EP0200922A1

EP0200922A1 - Cardboard feeder

Info

Publication number: EP0200922A1
Application number: EP86104549A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Takehiro C/O Mihara Machinery Works Of Takahashi
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd
Priority date: 1985-04-05
Filing date: 1986-04-03
Publication date: 1986-11-12
Also published as: EP0200922B1; AU5558986A; JPS61168036U; DE3664310D1

Abstract

A cardboard feeder having upper lower feed rolls (9, 10) for gripping and sending cardboards (5) toward a subsequent step and a kicker (8), characterized by rolls (11) disposed so as to contact with the under surface of the cardboard which rotate in synchronization with the operation rate of the kicker only when the kicker operates in the feed direction of the cardboard, whereby a feed force is applied to the under surface of the lowest one of the cardboards in a hopper.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a machine for making cartons of cardboard such as corrugated sheet and, more particularly, to a cardboard feeder for use with the carton making machine which achieves smooth feeding of cardboards without causing aefective feeding, collapse, and the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a conventional cardboard feeder 1. In this arawing, cardboards 5 are piled and stored in a hopper formea by a front stopper member 3 and a rear support member 4 provided on a table 2. A slide bar 6 embedded sliaably in the table 2 is reciprocated by a crank mechanism 7. A kicker 8 is fixed on the slide bar 6 so that in response to the operation of the crank mechanism 7 the cardboaras 5 in the hopper are kicked out in the airection of the arrow shown in the drawing through a slit formed at the lower end of the front stopper member 3 of the hopper each lowest one at a time. In front of the front stopper member j there are proviaea a pair of upper and lower feed rolls 9 ana 10 so that tne caraboara 5 sent out from the hopper is pinched between tne upper and lower feea rolls 9 and 10 and in response to the rotation of tne two rolls 9 and 10, is forwaraea successively to a subsequent step. Fig. 5 is an enlarged front view of a portion A in Fig. 4. The upper feed roll 9 is divided into plural segments ama supportea rotatably, while the surface of the lower feed roll 10 is finished through knurling or made rough by forming it by rubber, for example. For clarity, a ariving system of tne upper and lower feea rolls 9 and 10 is not illustrated. Fig. 6 illustrates the state in which the cardboard 5 passes between the upper and lower feed rolls 9 ana 10. As shown in Fig. 6, a gap g between tne upper and lower feed rolls 9 and 10 is set by a gap adjusting unit provided separately, but not illustrated, so as to assume a spacing smaller tnan the thickness T of tne cardboard 5. The reason is that if a feed force is absent or insufficient when tne carctboara 5 is conveyea by tne upper ana lower feed rolls 9 ana 10, the positions of printing and grooving being performed in the subsequent step at a certain timing are aisoraerea, that is, the aim of setting tne gap as above is to prevent occurrence of aisoruer of these positions ana make uniform the product quality. In aaaition, the upper and lower feed rolls 9 and 10 must draw out surely the cardboard with a force sufficiently larger than tne friction arag causea by being pinched between the total weight of caraboards 5 piled in the hopper and the upper surface of the table 2. In this connection, according to tne conventional device, the gap g between the upper and lower feed rolls 9 ana 10 had to be made considerably smaller than the thickness T of the cardboard 5 because the friction drag is of the static type and relatively large. As the result of tne manner above of setting the gap, the degree of collapse of the caraboara 5 ( see tne shaded portions of Fig. 6 ) becomes large and the strength of a carton thus made is insufficient; thus, disqualified products tend to be manufactured many. To prevent such inconveniences, corrugated board of thick linerboara configuration had to be employed and this in turn caused another inconvenience, such as a waste of resources.
As described above, tne conventional cardboard feeder had tne problems that to draw out the lowest cardboard out of those storea in tne hopper it is necessary to increase the pinching force of the upper and lower feed rolls, this tends to cause collapse of the caraboard just conveyed, ana to prevent such collapse the raw caraboara must be thick.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a caraboara feeaer wnich applies a feed force to a corrugated sheet by means of upper and lower feed rolls tnereby not causing inferior feeaing, collapse, and the like of the cardboard when it is forwarded to a subsequent step.
To achieve the foregoing object, the present invention resides in a cardboard feeder naving upper and lower feed rolls for gripping and senaing cardboards toward a subsequent step ana a kicker, characterized by rolls aisposed so as to contact with the unaer surface of the cardboard which rotate in synchronization with tne operation rate of tne kicker only when the Kicker operates in tne feea direction of the cardboard.
Specifically, in synchronization with the operation of the KicKer actuated by means of a crank mechanism and a slide bar, the rolls interlocked with gears accommodating ratchets therein are rotated only in the feed direction of the caraboard to thereby apply a feea force to the under surface of the lowest one of the cardboards in a hopper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a schematic siae view of a cardboard feeder accoraing to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken in the direction of tne arrows B-B of Fig. 1;
Fig.3 is a partial front view of a roll in another embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of the conventional cardboard feeder;
Fig. 5 is an enlarged front view of a portion A of Fig. 4; and
Fig. 6 is a siae view showing the state in which a cardboard is pinchea between upper ana lower feed rolls and sent out thereby.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a schematic siae view of a caraboara feeaer according to an emboaiment of the present invention ana Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken in the airection of the arrows B-B of Fig. 1.
In Figs. 1 ana 2, a cardboard feeaer indicated by reference numeral 1 functions as a device for kicking out forwara the lowest one of caraboaras 5 pilea in a hopper formed by a front stopper member 3 and a rear support member 4 proviaed on a table 2 by the use of the reciprocating motion of a Kicker 8 projecting from tne upper surface of the table 2. The cardboard tnus Kicked is pinched between a pair of upper and lower feed rolls 9 and 10 disposed in a station subsequent to tne cardboard feeder 1, so that it is forcealy taken and sent out. The kicKer 8 is fixed on a sliae bar 6 sliaable inside the table 2 so that it can reciprocate together with this slide bar 6. The sliae bar 6 in turn is reciprocated by means of a crank mechanism 7 disposed therebelow. The foregoing configuration of the device is similar to the conventional cardboard feeder shown in Fig. 4. Besides the foregoing configuration, rolls 11 are included which form an important portion of the present invention. As shown in Fig.2, gears 12 are securea on either end of each roll 11. The roll 11 is arranged so that its upper point is substantially flush with the surface of the table 2. Insiae the gear 12 a ratchet mechanism is accommodated for rotating the shaft of the roll in one airection, that is, in the embodiment illustrated these are designed so that the roll 11 can rotate only in the feed direction of caraboaras. Reference numeral 13 indicates a gear whose upper point is in gear with the gear 12 accommodating the ratchet mechanism with its lower point being in dear with a rack 14 proviaed unuersiae the slide bar _b. Altnough the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 includes six gears 12 each accommodating the ratchet mechanism therein provided on either side of the cardboard feed station, i.e. six rolls 11 arranged in parallel with one another, the number of rolls may be one or more and as shown in Fig. j, a roll composea of a plurality of short rolls lla supported by one shaft may be employed in place of one long roll 11.
Originally, it is desirable that the cardboards 5 piled in the hopper be Kicked out by the kicker 8 and sent smoothly into the subsequent step by tne upper and lower feea rolls 9 and 10 at an accurate timing without causing any collapse of the cardboard each lowest one at a time. According to the embodiment of the foregoing configuration, the rolls 11 are provided in the table 2 with their upper points being substantially flush with the upper surface of the table 2, the rolls 11 are driven only when the Kicker 8 moves forward ( only at the time of kicking out the cardboard 5 ), ana the top speed of the kicker 8 is set so as to coincide substantially with the peripheral speed of the rolls 11; thus, the friction drag caused by the face of the table 2 is reduced and tne caraboara 5 KicKea out by the kicxer 8 can be sent forwara by a small force even while it is conveyed by the upper and lower feea rolis 9 and 10, consequently, the card- boara 5 is collapsed little ana a processing in tne subsequent step can be performed accurately, thereby resulting in the auvantages of enhancing the product quality ana of saving resources.
As described hereinabove, according to the present invention, the cardboards are sent out smoothly from insiae the hopper; thus, a waste of resources and a fall of strength of products that woula otherwise result from collapse of the cardboard can be prevented from arising, and the degree of accuracy of printing, grooving, ana like processes done in the subsequent step can be improvea.

Claims

₁. A cardboard feeder naving upper ana lower feed rolls for grippinngana sernding cardboaras towara a subsequent step and a kicKer, characterized by rolls aisposeu so as to contact with the unuer surface of the cardboard which rotate in synchronization with the operation rate of said kicxer only when saia Kicker operates in the feed direction of the cardboards.

2. A cardboard feeaer according to claim 1, wherein each of said rolls contacting with the under surface of the card- boara is composed of a plurality of short rolls supported by one shaft.