GB1118587A - Article transfer apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1,118,587. Reciprocating conveyers. AJEM LABORATORIES Inc. 12 July, 1965, No. 29504/65. Heading B8A. Fig. 1 shows a conveyer having a main frame 1 with a reciprocating shuttle member 2 for conveying articles diagrammatically represented in Fig. 2 as 3<SP>1</SP>, 3<SP>11</SP> &c. from station to station, shown as 28<SP>1</SP>, 28<SP>11</SP> &c. to a use or terminal position which may be a machine to be fed or an assembly line position where the article is to be assembled into an apparatus being made. Two successive stations are shown in Fig. 1, each with its own dog assembly 101, 10<SP>11</SP>, a bell-crank tripper assembly 12 and an airoperated actuating cylinder 14 returned by a spring 13 (see Fig. 2). The articles 31, 3<SP>11</SP> &c. are pushed along rails 4 by the dog assemblies 10<SP>1</SP>, 10<SP>11</SP> &c. which engage the articles 31, 3<SP>11</SP> &c. and advance them one station at a time. When an article, for example 3<SP>1</SP>, is positioned in last station 28<SP>1</SP>, it mechanically depresses and holds down, through a sensing or feeler mechanism 17<SP>1</SP>, slide valve 16<SP>1</SP> and connects inlet air pressure line 18 through line 18<SP>1</SP> to line 18<SP>11</SP>. Through connection 30<SP>11</SP> the actuating cylinder 14<SP>1</SP> operates tripper assembly 12 to keep the latter from erecting the associated dog assembly 10. At station 28<SP>x </SP>the absence of an article 3 allows the spring 15 to close line 18<SP>iv</SP> and open line 18<SP>x</SP> to the atmosphere to vent the air pressure from the line beyond. In this case all stations downstream (i.e. in the direction from 18<SP>1</SP> towards 18<SP>x</SP>) would not be supplied with air and thus the associated dog assemblies 10 would be erected and articles from all downstream stations would be simultaneously moved down towards the empty station 28<SP>11</SP>. Erection of a dog assembly 10 is carried out when air pressure is released from cylinder 14, Fig. 3, counterweight 38 swinging tripper arm 32 upright where it will engage lever 42, when dog assembly 10 is in the " knocked down " position when the shuttle member 2 moves it, and thus dogs 34 will be swung into raised position behind a part 3 at a preceding station so they will engage the part and push it forward to the next station. If air is supplied to the cylinder 14, bell-crank assembly 12 is pivoted so that tripper arm 32 is swung down beyond the path of lever 42 as shuttle member 2 is reciprocated so that it cannot engage lever 42 to actuate dogs 34. In a modification shown in Fig. 10, the conveyer is a walking beam device with a bar member 2a moved in a rectangular motion by a drive mechanism (not shown). Collapsing parallelogram assemblies 65 (only one shown) in stations 28a<SP>1</SP>, 28a<SP>11</SP> &c., are erected (in a similar manner to that described above with reference to dog assemblies 10) only when articles (not shown) are required to be fed forward to an empty station.