the pivot axes are laterally spaced apart a fixed distallce cannot be operated to appropriately fold the marginal edge portions of a top protector for a load in which the opposed parallel side edg-es of the top are spaced apart a distance either greater than or less than the fixed distance between the finger ax-e~. In this respect, if tlle load edges are spaced apart a di~tance less than the distance between the finger axes, the fingers cannot pivot to fold the marginal edge portions of the top protector, and if ~he load edges are spaced apart a distance greater than the distance between the finger axes, the ~ingers ca~ only partially fold the marginal edge por-tions downwardly and cannot displace the latter into facial engagement with the sides of the load. Ilaving to provide di~ferent finger assemblies for different sized loads is expen~ive from tl~e standpoint of having to construct a plu-rality of finger assemblies and from the standpoint of the 213~58~
- time required to remove one assembly and replace it with another.
Summary o~ the Invention In accordance with one aspect o~ the present invention, improved corner protector applying apparatus is provided which minimi2es or overcomes the problems encountered with such apparatus heretofore available. More particularly in this respec~, corner applyin~ appara~us in accordance with the present invention provides a mag~zine structure for holding a supply of corner protectors by engaging the oppo-site ends thereof be~ween corresponding conveyors by which the corner protectors are advanced in the direction toward ~he discharge end of the magazine. This advantageously sta-bilizes the corner protectors along tlle lenqth of the maga-zine and adjacent the discharge end of the magazine, thus to preclude unintended displacement or the falling out of cor-ner protectors from the discharge end of the magazine in conjunction with removal of the endmost corner protector and transfer of the removed protec~or to the corner of the load. Furthermore, the conveyor arrangement enables pos-itive displacement of tlle corner pro~ectors in the direction of discharge with a stabilized orientation of the corner protectors relative to one anotller and to the conveyors, thus to preclude any unintended rela~ive displacement there-between during operation of ~he apparatus.
Each magazine has a pick-up and transfer arm assembly associated with the discharge end tllereof for removing the innermost corner protector and transferring the removed pro-tector to a position faciny tlle corresponding corner of the load. The arm mechanism is structurally simple and is piv-otal about a ~ingle arm axis so as to reorient the corner p~otector ~rom its position in the magazine to a position in which the panels of the corner protector are parallel to the sides of the load forming the corresponding corner. The magazine and arm assembly are mounted on a carriage for 2135~84 displacement in a direction parallel to one of the corner protector panels, and the arm as~embly is displaceable rela-tive to the carriage in the direction parallel to the other corner protector panel, whereby joggiilg of the carriage and S arm assembly quickly moves the corner panel into engagement with the sides of the load forming the corresponding corner.
The conveyors are adjustable witll respect to the distance therebetween 80 as to acco~nodate use of the apparatus with corner protectors of different leng~lls, and one of the con-veyors is pivotal relative to the otller about an axis at the discharge end of the magazinc ~o accommodate loading the latter with corner protectors.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, top protector applying apparatus i5 provided which advanta-geously enables the application of ~op protectors to loads having different top edge dimensions. More particularly in thi~ respec~, a top applicator in accordance with the present invention includes a finger assembly in which op-posed ~ingers are pivotal a~out corresponding axes parallel to the top edges of the load and are horizontally reciprocable to vary the distance between the parallel axes of opposed fingers of the assembly. Accordingly, the finger a~sembly is operable to fold the marginal edge portions of top protectors for loads havi.ncJ opposite parallel top edges spaced apart by any dimension between the minimum and maxi-mum dimension between the opposed parallel pivot axes of the fingers. This advantageously enables the finger assembly to be used in conjunction with the wrapping or banding of loads having different top edge dimensions without having to change the finger assembly.
It i~ accordingly an outstallding object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for applying cor-ner protectors to a load to be banded or wrapped in plastic film.
213S~84 Another object is the provision of corner protector applying apparatu~ in which the opposite ends of a supply of corner protectors are supported in a magazine to stabilize the corner protectors during displacement tllereof toward the di~charge end o~ the magazine.
~et another object is tlle provision of corner protector applying apparatus o~ the ~oregoing character wherein the opposite ends o~ the corner protectors in the magazine are engaged between conveyors by whicll tlle corner protectors are advanced toward the discharge end of the magazine.
Still anotller object i5 tllC provision of corner protec-tor applying apparatus o~ the foregoing character wherein a corner pro~ector xemoving and trans~er arm assembly is sup-ported adjacent the di3charge end of the magazine for remov-ing a corner protector therefrom and pivoting the removed corner protector about a single arm axis to transfer the protector t~ a position facing the corresponding corner of the load.
A further o~ject is tlle provision of corner protector applying appara~us o~ the ~oregoing character in which the magazine ~nd arm assembly are supported on a carriage reciprocable in one direction rela~ive to the corner of the load and in which the arm assembly is reciprocable relative t~ the carriage perpendicular ~o the one direction, whereby jogging of the carriage and arm assembly is operable to po-8ition the removed corner protector against the corner of the load.
Another object is the provision of corner protector ap-plying apparatus of the ~oregoing character which is struc-~urally and operationally simple and economical to construct and maintain.
Still a furtller object o~ the invention is the provi-~ion o~ improved top protector applying apparatus for apply-ing a top protector to a load and ~olding marginal edge 2135~8~
portions o~ tlle top protec~or downwardly about the top edges of the load.
Yet a ~urther Gbject is the provision of top protector applying apparatus of the ~oregoing character which i8 adapted to apply top protec~ors ~o loads having different top edge dimensions.
Yet another object is the provision of top protector applying apparatus of the foregoin~ character in which fold-ing ~ingers pivotal about parallel spaced apart axes corre-sponding to opposed parallel edges of the top of a load are supported ~or horizontal reciproca~ion transverse to the pivot axes to vary the space therebetween.
Y~t another object of the inven~ion is the provision of a machine for wrapping a load in plastic film with improved appara~us ~or applying corner pro~ec~ors and/or a top pro-tector to a load in conjunc~ion witll wrapping the load in plastic film ma~erial.
Brief D~crip~ion o~ ~hc Drawings The ~oregoin~ objec~, and o~llers, will in part be ob-vious and in part pointed ou~ more flllly hereinafter in con-junction with the written descrip~ion o~ preferred em~odi-ments o~ the invention illustrated in the accompanying draw-ing~ in which:
PIGURE 1 is an end elevation view of apparatus for wrapping a load in plas~ic film and having corner protector applying apparatus and ~op protector applying apparatus in accordance with tlle inven~ion;
FIGURE, 2 is a plan view of tlle wrapping apparatus, cor-ner protecting applying appara~us and top protector applying apparatus shown in FIGU~E 1;
FIGU~E 3 is a side elevation view, partially in sec-tion, ta~en along line 3-3 in FIGU}~ 2, and showing one of the corner protecting applying apparatus in accordance with the invention;
213~S~4 FIGU~E 4 is a plan view in section of the corner pro-tector applying apparatus taken along line 4-4 in FIGURE 3;
FIGURE 5 is an end eleva~ion view of the corner protec-tor applying apparatus looking in the direction of line 5-5 in PIGURE 3;
FIGUR~ 6 i8 an elevation view, in section, of the cor-ner protector applying apparatus taken along line 6-6 in FI~U~E 3;
FIGURE 7 is a schematic illustration of the conveyor belt drive arrangement for tl~e magazine of the corner pro-tector applying apparatus;
PIGUnE 8 is a detail side elevation view, somewhat schematic, showin~ a supply of corner protectors loaded be-tween the conveyor belts;
FIGURE 9 is a plan view o~ the ~olding finger assembly of the top protector applying appara~us ta~en along line 9-9 in FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 10 is an elevation view, in section, of the folding finger a~sembly taken along line 10-10 in FIGURE 9;
FIGURES llA-llG ~chematically illustrate the applica-tion of the corner protectors and top protector on a load in the wrapping apparatus and the initial application of plas-tic wrap thereabout; and FIGURES 12~-12C schema-~ic~lly illustrate the operation of the folding finger assembly in applying a top protector to the top of a load.
De~cription of Preferred Embodiments ~eferring now in greater detail to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the inven~ion only and not ~or the purpose of limitin~ the invention, FIGURES 1 and 2 illustrate wrapping apparatus 10 comprising a stationary frame assembly 12, a frame assembly 14 supported on frame assembly 12 for 213~584 --vertical di~placemen~ relativ~ ere~o, and a ring member 16 supported on frame assembly 12 ~or vertical displacement therewitl~ and for rotatioll rela~ive tllereto about a vertical ring axis l~. Stationary ~rame assembly 12 is supported on an underlying surface S and spans a conveyor 20 by which a load L to be wrapped in plastic ~ilm is moved into a wrap-ping station position witllin the apparatus and in which po-si~ion ~he load 18 ~enerally cen~rally located relative to the perimeter of ring 16. Conveyor 20 may, for example, be a roller conveyor in which the rolls are driven to move load L along a path in the direction o~ arrow P to the wrapping ~tation and, ~ollowing wrapping, ~rom the wrapping station to the discharge end of the conveyor. A film carriage as-sembly 22 i8 mounted on ring member 16 ~or displacement therewitll and includes a roll oE plas~ic film material, not ~hown, from which ~ilm ma~erial is paid out during operation of apparatus to wrap lo~d L. I~ur~llcr, as is well known, a film clamping and sealinq assembly, not shown, is mounted on ~rame assembly 14 ~or displacemen~ tllerewith and relative thereto and, as is also well known, such clamping and seal-ing assembly is operable during wrappinq to cause the film mate~ial to be paid out from tlle roll and to sever and seal the ~ilm material after the wrappinq operation is completed.
~eyond providinq an unders~anding of the present invention in conjUnction with film wrapping of a load, details con-cerning the ~tructu~e and operation of the wrapping appara-tu~ are not necessary, and further details in this respect are disclosed in the a~orementioned copending patent appli-cation.
With respec~ to the direction o~ path P, stationary ~rame a~sem~ly 12 has longitudinally opposite ends 24 and 26 and lat~rally opposite sides 23 and 30. In the embodiment illustrated, load L is comprised of a plurality of vertical-ly stacked layers of articles ~ suppor~ed on a pallet 32 and which a~ticles, together, provide load ~ with lonqitudinally 213~584 oppo~ite vertical sides 34 and 36 and laterally opposite vertical sid~s 3~ and 40. Adjacent ones of the sides of load L meet generally at right angles to provide the load with four corners, not designated numerically. Load L fur-ther includes a top surface 42 havinq a rectangular periph-ery defined by lonqitudinally opposite parallel top edges 34a and 36a respectively provided by the upper edges of sides 34 and 36, and laterally opposite parallel top edges 38a and 40a re~pectively provided by the upper edges of walls 38 and 40 o~ the load.
In accordancc wi~ll one ~spec~ o~ the presen~ invention, corner protec~or applicatol apparatus 44 is provided for positioning a corner protec~or on eacll corner of load L pri-or to the wrapping o~ plastic ~ilm ~hereabout. The corner protector applying apparatus are basically of the same structure and operation, whereby i~ will be appreciated that the following description of one o~ the apparatus shown in FIGU~ES 3-6 of the drawing is applicable to the others.
With reference to the latter Fi~ures, together with FIGURES
1 and 2, each of the apparatus 44 is associated with one of the corner~ of load L, is positioned laterally outwardly thereof and has corresponding longitudinally spaced apart inner and outer ends 44a and ~b whicll provide for each of the apparatus to have an orientation transverse to path P.
Z5 Each of the apparatus includes a lower, stationary frame assembly 4~ comprising vertical corner posts 48, longitudi-nally extending ~ide members 50 therebetween, laterally ex-ten~;ng carriage rail members 52 respectively between post~
48 at the inner end o~ tl~e appara~us and posts 48 at the outer end thereo~, and a pair of longitudinally spaced apart laterally extending frame members 54 between side members 50 inte~ _~;ate-carriage rail members 52.
Frame assembly 46 supports a magazine unit 56 by which a supply o~ corner protectors C are held and moved in the direction from outer end 44b towards inner end 44a of the 213~584 apparatus for pick-up and transfer to the corresponding load cornex as will be described in detail hereinafter. Magazine unit 56 i8 moun~ed on a carriage assembly 58 comprising a carriage support plate member 59 extending between the inner and outer ends o~ the apparatus and provided at each of the latter ends wi~h a carriage wheel unit 60 comprising pairs of.uppex and lower wheels 62 in rolling engagement with the corre~ponding carriage rail 52. The carriage i8 adapted to be reciproca~ed laterally o~ ~rame assembly 46 by a motor and gear box unit mounted on the underside of carriage plate 59 and including a motor 64 and a gear box G6 for driving pinions 6~ which are in meslling e~agement with toothed racks 70 on ~rame members 54.
Magazine unit ~6 further includes vertically adjustable corner posts comprisin~ lower pO5~ em~er8 72 welded or oth-erwise secured to carriage plate member 59 and corresponding upper po8t membera 74 telescopically receiving the upper ends o~ post members 72. The corresponding post members are secured together such as by means o~ threaded studs 76, and the end~ o~ post members 72 received in post membexs 74 are provided with a plurali~y of openings, not shown, which are vertically spaced apart therealong to provide for adjusting ~hc vertical height of the corner posts relative to carriage plate S9. The lower ends of the lower post members 72 at the the inner and outer ends of carriage plate 59 are pro-vided with support ~locks 78 which rotatably support a cor-responding conveyor belt roll 80, and a lower endless con-veyor belt 82 is trained about rolls 80. ~s best seen in FIGU~E 6, a lower conveyor support plate member 84 is at-tached to the laterally opposite sides of carriage plate 59 and includes an upwardly open challnel 86 in the top side thereo~ which includes a bottom wall, not designated numeri-cally, underlying and supporting the upper run of lower con-veyo~ belt 82.
213~5~
As best seen in FIGU~S 3 and 6, the upper end of maga-zine unit 5G i8 defined by a pivotal upper conveyor belt assembly including a downwardly open belt support channel member 8~ providing a downwardly open channel 89 extendinq between the inner and ou~er corner post members 74. For the purpose set forth hereinafter, channel member 88 is pivotal-ly secured to post member~ 74 a~ ~he inner or discharge end of the magazine unit such as by pivot pin members 90 extend-ing through the upper end~ of post melnber~ 74 and tlle corre-spondin~ side of channel m~mb~r ~S. Pivotal displacement of channel member 0~ counterclockwise in FIGU~E 3 is limited by engagemen~ thereof with the upper ends of corner post mem-bers 74 ~t the outer end o~ tlle maga~ine unit. As best seen in PIGV~E 5, the inner end of channel member 8~ is provided with support block~ 92 rotatably supporting a corresponding conveyox bel~ roll 9q and, as best seen in FIGURE 6, the oute~ end of channel member ~8 is provided on the inner side thereof with 8upport members 96 whicll rotatably support a corresponding conveyor belt roll 9~. An endless conveyor belt 10~ is trained about rolls 94 and 98, and it will be noted tllat the lower run of belt 100 is unsupported and thus free to 3ag vertically downwardly for the purpo~e set forth hcreina~ter. It will also be appreciated that upper convey-or belt 100 i8 pivotal with channel member 88 about pivot pins 90.
Conveyor belts 82 and 100 are adapted to be driven in unison and in the same direction and, for this purpose, car-~iage plate 59 i5 provided laterally outwardly adjacent the inner end thereof wi~h a drive uni~ support plate 102 which carries a drive unit comprising a gear box 104 and a drive motor 106. For the purpose set fortll hereinafter, the drive unit is mounted on plate 102 for longitudinal adjustment and, in tllis respect, plate 102 is provided with longi-tu~inAlly extending 510ts 10~ receiving mounting studs 110 extending tllrough opening5 ~herefor in mounting flanges on gear box 104, not designated numerically. Gear box 104 drives an output pulley 112, and conveyor roll~ 80 and 94 at the inner end of the magazine include drive shafts extending la~erally outwardly thereof and havin~ corresponding pulleys 114 and 116 thereon, respectively. ~n idler pulley is mounted on the laterally outer side of corner post member 72 generally behind pulley 114 of conveyor roll 80 and, as will be best appreciated ~rom FIGU~E 7, a drive belt 120 driving-ly interconnects belt pulleys 114 and 116 with drive unit output pulley 112 through idler pulley 118. As will be fur-ther appreciated from the latter Fi~ure, the runs of belt 120 extending ~rom lower belt pulley 114 and idler pulley 113 to upper belt pulley 116 cross one another, whereby belt 120 i~ adapted to drive the vertically opposed runs of con-veyor belts ~2 and 100 in unison and in the same direction.
The vertical adjustment capability witll respect to corner posts 72 and 74 provides for adjusting the vertical position of conveyor 100 relative to conveyor 82 and, with further regard to FIG~RE 7, and in conjunction with such vertical adjustmen~ o~ conveyor 100, the longitudinal adjustment of the drive unit for the conveyor belts accol~modates such ver-tical adjustment. More particularly, the conveyor and drive unit, adjustmen~s are respec~ively indicated by arrows 122 and 124 in FIGU~E 7, it will be appreciated that the verti-cal adju~tmen~ o~ the space be~ween conveyor belts 82 and 100 is readily accommodated by horizontally adjusting the po~i~ion of the drive unit the belt 120.
As will be appreciated from tlle schematic illustration in FIGURE 3, together with FIGU~E 4, a supply of corner pro-1ectors C are vertically disposed ~e~ween the upper run of lower conveyor belt ~2 and the lower run of upper conveyor belt 100 and are adapted to be advanced along a path from left to right in FIGURES 4 and 8 in response to driving of the belts to progressively move the corner protectors toward the discharge end of the magazine uni~. With further regard --~o FIGURE ~, it will ~e appreciated ~ha~ tlle sagging cllarac-teristic o~ the lower run of upper conveyor belt 100 advan-tageously provide~ for the porti.on of the lower run behind the ou~ermos~ one of tlle corner protectors in the magazine to deflect downwardly under its own weight and thus, in ef-fect, converge relative to lower conveyor belt ~2 to pre-clude the ou~ermost corner protector or protectors from piv-oting counterclockwi~e in FIGU~E ~ about the lower ends thereof. The 6aggin~ characteristic of the lower run of upper belt 100 further advantageously provides for the belt to conform to so~ne ex~en~ to an uneven upper end profile of the corner protectors cau~ed by varying lengths thereof and which lengths vary, as set fortll hereinbefore, as a result of recycling of corner protectors, damage to the ends there-of during prior u~e, initial varia~ions in length due to manufacturing errors, and t~le like. Further in connection with such displacement of corner protectors C toward the discharge end of the magazine, and as will be appreciated from FIGURE 6, the laterally opposi~e sides of channel 86 are outwardly ad~acent the laterally opposite edges of the upper run of lower conveyor bel~ ~2, and tlle laterally oppo-site side~i o~ channel 8~ are outwardly adjacent the lateral-ly opposite edges o~ the lower run o~ upper conveyor belt 100. ~hannel~ ~6 and 89 receive tlle lower and upper ends of the corner protectors, respec~ively, and the sides thereof 3upport the latter against lateral displacement relative to the corresponding bel~. Preferably, ~he surfaces of belts 32 and 100 engaging the ends of tlle corner protectors are textured to enhance the frictional engagement thereof with the corner protectors. The pivotal mounting of upper con-veyor 100 advantageou~ly provides for the outer or input end of the conveyor to be pivoted upwardly as shown in FIG-U~E 3 to ~acilitate loading the magazine unit with corner protectors.
i --~ In the embodiment disclosed herein, and as will be ap-precia~d ~rom FIGU~E 4, each of the corner protectors C i8 pre-bent to provide a pair o~ panels Pl and P2 meeting gen-erally at a right angle to provide an inside corner there-between. While not desiynated numerically, it will be ap-preciated that each o~ the panels P1 and P2 has a corre-sponding inner surface whicl- facially overlies a side of load L when the.corner protector is applied to a corner thereo~, and that each of tlle panels Pl and P2 ha5 a corre-sponding outer sur~ace which, when loaded in the magazine, faces the inner or discllar~e end oE the magazine. The forwardmost corner protector C in ~he magazine is restrained from unintentional displacement the~efrom by a pair of spring finger units 12~ each mounted on one of the upper corner po8t members 74 at the discllar~e end of the magazine and each of which includes a spring finger 130 engaging the outer sur~ace o~ the corresponding one of the panels P1 and P2 o~ thc forwardmost corner protector.
Eacl~ o~ tlle corner protector applying apparatus 44 fur-ther include~ a piclc-up and transfer arm unit 132 which is mounted on carriage plate member 59 for displacement with carriage assembly 5~ laterally of frame assembly 46 and for longitudinal displacement relative to the carriage assembly.
As be~t ~een in FIGURES 4 and 5 of tlle drawing, arm assembly 132 includes a support 134 mounted on the ends of a pair of guide rods 136 which are supported for reciprocation rela-tive to carriage as~embly 58 by means o~ support blocks 138 mounted on carriage plate member 59. Support 134 is adapt-~ ed to be reciprocated between tlle solid line and broken line po~ition thereof shown in FIGU~E 4 by means of a piston and cylinder unit including a cylinder 140 mounted on carriage plate member 59 and, a piston rod 142 reciprocable relative to the cylinder and having i.ts outer end suitably fastened ~o suppor~ 134.
213~584 -I'ick-up and tran6fer arm assembly 132 further include an arm Unit pivotal about a single vertical arm axis which is defined by a vertical arm sha~t 144 rotatably supported in a sleevQ 146 mounted on support member 134. A V-shaped pick-up plate 148 is mounted on the upper end of shaft 144 for ro~ation therewith by means of a mounting member 150.
Pick-up plate 148 comprises a pair o$ panels 152 and 154 meeting generally at a rigllt angle, and panel 152 is at-tached to mounting member 150. Panel 154 is provided on the inner side thereof with a plurality of vacuum pick-up heads 156 which are adapted to engage ~he outer surface of panel Pl o~ the innermost corner protec~ors C in the magazine to remove the corner protector therefrom as set forth more ful-ly hereinafter. Slaft 144 is provided with a drive gear 158 for rotatin~ the ~Ia~t and thus pick-up plate 14B about the arm axi~, and a toothed rack 160 i5 secured to the inner end o~ corner po~t 72 and ex~ends axi~lly inwardly tllereof in meshing engagement with gear 153. Gear 15~ is adapted to be driven by rack 16~ in rcsponse ~o displacement of support member 134 to ~he right in FIGU~ 4 from the solid line to the broken line posi~ion tllereof and, durin~ such displace-ment o~ support member 134 piclc-up plate 148 is rotated about the arm axis 135~ for tlle inner surfaces of corner protector panels Pl and P2 to be in the broken line position thereof shown in ~IGURE 4. This corresponds to the solid line position of the corner protector shown in FIGURE 2 from which it will be appreciated that the inner surfaces of pan-els P1 and P2 are respectively parallel to sides 34 and 38 which meet to provide the corresponding corner of the load to which the corner protector is to be applied. When the corner pro~ector i~ 80 positioned by the arm assembly, car-riage as~embly 58 is displaced laterally inwardly transverse to ~ide 34 o~ the load, and arm assembly 132 is further dis-placed inwardly transverse ~o side 3~ of the load. As will become apparent hereinaf~er, tllese displacements of the _ carriage and arm assembly bring the inner surfaces of corner protector panel~ P1 and P2 into facial engagement with sides 34 and 38 of the load at the corner therebetween. When the arm a~sembly is withdrawn ~rom the broken line to the solid line position thereof shown in FIGU~E 4, gear 158 re-engages with rack 160 to ro~ate the pick-up plate 148 135~ counter-cloc~wise in FIGURE 4 back to its initial position in which it is prepared to remove the innermost corner protector from the maqazine in conjunction witl~ the next displacement of support member 134 from tlle solid line to the broken line position shown in FIGURE 4.
In accordance with anotller aspec~ of the invention, and a~ shown in FIGURES 1, 2, 9 and 10, wrapping apparatus 10 is provided with top protector applicator apparatus 162 com-pri~ing a shuttle mechanism lG4 wllich supports a top protec-tor pic~-up, transfer and llolding unit 166 for displacement between a top protector supply station 167 located laterally outwardly of stationary frame 12 and a position overlying load L in the film wrapping appara~us. Shuttle mechanism 164 includes a wlleeled carria~e unit 168 adapted to travel in opposite directions aloncJ a pair of carriage track rails 170 secured to the top of stationary frame assembly 12 of the wrapping apparatus and extending laterally outwardly thereof to overlie supply station 167. Carriage unit 168 includes a drive motor and gear box assembly 172 for driving the carriage uni~ along the rails. Pick-up, transfer and ~lding mechanism 166 is suppor~ed beneath carriage 168 for lateral displacement therewitll and vertical displacement xelative thereto and, for the latter purpose, carriage unit 168 includes a motor and gear box assembly 174 for vertical-ly extending and re~racting a support shaft 176 which car-r~es pick-up, transfer and ~olding mechanism 166 at the low-er end thereof. ~elative to conveyor path P, pick-up, tran~fer and folding mechanism 166 includes a longitudinally opposite pair of foldin~ finger assemblies 178 and 180 and a laterally opposite pair of ~olding finger assemblies 182 and 184 to be de~cribed in greater detail hereinafter. Supply station 167 includes a stationary frame comprising four cor-ner posts 186 which support a vertically displaceable plat-S form 188 adapted to suppor~ a s~ack of top protectors T and to maintain the uppermost one of ~he top protectors at a given elovation relative to pick-up, transfer and folding me~n;~m 166. As will become apparent hereinafter, the pick-up, transfer and ~oldin~ mecll~nism i~ adapted to be lowered at supply station 167 to pick-up ~ top protector T, to elevate and tran3fe~ ~lle ~op pro~cc~or Erom the supply station to a position ove~lying load L ~t tlle wrapping ~ta-tion of the wrapping appar~tus, ~o lower ~he top protector onto the top of load L, and ~o actuate the finger assemblies to fold marqinal edge portions o~ ~he top protector down-wardly across the ~op edges o~ the load and against the up-per marginal edges o~ tlle sides o~ the load.
~eferring now in par~icular to FIGURES 9 and 10 of the drawing, pick-up, transfer and folding mechanism 166 com-prises a ~uppor~ing frame ~or the ~olding finger assemblies and which frame includes longi~udinally extending, upwardly open channel members 190 and 192 respectively supporting finger assemblies 178 and laO, and laterally extending up-wardly open channel members 194 and 196 respectively ~up-porting finger assemblies 182 and 184. The inner ends of the channel member3 are interconnected, such as by welding, and mounting plates 198 are secure~ ~o the corners between the inner onds of the channel members at the upper ends of the adjacent walls tl~ereof, sucll as by welding, to facili-tate attaching the supporting frame ~o a mounting plate 200 on the lower end o~ sha~t 176.
Folding finger as~emblies 178, 180, 182 and 184 include ~olding ~inger plateG 202, 204, 206 and 208, respectively.
Eacb of the finger plates is supported adjacent the outer end of the corresponding ~rame channel by a corresponding slide plate 210 which is supported in the frame chann'el for horizontal displacement outwardly and inwardly thereof by pairs o~ upper and lower rollers 212 mounted on the side walls of the channel and engaging tlle slide plate therebe-S tween. ~ach finger plate is mounted on the outer end of the corresponding slide plate 210 for pivotal displacement about a corrcsponding finger axis 214 which, when the pick-up, transfer and folding mechanism 166 overlies load L, are each parallel to a correspondin~ top edge of the load. Each of the finqer plates i8 pivotal about the corresponding finger axi~ 214 by a corresponding pistoll and cylinder unit includ-ing a cylinder member 216 having its inner end pivotally secured to 61ide plate 210 and having a piston rod 218 ex-tending ~rom the outer end thereof and pivotally secured to the corresponding ~inger pla~e 3UCIl that displacement of piston rod 21~ outwardly and inwardly relative to ~cylinder 216 pivots the finger pla~e in opposite directions about axis 214.
Each of the slide plates 210 is adapted to be horizon-tally reciprocated outwardly and inwardly of the correspond-ing frame channel by means of a corresponding piston and cylinder a~sembly including a cylinder member 220 having its inner end pivotally secured to the bottom wall of the frame channel and having a piston rod 222 extending from the outer end thereof and pivotally secured to the underside of slide plate 210. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that recip-rocation o~ piston rod 222 in opposite directions relative to cylinder 22~ horizontally displaces the corresponding finger plate and its pivo-t axis 214 outwardly and inwardly relative to the frame channel whereby, for the purpose set forth hereinafter, the distance between the pivot axes ~14 of the opposed pairs of fin~er pla~es is adapted to be ad-j~8ted.
As will be appreciated Erom FIGUR~ 10, the bottom wall of each o~ the channel members of ~he support frame of the pick-up, transfer and, folding mechanism is provided with a vacuum cup device 224 by wl~ich a top protector T i~ adapted to be removed from supply s~ation 167 and transferred by the mechanism to overlie top 42 of load L. As will be appreci-ated from FIGURES 9 and 10, top protector T ha5 notched cor-ner~ which provide tlle top protec~or, relative to path P, with longitudinally opposite marginal edge portions Tl and T2 and laterally opposite marginal edge portions T3 and T4.
When the top pro~ector overlies top 42 of load ~, marginal edge portions T1-T4 respectively extend outwardly ~rom lon-qitudinally oppo~ite ~op ed~el~ 3~a and 36a and la~erally opposite top edges 38a and 40a o~ ~he load. The notched corner~ of the to~ protector provide the marginal edge por-tions thereof with imaginary fold li.nes which are adjacent the corresponding top edge of load L whereby, upon actuation of the finger plates to pivot the latter downwardly about the corre~ponding finger axis, the underlying marginal edge poxtion of the top protector is folded downwardly along the imaginary fold line and about the corresponding load top edge.
In accordance witll the present invention, such folding of the marginal edge portions of the top protector can be performed in connection witll top pro~ectors for loads having different top edge dimensions and thus different distances between the parallel opposite edges o~ the top. This will be appreciated fro~n the illustration of the folding sequence in connection with finger plate 20~ in FIGURE 10, and finger plates 206 and 208 in FIGURES 12A-12C. In these Figures it will be ~een that the finqer axes 214 of the plates are lat-erally ou~wardly of the corresponding one of top edges 38a and 40a, whereby pivotal displacement of the finger plates about axe~ 214 to the vertical position of the f inger plates shown in FIGURE 12B provides for folding marginal edge por-tions T3 and T4 of the top protector downwardly about top edge~ 3~a and 40a to a position in which the marginal edge 213~584 portions are angled relative to sides 38 and 40 of the load, respectively. Completion o~ the application of top protec-tor T is then achieved by displacing slide plates 210 later-ally inwardly 80 that ~ingex plates 106 and 108 move margin-al edge portions T3 and T4 into facial engagement with sides 3B and 40 o~ the load, as shown in FIGURE 12C. Thus, it will be appreciated ~hat the folding finger assembly i5 op-erable to apply top protectors to loads in which the dis-tance between opposed parallel edges of the load varies be-tween a minimum and Ixjln~n corresponding to the distance between axes 214 in the innermost and outermost positions thereo~ rela~ive to one ano~her.
It i8 believed ~hat the operation of the corner protec-tor applying apparatus and the top protector applying appa-ratus in conjunction with the film wrapping of load L will be understood ~rom the ~oregoing description of the struc-t~re and operation of ~he latter apparatus in conjunction with the following description of FIGURES llA-llG which schematically illustra~e the sequence of operations of the apparat~s in applying the corner protectors and top protec-tor to a load which is then wrapped in plastic film. More particularly in this respect, FIGURE 11~ illustrates the components in the positions ~hereof prior to initiating op-eration of the apparatus. In ~hese positions, the four mag-a~ines suppor~ ~he corresponding supply of corner protectors C with the outer sides thereof facing the corresponding cor-ner of load L, and the carriage as~emblies which support the magazines are positioned longitudinally outwardly of the corresponding one of the sides 34 and 36 of the load. The supply of top protectors T is positioned laterally outwardly from ~ide 40 of load L. When a wrapping operation is initi-ated, each of the pick-up plates 148 removes the innermost corner protector from the corresponding magazine by pivoting the corresponding arm assembly 135~ about arm axis 144 in the directions shown in FIGUR~ 1 lB . Such angular 2135~84 displacement of pick-up plates 148 positions the correspond-ing corner protector with the inner sides of panels Pl and P2 thcreof respectively parallel to the sides of load L
forming the corresponding corner. Further, in this position o~ the corner protectors, the planes of panels P1 are longi-tu~in~lly spaced outwardly from the corresponding one of the longitudinally Opposite sides 34 and 36 of the load, and the planes of panels P2 are spaced laterally outwardly from the corresponding one of the laterally opposite sides 38 and 40 of the load.
Followin~ rotation o~ the pick-up plates 148 to the positions shown in FIGU~E llB, the carriages on which the magazines and arm assemblies are mounted are displaced lon-gitudinally inwardly relative to lo~d L as indicated by the arrows in FIGURI~ llC ~nd ~o ~he po~i~ion~ shown in the lat-ter Figure. In the~e po~i~ions, ~lle inner surface3 o~ pan-els P1 are respectively lonc~itudinally aligned with the cor-respondin~ one of the longitudinally opposite sides 34 and 36 of load L. Thereafter, or in conjunction with such dis-placement of the carriages, the arm assemblies are displaced laterally inwardly relative to the corresponding car~riage as indicated by the arrows adjacent load L in FIGURE llD. This displacement of the arm assemblies positions the inner sides of corner protector panels P1 in overlying relationship with respect to Wle corresponding one of the longitudinally oppo-site sides 34 and 36 of tlle load and moves the inner sides of panels P2 into overlying relationship with the corre-sponding one of the laterally opposite sides 38 and 40 of tho load.
The arm assemblies and thus pick-up plates 148 remain in the position~ thereof shown in FIGU~E llD and, while.so positioned, the top protector pick-up, transfer and folding assembly displace~ a top pro~ector T laterally inwardly of load L from the top protector supply station to a position in wllicll the top protector overlies the top o~ load L as shown in FIGURE llE. When the top protector is so posi-tioned, and while pick-up plates 14~ hold the corresponding corner protectors in place at ~he corners of the load, fin-ger plate~ 202, 204, 206 and 208 are simultaneously actuated as described a~ove in conjunction with FIGURES 12A-12C to fold marginal edge portions T1, T2, T3 and T4 of the top protector downwardly about top edges 34a, 36a, 38a and 40a of the load to position the marginal edge portions of the top protector aqainst the corresponding side of the load as ~hown in FIGU~E llF.
While the pick-up pla~es 14~ and ~inger plates are in the positions shown in FIGUR~ llF, ~lle wrapping apparatus is activated whe~eupon ring 16 ro~ates about load L to wrap film F thereabout beginning at the upper end of the load so as to initiall~ capture the downwardly extending marginal edge portions of top protector T and ~he upper ends of cor-ner protectors C, as will be appreciated f rom FIGURE llG.
When the marginal edge portions of the top protector'and the upper ends o~ tlte corner protec~ors are so captured, and 2~ while tbe wrapping opera~ion con~inues, the top protector pic~-up, transfer and foldin~ assembly is elevated relative to the top o~ the load to withdraw the folding fingers from beneath the pla~tic wrap, the arm assemblies are laterally withdrawn relative to the corresponding carriage, and the carriages are longitudinally displaced in opposite direc-tions back towards their initial positions. These displace-ments of the arm assemblies and carriages is indicated by arrows 226 in FIGURE llG. As will be appreciated from the description above regarding the movement o~ the arm as~em-~lies to engage the corner protector6 with the corners of the load, the arm as~emblies can be retracted relative.to the corre~ponding carriage assembly either before or in con-junction with the longit~dinal di3placement of the carriage back to its initial position.
-Further, as will be appreciated from the description of the arm assembly in conjunction with FIGURE 4 of the drawing, retraction of the arm assembly relative to the corresponding carriage engages pinion 158 and rack 160 so as to pivot pick-up plate 148 in the direction shown in FIGURE llG back to its initial position for pic~ing-up the innermost corner protector from the magazine during subsequent operation of the apparatus.
Preferably,.as will be appreciated from FIGURE 8, a plurality of spring biased idler rollers 99 are positioned between the upper and lower runs of upper conveyor belt lO0 and between conveyor rolls 94 and 98 to enhance contact be-tween the lower run of the belt and the upper ends of corner protectors C.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the structures and structural interrelationships between the component parts of the preferred embodiments of the inven-tion, it will be appreciated that many embodiments of the invention can be devised and many changes made in the pre-ferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be distinctly under-stood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be inter-preted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.
PROTECTORS ON PALLETIZED LOADS
Background of the Invention The present invention relates in general to the art of apparatus for wrapping or banding palletized loads and, more particularly, to improved apparatus for placing corner protectors and/or top protectors onto a load prior to the wrapping or banding thereof.
The improvements according to the present invention find particular utility in conjunction with apparatus of the character disclosed int eh foregoing copending application and, accordingly, will be described herein in conjunction with such apparatus. At the same time, it will be appreciated that the improvements have utility in conjunction with other apparatus for packaging loads in plastic film material as well as apparatus by which loads are banded as opposed to being wrapped in plastic film material.
Load or article wrapping apparatus of the character to which the present invention relates generally comprises a stationary frame for receiving a load to be wrapped, and a rotating and vertically reciprocable film dispensing unit supported on the frame for rotation about the load to wrap the latter in the film. The load to be wrapped may, for example, be comprised of a plurality of square or rectangular articles placed side-by-side and end-to-end in a plurality of vertical layers, whereby the load has opposed pairs of opposite vertical sides, adjacent ones of which sides meet at an angle to provide a vertical corner therebetween. The load also has a top defined by horizontal top edges extending between the vertical corners. Prior to wrapping or banding the load, it is often desirable to apply corner protectors to the corners of the load and/or to apply a top protector to the top of the load so as to protect the vertical corners and top edges of the load from CA 0213~84 1998-08-20 being crushed by the wrapping film or strapping, or being crushed or otherwise damaged during transportation and storage of the wrapped or strapped load.
The corner protectors are generally made from paper or paperboard material pre-folded to provide a pair of panels having inside surfaces meeting at an angle corresponding to that of the corners of the load. Generally, apparatus for applying corner protectors onto a load comprises, for each corner of the load, a magazine arrangement for storing a supply of the corner protectors, and a pick-up and transfer mechanism associated with the magazine for removing a corner protector from the magazine and transferring the protector to the corresponding corner of the load. One such apparatus heretofore proposed for the latter purpose is disclosed in U.S. Patent 5,226,180 to Scherer et al wherein the magazine for the corner protectors is in the form of an inclined chute having an inner discharge end relative to the load and from which the corner protectors are withdrawn and transferred to the load. The corner protectors slide downwardly along the chute toward the discharge end under the influence of gravity and a wheeled feed carriage therebehind. The innermost corner protector is removed from the magazine and transferred to the corresponding load corner by an articulated arm assembly pivotal sequentially about two pivot axes to initially orient the corner protector relative to the corner.
Thereafter, portions of the arm assembly are jogged horizontally in directions perpendicular to one another to move the protector into engagement with the corner of the load.
Apparatus of the foreyoing character i8 structurally and operationally complex and, thus, expensive from the ~tandpoint of cost of construction, maintenance and operat-in~ time. In thi~ respect, ~or example, the magazine car-riage has to be withdrawn and held at the upper end of the chute during loading thereof with corner protectors and then relea~ed to engage behind the outermost one of the corner protectors relative to the dischar~e end of the chute. Fur-tharmore, while there is a restraint ~or engagin~ the inner-most corner protector in tlle chut~ to preclude more than one corner protector being witlldrawn a~ a time from ~he maga-zine, including a ~inger for engagincJ the upper end or the innermost corner protector, the mecllanism for this purpo~e is structurally complex and there is a time during~removal of a corner protector from the maqazine when the finger pro-vides the only restraint and fails to perform its function resulting in one or more of the corner protectors falling outwardly of the discharge end of the magazine. Particular-ly in this respect, the corner pro~ectors are often recycled and intermixed witl- otller pro~ectors whereby, as the result of damaged ends or ~uch intermixill~ ~he magazine i8 filled with pxotector6 of different lengths. Thus, one or a number of n short" protector~ reaching the innermost end of the mag-azine are not enqaged by tlle ~in~er and ~all out of the mag-azine. Such unintended discharge of one or more of the cor-ner protector~ is disruptive with respect to operation of thc wrapping or strapping apparatus and, additionally, re-quires removal of the corner protectors from the area at the discharge end of the magazine and discarding thereof as un-usable. Still further, the articulated arm arrangement by which a corner protector is removed from the magazine a'nd transferred to the corresponding corner of the load is like-wise structurally complex requiring mechanisms for pivoting one portion of the arm abou~ one axis and the entire arm about a second axi~ in order to appropriately position the 213~584 inner sides of the corner protector relative to the corner of the load. This undesirably adds to the expense of the construlction of the apparatus as well as to the maintenance and operation thereo~.
S Top protec~ors are also made of paper or paperboard material, and top protector applica~ors heretofore provided generally include a shuttle mechanism carrying a pick-up and transfer assembly by wllich a ~lat top protector is picked-up from a supply station and transferred to a position on top of the load. The piclc-up and ~ransfer ~ssembly includes fingers by wllich margin~l edge por~ions o~ the top pro~ector are bent downwardly to overlie tlle upper ends o~ the sides of the load. Hereto~ore, the ~ingers by which the marginal edge portions o~ the top protec~or are folded downwardly are pivotal about axes parallel to ~he top edges of the load and laterally or horizontally fixed rela~ive ~hereto. Accord-ingly, a di~~erent folding finger assembly has to be provid-ed ~or each load having difEerent top edge dimensions. In this respect, a finger assembly in wllich the pivot axes are laterally spaced apart a fixed distallce cannot be operated to appropriately fold the marginal edge portions of a top protector for a load in which the opposed parallel side edg-es of the top are spaced apart a distance either greater than or less than the fixed distance between the finger ax-e~. In this respect, if tlle load edges are spaced apart a di~tance less than the distance between the finger axes, the fingers cannot pivot to fold the marginal edge portions of the top protector, and if ~he load edges are spaced apart a distance greater than the distance between the finger axes, the ~ingers ca~ only partially fold the marginal edge por-tions downwardly and cannot displace the latter into facial engagement with the sides of the load. Ilaving to provide di~ferent finger assemblies for different sized loads is expen~ive from tl~e standpoint of having to construct a plu-rality of finger assemblies and from the standpoint of the 213~58~
- time required to remove one assembly and replace it with another.
Summary o~ the Invention In accordance with one aspect o~ the present invention, improved corner protector applying apparatus is provided which minimi2es or overcomes the problems encountered with such apparatus heretofore available. More particularly in this respec~, corner applyin~ appara~us in accordance with the present invention provides a mag~zine structure for holding a supply of corner protectors by engaging the oppo-site ends thereof be~ween corresponding conveyors by which the corner protectors are advanced in the direction toward ~he discharge end of the magazine. This advantageously sta-bilizes the corner protectors along tlle lenqth of the maga-zine and adjacent the discharge end of the magazine, thus to preclude unintended displacement or the falling out of cor-ner protectors from the discharge end of the magazine in conjunction with removal of the endmost corner protector and transfer of the removed protec~or to the corner of the load. Furthermore, the conveyor arrangement enables pos-itive displacement of tlle corner pro~ectors in the direction of discharge with a stabilized orientation of the corner protectors relative to one anotller and to the conveyors, thus to preclude any unintended rela~ive displacement there-between during operation of ~he apparatus.
Each magazine has a pick-up and transfer arm assembly associated with the discharge end tllereof for removing the innermost corner protector and transferring the removed pro-tector to a position faciny tlle corresponding corner of the load. The arm mechanism is structurally simple and is piv-otal about a ~ingle arm axis so as to reorient the corner p~otector ~rom its position in the magazine to a position in which the panels of the corner protector are parallel to the sides of the load forming the corresponding corner. The magazine and arm assembly are mounted on a carriage for 2135~84 displacement in a direction parallel to one of the corner protector panels, and the arm as~embly is displaceable rela-tive to the carriage in the direction parallel to the other corner protector panel, whereby joggiilg of the carriage and S arm assembly quickly moves the corner panel into engagement with the sides of the load forming the corresponding corner.
The conveyors are adjustable witll respect to the distance therebetween 80 as to acco~nodate use of the apparatus with corner protectors of different leng~lls, and one of the con-veyors is pivotal relative to the otller about an axis at the discharge end of the magazinc ~o accommodate loading the latter with corner protectors.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, top protector applying apparatus i5 provided which advanta-geously enables the application of ~op protectors to loads having different top edge dimensions. More particularly in thi~ respec~, a top applicator in accordance with the present invention includes a finger assembly in which op-posed ~ingers are pivotal a~out corresponding axes parallel to the top edges of the load and are horizontally reciprocable to vary the distance between the parallel axes of opposed fingers of the assembly. Accordingly, the finger a~sembly is operable to fold the marginal edge portions of top protectors for loads havi.ncJ opposite parallel top edges spaced apart by any dimension between the minimum and maxi-mum dimension between the opposed parallel pivot axes of the fingers. This advantageously enables the finger assembly to be used in conjunction with the wrapping or banding of loads having different top edge dimensions without having to change the finger assembly.
It i~ accordingly an outstallding object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for applying cor-ner protectors to a load to be banded or wrapped in plastic film.
213S~84 Another object is the provision of corner protector applying apparatu~ in which the opposite ends of a supply of corner protectors are supported in a magazine to stabilize the corner protectors during displacement tllereof toward the di~charge end o~ the magazine.
~et another object is tlle provision of corner protector applying apparatus o~ the ~oregoing character wherein the opposite ends o~ the corner protectors in the magazine are engaged between conveyors by whicll tlle corner protectors are advanced toward the discharge end of the magazine.
Still anotller object i5 tllC provision of corner protec-tor applying apparatus o~ the foregoing character wherein a corner pro~ector xemoving and trans~er arm assembly is sup-ported adjacent the di3charge end of the magazine for remov-ing a corner protector therefrom and pivoting the removed corner protector about a single arm axis to transfer the protector t~ a position facing the corresponding corner of the load.
A further o~ject is tlle provision of corner protector applying appara~us o~ the ~oregoing character in which the magazine ~nd arm assembly are supported on a carriage reciprocable in one direction rela~ive to the corner of the load and in which the arm assembly is reciprocable relative t~ the carriage perpendicular ~o the one direction, whereby jogging of the carriage and arm assembly is operable to po-8ition the removed corner protector against the corner of the load.
Another object is the provision of corner protector ap-plying apparatus of the ~oregoing character which is struc-~urally and operationally simple and economical to construct and maintain.
Still a furtller object o~ the invention is the provi-~ion o~ improved top protector applying apparatus for apply-ing a top protector to a load and ~olding marginal edge 2135~8~
portions o~ tlle top protec~or downwardly about the top edges of the load.
Yet a ~urther Gbject is the provision of top protector applying apparatus of the ~oregoing character which i8 adapted to apply top protec~ors ~o loads having different top edge dimensions.
Yet another object is the provision of top protector applying apparatus of the foregoin~ character in which fold-ing ~ingers pivotal about parallel spaced apart axes corre-sponding to opposed parallel edges of the top of a load are supported ~or horizontal reciproca~ion transverse to the pivot axes to vary the space therebetween.
Y~t another object of the inven~ion is the provision of a machine for wrapping a load in plastic film with improved appara~us ~or applying corner pro~ec~ors and/or a top pro-tector to a load in conjunc~ion witll wrapping the load in plastic film ma~erial.
Brief D~crip~ion o~ ~hc Drawings The ~oregoin~ objec~, and o~llers, will in part be ob-vious and in part pointed ou~ more flllly hereinafter in con-junction with the written descrip~ion o~ preferred em~odi-ments o~ the invention illustrated in the accompanying draw-ing~ in which:
PIGURE 1 is an end elevation view of apparatus for wrapping a load in plas~ic film and having corner protector applying apparatus and ~op protector applying apparatus in accordance with tlle inven~ion;
FIGURE, 2 is a plan view of tlle wrapping apparatus, cor-ner protecting applying appara~us and top protector applying apparatus shown in FIGU~E 1;
FIGU~E 3 is a side elevation view, partially in sec-tion, ta~en along line 3-3 in FIGU}~ 2, and showing one of the corner protecting applying apparatus in accordance with the invention;
213~S~4 FIGU~E 4 is a plan view in section of the corner pro-tector applying apparatus taken along line 4-4 in FIGURE 3;
FIGURE 5 is an end eleva~ion view of the corner protec-tor applying apparatus looking in the direction of line 5-5 in PIGURE 3;
FIGUR~ 6 i8 an elevation view, in section, of the cor-ner protector applying apparatus taken along line 6-6 in FI~U~E 3;
FIGURE 7 is a schematic illustration of the conveyor belt drive arrangement for tl~e magazine of the corner pro-tector applying apparatus;
PIGUnE 8 is a detail side elevation view, somewhat schematic, showin~ a supply of corner protectors loaded be-tween the conveyor belts;
FIGURE 9 is a plan view o~ the ~olding finger assembly of the top protector applying appara~us ta~en along line 9-9 in FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 10 is an elevation view, in section, of the folding finger a~sembly taken along line 10-10 in FIGURE 9;
FIGURES llA-llG ~chematically illustrate the applica-tion of the corner protectors and top protector on a load in the wrapping apparatus and the initial application of plas-tic wrap thereabout; and FIGURES 12~-12C schema-~ic~lly illustrate the operation of the folding finger assembly in applying a top protector to the top of a load.
De~cription of Preferred Embodiments ~eferring now in greater detail to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the inven~ion only and not ~or the purpose of limitin~ the invention, FIGURES 1 and 2 illustrate wrapping apparatus 10 comprising a stationary frame assembly 12, a frame assembly 14 supported on frame assembly 12 for 213~584 --vertical di~placemen~ relativ~ ere~o, and a ring member 16 supported on frame assembly 12 ~or vertical displacement therewitl~ and for rotatioll rela~ive tllereto about a vertical ring axis l~. Stationary ~rame assembly 12 is supported on an underlying surface S and spans a conveyor 20 by which a load L to be wrapped in plastic ~ilm is moved into a wrap-ping station position witllin the apparatus and in which po-si~ion ~he load 18 ~enerally cen~rally located relative to the perimeter of ring 16. Conveyor 20 may, for example, be a roller conveyor in which the rolls are driven to move load L along a path in the direction o~ arrow P to the wrapping ~tation and, ~ollowing wrapping, ~rom the wrapping station to the discharge end of the conveyor. A film carriage as-sembly 22 i8 mounted on ring member 16 ~or displacement therewitll and includes a roll oE plas~ic film material, not ~hown, from which ~ilm ma~erial is paid out during operation of apparatus to wrap lo~d L. I~ur~llcr, as is well known, a film clamping and sealinq assembly, not shown, is mounted on ~rame assembly 14 ~or displacemen~ tllerewith and relative thereto and, as is also well known, such clamping and seal-ing assembly is operable during wrappinq to cause the film mate~ial to be paid out from tlle roll and to sever and seal the ~ilm material after the wrappinq operation is completed.
~eyond providinq an unders~anding of the present invention in conjUnction with film wrapping of a load, details con-cerning the ~tructu~e and operation of the wrapping appara-tu~ are not necessary, and further details in this respect are disclosed in the a~orementioned copending patent appli-cation.
With respec~ to the direction o~ path P, stationary ~rame a~sem~ly 12 has longitudinally opposite ends 24 and 26 and lat~rally opposite sides 23 and 30. In the embodiment illustrated, load L is comprised of a plurality of vertical-ly stacked layers of articles ~ suppor~ed on a pallet 32 and which a~ticles, together, provide load ~ with lonqitudinally 213~584 oppo~ite vertical sides 34 and 36 and laterally opposite vertical sid~s 3~ and 40. Adjacent ones of the sides of load L meet generally at right angles to provide the load with four corners, not designated numerically. Load L fur-ther includes a top surface 42 havinq a rectangular periph-ery defined by lonqitudinally opposite parallel top edges 34a and 36a respectively provided by the upper edges of sides 34 and 36, and laterally opposite parallel top edges 38a and 40a re~pectively provided by the upper edges of walls 38 and 40 o~ the load.
In accordancc wi~ll one ~spec~ o~ the presen~ invention, corner protec~or applicatol apparatus 44 is provided for positioning a corner protec~or on eacll corner of load L pri-or to the wrapping o~ plastic ~ilm ~hereabout. The corner protector applying apparatus are basically of the same structure and operation, whereby i~ will be appreciated that the following description of one o~ the apparatus shown in FIGU~ES 3-6 of the drawing is applicable to the others.
With reference to the latter Fi~ures, together with FIGURES
1 and 2, each of the apparatus 44 is associated with one of the corner~ of load L, is positioned laterally outwardly thereof and has corresponding longitudinally spaced apart inner and outer ends 44a and ~b whicll provide for each of the apparatus to have an orientation transverse to path P.
Z5 Each of the apparatus includes a lower, stationary frame assembly 4~ comprising vertical corner posts 48, longitudi-nally extending ~ide members 50 therebetween, laterally ex-ten~;ng carriage rail members 52 respectively between post~
48 at the inner end o~ tl~e appara~us and posts 48 at the outer end thereo~, and a pair of longitudinally spaced apart laterally extending frame members 54 between side members 50 inte~ _~;ate-carriage rail members 52.
Frame assembly 46 supports a magazine unit 56 by which a supply o~ corner protectors C are held and moved in the direction from outer end 44b towards inner end 44a of the 213~584 apparatus for pick-up and transfer to the corresponding load cornex as will be described in detail hereinafter. Magazine unit 56 i8 moun~ed on a carriage assembly 58 comprising a carriage support plate member 59 extending between the inner and outer ends o~ the apparatus and provided at each of the latter ends wi~h a carriage wheel unit 60 comprising pairs of.uppex and lower wheels 62 in rolling engagement with the corre~ponding carriage rail 52. The carriage i8 adapted to be reciproca~ed laterally o~ ~rame assembly 46 by a motor and gear box unit mounted on the underside of carriage plate 59 and including a motor 64 and a gear box G6 for driving pinions 6~ which are in meslling e~agement with toothed racks 70 on ~rame members 54.
Magazine unit ~6 further includes vertically adjustable corner posts comprisin~ lower pO5~ em~er8 72 welded or oth-erwise secured to carriage plate member 59 and corresponding upper po8t membera 74 telescopically receiving the upper ends o~ post members 72. The corresponding post members are secured together such as by means o~ threaded studs 76, and the end~ o~ post members 72 received in post membexs 74 are provided with a plurali~y of openings, not shown, which are vertically spaced apart therealong to provide for adjusting ~hc vertical height of the corner posts relative to carriage plate S9. The lower ends of the lower post members 72 at the the inner and outer ends of carriage plate 59 are pro-vided with support ~locks 78 which rotatably support a cor-responding conveyor belt roll 80, and a lower endless con-veyor belt 82 is trained about rolls 80. ~s best seen in FIGU~E 6, a lower conveyor support plate member 84 is at-tached to the laterally opposite sides of carriage plate 59 and includes an upwardly open challnel 86 in the top side thereo~ which includes a bottom wall, not designated numeri-cally, underlying and supporting the upper run of lower con-veyo~ belt 82.
213~5~
As best seen in FIGU~S 3 and 6, the upper end of maga-zine unit 5G i8 defined by a pivotal upper conveyor belt assembly including a downwardly open belt support channel member 8~ providing a downwardly open channel 89 extendinq between the inner and ou~er corner post members 74. For the purpose set forth hereinafter, channel member 88 is pivotal-ly secured to post member~ 74 a~ ~he inner or discharge end of the magazine unit such as by pivot pin members 90 extend-ing through the upper end~ of post melnber~ 74 and tlle corre-spondin~ side of channel m~mb~r ~S. Pivotal displacement of channel member 0~ counterclockwise in FIGU~E 3 is limited by engagemen~ thereof with the upper ends of corner post mem-bers 74 ~t the outer end o~ tlle maga~ine unit. As best seen in PIGV~E 5, the inner end of channel member 8~ is provided with support block~ 92 rotatably supporting a corresponding conveyox bel~ roll 9q and, as best seen in FIGURE 6, the oute~ end of channel member ~8 is provided on the inner side thereof with 8upport members 96 whicll rotatably support a corresponding conveyor belt roll 9~. An endless conveyor belt 10~ is trained about rolls 94 and 98, and it will be noted tllat the lower run of belt 100 is unsupported and thus free to 3ag vertically downwardly for the purpo~e set forth hcreina~ter. It will also be appreciated that upper convey-or belt 100 i8 pivotal with channel member 88 about pivot pins 90.
Conveyor belts 82 and 100 are adapted to be driven in unison and in the same direction and, for this purpose, car-~iage plate 59 i5 provided laterally outwardly adjacent the inner end thereof wi~h a drive uni~ support plate 102 which carries a drive unit comprising a gear box 104 and a drive motor 106. For the purpose set fortll hereinafter, the drive unit is mounted on plate 102 for longitudinal adjustment and, in tllis respect, plate 102 is provided with longi-tu~inAlly extending 510ts 10~ receiving mounting studs 110 extending tllrough opening5 ~herefor in mounting flanges on gear box 104, not designated numerically. Gear box 104 drives an output pulley 112, and conveyor roll~ 80 and 94 at the inner end of the magazine include drive shafts extending la~erally outwardly thereof and havin~ corresponding pulleys 114 and 116 thereon, respectively. ~n idler pulley is mounted on the laterally outer side of corner post member 72 generally behind pulley 114 of conveyor roll 80 and, as will be best appreciated ~rom FIGU~E 7, a drive belt 120 driving-ly interconnects belt pulleys 114 and 116 with drive unit output pulley 112 through idler pulley 118. As will be fur-ther appreciated from the latter Fi~ure, the runs of belt 120 extending ~rom lower belt pulley 114 and idler pulley 113 to upper belt pulley 116 cross one another, whereby belt 120 i~ adapted to drive the vertically opposed runs of con-veyor belts ~2 and 100 in unison and in the same direction.
The vertical adjustment capability witll respect to corner posts 72 and 74 provides for adjusting the vertical position of conveyor 100 relative to conveyor 82 and, with further regard to FIG~RE 7, and in conjunction with such vertical adjustmen~ o~ conveyor 100, the longitudinal adjustment of the drive unit for the conveyor belts accol~modates such ver-tical adjustment. More particularly, the conveyor and drive unit, adjustmen~s are respec~ively indicated by arrows 122 and 124 in FIGU~E 7, it will be appreciated that the verti-cal adju~tmen~ o~ the space be~ween conveyor belts 82 and 100 is readily accommodated by horizontally adjusting the po~i~ion of the drive unit the belt 120.
As will be appreciated from tlle schematic illustration in FIGURE 3, together with FIGU~E 4, a supply of corner pro-1ectors C are vertically disposed ~e~ween the upper run of lower conveyor belt ~2 and the lower run of upper conveyor belt 100 and are adapted to be advanced along a path from left to right in FIGURES 4 and 8 in response to driving of the belts to progressively move the corner protectors toward the discharge end of the magazine uni~. With further regard --~o FIGURE ~, it will ~e appreciated ~ha~ tlle sagging cllarac-teristic o~ the lower run of upper conveyor belt 100 advan-tageously provide~ for the porti.on of the lower run behind the ou~ermos~ one of tlle corner protectors in the magazine to deflect downwardly under its own weight and thus, in ef-fect, converge relative to lower conveyor belt ~2 to pre-clude the ou~ermost corner protector or protectors from piv-oting counterclockwi~e in FIGU~E ~ about the lower ends thereof. The 6aggin~ characteristic of the lower run of upper belt 100 further advantageously provides for the belt to conform to so~ne ex~en~ to an uneven upper end profile of the corner protectors cau~ed by varying lengths thereof and which lengths vary, as set fortll hereinbefore, as a result of recycling of corner protectors, damage to the ends there-of during prior u~e, initial varia~ions in length due to manufacturing errors, and t~le like. Further in connection with such displacement of corner protectors C toward the discharge end of the magazine, and as will be appreciated from FIGURE 6, the laterally opposi~e sides of channel 86 are outwardly ad~acent the laterally opposite edges of the upper run of lower conveyor bel~ ~2, and tlle laterally oppo-site side~i o~ channel 8~ are outwardly adjacent the lateral-ly opposite edges o~ the lower run o~ upper conveyor belt 100. ~hannel~ ~6 and 89 receive tlle lower and upper ends of the corner protectors, respec~ively, and the sides thereof 3upport the latter against lateral displacement relative to the corresponding bel~. Preferably, ~he surfaces of belts 32 and 100 engaging the ends of tlle corner protectors are textured to enhance the frictional engagement thereof with the corner protectors. The pivotal mounting of upper con-veyor 100 advantageou~ly provides for the outer or input end of the conveyor to be pivoted upwardly as shown in FIG-U~E 3 to ~acilitate loading the magazine unit with corner protectors.
i --~ In the embodiment disclosed herein, and as will be ap-precia~d ~rom FIGU~E 4, each of the corner protectors C i8 pre-bent to provide a pair o~ panels Pl and P2 meeting gen-erally at a right angle to provide an inside corner there-between. While not desiynated numerically, it will be ap-preciated that each o~ the panels P1 and P2 has a corre-sponding inner surface whicl- facially overlies a side of load L when the.corner protector is applied to a corner thereo~, and that each of tlle panels Pl and P2 ha5 a corre-sponding outer sur~ace which, when loaded in the magazine, faces the inner or discllar~e end oE the magazine. The forwardmost corner protector C in ~he magazine is restrained from unintentional displacement the~efrom by a pair of spring finger units 12~ each mounted on one of the upper corner po8t members 74 at the discllar~e end of the magazine and each of which includes a spring finger 130 engaging the outer sur~ace o~ the corresponding one of the panels P1 and P2 o~ thc forwardmost corner protector.
Eacl~ o~ tlle corner protector applying apparatus 44 fur-ther include~ a piclc-up and transfer arm unit 132 which is mounted on carriage plate member 59 for displacement with carriage assembly 5~ laterally of frame assembly 46 and for longitudinal displacement relative to the carriage assembly.
As be~t ~een in FIGURES 4 and 5 of tlle drawing, arm assembly 132 includes a support 134 mounted on the ends of a pair of guide rods 136 which are supported for reciprocation rela-tive to carriage as~embly 58 by means o~ support blocks 138 mounted on carriage plate member 59. Support 134 is adapt-~ ed to be reciprocated between tlle solid line and broken line po~ition thereof shown in FIGU~E 4 by means of a piston and cylinder unit including a cylinder 140 mounted on carriage plate member 59 and, a piston rod 142 reciprocable relative to the cylinder and having i.ts outer end suitably fastened ~o suppor~ 134.
213~584 -I'ick-up and tran6fer arm assembly 132 further include an arm Unit pivotal about a single vertical arm axis which is defined by a vertical arm sha~t 144 rotatably supported in a sleevQ 146 mounted on support member 134. A V-shaped pick-up plate 148 is mounted on the upper end of shaft 144 for ro~ation therewith by means of a mounting member 150.
Pick-up plate 148 comprises a pair o$ panels 152 and 154 meeting generally at a rigllt angle, and panel 152 is at-tached to mounting member 150. Panel 154 is provided on the inner side thereof with a plurality of vacuum pick-up heads 156 which are adapted to engage ~he outer surface of panel Pl o~ the innermost corner protec~ors C in the magazine to remove the corner protector therefrom as set forth more ful-ly hereinafter. Slaft 144 is provided with a drive gear 158 for rotatin~ the ~Ia~t and thus pick-up plate 14B about the arm axi~, and a toothed rack 160 i5 secured to the inner end o~ corner po~t 72 and ex~ends axi~lly inwardly tllereof in meshing engagement with gear 153. Gear 15~ is adapted to be driven by rack 16~ in rcsponse ~o displacement of support member 134 to ~he right in FIGU~ 4 from the solid line to the broken line posi~ion tllereof and, durin~ such displace-ment o~ support member 134 piclc-up plate 148 is rotated about the arm axis 135~ for tlle inner surfaces of corner protector panels Pl and P2 to be in the broken line position thereof shown in ~IGURE 4. This corresponds to the solid line position of the corner protector shown in FIGURE 2 from which it will be appreciated that the inner surfaces of pan-els P1 and P2 are respectively parallel to sides 34 and 38 which meet to provide the corresponding corner of the load to which the corner protector is to be applied. When the corner pro~ector i~ 80 positioned by the arm assembly, car-riage as~embly 58 is displaced laterally inwardly transverse to ~ide 34 o~ the load, and arm assembly 132 is further dis-placed inwardly transverse ~o side 3~ of the load. As will become apparent hereinaf~er, tllese displacements of the _ carriage and arm assembly bring the inner surfaces of corner protector panel~ P1 and P2 into facial engagement with sides 34 and 38 of the load at the corner therebetween. When the arm a~sembly is withdrawn ~rom the broken line to the solid line position thereof shown in FIGU~E 4, gear 158 re-engages with rack 160 to ro~ate the pick-up plate 148 135~ counter-cloc~wise in FIGURE 4 back to its initial position in which it is prepared to remove the innermost corner protector from the maqazine in conjunction witl~ the next displacement of support member 134 from tlle solid line to the broken line position shown in FIGURE 4.
In accordance with anotller aspec~ of the invention, and a~ shown in FIGURES 1, 2, 9 and 10, wrapping apparatus 10 is provided with top protector applicator apparatus 162 com-pri~ing a shuttle mechanism lG4 wllich supports a top protec-tor pic~-up, transfer and llolding unit 166 for displacement between a top protector supply station 167 located laterally outwardly of stationary frame 12 and a position overlying load L in the film wrapping appara~us. Shuttle mechanism 164 includes a wlleeled carria~e unit 168 adapted to travel in opposite directions aloncJ a pair of carriage track rails 170 secured to the top of stationary frame assembly 12 of the wrapping apparatus and extending laterally outwardly thereof to overlie supply station 167. Carriage unit 168 includes a drive motor and gear box assembly 172 for driving the carriage uni~ along the rails. Pick-up, transfer and ~lding mechanism 166 is suppor~ed beneath carriage 168 for lateral displacement therewitll and vertical displacement xelative thereto and, for the latter purpose, carriage unit 168 includes a motor and gear box assembly 174 for vertical-ly extending and re~racting a support shaft 176 which car-r~es pick-up, transfer and ~olding mechanism 166 at the low-er end thereof. ~elative to conveyor path P, pick-up, tran~fer and folding mechanism 166 includes a longitudinally opposite pair of foldin~ finger assemblies 178 and 180 and a laterally opposite pair of ~olding finger assemblies 182 and 184 to be de~cribed in greater detail hereinafter. Supply station 167 includes a stationary frame comprising four cor-ner posts 186 which support a vertically displaceable plat-S form 188 adapted to suppor~ a s~ack of top protectors T and to maintain the uppermost one of ~he top protectors at a given elovation relative to pick-up, transfer and folding me~n;~m 166. As will become apparent hereinafter, the pick-up, transfer and ~oldin~ mecll~nism i~ adapted to be lowered at supply station 167 to pick-up ~ top protector T, to elevate and tran3fe~ ~lle ~op pro~cc~or Erom the supply station to a position ove~lying load L ~t tlle wrapping ~ta-tion of the wrapping appar~tus, ~o lower ~he top protector onto the top of load L, and ~o actuate the finger assemblies to fold marqinal edge portions o~ ~he top protector down-wardly across the ~op edges o~ the load and against the up-per marginal edges o~ tlle sides o~ the load.
~eferring now in par~icular to FIGURES 9 and 10 of the drawing, pick-up, transfer and folding mechanism 166 com-prises a ~uppor~ing frame ~or the ~olding finger assemblies and which frame includes longi~udinally extending, upwardly open channel members 190 and 192 respectively supporting finger assemblies 178 and laO, and laterally extending up-wardly open channel members 194 and 196 respectively ~up-porting finger assemblies 182 and 184. The inner ends of the channel member3 are interconnected, such as by welding, and mounting plates 198 are secure~ ~o the corners between the inner onds of the channel members at the upper ends of the adjacent walls tl~ereof, sucll as by welding, to facili-tate attaching the supporting frame ~o a mounting plate 200 on the lower end o~ sha~t 176.
Folding finger as~emblies 178, 180, 182 and 184 include ~olding ~inger plateG 202, 204, 206 and 208, respectively.
Eacb of the finger plates is supported adjacent the outer end of the corresponding ~rame channel by a corresponding slide plate 210 which is supported in the frame chann'el for horizontal displacement outwardly and inwardly thereof by pairs o~ upper and lower rollers 212 mounted on the side walls of the channel and engaging tlle slide plate therebe-S tween. ~ach finger plate is mounted on the outer end of the corresponding slide plate 210 for pivotal displacement about a corrcsponding finger axis 214 which, when the pick-up, transfer and folding mechanism 166 overlies load L, are each parallel to a correspondin~ top edge of the load. Each of the finqer plates i8 pivotal about the corresponding finger axi~ 214 by a corresponding pistoll and cylinder unit includ-ing a cylinder member 216 having its inner end pivotally secured to 61ide plate 210 and having a piston rod 218 ex-tending ~rom the outer end thereof and pivotally secured to the corresponding ~inger pla~e 3UCIl that displacement of piston rod 21~ outwardly and inwardly relative to ~cylinder 216 pivots the finger pla~e in opposite directions about axis 214.
Each of the slide plates 210 is adapted to be horizon-tally reciprocated outwardly and inwardly of the correspond-ing frame channel by means of a corresponding piston and cylinder a~sembly including a cylinder member 220 having its inner end pivotally secured to the bottom wall of the frame channel and having a piston rod 222 extending from the outer end thereof and pivotally secured to the underside of slide plate 210. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that recip-rocation o~ piston rod 222 in opposite directions relative to cylinder 22~ horizontally displaces the corresponding finger plate and its pivo-t axis 214 outwardly and inwardly relative to the frame channel whereby, for the purpose set forth hereinafter, the distance between the pivot axes ~14 of the opposed pairs of fin~er pla~es is adapted to be ad-j~8ted.
As will be appreciated Erom FIGUR~ 10, the bottom wall of each o~ the channel members of ~he support frame of the pick-up, transfer and, folding mechanism is provided with a vacuum cup device 224 by wl~ich a top protector T i~ adapted to be removed from supply s~ation 167 and transferred by the mechanism to overlie top 42 of load L. As will be appreci-ated from FIGURES 9 and 10, top protector T ha5 notched cor-ner~ which provide tlle top protec~or, relative to path P, with longitudinally opposite marginal edge portions Tl and T2 and laterally opposite marginal edge portions T3 and T4.
When the top pro~ector overlies top 42 of load ~, marginal edge portions T1-T4 respectively extend outwardly ~rom lon-qitudinally oppo~ite ~op ed~el~ 3~a and 36a and la~erally opposite top edges 38a and 40a o~ ~he load. The notched corner~ of the to~ protector provide the marginal edge por-tions thereof with imaginary fold li.nes which are adjacent the corresponding top edge of load L whereby, upon actuation of the finger plates to pivot the latter downwardly about the corre~ponding finger axis, the underlying marginal edge poxtion of the top protector is folded downwardly along the imaginary fold line and about the corresponding load top edge.
In accordance witll the present invention, such folding of the marginal edge portions of the top protector can be performed in connection witll top pro~ectors for loads having different top edge dimensions and thus different distances between the parallel opposite edges o~ the top. This will be appreciated fro~n the illustration of the folding sequence in connection with finger plate 20~ in FIGURE 10, and finger plates 206 and 208 in FIGURES 12A-12C. In these Figures it will be ~een that the finqer axes 214 of the plates are lat-erally ou~wardly of the corresponding one of top edges 38a and 40a, whereby pivotal displacement of the finger plates about axe~ 214 to the vertical position of the f inger plates shown in FIGURE 12B provides for folding marginal edge por-tions T3 and T4 of the top protector downwardly about top edge~ 3~a and 40a to a position in which the marginal edge 213~584 portions are angled relative to sides 38 and 40 of the load, respectively. Completion o~ the application of top protec-tor T is then achieved by displacing slide plates 210 later-ally inwardly 80 that ~ingex plates 106 and 108 move margin-al edge portions T3 and T4 into facial engagement with sides 3B and 40 o~ the load, as shown in FIGURE 12C. Thus, it will be appreciated ~hat the folding finger assembly i5 op-erable to apply top protectors to loads in which the dis-tance between opposed parallel edges of the load varies be-tween a minimum and Ixjln~n corresponding to the distance between axes 214 in the innermost and outermost positions thereo~ rela~ive to one ano~her.
It i8 believed ~hat the operation of the corner protec-tor applying apparatus and the top protector applying appa-ratus in conjunction with the film wrapping of load L will be understood ~rom the ~oregoing description of the struc-t~re and operation of ~he latter apparatus in conjunction with the following description of FIGURES llA-llG which schematically illustra~e the sequence of operations of the apparat~s in applying the corner protectors and top protec-tor to a load which is then wrapped in plastic film. More particularly in this respect, FIGURE 11~ illustrates the components in the positions ~hereof prior to initiating op-eration of the apparatus. In ~hese positions, the four mag-a~ines suppor~ ~he corresponding supply of corner protectors C with the outer sides thereof facing the corresponding cor-ner of load L, and the carriage as~emblies which support the magazines are positioned longitudinally outwardly of the corresponding one of the sides 34 and 36 of the load. The supply of top protectors T is positioned laterally outwardly from ~ide 40 of load L. When a wrapping operation is initi-ated, each of the pick-up plates 148 removes the innermost corner protector from the corresponding magazine by pivoting the corresponding arm assembly 135~ about arm axis 144 in the directions shown in FIGUR~ 1 lB . Such angular 2135~84 displacement of pick-up plates 148 positions the correspond-ing corner protector with the inner sides of panels Pl and P2 thcreof respectively parallel to the sides of load L
forming the corresponding corner. Further, in this position o~ the corner protectors, the planes of panels P1 are longi-tu~in~lly spaced outwardly from the corresponding one of the longitudinally Opposite sides 34 and 36 of the load, and the planes of panels P2 are spaced laterally outwardly from the corresponding one of the laterally opposite sides 38 and 40 of the load.
Followin~ rotation o~ the pick-up plates 148 to the positions shown in FIGU~E llB, the carriages on which the magazines and arm assemblies are mounted are displaced lon-gitudinally inwardly relative to lo~d L as indicated by the arrows in FIGURI~ llC ~nd ~o ~he po~i~ion~ shown in the lat-ter Figure. In the~e po~i~ions, ~lle inner surface3 o~ pan-els P1 are respectively lonc~itudinally aligned with the cor-respondin~ one of the longitudinally opposite sides 34 and 36 of load L. Thereafter, or in conjunction with such dis-placement of the carriages, the arm assemblies are displaced laterally inwardly relative to the corresponding car~riage as indicated by the arrows adjacent load L in FIGURE llD. This displacement of the arm assemblies positions the inner sides of corner protector panels P1 in overlying relationship with respect to Wle corresponding one of the longitudinally oppo-site sides 34 and 36 of tlle load and moves the inner sides of panels P2 into overlying relationship with the corre-sponding one of the laterally opposite sides 38 and 40 of tho load.
The arm assemblies and thus pick-up plates 148 remain in the position~ thereof shown in FIGU~E llD and, while.so positioned, the top protector pick-up, transfer and folding assembly displace~ a top pro~ector T laterally inwardly of load L from the top protector supply station to a position in wllicll the top protector overlies the top o~ load L as shown in FIGURE llE. When the top protector is so posi-tioned, and while pick-up plates 14~ hold the corresponding corner protectors in place at ~he corners of the load, fin-ger plate~ 202, 204, 206 and 208 are simultaneously actuated as described a~ove in conjunction with FIGURES 12A-12C to fold marginal edge portions T1, T2, T3 and T4 of the top protector downwardly about top edges 34a, 36a, 38a and 40a of the load to position the marginal edge portions of the top protector aqainst the corresponding side of the load as ~hown in FIGU~E llF.
While the pick-up pla~es 14~ and ~inger plates are in the positions shown in FIGUR~ llF, ~lle wrapping apparatus is activated whe~eupon ring 16 ro~ates about load L to wrap film F thereabout beginning at the upper end of the load so as to initiall~ capture the downwardly extending marginal edge portions of top protector T and ~he upper ends of cor-ner protectors C, as will be appreciated f rom FIGURE llG.
When the marginal edge portions of the top protector'and the upper ends o~ tlte corner protec~ors are so captured, and 2~ while tbe wrapping opera~ion con~inues, the top protector pic~-up, transfer and foldin~ assembly is elevated relative to the top o~ the load to withdraw the folding fingers from beneath the pla~tic wrap, the arm assemblies are laterally withdrawn relative to the corresponding carriage, and the carriages are longitudinally displaced in opposite direc-tions back towards their initial positions. These displace-ments of the arm assemblies and carriages is indicated by arrows 226 in FIGURE llG. As will be appreciated from the description above regarding the movement o~ the arm as~em-~lies to engage the corner protector6 with the corners of the load, the arm as~emblies can be retracted relative.to the corre~ponding carriage assembly either before or in con-junction with the longit~dinal di3placement of the carriage back to its initial position.
-Further, as will be appreciated from the description of the arm assembly in conjunction with FIGURE 4 of the drawing, retraction of the arm assembly relative to the corresponding carriage engages pinion 158 and rack 160 so as to pivot pick-up plate 148 in the direction shown in FIGURE llG back to its initial position for pic~ing-up the innermost corner protector from the magazine during subsequent operation of the apparatus.
Preferably,.as will be appreciated from FIGURE 8, a plurality of spring biased idler rollers 99 are positioned between the upper and lower runs of upper conveyor belt lO0 and between conveyor rolls 94 and 98 to enhance contact be-tween the lower run of the belt and the upper ends of corner protectors C.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the structures and structural interrelationships between the component parts of the preferred embodiments of the inven-tion, it will be appreciated that many embodiments of the invention can be devised and many changes made in the pre-ferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be distinctly under-stood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be inter-preted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.
Claims (47)
1. In apparatus for placing a corner protector onto a corner of a load, which corner protector has opposite ends and an inside surface between said ends and which apparatus includes supply means for holding a plurality of said corner protectors and means for removing a corner protector from said supply means and for transforming said removed corner protector to a position in which the inside surface thereof faces said corner of said load, the improvement comprising:
said supply means having input and exit ends and including drivable means for engaging said opposite ends of said plurality of corner protectors and moving said plurality of corner protectors along a path in the direction from said input end toward said exit end of said supply means.
said supply means having input and exit ends and including drivable means for engaging said opposite ends of said plurality of corner protectors and moving said plurality of corner protectors along a path in the direction from said input end toward said exit end of said supply means.
2. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said drivable means includes first and second conveyor means spaced apart for respectively engaging one and the other of said opposite ends of said plurality of corner protectors.
3. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said supply means includes means for confining said plurality of corner protectors against displacement laterally of said path.
4. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said drivable means is adjustable in the direction between said opposite ends of said corner protectors.
5. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said opposite ends of said corner protectors are upper and lower ends and said drivable means includes first conveyor means underlying said lower ends and second conveyor means overlying said upper ends.
6. The improvement according to claim 5, wherein at least said second conveyor means includes flexible belt means.
7. The improvement according to claim 5, wherein said second conveyor means is vertically adjustable relative to said first conveyor means.
8. The improvement according to claim 5, wherein each said first and second conveyor means have input and exit ends respectively at said input and exit ends of said supply means, and means supporting said second conveyor means for pivotal movement toward and away from said first conveyor means about a horizontal axis at said exit end of said second conveyor means.
9. The improvement according to claim 8, and means for limiting pivotal movement of said second conveyor means toward said first conveyor means.
10. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said drivable means includes first and second conveyor means spaced apart for respectively engaging one and the other of said opposite ends of said plurality of corner protectors, and common drive means for driving said first and second conveyor means in unison.
11. The improvement according to claim 10, wherein said first and second conveyor means respectively include first and second endless conveyor belt means and said common drive means includes drive motor means and drive belt means between said motor means and each said first and second conveyor belt means to drive said conveyor belt means in unison.
12. The improvement according to claim 11, wherein said drive motor means and said drive belt means are adjustable to accommodate varying the space between said first and second conveyor belt means.
13. The improvement according to claim 5, wherein said first and second conveyor means respectively include first and second conveyor belt means.
14. The improvement according to claim 13, wherein said second conveyor means is vertically adjustable relative to said first conveyor means.
15. The improvement according to claim 13, wherein each said first and second conveyor belt means has laterally opposite edges extending in the direction between said input and exit ends of said supply means, and guide means laterally outwardly adjacent said edges for confining said corner protectors against displacement laterally of said first and second conveyor belt means.
16. The improvement according to claim 13, wherein each said first and second conveyor belt means has input and exit ends respectively at said input and exit ends of said supply means, and means supporting said second conveyor belt means for pivotal movement toward and away from said first conveyor belt means about a horizontal axis at said exit end of said second conveyor belt means.
17. The improvement according to claim 16, wherein said second conveyor belt means is vertically adjustable relative to said first conveyor belt means.
18. The improvement according to claim 13, wherein said second conveyor belt means is vertically adjustable relative to said first conveyor belt means, and common drive means for driving said first and second conveyor belt means in unison.
19. The improvement according to claim 18, wherein said common drive means includes drive motor means and drive belt between said motor means and each said first and second conveyor belt means.
20. The improvement according to claim 19, wherein said drive motor means and said drive belt means are adjustable to accommodate varying the space between said first and second conveyor belt means.
21. The improvement according to claim 20, wherein each said first and second conveyor belt means has input and exit ends respectively at said input and exit ends of said supply means, and means supporting said second conveyor belt means for pivotal movement toward and away from said first conveyor belt means about a horizontal axis at said exit end of said second belt means.
22. The improvement according to claim 21, wherein each said first and second conveyor belt means has laterally opposite edges extending in the direction between said input and exit ends of said supply means, and guide means laterally outwardly adjacent said edges for confining said corner protectors against displacement laterally of said first and second conveyor belt means.
23. In apparatus for placing a corner protector onto a load having first and second sides meeting at an angle to provide said corner, said corner protector having first and second panels meeting at an angle generally the same as the angle of said corner and providing outside and inside panel surfaces, and said apparatus includes supply means for holding a plurality of said corner protectors and means for removing a corner protector from said supply means and transferring the removed corner protector onto said corner of said load, the improvement comprising: said supply means holding said corner protectors with said outside panel surfaces facing said corner of said load, and said means for removing and transferring a corner protector including arm means pivotal about just one arm axis parallel to said corner between first and second positions, said arm means including corner protector pick-up means spaced from said arm axis, said pick-up means in said first position of said arm means being positioned at said supply means for removing a corner protector therefrom, said pick-up means in said second position of said arm means supporting a removed corner protector adjacent said corner of said load with said inside panel surfaces of said first and second panels respectively spaced from and parallel to said first and second sides of said load, means to pivot said arm means between said first and second positions, and means for linearly displacing said pick-up means in said second position of said arm means to move said inside surfaces of said first and second panels into engagement respectively with said first and second sides of said load.
24. The improvement according to claim 23 wherein said corner protector pick-up means includes suction cup means releasably engageable with the outside panel surface of one of said first and second panels of a corner protector.
25. The improvement according to claim 23, wherein said first and second positions of said arm means are angularly spaced apart about 135° with respect to said arm axis.
26. The improvement according to claim 23, wherein said means for linearly displacing said pick-up means in said second position of said arm means includes carriage means supporting said arm means for linear displacement toward one of said first and second sides of said load.
27. The improvement according to claim 26, wherein said means for linearly displacing said pick-up means in said second position of said arm means includes means to linearly displace said arm means toward the other of said first and second sides of said load.
28. The improvement according to claim 27, wherein said corner of said load is vertical, said arm axis is vertical, and said arm means pivots an angular extent of about 135° relative to said arm axis between said first and second positions.
29. The improvement according to claim 28, wherein said corner protector pick-up means includes suction cup means releasably engageable with the outside panel surface of one of said first and second panels of a corner protector.
30. Apparatus for wrapping a load in film material comprising, frame means having opposite sides and opposite ends and providing a wrapping station for a load having vertical sides intersecting at an angle to provide said load with four vertical corners, said wrapping station having inlet and outlet ends along a path between said opposite ends, means including film carriage means supported on said frame means for rotation about a vertical axis for wrapping film material about said vertical sides of said load, and a corner protector supply and applicator assembly for each corner of said load comprising corner protector magazine means for holding a supply of corner protectors, said magazine means extending transverse to said path and having outer and inner ends, said inner end being closer to said path than said outer end, said corner protectors having top and bottom ends and inner and outer surfaces between said top and bottom ends, said magazine means including top and bottom conveyor means respectively engaging said top and bottom ends of said corner protectors therebetween, means to drive said top and bottom conveyor means for moving said corner protectors toward said inner end of said magazine means, and means including applicator means adjacent said inner end of said magazine means for removing a corner protector therefrom and transferring said removed corner protector to the corresponding corner of said load for said inner surface of said corner protector to face said corresponding corner of said load.
31. Apparatus according to claim 30, and means supporting said supply and applicator assembly for horizontal displacement perpendicular to and parallel to said path.
32. Apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said means supporting said supply and applicator means includes carriage means supporting said magazine means and said applicator means, and means for displacing said carriage means perpendicular to said path.
33. Apparatus according to claim 32, and means mounting said applicator means on said carriage means for displacement relative thereto perpendicular to said path.
34. Apparatus according to claim 30, wherein said inner surfaces of said corner protectors are defined by first and second panels meeting at an angle generally equal to the angle of the corresponding corners of said load, said corner protectors being supported between said top and bottom conveyor means with said outer surfaces facing said inner end of said magazine means, and said applicator means including arm means pivotal about a single arm axis between first and second positions in which said arm means is respectively positioned to remove a corner protector from said inner end of said magazine means and to hold the removed corner protector with said first and second panels parallel to the sides of said load intersecting to provide the corresponding corner of said load.
35. Apparatus according to claim 34, and means for displacing said applicator means perpendicular to and parallel to said path.
36. Apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said first and second positions of said arm means are angularly spaced apart about 135° with respect to said arm axis.
37. Apparatus according to claim 30, wherein each said top and bottom conveyor means includes endless belt means, and said means to drive said conveyor means includes common drive means for said belt means of said top and bottom conveyor means.
38. Apparatus according to claim 30, wherein said load has a top and top edges between said corners, and top cap applicator means for applying a top cap onto the top of said load, said top cap having marginal edge portions extending outwardly from said top edges, and said top cap applicator means including finger means corresponding to each of said top edges, each of said finger means being pivotal about a finger axis parallel to the corresponding top edge, and each of said finger means being horizontally reciprocable transverse to said finger axis.
39. Apparatus according to claim 38, wherein said top cap applicator means includes shuttle means and means supporting said shuttle means for displacement between first and second positions in which said shuttle means is respectively laterally outwardly of one of said opposite sides of said frame means and overlying a load at said wrapping station, said shuttle means carrying said finger means, and means to displace said shuttle means between said first and second positions thereof.
40. Apparatus according to claim 39, wherein said shuttle means includes top cap pick-up means, top cap supply means laterally outwardly of said one side of said frame means, said pick-up means in said first position of said shuttle means being positioned to remove a top cap from said top cap supply means, and said pick-up means in said second position of said shuttle means being positioned to place said top cap on said top of said load.
41. Apparatus according to claim 30, further including carriage means and means supporting said carriage means for horizontal displacement parallel to said path, said magazine means and said applicator means being mounted on said carriage means for movement therewith, and said applicator means being mounted on said carriage means for horizontal movement relative thereto parallel to said path.
42. Apparatus according to claim 41, wherein each said top and bottom conveyor means includes endless belt means, and said means to drive said conveyor means includes common drive means for said belt means of said top and bottom conveyor means.
43. Apparatus according to claim 42, wherein said inner surfaces of said corner protectors are defined by first and second panels meeting at an angle generally equal to the angle of the corresponding corner of said load, said corner protectors being supported between said top and bottom conveyor means with said outer surfaces facing said inner end of said magazine means, and said applicator means including arm means pivotal about a single arm axis between first and second positions in which said arm means is respectively positioned to remove a corner protector from said inner end of said magazine means and to hold the removed corner protector with said first and second panels parallel to the sides of said load intersecting to provide the corresponding corner of said load.
44. Apparatus according to claim 42, wherein said load has a top and top edges between said corners, and top cap applicator means for applying a top cap onto the top of said load, said top cap having marginal edge portions extending outwardly from said top edges, and said top cap applicator means including finger means corresponding to each of said top edges, each of said finger means being pivotal about a finger axis parallel to the corresponding top edge and horizontally reciprocable transverse to said finger axis.
45. Apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said inner surfaces of said corner protectors are defined by first and second panels meeting at an angle generally equal to the angle of the corresponding corner of said load, said corner protectors being supported between said top and bottom conveyor means with said outer surfaces facing said inner end of said magazine means, and said applicator means including arm means pivotal about a single arm axis between first and second positions in Which said arm means is respectively positioned to remove a corner protector from said inner end of said magazine means and to hold the removed corner protector with said first and second panels parallel to the sides of said load intersecting to provide the corresponding corner of said load.
46. Apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said top cap applicator means includes shuttle means and means supporting said shuttle means for displacement between first and second positions in which said shuttle means is respectively laterally outwardly of one of said opposite sides of said frame means and overlying a load at said wrapping station, said shuttle means carrying said finger means, and means to displace said shuttle means between said first and second positions thereof.
47. Apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said shuttle means includes top cap pick-up means, top cap supply means laterally outwardly of said one side of said frame means, said pick-up means in said first position of said shuttle means being positioned to remove a top cap from said top cap supply means, and said pick-up means in said second position of said shuttle means being positioned to place said top cap on said top of said load.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002243029A CA2243029C (en) | 1993-06-30 | 1994-11-10 | Apparatus for placing corner protectors and top protectors on palletized loads |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US08/173,422 | 1993-12-23 | ||
| US08/173,422 US5535572A (en) | 1993-06-30 | 1993-12-23 | Apparatus for placing corner protectors and top protectors on palletized loads |
Related Child Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002243029A Division CA2243029C (en) | 1993-06-30 | 1994-11-10 | Apparatus for placing corner protectors and top protectors on palletized loads |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2135584A1 CA2135584A1 (en) | 1995-06-24 |
| CA2135584C true CA2135584C (en) | 1999-07-06 |
Family
ID=22631944
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2135584 Expired - Lifetime CA2135584C (en) | 1993-06-30 | 1994-11-10 | Apparatus for placing corner protectors and top protectors on palletized loads |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2135584C (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN107176348A (en) * | 2017-06-27 | 2017-09-19 | 苏州锦浩翔自动化有限公司 | One kind puts corner protector mechanism automatically |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN110589476A (en) * | 2019-10-09 | 2019-12-20 | 昆明创迪科技开发有限公司 | Edge protection strip taking and placing device |
| CN114802990B (en) * | 2022-06-28 | 2022-09-30 | 江苏帝全自动化机械有限公司 | Can prevent to extrude case sealer of packing material |
| CN117228102B (en) * | 2023-11-16 | 2024-02-13 | 山东铭城环保新材料科技有限公司 | Autoclaved aerated concrete block packing device |
-
1994
- 1994-11-10 CA CA 2135584 patent/CA2135584C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN107176348A (en) * | 2017-06-27 | 2017-09-19 | 苏州锦浩翔自动化有限公司 | One kind puts corner protector mechanism automatically |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2135584A1 (en) | 1995-06-24 |
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