GB2188894A - Feeding elongate products - Google Patents

Abstract

A descrambling mechanism is provided for rods or tubes 16 being conveyed by conveyor 10. The descrambling mechanism includes means for sweeping stop members 23 along a predetermined path, a portion of this path being spaced from the conveyor 10 by a distance only just sufficient to accommodate a single layer of the rods or tubes 16. The conveyor 10 may be replaced by belt slings wound on a pulley to feed articles from a bunker. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Feeding elongate products The present invention relates to the feeding ofel- ongate products such as tubes, rods or bars.

To automate the feeding of such products between two machines performing separate operations on the products, it is frequently necessary to descramble a bundle of the products so that they are regularly disposed one behind the other along a conveyor. This may be done manually, or by using a descrambling mechanism.

A problem with known descrambling mechanisms isthatthey are generally unsatisfactory when hand- ling products which may be slightly bent, the problem becoming more severe as the length of the product increases.

A descrambling mechanism might consist, for example, of a line of fixed stop memberstransverseto the conveyor and spaced above the conveyor by a distance slightly exceeding the rod or tube diameter sothatonly one tube or rod is ableto pass at atime beneath the stop members. However, if the tubes or rods are sufficiently long and flexible, it is possible for the leading ends of two crossed tubes or rods to pass at the same time beneath the stop members at the extreme ends, and this can result in ajam.

A known method of overcoming this problem is by hinging the stop members sothatthey act as detector fingers rather than fixed stops, the pivoted movement of a finger, when engaged buy a portion of a tube or rod not lying flat on the conveyor, actuating a switch which temporarily reverses the conveyor.

This mechanism is particularly useful with bunker feed machines since thetubes or rods on the con veyorare then tumbled back into the bunker andre- presented to the descrambling mechanism when the conveyor is again moved forward. It frequently happens howeverthatthe crossed rods ortubes are not completely unscrambled by the reversing operation.

A bent tube not lying flat on the conveyorwill also actuate one of the detectorfingers and cause reversal of the conveyor. At best, therefore, the machine is only able to provide an intermittent supplyofthetubes or rods.

According to the present invention a more continuous supply of elongate products on a conveyor is achieved by providing a descrambling mechanism in which at least one stop member is repeatedly advanced along a predetermined path, at least a portion of the path being spaced above the conveyor by a distance only just sufficient to accomodate a single layer ofthe elongate products. In this manner a rod ortube engaged by the advancing stop member is pushed back upstream of the conveyor without causing a jam. Moreover the advancing stop member is able to lie bent tubes flat while crossed orsuperposed tubes are unscrambled without having to reverse the conveyor.

The advancing stop member or members may be used with or without a conventional fixed stop member or members located downstream ofthe advancing member. When more than one advancing stop member is provided, the members may be spaced apart across the width of the conveyor, and/or one behind the other along the length of the conveyor.

In one embodiment ofthe invention a plurality of stop members project outwardly from the lower flight of an endless conveyor. In one alternative embodiment each stop member in a transverse line ofthe members comprises a reciprocating pusher bar or arm.

One particular example ofthe invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure lisa schematic end view of a tube or rod descrambler/feeder especially suited for use in con tinuous orsemi-continuousflow line applications.

Figure 2 is a view on the arrow "A" in Figure 1,and Figure 3 is a schematic end view of an alternative tube or rod descrambler/feeder more suited for batch production applications.

Referringfirstto Figures 1 and 2, tubes or rods 16 are conveyed between a conveyor or storage position 'Stand a discharge trough 19 bya plurality of endless chain conveyors 10 each passing around respective sprockets 11, 12, the rear sprockets 11 being linked by a shaft 28 with universal joints 29 between the shaft sections. One of the sprockets 11 comprises a double sprocket 1 la driven from a motor 13 via a second endless chain 14. The upperflight of each chain 10 runs over a fixed horizontal support 15.

A bundle of the tubes or rods 16 is initially transferred onto the conveyors 10 by raising a pivoted transferarm 17 using actuator 27 as shown in Figure 1,the tubes extending transverse to the direction of move- ment of the conveyors.

The tubes or rods 16 are fed toward a line offixed stops 18 spaced above the level ofthe conveyors 10 byanamountwhich allowsonlyasinglelayerof tubes to pass beneath them, the tubes then being released one by one into the trough 19 by retracting an end stop member 20. The tubes arefinally ejected fromthetrough bya pusher21.

Before passing beneath the fixed stops 18, the tubes pass beneath a line of sweepers 22 in the form of endless belts 39 each having uniformly spaced outwardly projecting discrete fingers 23, the tips of thefingers 23 along the lowerflightofeach belt39 being spaced above the level of the conveyors 16 by a distance slightly exceeding the diameter ofthe rodsortubesl6.Accordingly,anytubesorrods which do not lie flat on the conveyors, such as those which are bent, bowed or crossed over one another, are engaged by the fingers 23 and pushed backupstream ofthe conveyors. Such tubes are thereby prevented from reaching the fixed stops 18, and may be laid flat as a result of the pushing action. In practice therefore it may be possible to operate the machine withoutthe need for the fixed stops.

Thw sweepers 22 have their own drive unit 24with a drive beltorchain 25 connecting the unitto a drive pulley orsprocket 26 at one end of one ofthe endless belts 39.

In the alternative feed arrangement of Figure 3, like reference numerals are used to denote like parts. The tubesorrods 16 are initially dropped into bunker feed belt slings 30 (only one of which is shown in the drawing)theslings30 being spaced apartand par allel with one another. Motor driven pulleys, such as pulley3l,thenwind in the respective slings 30 so thatthe rods or tubes tumble over a weirformed by a line of freely rotatable pulleys, such as pulley 32. The other end of each sling 30 is fixed to a respective anchoring device 33.

Aftertumbling over the weir, the rods ortubes 16 pass along a short downwardly sloping section 34 of the belts 30 where they are descrambled by a line of sweepers 22 corresponding to those shown in Figures 1 and 2. The rods ortubes 16 are then ejected either in the direction of arrow 'B' transverse to the longitudinal axes ofthe rods or tubes, or in a perpendiculardirection along the axes, depending on the application.

Claims (7)

1. Afeed mechanism comprising means for con- veying a succession of elongate products in a direc tion transverse to the axes of the products, and means disposed above the conveying means for re peatedlyadvancing a stop member along a predetermined path, at least a portion of the path being spaced from the conveying means by a distance only just sufficientto accomodate a single layer of the elongate products.

2. Afeed mechanism according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality ofthe stop members disposed one behind the other along the said path.

3. Afeed mechanism according to claim 2 in which the stop members project outwardly from an endless conveyor.

4. Afeed mechanism according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of the stop members spaced apart from one another across the width of the conveying means.

5. Afeed mechanism accordi ng to claim 4 in which the stop members are reciprocated along the respective paths.

6. Afeed mechanism according to any one of the preceding claims in which the said portion of the path extends generally parallel to a predetermined section oftheconveying means.

7. Afeed mechanism substantially as herein des cribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.