FR2463081A1 - Control train for cyclic operation - has transfer drums with notches corresponding to operation positions of control - Google Patents

Abstract

The drive has wheels with notches around the rim. The notches are evenly spaced. Each of the positions in the wheel corresponds to an operation (A) (B) or (C). The workpieces are fed to the wheels by a feeder (12), and transferred to a second wheel (16) by the intermediate transfer wheel (14). The articles are again transferred to the discharge wheel (20) through the wheel (18). The wheels and operations may be varied by changing the train and size of wheels.

Description

The present invention relates to the processing on the machine of parts intended to undergo, for example during their manufacture or for any other reason, a series of operations which are repeated for the successive parts arriving on the machine.

To increase the production or processing rates, we have to make machines operating continuously, and we build treatment barrels provided with a certain number of reception and processing stations for parts, regularly distributed around the periphery. barrel; the coins arrive at a station in the barrel at a point in the barrel, rotate with the barrel while the processing is taking place, then are evacuated at another point in the barrel.

 Until now, one barrel was planned per operation to be performed on a part, and a manufacturing machine could include a large number of barrels connected to each other by parts transfer devices, in a chain going from one point of entry of the machine to an exit point, each part traversing the chain of barrels while passing once and only one on each one of them =. However, continuous processing techniques require large diameter barrels, especially if one wants to increase the rates. You quickly get to very large machines if the speed and the number of operations to be performed are important.

 La Bemanderesse realized that it was possible to use the same barrel, on which a part is returned several times, to subject the part to an operation at different stages of its treatment, and this by eliminating the significant difficulty that there has always had to distinguish on a mee barrel parts at different stages of their manufacture or treatment, while this distinction is necessary as well at the entry on the barrel, if one must enter on a post depending on the stage of manufacture, that 'at the exit where we must direct to different stations parts that are at different stages of their processing.

More specifically, the Applicant has realized that it is possible, by a relatively simple means, to use the same barrel to subject a part several times to the same operation at different stages (even by intercalating other different operations, on other barrels, between the operations repeated on the first barrel) so that one can avoid having two or more identical barrels in the chain whereas it is the same operation which must be carried out.

Better still, the means according to the invention makes it possible to use a single barrel but comprising, instead of a single series of treatment stations all identical, several series of treatment stations corresponding to different operations to be carried out at stages of different treatment, the arrangement of the barrel channe being such that the parts can return several times on the same barrel, to difierent stations, without risk of undergoing by the parts arriving on this barrel of operations not corresponding to the stage of treatment where they are.

 Under these conditions, machines can be built much more compact and therefore less storytelling than in the prior Ursce technique to reduce the number of operating barrels in a processing chain comprising a certain number of operations. For example, for a part which must undergo a dozen different operations, we can limit ourselves to a chain with two operating barrels, provided however that series of six different treatment stations can be placed on the barrels (possibly at the cost of an increase in the diameter of the latter) and it will obviously be necessary to take into account a certain geometric compatibility of these stations if we want to distribute them at a constant step over the same barrel.

To achieve these results, the present invention provides a machine for processing parts, intended to receive parts in continuous succession and to carry out several successive operations on each of these parts, characterized in that it comprises
- a first operating barrel comprising reception and part processing stations, distributed at a constant step into one or more identical series of n stations each assigned to a processing operation, each series corresponding to all of the operations to be carried out on this barrel for a part during a cycle where the part remains on the machine,
- At least one first transfer device comprising coin receiving housings at a pitch corresponding to the pitch of the posts of the first barrel, this first transfer device cooperating with the barrel with which it rotates in synchronism to bring parts onto the barrel to each time a housing of the transfer device arrives next to a barrel station,
- At least one second transfer device similar to the first, cooperating with the barrel with which it rotates in synchronism to extract from the first barrel a part for each three that a housing of the second transfer device comes opposite a station of the first barrel containing a coin,
- at least one barrel, or a set of barrels and transfer devices, additional, cooperating with both the first and the second transfer devices to constitute with them and the first barrel a closed circulation circuit for coins, the barrel or the additional assembly comprising workpiece receiving stations at a pitch corresponding to that of the transfer devices with which it cooperates,
- the machine also being characterized in that at least one part receiving station for a barrel is assigned to the entry and / or exit of parts to be treated on the machine and cooperates with a feed device of new parts and / or a device for evacuating treated parts, both having a pitch corresponding to a multiple of the pitch of this barrel, and by the fact that the transfer positions between the barrels and transfer devices, and the numbers of reception stations or housings thereof, are chosen so that, if P and Q are the points where the transfers of part take place between the first operating barrel and the first and second transfer devices respectively, the difference between the number of pitches of rooms or reception rooms for the part to be treated counted between Q and P on the one hand on the first barrel in its direction of rotation, and on the other hand on the path actually followed by the coins from Q to P, is a name bre first with the number n of operations to be performed on the barrel (this number n corresponding to the number of passages of a part on this barrel during a complete treatment cycle)
Thus, thanks to this choice of numbers and positions, a part introduced on the machine will circulate on the closed circuit in such a way that if it enters in P at a given treatment station of the barrel, to undergo an operation, it will find itself in P, after having made a complete turn of the closed circuit, in front of a processing station different from the first and offset with respect to the first by a number of prime steps with the number n of different stations of the series of operations to be performed. At each following turn, the offset will be repeated and the part will pass to a different station, this n times to accomplish the desired series of operations. As the offsets are prime with n, the part will pass, during n turns of the closed circuit, once and only once in each station of a series, after which it will leave the machine by the evacuation device (ie withdrawn, on the barrel next to which it is placed, only one part out of n since each part must pass the closed cycle n times before being ejected).

the offset between the positions of the first barrel on which a piece passes successively from one turn to the other can be equal to more or less one unit (modulo n) and in this case, we have the positions corresponding to the various operations on the first barrel, in succession in the order of operations to be performed (offset of + i) or in reverse order (offset of - 1) in the direction of rotation of the barrel.

More generally, if the offset (which is said difference in numbers of housings calculated between Q and P on the first barrel and on the closed circuit traveled) is equal to x (modulo n), the receiving stations of a series, corresponding to the various operations to be performed for a part on the barrel, are placed non-adjacent and spaced apart by x not in succession in the order of the operations to be performed, in the direction of rotation of the barrel (or spaced apart from n - x in the opposite direction which amounts to the same).

 If several series of n stations are provided on the first barrel, one can provide that one station of each series is assigned to the entry and exit of coins (this station can obviously also be used to perform a particular operation such as room orientation or other).

They are distributed at a step which is n times the step of the adjacent stations, this multiple corresponding moreover to the step of the stations of supply and evacuation of parts.

 the stations assigned to the entry and exit of parts, cooperating with the supply and evacuation devices can also be placed on the additional barrel; in all cases, if there are several on the barrel, they are spaced n times the pitch of the successive housings of the barrel so that the parts do not come out until they have made n times the circuit.

 In reality all the stations of one or the other barrel can sometimes act as entry or exit stations, but then the supply and evacuation devices must determine the pitch of entry and exit of the parts for that there is no possibility of leaving parts before they do not turn around and no possibility of entry other than at the places where a part has just left after complete treatment.

Providers will be provided that the devices for feeding and evacuating parts work in phase with one another, so that when a part exit station has emptied into the evacuation device, it then passes in front of the feed device at a time when it brings in a new part.

It is also possible to envisage that the supply device cooperates with one barrel and the discharge device with another.

 It is interesting to envisage that the additional barrel is an operative barrel, or more generally that the additional set of barrels and transfer devices necessary for the constitution of a closed circuit, includes an operative barrel. the reception stations of this second operating barrel are treatment stations distributed in one or more identical series of n 'stations each assigned to a treatment operation to be carried out between two operations carried out on the first barrel or to a simple transport operation if no treatment must be carried out on the second barrel between these two operations on the first barrel.

To keep the condition of progressive shift, at each circuit lap, between the stations of the first barrel on which a coin passes successively, and so that the succession of operations carried out is the same for all the coins entering the machine, it is necessary that n is
1) or equal to n (in the general case)
2) or equal to i if the same operation must be systematically repeated each time between two operations of the first barrel
3) or equal to a sub-multiple of n in the particular case where the operations of the second barrel only include operations which must all be repeated periodically several times during a global cycle.

If it were not equal to n or one of its multiple multiples (including 1), the succession of operations would not be the same for the successive parts entering the machine; one can however consider this case If one wants to treat differently parts successively introduced on the machine.

 More generally, provision can be made for the machine according to the invention to comprise a series of operating barrels connected to each other by transfer devices so as to constitute a closed circuit with housings and reception stations at a constant pitch, with a device for supplying parts and an evacuation device operating with a pitch which is n times kn> 1) the pitch of the housings, the stations of a particular operating barrel being distributed in one or more series of n stations, and those other barrels being distributed in one or more series of n ', n "etc. stations respectively (with generally n', n" etc.

equal to n or in very special cases equal to 1 or a sub-multiple of n), and the loop being constituted so that a part traversed n times (n> 1) the circuit between the moment it enters and the moment when it leaves, passing successively once and only once on each station of a series of n of the particular barrel 'mentioned.

Finally, according to the present invention, a treatment machine is also claimed comprising at least one operating barrel provided with at least one series of n different treatment stations distributed at a constant pitch to allow the entry and regular exit of parts, and a means transporting parts to constitute a closed circuit for circulating parts capable of bringing the parts n times on the barrel, each time on a different station,
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows and which is given with reference to the appended drawings in which
- Figure 1 schematically shows an example of a processing machine according to the invention comprising two operating barrels and capable of performing six operations on each of the parts arriving on the machine
- Figure 2 schematically shows another example of a processing machine comprising four operating barrels and capable of performing a series of successive operations, some of which are repeated several times during a part processing cycle.

Given that the present invention is applicable to all kinds of machines for continuous treatment of parts, there will not be described specifically an example of practical construction of operating barrels capable of performing such or such operation on a part, nor of wheels of transfer arranged between the barrels and capable of transferring the pieces from one barrel to the other to produce a continuous circuit where the pieces circulate. The execution of these barrels and transfer devices obviously depends on the nature of the parts to be treated and the operations to be carried out. To produce this or that sort of barrel and transfer device, reference will be made to the construction techniques known in the field. of manufacturing envisaged. This field can be for example the construction of containers requiring stampings, welds, various machining etc, or still the bottling of liquids, requiring a washing of bottles, filling, capping, etc. Many other examples may be given, including for the treatment of parts for which Greek continuous operation with operative barrels has not yet been envisaged; the transposition can be done on the basis of the principles set out in the present patent application without the need here to describe the construction details.

In Figure 1 is shown a simple embodiment of the invention for a machine in laqueîJe six operations must be performed successively for each part.

 The parts are brought to a first operating barrel 10 provided at its periphery with reception and part processing stations, these stations being distributed at a constant pitch all around the periphery, in several series of three different stations which are here designated by the respective references A, B and O. Station A corresponds to an operation to be carried out, station B to a different operation and station C to a third operation. In the written example, the positions A, B and G follow one another in this order, in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the barrel 10.

The number of seers of three stations A, B, C around the barrel 10 can be any; it depends both on the duration of the treatment envisaged for the longest operation among operations A, B and C and on the rate of operation of the machine.

the pieces to be treated are brought to the barrel 10 by means of a piece feeding device 12 capable of bringing a piece only to one of the stations
A, 13 and C, for example station A which will serve as an entry station for the parts on the machine and, in the example precisely described, also as an exit station.

For example, the feed device 12 is a transfer wheel comprising cells distributed at a triple pitch (because there are series of three operations to be carried out on the barrel) of the pitch of the stations A, B, C of the periphery of the barrel 10. The transfer wheel 12 rotates in synchronism with the barrel 10, with a phase shift such that a cell of the wheel 12 comes opposite each station A at the tangential contact point of the wheel 12 and the barrel 100
A piece arriving on the wheel 12 is therefore transferred to each post A assumed to be empty. your part transferred to A rotates with the barrel and undergoes the operation A corresponding to this station. This operation can very easily be a simple transport operation if the station A is only used for the introduction of parts on the machine .

 It should be mentioned that the supply device 12 is a selective device, that is to say that it does not introduce a part into all the stations which appear in front of it but only in front of the type A stations and which it does not not disturb the passage of stations B and C which also pass by at the same tangential point of contact.

the part having undergone operation A arrives at a tangential contact point of a transfer device 14, for example a cell wheel; it then leaves the barrel 10 and turns on the periphery of the wheel 14. Unlike the supply device 12, the transfer wheel 14 is not selective, it has cells at the same pace as the posts of the barrel 10 and it discharges of it all the parts contained in the stations A, B and C of the barrel 10 to bring them to a second operating barrel lb which rotates in synenronism with the wheel 14 and with the barrel 10 and yes also has reception stations and processing
distributed parts / on its periphery to perform the other three operations provided for the six-operation machine described here.

the processing stations are also distributed at the same step as those of the barrel 10, in one or more series (here several) of three stations each of which corresponds to a respective operation.

 For the barrel 16, the order of arrangement of the posts is imposed by that which was adopted for the barrel 10 in the general case where the order of succession of the various operations has an importance.

 For example, if we designate by a, b, c the processing stations of barrel 16 or the operations themselves carried out in the stations, and if we wish to carry out the operations in the following order: A, a, B, b , C, c, it is necessary to arrange the positions a, b, c in the same order as the positions A, B, C since the parts will be transferred by the wheel 14 exactly in the order of arrangement of the positions of the barrel 10 .

 The number of series of three positions a, b, c need not be the same as the number of series on bar 10.

 Some of the operations a, b, and c may title operations of simple transport, for example if it is assumed that there is no operation to perform between operations B and o of the barrel 10: operation b will be a simple part transport operation.

the operating barrel 16 and the transfer wheel 14 rotational tensynobronism and with such a phase, taking into account the position of the tangential point of contact therebetween, a part which has been extracted from a determined station, A, 5, U of the barrel 10 systematically arrives at a station in barrel 16 corresponding to the following operation which. must title performed: in the example given above, a part extracted from a station Q of the barrel 10 must arrive.necessarily in a station a of the barrel 16 and for this it suffices to provide a suitable phase shift between the times when the stations A and a respectively pass to the tangential contact points of the wheel 14 with the barrels 1U and 16 respectively; in the example represented in FIG. 1, where five pitch of the cells of the wheel 14 separate the contact points, provision is made for the posts a of the barrel 16 to be one step ahead of the post A on the wheel 10 at their moment of passage in front of the respective tangential contact point with the wheel 14.

the tangential points of contact of the wheel 14 with the barrel 10 and the barrel 16 are designated by the letters
Q and R respectively.

the parts introduced into the barrel 16 rotate with it and are extracted therefrom by another transfer device 18 which can be constituted like the transfer device 14, namely by a cell wheel whose cells are distributed at the same pitch as the positions of the barrels and that the cells of the wheel 14, and which is capable of extracting from the barrel 16 all the parts contained in the successive treatment stations of the periphery of the barrel. The transfer wheel 18 rotates in synchronism with the barrel 16 and in tangential contact with it at a point S; the parts of the barrel posts are extracted each time a post arrives opposite a cell of the wheel 18 at point S.

 The transfer wheel 18 is also in tangential contact with the barrel 10, at a point B and the arrangement of the barrels and wheels is such that the cells of the wheel 18 can come opposite both of the receiving stations of the barrel 10 and those of barrel 16 respectively at points P and S (not necessarily simultaneously).

At the tangential contact point f of the barrel 10 and of the wheel 18, the parts are again transferred to the barrel 1U so that a closed circuit for circulation of the parts has thus been formed between the barrel 10, the wheel 14, the barrel 16 on the wheel 18.

There is also a device 2U for evacuating a part from the barrel 10, capable of evacuating only the parts which have undergone a complete treatment on the machine.

This device is located between the wheel 18 and the parts feed wheel 12 and it is selective, that is to say that it extracts from the barrel 10 only the parts present in a given position, in this case the type A posts.

the parts evacuation device 20 can be constituted by a cell wheel, the cells of which are distributed at a pitch multiple of the pitch of the barrel stations 10 and these cells are in phase with the type 4 stations at the point of contact between the barrel 10 and the evacuation device 20. The parts which are in stations B and C must not be extracted and the evacuation wheel 20 is capable of allowing these parts to pass, as well as the part feed wheel 12 is also capable of letting through the rooms of stations B and O without disturbance.

 It is advantageous that the cells of the evacuation wheel 20 are in synchronism with the stations A at the point of contact between the barrel 10 and the wheel 20 so that the station A empties into the wheel 20 located upstream, in the direction of rotation of the barrel 10, of the dramatic piece wheel 12; in this way, a station A which has just been emptied by the rov.e 20 can be immediately filled again with a new part by the feed wheel 12. One could however provide that the evacuation wheel 20 is located elsewhere, for example it can be located on the barrel 16, synchronized with the type c stations of the barrel 16 and arranged in a position of the barrel 16 such that the pieces entered in the type c stations have had time to undergo the operation c, if there is one, before being extracted.

 We have described here a closed circuit comprising only four wheels or barrels; it is easy to see that Orlon can be brought in for questions of geometric arrangement to be provided between the two treatment barrels 10 and 16, for example three wheels instead of a single wheel 14, or three wheels instead of wheel 18. It is possible to also provide that only the barrel 10 is an operating barrel with different treatment stations, the barrel 16 being simply constituted by a transfer wheel of the type of the wheels 14 and 18, intended only to constitute a closed circuit for the return of parts to the barrel 10.

 It is sought according to the invention to bring back onto the barrel 10, successively to stations A, is and C, the parts which follow the closed circuit. For this it is necessary to design the path followed by the parts so that a part returned to the machine in a station A and which has just undergone operation A, and possibly an operation a on the barrel 16 in the example described in Figure 1, or brought by the wheel 18 on 3.e barrel 10, but at station 13 and not again on a station A (in the example which is described that is to say where the operations must be performed in order h, a 3, b, C, c).

 Similarly, the part which then undergoes treatment B on the barrel 10 without being extracted by the evacuation wheel 20 and without being disturbed by the feed wheel 2, must travel through the closed circuit, possibly undergoing operation b on the barrel 16, and must be brought on barrel 10 to a station u to undergo operation C during its rotation on the barrel. The part then undergoes a new closed cycle, passing through the stations c of the barrel 16, and it must be brought back again, after having gone through three closed cycles, on the barrel 10 to a station A from which it will be extracted by the discharge wheel 20 before a new part is brought to the same station by the supply wheel 12 placed downstream of the discharge wheel 20 and synchronized with the latter.

To allow this repetition of closed cycle with a successive passage to stations A, a, 3, b, O, c, the invention provides for calculating the positions of the contact points
P, Q, K, S between the barrels and the transfer wheels, so that the path followed by the parts from the point where they exit from a barrel to the point where they enter there has a length such that they can not re-enter the barrel or a post of the type on which they were previously, or even on a post which would be offset from the post on which they were previously by a number of steps which would be a sub-multiple (> 1) the number of operations carried out on the barrel, that is to say the number of different types of postp-revised on this barrel.

On the contrary, arrangements are made according to the invention so that the parts taken out of a station of the given type of barrel can only be brought back to a different station and offset with respect to a station of the type from which they come out of a number of prime steps with the number of different types of stations.

This shift of a number of prime steps with the number of types of stations means that the parts will necessarily pass successively on each of the stations of different types between the moment they enter the machine and the moment when they leave them0
More precisely, and as can be seen in FIG. 1, the condition according to the invention is that the difference between the lengths of the path separating the tangential contact points Q and P counts from one part along the periphery of the barrel 10 in the direction of rotation of this one, and on the other hand along the path actually followed by the parts on the wheel 14, the barrel 16, and the wheel 1S, that is to say a prime number with the number of types of station different on barrel 10 (three: A, B, k)).

 In ltexernple represented in FIG. 1, it can be counted that on the periphery of the barrel, six steps of housing of parts separate points Q and P, while thirty-one steps separate Q and P on the path actually followed by the parts. The difference between six and thirty-one is equal to - 25 and the number 25 is prime with the number three of types of barrel positions 1O, which automatically achieves the desired offset so that the coins pass successively on all the barrel positions operative.

It will be noted that it is perfectly equivalent to make the same calculation of difference by taking as points of contact the points R and S rndme if the numbers of series of stations on the barrels 10 and 16 are different and even if the numbers of cells actually used on wheels 14 and 18 are different.

Even more precisely, the difference calculated between the paths separating points Q and P can be chosen to determine 11 order of arrangement of the types of post A, 3, C on barrel 10 (or a, b, c on barrel 16) so that the operations s1 are carried out successively in the desired order (for example A, a, B, b, C, c). Indeed, if this difference is equal to a number x (modulo 3 if we have three different operations on barrels), it will be necessary to space a number of steps z. on the barrel, in the direction of rotation thereof, the positions corresponding to successive operations0 In the example shown, x equals 1 (because - 25 = - 24-1 = -l modulo 3 'and we space the posts A, 3, C in this order, by one step, but in opposite direction of rotation of the barrel (or two steps in the direction of rotation of the barrel, which corresponds to the same thing for a modulo 3 calculation).

 If we wanted to succeed the positions A, B and e immediately in the direction of rotation of the barrel, it would be necessary to provide for example a number of steps equal to 32 between Q and P on the path actually followed by the parts.

 In the case where one has operations (n 2> 4) to be carried out on a barrel, one can use this faculty of shifting at will the succession of positions corresponding to successive operations to be carried out to help solve the geometry problems posed by the variable dimensions of the various treatment stations. For example, one may wish not to have two stations side by side corresponding to successive operations. If these two stations have a large bulk while having to be arranged at a constant pitch.

we prefer to insert a smaller space between these two positions by appropriately choosing the offset x modulo n.

 In what precedes one does not prejudge the nature of the stations A, B and U or a, b, c, the choice of these stations obviously depending on the possibilities of adaptation on vn same barrel of treatment stations of very different types .

For example, for mechanical operations to be carried out on parts, it may also be necessary to have sets of cams acting to move tools, and it is desirable to have treatment stations corresponding to equivalent displacement strokes on the same barrel. tools so that the same carnes can be used for all positions.

 Another essential question which must be considered is that of the overcrowding of the posts which are to be overwritten.

The third question is that of twisting the operations to be carried out which depends on the arrangement of the positions on the barrels. It may be necessary to often insert simple transport operations during a cycle half or a complete cycle on the different wheels and barrels.

In general we will have on the barrel 16 as many different naked positions on the barrel 10 me if we do not have as many operations to perform as on the barrel 10. For example, we can caaroir five operations îar
A, a, X, b, C, but it will still be necessary to provide a station c on the barrel 16 otherwise operations would not be repeated identically for all the parts entering the machine
A particular case where a number of types of positions different from the number of types of positions on barrel 10 can be provided on barrel 16 is that where, for example, an operation a must be carried out between each operation A, B, C: the succession would be A, a, B, a, C:, a. In this case one can provide a very simple barrel 16 which comprises only one type of station a. Another exceptional case where one could foresee on the barrel 16 a number of types of stations n1 different from the number n of types of stations on the barrel 10, would be the case where one would have to repeat several times the same group of operations of the barrel 16 during a passage of a part on the machine: for example If we had to carry out operations in the following order A, a, B, b, C, a, X, b. In this case, it is possible to provide a barrel 16 having only stations of types a and b regulated. pilais in all cases, if the number of positions of the two barrels is different, it is absolutely imperative that the number of positions of one is a submultiple of the number of positions of the other so that operations are carried out identically for all parts entering the machine.

 In any case, in the general case there will be the same number of types of stations on all the barrels, certain corresponding stations which will only be used for transport operations.

From the foregoing explanations, we can see that we do not have to involve the number of sets of posts on a barrel, the important thing being the number of posts in each series. the number of series depends on the diameter of the barrel which itself can be chosen according to the envisaged rates of the durations necessary for such or such operation which occurs su a pull of a barrel turn4
In FIG. 2 another embodiment of the invention is shown, in which there are two additional operating barrels and two additional transfer wheels for connecting them to the others.

 There is also a closed circuit for circulating parts, with a gripper supply device 12, a device for discharging parts 20 which, in the example described, are arranged in tangential contact with the same operating barrel 10, the parts evacuation device 20 being upstream of the supply device 12 in the direction of rotation of the barrel 10.

 the barrel 10 comprises two series of three positions, two positions out of the three being identical and intended only to perform transport; the three positions are designated by the letters X, X and 'l'.

 the operating barrel 10 cooperates with a transfer wheel 14 with cells distributed at the same pace as the stations of the barrel 10. The wheel 14 rotates in synchronism with the barrel and is in tangential contact with it at a point Q.

This wheel cooperates with a second barrel designated by the reference 13 which comprises, at the same step, processing stations distributed in three series of three stations designated by the references D, D ', D The parts transferred to the barrel 1: 5 by the wheel 14 exit therefrom by another cell wheel 15 which systematically extracts all the parts from the barrel 13 and transfers them to a third operating barrel 16 having equal - three series of three treatment stations designated respectively by the references
C, C ', O "follow one another in this order in the direction of rotation of the barrel 16.

 the parts which have been introduced on the barrel 16 by the wheel 15 are extracted by the transfer wheel 17 after they have traversed a part of the periphery of the barrel 16o. The transfer wheel 17 brings them onto a last barrel 19 comprising three series three posts, two posts out of the three being identical and corresponding simply to transport operations.

the positions are designated by the references, V, T, and T.

Finally, a last transfer wheel 18 cooperates both with the barrel 19 and with the barrel 10 to close the circuit followed by the parts. The tangential contact point of the last transfer wheel 18 and the barrel 10 is designated by the reference P.

 It can easily be seen in the figure that the difference between the paths existing between Q and, on the one hand on the periphery of the barrel 10 in the direction of rotation thereof, and on the other hand on the path actually followed by the pie these on the whole chain, is here equal to 1 - 30 = - 29 which is a prime number with 3 and which is equal to + 1 modulo 5, so that at each complete cycle turn, a coin will enter, on each barrel, in a post immediately following (in the direction of rotation of the barrel) a post of the type on which it had passed in the previous round.

 Thus, for example on the barrel 13, a part which would have passed over a post D of the barrel 13 will carry out the circuit passing through the wheels and barrels 15, 16, 17, 19, 18, 10, and 14, and will return again on barrel 17 in a post r ', do another round and enter a post r ".

It is obviously arranged to appropriately phase-shift the barrel so that a part which has penetrated at a given moment into the machine arrives on the barrel 13, not in any station D, D 'or D ", but in the type of post, which corresponds to the first operation to be performed among the three, this obviously being true for each of the operating barrels.

It is easy to see in FIG. 2 that the successive operations (designated by the capital letters corresponding to the barrel processing stations) undergone by the pieces are in the order:, C, k), T, T, DC: ' , T, T laughs, ", V, E after which they leave the machine by the evacuation device 20.

A particular remark can be made with regard to the tangential contact points of the different wheels and barrels: it can be seen in FIG. 2 that it is not at all necessary that the parts housings of the different wheels and barrels arrive everywhere simultaneously QOX / facing each other / different tangential contact points. transfers from a wheel to a barrel or vice versa can be out of phase with each other, the path between Q and Y not being necessarily equal to an exact number of housing steps, nor along the periphery of the barrel 10 nor on the path actually followed by the pieces, the difference between these two lengths however being equal to an integer number of steps,
The arrangement of FIG. 2 is particularly interesting if the operations C, C 'and C "correspond to identical or practically identical operations, as well as the operations r, D' and D". We can cite by way of example of application of the circuit of figure z a shell loading operation with powder in which the operations to be performed are
- the introduction on the machine of a shell into a post E of the barrel 10 and installation of a funnel at the upper part of the shell,
- first powder dosage in a station D of the barrel 13,
- first powder compression in a station C of the barrel 16,
- simple transport on the barrel 19 and simple transport on the barrel 10,
- second dosing in a station D 'of the barrel 13,
- second compression in a station C 'of the barrel 16,
- simple transport on the barrel 19 and simple transport on the barrel 10,
- third powder metering in a station D "of the barrel 13,
- third compression in a CII post of barrel 6,
- verification of the loading in a post V of the barrel 19,
elimination of the funnel in a station E of the barrel 10 and evacuation of the part in the evacuation device 20.

the compression operations being practically identical three times although with possibly different compression values, just as the dosas operations are identical with possibly different doses, it is advantageous to distribute them in two barrels, one for the compressions respectively and one for the dosages.

in some cases, the parts can change dimensions during certain operations carried out on the machine, in this case, obviously the treatment stations are adapted each time to receive these parts of possibly different shapes and dimensions and it is necessary to provide in more than the cells of the transfer wheels between the different barrels are themselves adapted to receive parts of different shapes.

In this case, each cell wheel must include cells in number multiple of the number of operations to be performed on each barrel (just as the barrels themselves have a number of positions multiple of the number of operations to be performed), the the cells of the wheels then being arranged successively so that each time a part is properly inserted into a cell of corresponding size.

 If, on the contrary, the part does not change its external shape during the whole treatment, it is very possible to provide any number of cells in each cell wheel.

 Of course, the transfer devices may very well not be cell wheels but for example be vehicle chains or parts transport buckets, provided that the parts remain at a constant step on this chain. The same applies to devices for supplying and evacuating parts which, in addition, must operate selectively with a step multiple of the step of the treatment stations on the barrels.

The condition on the difference between the numbers of housing steps and the number of operations to be carried out is maintained in this case, but the barrels and transfer wheels no longer have to be tangential in their geometric position, and therefore their spacing, is more free.

 In Figure 3 is schematically shown a machine with two operating barrels using a transfer by an endless chain of buckets spaced at a constant pitch, each bucket carrying a workpiece.

 In FIG. 4, a variant is shown according to which the recycling of the parts on an operating barrel 10 is done in a shorter manner with a single recirculating wheel which alone fulfills the functions previously assumed by the first transfer device, the second transfer device and the barrel or additional assembly; the recirculation wheel 22 of FIG. 4 alone constitutes a means of transporting coins, producing with the barrel 12 a closed circuit for circulation of coins capable of bringing the coins n times on the barrel, each time on a different station from the series of n barrel positions 10.

The wheel 22 is capable of both collecting a coin arriving from the barrel 10 and bringing a coin into a free cell of the barrel as the case may be.

In FIG. 4, the barrel 10 comprises series of two different stations A and B, and, so that the wheel 22 performs the desired function, it has a prime number of cells with n = 2 (here: 17 cells). Indeed, everything happens as if we had grouped the points P and Q of supply of parts and extraction of parts in a single point;-consequently, the numerical condition required on the difference between the paths between Q and P to ensure the offset from one station to another is reduced on the condition that the path taken on the recirculation wheel 22, that is to say one complete revolution of this wheel, is equal to a number of prime steps with the number n of posts of a series on the barrel 10.

In the operation of Figure 4, the parts enter by a reduced device 12 as in the other figures; they are processed on an A post in which they are entered; a device 20 for evacuating parts is provided, but it takes only the parts located in stations B. The recirculation wheel 22 is located so as to be tangent (at point P, Q) to the barrel upstream of the wheel 12 and downstream of the wheel 20 (in the direction of rotation of the barrel). A part processed in a station A passes in front of the wheel 20 without being extracted; it is then transferred to P, Q on the wheel 22, goes around it and returns to a station B at point P, Q, on a station B; it is treated, passes in front of the wheel 12 without interfering with it since the wheel 12 brings pieces only into stations A. Finally, the piece leaves station B in the deviation wheel 20 (which means that stations B are free to receive the parts brought back by the wheel 226
It will be noted that a similar arrangement can be provided, that is to say with a single recirculation wheel 22 without the points P and Q being confused, in the case of transfer by a chain of vehicles carrying parts , the entry and evacuation of parts being done at any point in the chain. This is represented in the figure se The means of transport is an endless chain passing around the barrel, deviating from it in Q, returning to it in P after having turned around the wheel 22. The condition on the paths between P and Q is always the same.This provision applies regardless of n.

 On the contrary, the arrangement of FIG. 4 is applicable, if n is greater than two, only if provision is made for the barrel and the recirculation wheel each to comprise means for effecting a change in the level of the parts during their rotation in order to that the parts transferred from the barrel to the recirculation wheel 22 are at a different level, in the same cell at point P, Q, from that of the parts transferred from the recirculation wheel to the barrel. For n = 2 this level change is not necessary, but it is necessary if n is greater than two, otherwise there would be a risk of collision at P, Q between parts arriving at P, Q from. both barrel and wheel. The level change allows the simultaneous double transfer without collision. Helical ramps on the barrel and the wheel are sufficient to achieve the desired level change (which is moreover conventional for certain applications on a working barrel).

Claims (11)

 1. Parts processing machine intended to receive parts in continuous succession and to carry out several successive operations on each of these parts, characterized in that it comprises - a first operating barrel comprising reception and part processing stations, distributed at a constant pitch in one or more identical series of n stations each assigned to a processing operation, each series corresponding to all of the operations to be carried out on this barrel for a part during a cycle where the part remains on the machine,  - At least one first transfer device comprising coin receiving housings at a pitch corresponding to the pitch of the posts of the first barrel, this first transfer device cooperating with the barrel with which it rotates in synchronism to bring a part onto the barrel at each time a housing of the transfer device arrives next to a barrel station, - at least one second transfer device similar to the first, cooperating with the barrel with which it rotates in synchronism to extract from the first barrel a part each time that a housing of the second transfer device comes opposite a station of the first barrel containing a coin, - At least one barrel, or a set of barrels and transfer devices, additional, cooperating with both the first and second transfer devices to constitute with them and the first barrel a closed circuit for circulation of coins, the barrel or the additional assembly comprising parts receiving stations at a pitch corresponding to that of the transfer devices with which it cooperates, - - At least one station for receiving parts from a barrel being assigned to the entry and / or exit of parts to be treated on the machine and cooperating with a device for bringing in new parts and / or a device for evacuation of treated parts both having a pitch corresponding to a multiple of the pitch of this barrel,  - the transfer positions between the barrels and transfer devices, and the numbers of reception stations or housings of the latter, being chosen such that if P and Q are the points where the transfers of coin take place between the first barrel and the first and the second transfer device respectively, the difference between the number of steps of housings or positions for the re-insertion of parts to be treated counted between Q and P on the one hand on the first barrel in its direction of rotation, and d on the other hand on the path actually followed by the pieces from Q to P, is a prime number with the number n of operations to be performed on the barrel.  2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said difference is equal to more or less a unit module n) and that on the first barrel, the receiving stations of a series, corresponding to the various opex $ ions to be carried out a part on this barrel, are placed adjacent in succession in the order of operations to be performed or in reverse order (in the direction of rotation of the barrel).  3. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said difference is equal to x (modulo n) and that on the first barrel, the receiving stations of a series, corresponding to the various operations to be performed for a part on this barrel are placed nonadjacent and spaced x not in succession in the crdre of the operations 2 to be carried out (in the direction of rotation of the barrel, or spaced n - x not in the opposite direction).  4. Machine according to one of claims í to 3, characterized in that the additional barrel is an operating barrel, or respectively bare the additional assembly includes an operating barrel, that the receiving stations of this second operating barrel are treatment stations distributed in one or more identical series of n stations each assigned to a treatment operation to be carried out between two operations carried out on the first barrel or a simple transport olcratJon If no treatment must be carried out between these two operations on the first barrel. 5. Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that n '= n.  6. Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that n 'is a sub-multiple of n, integer, greater than or equal to i, in the case where the n' operations must be repeated several times according to an identical cycle interspersed several times during the n operations of the first barrel. 70 Machine according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the devices for feeding and evacuating parts work in phase with one another so that when a work station has emptied into the evacuation device, it then passes into the supply device at a time when it brings a new part. 8. Machine ae treatment of parts intended to receive parts in continuous succession and to carry out several successive operations on each of these parts, characterized in that it comprises a series of operating barrels connected to each other by transfer devices so as to constitute a closed circuit with housings and reception stations at a constant pitch with a workpiece feed device and a workpiece evacuation device operating with a pitch which is n times (n greater than 1) the pitch housings, the stations of one of the operating barrels being distributed in one or more series of n stations, each station of a series corresponding to an operation to be carried out, and those of the other barrels being equally distributed in one or more series of n ', n "etc0 positions respectively (n', n" etc. being less than or equal to n), and the closed circuit being constituted so that a part traverses n times (n greater than 1) the circuit between the moment when it enters and the moment when it leaves the machine, passing successively once and only once on each station of a series of n of the particular barrel mentioned. 9. Parts processing machine intended to receive parts in succession and to carry out several successive operations on each of these parts, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least one operating barrel provided with at least one series of n different treatment stations distributed at a constant pitch to allow the regular entry and exit of coins, and a means of transporting coins to form a closed circuit for circulation of coins capable of bringing the coins n times on the barrel, at each times on a different post in the series.  10. Processing machine according to claim 9, characterized in that the means of transport consists of a single wheel. recirculation with cells, tangent to the operating barrel and comprising a prime number of cells with n. 11. Treatment machine according to claim 10, characterized in that n = 2, that the single recirculation wheel is tangent to the barrel at a point located between the parts evacuation device (downstream of the latter) and the parts feed device (upstream of the latter).  12. Treatment machine according to claim 10, characterized in that the recirculation wheel and the barrel comprise means for effecting a change in the level of parts during their rotation so that the parts transferred from the barrel to the recirculation wheel are at a different level, in the same cells, from that of the parts transferred from the wheel to the barrel. 13. Machine according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that the means of transport comprises a chain sar, s end of vehicles carrying parts, the chain surrounding the barrel at a point P, deviating therefrom and returning to it at a point Q, and the length of the chain between Q and P being such that the difference between this length and the length between Q and P on the barrel in its direction of rotation is a prime number with n.