US1385369A - Control device for automatic machines - Google Patents

Description

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CONTROL DEVlCE FOR AUTOMATIQ MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11, 1919. Patented July 26, 1921.

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APPLICATION FILED OCT 11. 1919.

CONTROL DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC MACHINES.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER FERRIER, 0F ELYRIA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELYRIA IRON AND STEEL COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CONTROL DEVICE. FOR AUTOMATIC MAGHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 26, 1921.

Application filed October 11, 1919. Serial No. 330,113.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER FERRIER, a citizen of the United 'States, residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inControl Devices for Automatic Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to control devices for automatic machines such as machines for cutting metal bars, strips, rods and other metal stock to given lengths. For instance, my invention may well be embodied in a machine for straightening strip steel stock and cutting itinto predeterminable, selected lengths, and I have so illustrated it in the drawings hereof.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a construction whereby the shearing of the metal stock may be accomplished with the greatest accuracy to insure that all cut sections will be of length falling within very small limits of tolerance; substantial or practically-exact uniformity of length being easily attainable by the use of my invention. A further object is to provide con trol devices that, in all-parts, are of simple, economical and rugged form and construction, insuring low cost, and constancy and uniformity of efficient performance with minimum care.

To these ends, and for other advantages which will become apparent from the following description, my invention consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts touching the automatic control and the association thereof with the machinery as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine embodying my invention; with parts broken away;Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic' view showing some parts in plan and other in elevation, and illustrative particularly of the control e uipment; Fig. 3 shows a clutch-detail and 'ig. 4 shows a switch detail.

In the particular machine shown the stock A, such as steel strip, initially coiled, is to be fed, as by rolls 10, through the straighten'ing rolls 10, past the shears or cutting instrumcntality 11, onto the dump-table 12 and the shears 11 are to be operated when an accurately-prescribed length of the stock has been passed between them. Av motor,

power, preferably a second motor 16,-constantly running when the machine is in 0p eration,--a cam shaft 17 may be driven, on occasion, through the intermediary of a positive clutch. This cam shaft carries the eccentric 18 or other suitable means by which the shears 11 are operated, and also a face cam 19 by which, through the linkage connection generally indicated at 20 the laterally tiltable table 12 may be caused to dump against the resistance of a counterweight 21 that holds it normally in horizontal position.

Specifically, motor 13 has a pinion 23 meshing with alarge gear 24 that is axially and rotatively loose on a shaft 25, this gear having a friction-clutch rim 26. A. coiled spring 27 interposed between the gear and the shaft-bearing 28 tends to maintain the gear in clutch engagement with a clutchcone 29 that is rigidly keyed as at 30 to the shaft 25 and is provided with a brake drum of engagement with the fast clutch element 31, so disconnecting the motor from the main shaft 25. At the same time, through suitable linkage 36 the shifter lever 35 applies the brake 14, promptly to stop rotation of the shaft 25 and of the feedrolls 10 geared thereto. The shaft25 has suitable connection through further reduction gearing with the gear train of the straighteningroll set 10 and the feed rolls 10.

Thus the machine has a power source, a clutch-controlled drive for feed rollers, a brake for the feed-parts and means simultaneously to disconnect the feed rolls from the power source and apply the brake.

Cam shaft motor 16 drives a reduction gear train 40 communicating motion to a constantly-rotating gear 41, the hub of which has one or more teeth (preferably four) in the form, of cii'c'umferentially spaced laterally-extending pins 43. This gear 41 is loose on the camshaft, and said shaft carries a clutch bar 45 movable to connect or disconnect the shaft relative to the gear 41. This bar 45 is mounted to slide axially in a slot in theshaft and is pressed.

by spring 46 toward the clutch pins 43 so that, when freed from restraint, it will be spring-projected into the path of rotation of said clutch pins 43 positively to connect the shaft to the constantly rotating gear 41. The clutch bar 45, however, has a suitably beveled head 47 projecting radially from the shaft-slot that may, in rotation, strike a latch arm 48 having a correspondingly beveled end, this. latch arm being pivoted as at 49 on the frame of the machine so that it may be moved into and out of head-engaging position. Under the influence of a weighted lever 50 the latch arm is normally positioned so that it holds the clutch bar retracted,'but when the free end of lever is raised, latch 48 is thrown out of the path of, and out of engagement with, the head of clutch bar 45, allowing the latter to be projected into the path of movement of pins 43 as aforesaid. The ear 41 then rotates the cam shaft, but if, prior to the completion of the cycle of rotation of the cam shaft,

a latch arm 48 is allowed to be weight-returned to normal position, its beveled end intercepts'the head of theclutch bar so that the latter is retracted and the cam shaft brought to rest after its single rotation.

. Thus, the cutting instrumentalities and cupstrip dumping-table are actuated from a cam shaft clutch -connectible with a constantly driven member, such as gear 41. I do not claim any novelty in any part of the machine thus far specifically described;.

I tolerable accuracy, the cam shaft may be picked up by the running wheel 41 anywhere within a quadrant turn, of that wheel,''c'. 6., anywhere within the angular separation of the pins on the wheel hub,

' and since the feed continued during this indeterminate interval, length variations of 35 serious consequence in the strips cut off were inevitable. vention I obviate this inaccuracy of striplength.

The controlling mechanism of my invention as applied to such a machine comprises means, preferably electrical and herein illus trated as a solenoid 51, horizontally mounted on the frame, and having its core directly acting on the shifter lever 35 to control the clutch and brake; means herein illustrated as solenoid 52, vertically mounted on the frame and having its core connected for directly acting on the cam-shaft-clutch controlling-lever 50; and means, herein illustrated as an electric switch 53 and appurtenant appliances, operatively associated with the dump-table to be controlled by the length of the stock delivered past the shears, and controlling the energization of both said solenoids 51 and 52. Thus, solenoid 51which, when energized, directly throws the shifter lever 35 to unclutch the mainshaft from its driving-means and apply the feed-roll-stopping brake-and solenoid 52- which, when energized, directly lifts the cam-shaft clutch-controlling lever 50 to throw the latch arm 48 out, of engagement with the clutch bar 45, permitting the latter to clutch the normally idle cam shaft of the constantly driven wheel 41, are arranged in parallel branches of a power circuit 54, suitably energized, and controlled from the switch 53. Preferably I provide a relay 56, the armature of which is normally retracted to open the power circuit and the coil of which is included with the switch 53 in a suitable branch circuit. Switch 53, functioning when closed to complete the circuit for the relay magnet, ma be a single-pole single-throw spring switc with an operating arm extending into the path of movement of the metal stock so that the stock will strike against and close the switch, which will be reopened by its spring, as soon as the dump-table is dropped and dislodges the cut strip. To permit the strip length to be varied the switch 53 has its base-plate 57 adjustably mounted on a fixed rail 58 above the table, and secured as by set screws 59. The operating arm 60 preferably has at its lower. end a slide-plate 61 of fiber or other insulation that rides on the table as thearm is swept through its operative are, this plate having a slot 62 to receive guidestud 63. This construction assures that the switch may be actuated accurately and without failure, whether the stock be thick or thin, wide or narrow.

In the operation of the machine the steel strip, fed forwardly by the rollers 10, travels between the shears and along the tiltable table 12 until its forward end, making contact with the switch arm, moves the latter to close the switch 53. Instantly relay 56 closes the main circuit, energizing both By the application of, my in solenoids 51 and 52 so that at the same to throw out the latch 48 ment solenoid 51 throws shifter lever 35 to unclutch the main motor 13 from driving relation with the-rolls 10, 10', and apply the brake instantl to stop said rolls, while solenoid 52 wor s through lever which theretofore has been maintaining the cam shaft unclutched'from the constantly rotating wheel 41. Of course, the positive clutch pin or pins 43 of the said wheel may not at that moment be in position to pick up the clutch bar 45 of the cam shaft, and an appreciable time may elapse before the shear operates to sever the strip, but owing to the stoppage of the feed mechanism independently, through its solenoid 51, this does not result in any error in the length of material out. Of course, assoon-as the shears have completed the cutting of'the material the positive action of the cam 19 on shaft 17 causes the table 12 to dump the severed strip, thereby releasing switch 53 which springs back to normal or open position, perm tting the armature of rela 56 to be spring retracted, deenergizingf bot solenoids, so that the shipper lever 35 for the main clutch is spring-thrown to normal position as-the'clutch ear wheel 24 is, forced axially alon its lshai byspring 27, and lever 50 for t e cam shaft'clutch is throwing the latch arm 48 sition again, Where, as the clutch bar 45 completes the rotative excursion in which it is then engaged, said latch intercepts the clutch bar, camming it back to unclutched ,position and stopping the rotation of the cam shaft in normal station. The tilting table meanwhile is weight-returned to nor mal position and the machine is ready for a second c cle of operation.

While l have herein described in some detail a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in the details of construction and arrangement might be made without departure from the spirit of my invention within the scope of the appended claims.

weight-depressed,

into elevated poc,

t I claim! I 1 In a machine of the character described, the combination of stock feeding clutch for the cam shaft mechanism out of operation and movable to perinit the clutch to act, an electro-magnet for operating said detent mechanism and an electric switch in the path of the said stock having connections with both said magnets simultaneously to energize the same, whereby said magnets positively and independently control the respective mechanisms aforesaid.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of feed mechanism, a constantly rotatable driving member, a clutch for'connecting said driving member and feed mechanism, a brake for stopping the feed mechanism, a 'lever for disconnecting said clutch and applying said brake, an electro-magnet connected with said lever to impart braking operation to the latter, a cam shaft, a, constantly rotatable member for driving said cam shaft, clutch means for connecting said member and cam shaft, a detent for maintaining said clutch member normally inactive and movable to condition said clutch to act, an electro-magnet for moving said detent, directly connected thereto, shear mechanism and a cut-box dumping table both actuated by the cam shaft, a switch associated with said dumping table in the path of movement of the fed stock, and circuit connection from said switch in parallel to thesaidtwo magnets, forsimultaneously energizing and deenergizing the same.

. a -WALTER FERRIER. Attested b GEO. W. KLIPPEL, Gno. F. WHITE,

lnechanism, a clutch therefor, a lever di

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