DE9412363U1 - Sorting machine - Google Patents

Description

01/08 '94 12:10 S++43 07249 8846 2 D.I. DUPAL GMBH

20G04DE Gassner

Steinleiten 39
A-4890 Frankenmarkt

Description

Sorting machine

The invention relates to a sorting machine for one-sidedly symmetrical parts made of ferromagnetic material that are to be sorted according to their orientation, in particular for container closures such as flat lids made of sheet steel, in which a rotary plate rotates at the base of a cylindrical pot that is inclined at an angle to the vertical, driven essentially coaxially to its longitudinal axis and dips into a supply of parts to be sorted and, after being raised and passed through, passes through at least one sensor and sorting line, at which the correctly aligned parts are fed to a removal device and the incorrectly aligned parts are thrown back into the supply.

In machines such as these, which are equipped with mechanical drivers on the turntable, the throughput is very limited and, particularly with larger throughputs, they tend to take along incorrectly aligned parts and can therefore cause malfunctions in the downstream machines.

The mechanical separation of incorrectly aligned parts can easily lead to the parts becoming jammed in mechanical components and thus also cause malfunctions.

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The aim of the invention is to improve a sorting machine of the type described above and to make the sorting function more reliable and to achieve high throughput rates with relatively little construction effort, which can no longer be achieved with mechanical sorting machines of this type.

This object is achieved in a sorting machine of the type described above with the features of the characterizing part of claim I.

The arrangement of individual magnets for conveying the parts to be sorted, the properties of which can be freely selected within wide limits in terms of the shape, direction and force flux density of the magnetic field in the case of permanent magnets, just as when using electromagnets; in these cases the excitation and thus the magnetic force flux density can also be changed during the sorting process.

Both components allow for good adaptation to the arrangement and design of the rotary table and to the properties of the parts to be sorted out. In addition, by combining the sensor and sorting device with an electronic control arrangement, no or only minimal mechanical devices are required for the collection and sorting, so that the causes of malfunctions are greatly reduced. In addition, the arrangement and design of the removal device and guide section in conjunction with the previously mentioned features of the sorting machine results in an additional improvement in the sense of reduced susceptibility to malfunctions as soon as the sorting machine is set up for a part to be sorted.

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Subclaims 2 to 12, which, like claim 1, simultaneously form part of the description, relate to particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention.

When using a rotary divider made of a smooth plastic material, the angle of inclination of the rotary axis of the rotary plate to the vertical, at which the sorted parts still slide down, can be smaller and the inclination of the bowl wall can be steeper, so that the parts to be sorted out can reach the area of the rotary plate from the outer storage area more easily, which also prevents disruptions and increases the throughput.

The recess in the edge of the sorting ring opposite the turntable plate primarily facilitates the early discharge of excess parts to be sorted because when they hit the ramp in between they reach an area of lower magnetic flux density and are held much less firmly so that parts are easily discharged. On the other hand, it makes it easier to guide the correctly aligned parts in a prescribed path.

For trouble-free transport of the parts to be sorted, a sufficient width of the available track on the circumference of the turntable is very important.

The perfect functioning of the sorting is positively influenced by a sufficiently long conveyor belt over which the parts to be sorted are conveyed, because in this area a considerable proportion of the parts already fall off and do not burden the further sorting process. Any remaining part, especially of double or diagonally overlapping parts, can be removed with the

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separate, additional device and falls back into the storage area.

For reliable execution of the sorting process, it is important to have calming sections before and after each sorting step by evening out the movement of the parts to be sorted, which improve the sorting and removal from the edge of the sorting ring and enable it to be done without disruption, whereby the tangential removal downwards can make the sorting process more efficient by taking into account the forces acting on the parts.

If a sensor is attached to the pot wall, facing inwards towards the sorting ring edge of the turntable, installation is not required and is simplified because the sorting device and its air nozzle are arranged in the same way anyway.

If the sensor is mounted outside the sorting ring edge of the turntable, the distance between the parts to be sorted can be kept small, which is necessary for inductive sensors, but requires space for the holder, which can lead to interference and requires careful pre-sorting of the parts.

The installation of the sensor behind the turntable, at a short distance from it, requires slightly more complex installations in order not to be obstructed by the magnets installed there or to obstruct their magnet carrier segments, whereby small distances to the parts to be measured and sorted are difficult to maintain, even if no mechanical installations are necessary in the path of the parts to be sorted out.

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The installation of ^two sensor sorting device units one behind the other in the path of the parts to be sorted results in a significantly greater sorting reliability and also allows a significantly higher throughput.

The air pulses of the sorting device, triggered by an upstream sensor controlled by an electronic switching arrangement, enable effective, contactless removal of incorrectly aligned parts by appropriately aligning the nozzle, which both improves the quality of the sorting and enables higher heat output.

To increase the safety that parts that are stored twice or at an angle on top of each other and are incorrectly aligned do not place additional strain on the sensor and sorting section and do not cause any disruptions, it is advantageous to connect a sensor sorting device unit, the nozzle of which is directed towards the stored parts to be sorted, because this relieves the strain on the subsequent sensor sorting device and protects it from disruptions.

By using individual magnets, their arrangement and field strength can be selected. In order to adjust the transport of the parts to be sorted, combining the individual magnets on several magnet carrier segments that form a circular ring behind the edge of the sorting ring on the turntable is very simple, because the effective force flux density in the path of the parts to be sorted can be adjusted with just a few adjustment devices.

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The even supply of parts to be sorted to the turntable must keep it free of too many resting parts! This is done in a simple way by means of a lock in the form of a wobble plate with a feed opening at the bottom, which is arranged parallel to the turntable and suspended from the pot wall with rubber buffers and which defines an outer storage area in which many parts can be stored without hindering the function of the arrangement. In order to prevent the feed opening from "bridging" with the parts, the wobble plate is moved in a simple design by an eccentric mounted on the turntable shaft, which pushes against a transmission tube of the wobble plate, which passes this movement on to the parts to be sorted.

The invention is described using the drawing of an embodiment of the invention.

It shows:

Fig. 1 a sorting machine in vertical section,

Fig. 2 shows a section through the sorting machine according to Fig. before the section in Fig.l.

A sorting machine has a turntable 1 which is arranged at the base of a pot 18 with its axis of rotation 16 coaxial with its central axis and rotates driven by a drive motor 35 flanged to the rear of the pot 18.

The rotation axis 15 of the turntable is arranged at an angle 17 to the vertical 33, which is 85 degrees and at which the supply of parts 9 to be sorted takes place along the pot edge 19 and the discharge of

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incorrectly aligned parts 11 from the turntable 1 takes place perfectly due to the slip angles maintained.

The turntable 1 is fastened with a turntable hub 34 on a turntable shaft 25 which is coupled to the drive motor 35.

The turntable 1 consists of a turntable plate 2, the outer band of which is used as a sorting ring edge 3 and can be recessed relative to the turntable plate 2 (not shown), so that a ramp is formed towards the turntable plate 2, which serves to facilitate the sorting out of double or diagonally positioned, incorrectly aligned parts 11 and to better guide the single-positioned parts 10 and 11. The turntable plate 2 consists of a low-wear, smooth plastic material or of a smooth, low-soldering, non-magnetic metal or metal alloy, such as aluminum or aluminum alloys.

Behind the turntable 1, individual magnets 4 are attached next to one another distributed on several magnet carrier segments 5, which are arranged together to form a circular ring and are provided with adjustment devices 21 for setting their distances 32 to the sorting ring edge 3.

The field strength acting on the parts 9 made of sheet steel to be sorted, which determines the adhesive strength of the parts 9, is set using the individual magnet 4, its field strength and its distance from the sorting ring edge 3. The greatest field strength is created when the turntable 1 is immersed in the storage area, which then slowly decreases and reaches the area of the sorting device.

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8 is gradually reduced to facilitate the ejection of the incorrectly aligned parts 11.

The rotary table 1, which dips into the storage area 22, takes with it, as it rotates in the direction of rotation 20, many parts 9 to be sorted out, most of which fall off again on the subsequent discharge path.

Before reaching the sensor and sorting section 6, the parts 9 to be sorted reach a pre-sorting device 12, which consists of a corrugated piece with three abutting edges 24 and is pivoted on the pot wall 19 over the sorting ring edge 3 towards or away from it, and can be adjusted by means of an adjusting device 36. Double or diagonally lying, incorrectly aligned parts 11 that abut against the abutting edges 24 are thrown off, while single-lying parts to be sorted are conveyed on via a calming section to the sensor and sorting section 6. In this area, the parts 9 to be sorted reach a pre-detection arrangement 31 in which parts 11 that have not yet been thrown out, are lying twice and are incorrectly aligned are detected by an inductive sensor 7 that is attached to the pot wall 19 and is directed inwards. The sensor 7, via an electronic switching arrangement, controls a sorting device Si that is attached shortly after the sensor in the pot wall 19 and whose nozzle is directed towards the parts Ii stored above and triggers an air blast pulse that is directed across the sorting ring edge 3 and blows the parts 11 away.

Subsequently, only parts 9 that are lying in a single position and are to be sorted reach the two sensor sorting device units 7, 8, where the parts Ii that are lying in the wrong position are removed by the pneumatic

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Sorting device 8 can be blown away with an air blast pulse after they have been detected as such by sensor 7! It.

Of course, it is possible to replace an inductive sensor with an optical sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, whereby the only thing that needs to be taken into account is the appropriate setting of the sensors in relation to the parts to be sorted.

The correctly aligned parts 10 finally reach, after a further settling step, a removal device 13, the inlet opening IS of which extends over the width of the sorting ring edge 3, from which they are guided tangentially downwards to the turntable 1 and via a guide path 14 to a transfer point.

The supply of the parts 9 to be sorted from a large outer storage area 23 in the pot 18 is limited by a wobble plate 28 arranged at a distance from the turntable 1 and suspended with rubber buffers 29, through whose feed opening 30 at the bottom only a few parts 9 to be sorted can pass. The rubber buffers 29 are attached on the one hand to the wobble plate 28 with a plate attachment 38 and on the other hand to the pot wall 19 with a wall attachment 37. When the turntable 1 rotates, the wobble plate is moved by a transmission tube 27 attached to the wobble plate 28, which is actuated by an eccentric 26 attached to the turntable shaft 25 and which transmits the movement to the wobble plate 28, from which the movement is then transmitted to the parts 9 to be sorted in the feed opening, thus preventing jams.

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20GO4DE Reference number iohenverzci chni 8

1 turntable

2 turntable plate

3 Sorting ring edge of the turntable

4 Single magnet

5 Magnetic carrier segment

6 Sensor and sorting section

7 Sensor

8 Sorting device

9 part to be sorted

10 Correctly aligned part

11 incorrectly aligned part

12 Pre-aortic device

13 Acceptance arrangement

14 leadership strikes

15 Inlet opening of the removal device t3

16 Rotation axis of the turntable

17 Angle of the rotary axis 16 to the vertical

18 cylindrical pot

19 Pot wall

20 Direction of rotation of the turntable

21 Adjustment device for a magnet carrier segment

22 Storage area for the turntable

23 outer storage area of the cylindrical pot

24 Edge of the pre-aortic device

25 Turntable shaft

26 eccentric

27 Transmission tube

28 Swashplate

29 rubber buffers

30 Feed opening for the outer storage area

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31 Advance notice order

32 Distance between the individual magnets 4 and the sorting ring edge 3

33 Perpendicular

34 rotary hub

35 Drive motor

36 Adjustment device for the pre-sorting device 12

37 Wall mounting of a rubber buffer 29

3a Plate fastening of a rubber buffer 29

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Claims (12)

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DUPAL GMBH 0014 20G04DE Expectations 1, Sorting machine for one-sidedly symmetrical parts made of ferromagnetic material to be sorted according to their orientation, in particular for container closures, such as flat lids made of sheet steel, in which a rotary plate rotates at the base of a cylindrical pot arranged at an angle to the vertical, driven essentially coaxially to its longitudinal axis and dips into a supply of parts to be sorted and, after being conveyed upwards and passed through, runs through at least one sensor and sorting section, on which the correctly aligned parts are fed to a removal device and the incorrectly aligned parts are thrown back into the supply, characterized in that under the rotary plate C1) in the area of a sorting ring edge C3) several feed magnets are arranged next to one another in a ring, which enable the parts to be sorted to be conveyed into the area of the sensor and sorting section (6), on which a sensor (7) the incorrectly aligned parts (ClI) are distinguished from the correctly aligned parts (10) by means of an electronic switching arrangement and are thrown out by a sorting device (8), while the correctly aligned parts (10) are conveyed further by the turntable (1), picked up by a removal device (13) and forwarded to a transfer point via a guide strip (14) which maintains the positional alignment of the correctly aligned parts (10). 01-AUG-1994 12Ul ^! ..!*tf3 022391384SA .* S.Q14 01/08 '94 12:15 &THgr;++43 07249 884&bgr; 2 D.I. DUPAL GMBH Io 2. Sorting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotary table (1) with its axis of rotation (16) is inclined at an angle (17) to the vertical line, which corresponds at least to the limit slip angle of the parts (9) to be sorted on the rotary table plate (2) and at most to the limit slip angle of these parts on the pot wall (19), and is preferably between and 60 degrees, the rotary table plate (2) and the sorting ring edge (3) being made of wear-resistant plastic with a smooth surface or of non-magnetic metallic material, preferably of aluminum or its alloys. 3. Sorting machine according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the turntable (1) has a sorting ring edge (3) which is recessed opposite the turntable plate (2) and forms an inclined ramp for the parts to be sorted (9). 4. Sorting machine according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the sorting ring edge (3) has at least a width which corresponds to the diameter of the parts to be sorted. 5. Sorting machine according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that in the direction of rotation (20) of the turntable (1) after immersion in the storage area (22) for the parts (9) to be sorted, a conveying area up to at least one pre-sorting device (C12) follows, which has several, preferably at least three, abutting edges (24) for the parts (9) to be sorted and which extends on or through the pot wall (19) into the area of the sorting ring edge (3), at least partially overlapping it, and preferably pivotable, which ai-ftUG-1994 12:12 * &bull;"^^n^"'««*«.« · ^S · ⁰¹⁵ 01/08 '94 12:15 ®++43 07249 8846 2 D.I. DÜPAL GMBH Cover depth adjustable, mounted on the pot wall (ClS). 6, sorting machine according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the pre-sorting device (12) in the direction of rotation (20) of the turntable (O) is followed by a sensor and sorting section (6) with the interposition of a calming section on which the removal device (13) with an upwardly directed inlet opening (15) is arranged at a distance in the direction of rotation (20) of the turntable (U), covering the sorting ring edge (3), from which the correctly aligned parts (10) are guided via the guide section (14), preferably initially running downwards tangentially to the sorting ring edge (3), to a transfer point. 7, Sorting machine according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least one sensor (7) is arranged along the sensor and sorting section (6) and a sorting device (8) is arranged at a distance thereafter in the direction of rotation (20) of the turntable (1), the sensor (7), preferably an inductive sensor, being mounted either on the outside in the pot wall (19) or above the sorting ring edge (3) or below it and the sorting device (5) being mounted on the outside on the pot wall (19), and a further sensor (7) and a further sorting device (8) associated with it being provided at a distance therefrom in the direction of rotation (20) of the turntable (1). 8, Sorting machine according to claim 7, characterized in that the sorting device (8) _is controlled by the sensor (7) via the electronic switching arrangement, a transversely directed over the sorting ring edge (3) 12:12 \:4*83 &Egr;&tgr;&ohacgr;^&thgr;&thgr;*·» \ ^S ' ⁰¹⁶ 01/08 '94 12:16 ©++43 07249 3846 2 D. I. DÜPAL GMBH Air jet pulse is directed at the parts that are aligned in the correct position CIl), which are sorted out and returned to the storage area (22). 9. Sorting machine according to claims 1 to 8, characterized in that in the sensor and sorting section (6) a sensor (7) and a sorting device (8) are arranged as a pre-selection arrangement (31) at a distance against the direction of rotation (20) of the turntable (1), which, with the orientation of its sorting device (8), separates double and diagonally lying parts (9) to be sorted. 10. Sorting machine according to claim ₁₁ , characterized in that the individual magnets (4), which can preferably also be designed as electromagnets with in particular controllable excitation, are mounted on several magnet carrier segments (5) forming a circular ring below the sorting ring edge (3), which are provided independently of one another with adjusting devices (21) for adjusting the distance (32) to the sorting ring edge (3). 11. Sorting machine according to claim 1 to 3 10, characterized in that the individual magnets (4) with the magnet support segments (5) in the storage area (22) have the smallest distance (32) to the sorting ring edge (3) and thus produce the greatest magnetic force flux density on the sorting ring edge (3), which then decreases in the direction of rotation (20) of the rotating device (1) and is preferably even more reduced in the area of the sensor and sorting section (6). 12. Sorting machine according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the rotary table shaft C25) Ql-flUQ-1994 12:13 ^! ..&Ggr;&4? &trade;&trade;°:<=°^- -- p. 01/08 '94 12:16 ®++43 07249 8846 2 D.I. DUPAL GMBH ©018 ID an eccentric (26) passes through the rotary plate (1) and exerts periodic shocks on a transmission tube (27), which cause the wobble plate (28) suspended on several rubber buffers (C29) on the periphery of the pot wall (19) and provided with a lower feed opening (30) for the parts (9) to be sorted from the outer storage area (23) of the pot (18) to be set in wobbling motion. 01-RUG-1994 12:13 '\.l*t$3 ä?249 ^: 884:2·. \ p.018