GB1274111A - Electromagnetic sorting and conveying - Google Patents

Abstract

1,274,111. Magnetic lifting devices. INSTITUT FUR SCHIFFBAU. 4 Aug., 1969, No. 38937/69. Heading B8H. [Also in Divisions G3 and H1] Apparatus for sorting and conveying irregularly shaped plate entirely of magnestizable material, comprising a composite beam 1 made from cross-braced girders 2 having crossmembers 3 profiled to receive insertable frames 4 suspending plural electromagnets 5, each of diameter less than that of the smallest article but disposed over an area exceeding that over which the articles are distributed. Initially, the electromagnets are all energized and the array is lowered, e.g. by a hoist to pick up the articles to be sorted and conveyed, after which it is lifted and transported to a succession of stations at which the magnets are successively deenergized in groups to deposit selected articles upon appropriate pallets. De-energization may be effected by manual switching, or may be automatically controlled by relay switching under control of a punched tape program alternating with a similar program for lifting and transportation. When the articles are cut from a single sheet, programming may be effected by superimposing a transparent drawing of the cutting arrangement of the parts on a panel of photo-diodes positionally corresponding respectively to the plural electromagnets, and the individual article areas are successively explored by a light spot; the grouped voltage pulses from the photo-diodes being coded and transferred to tape by a punch in succession for each article to generate a de-energization programme; the transportation programme for each group being derived from a keyboard. The read-out mechanism for the tape may be mounted on the crane, and the de-energization programme derived therefrom is stored until complete; after which all selected electromagnets are deenergized simultaneously.