US2109892A - Doubles throwout for sheet feeding mechanism - Google Patents

Description

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A. R. WEIBEL. ET AL 2 DOUBLES THROWOUT FOR SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM X 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 25, 1935 lNVENTORS 'IIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/ A. R. WEIBEL ET AL.

DOUBLES THROWOUT FOR SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Jam 25; 1955 g Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 1, 1938 r orrice DOUBLES THROWOUT FOR. SHEET FEEDING NIEC'HANISM Pennsylvania Application January 25, 1935, Serial No. 3,461

1 Claim.

This invention relates to the feeding of sheets through an apparatus where the sheets are to be processed; and is for a throwout mechanism for detecting two sheets which adhere together and throwing of both or one of them out of the regular line of feed, whereby they will go through the processing until they have been manually separated and placed back in the feeding mechanlsm.

The invention has particular application to the feeding of sheet iron through tinning pots in the manufacture of tin plate, and the invention will be described in this connection, although it will be understood that theinvention-is applicable to various uses where sheets are to be fed singly through processing equipment by automatic feeders.

In the making of tin plate the iron sheets are placed in packs in a feeding apparatus. This feeding apparatus is so constructed as to normally remove one sheet at a time from the pack and deliver it to feeding rolls. It frequently happens, however, that two sheets will adhere and will be handled by the feeding mechanism as a single sheet. Obviously, two sheets so adhering could not be properly tinned.

Automatic throwouts have heretofore been provided for the purpose of detecting sheets which so adhere and for throwing them out of the normal line of travel, but as heretofore constructed these devices have operated on the variation of thickness of the two sheets over the thickness of. the single sheet. The sheets are relatively, thin. Any apparatus which responds to the variation in thickness of two sheets over one sheet must necessarily be quite delicate and have a very nice adjustment. Because of the delicate construction of such devices, and because of the nice adjustment in which they have to be kept in order to function properly, they have not been altogether satisfactory and they require frequent attention.

According to the present invention. a doubles throwout is provided which responds to changes in flexibility or resiliency of the metal rather than to variations in thickness. The leading edge of a single sheet of metal is more resilient and more easily flexed than are the leading edges of two sheets which are sticking together. The present invention utilizes this difference in flexibility or resiliency. The result is that the apparatus may be more ruggedly constructed, will not have to be so closely adjusted and will not need as frequent attention and will function with a greater degree of satisfaction and accuracy.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which In the drawings, 2 designates a tank adapted to be positioned at the front of a tin pot. Within the tank 2 is a vertical adjustable basket 3 adapted to receive and support in an inclined position a series or pack of sheets to be processed, this pack of sheets being designated 4. The

tank v2 is kept full of water so that the sheets 4 L are at all times submerged while they are resting in the basket.

Supported over the top of the tank 2 isa shaft 5 which is periodically oscillated. The shaft 5 carries one or more supporting members 6 having rollers l thereon. The supporting member 6 and the rollers 1 provide a guideway for a slidable arm 8. This arm 8 carries a head 9 on which are one or more suction cups Ill. As.

shown in Figure 2, the arm 8 and the head 9 have'passageways l l therein communicating with the interior of the cup or cups Ill. The passageway It is connected through a flexible tubing H! with a suction pump which is periodically operated to create and hold a suction in the cup H] 5 and which relieves the suction at a predetermined time. The construction and arrangement of one form of pump mechanism is more fully shown and claimed in our copending application above referred to, and in which application a sheet feeding device is also claimed.

When the shaft 5 is rocked in a clockwise direction through a limited arc, the support 5 is tilted forwardly and the arm 8 slides down until the suction cup or cups lll contact the outer sheet in the stack 4. At this time, a suction is generated in the cup I0, and the shaft 5 starts to move through a limited arc in a counterclockwise direction. This action serves to draw the upper edge of the sheet which is engaged by the suction cup through the path indicated in dotted lines, the edge of the sheet starting to travel on a radius, but as the arm 8 begins to be tipped rearwardly instead of forwardly, it begins to slide back, pulling the leading edge of the sheet down, the edge of the sheet thus describing a curve which is more of a parabola than a true arc.

It will be seen that by reason of this arrangement the sheets are bent relatively sharply as they are lifted and turned from the inclined positions they occupy in the basket to the substantially horizontal position to which they are turned. This relatively sharp bending of the sheets in their path of travel tends to separate most sheets which adhere together. As the top of the sheet which is engaged by the suction cup is bent in on the path described, the top of the second sheet which may be adhering tends to travel straight up. Separation usually occurs and the second sheet drops back to its normal position in the basket. It happens, however, that this sharp bending is not sufficient to effect the separation of the sheets.

Extending above the sides of the tank are supporting plates l3 in which are carried a pair of horizontally extending receiving rolls [4 and a similar pair of feeding rolls Hi. The rolls M are arranged to receive the leading edges of the sheets as they are progressively brought up to the bite of the rolls by the suction cup mechanism previously described. The rolls I5 are adapted to receive the sheets after they have passed through the rolls M and. direct them into the pot of the dipping machine.

The lower of the two rolls M is provided with an annular groove Hi. At I1 is a finger having a forwardly inclined portion which extends into the groove Hi, the arrangement being such that as a sheet passes through the rolls i l the front edge of the strip will travel over the finger i1, being held at a predetermined elevation thereby. Extending across the top of the machine frame above the rolls M is a supporting bar 13. Extending across the top of the bar i8 is a plate l9. This plate is provided along one edge with upstanding ears 29. On the bar [8 are other ears 2|. A rod 22 passing through the ears and 2| provides a pivoted or hinged support for the plate [9. The plate l9 has two downwardly turned extensions 23 having ears 24 thereon. The ears 24 support a rod 25 on which is carried a presser foot 26. The rod 25 provides a pivoted support for the presser foot 29. The outer end of the presser foot has a V-shaped notch 26a formed therein. Secured to the presser foot 26 is a post 2'! having a laterally extending arm 28 thereon. This arm is provided with an adjustable counterweight 29. Secured to the plate [9 is a horizontally extending bar 39 having a transverse pin 3! therein adapted to form a stop against which the post 2'! will move when the presser foot moves to the dotted line position shown in Figure 2.

Cooperating with the presser foot 26 is a deflector 32, the deflector having a point 32a which, as shown in Figure 4, extends down into the notch 26a of the presser foot 26. Back of the point or nose 32a is an upwardly curved guide plate 3%. This terminates adjacent a pair of rolls 33. On the delivery side of the rolls 33 there is a guide 34. Extending over top of the mechanism is a receiving plate 35.

In the operation of the machine, the presser foot is normally in the position shown in Figure 1 where the bottom of the plate 26 is substantially flush with the bottom of the deflector 32. The presser plate or foot 26 is prevented from dropping below this point by reason of the pin 3| forming a limit stop. When a sheet passes through the rolls Hi, the leading edge rides up the top surface of the finger I! and strikes the presser foot 26. The counterweight 29 is so set that when a single sheet strikes the presser foot, the presser foot will deflect the edge of the sheet below the nose 32a and the edge of the sheet will travel through to the rolls 15. When, however, a double passes through the rolls I4 and the edges travel up the finger H, the edge of the double is not so flexible as the edge of the single sheet, and the presser foot is swung backwardly to the position shown in Figure 2. Ordinarily the double or the two sheets adhering together will then be caught by the nose 32a of the deflector, carried up the guide 32b, caught by the rolls 33, pushed against the guide 34 and thrown over onto the receiving platform 35. Occasionally the doubles will be split or separated by the nose 32a, as shown in Figure 2, in which case the lower sheet will continue onto the feeding rolls l5, while only the upper sheet will be caught by the nose 32a and thrown out of the line of feed.

It will be seen that the presser foot guides the sheets under the deflector 32 or over it according to the resilience of the sheets. A single sheet will not raise the presser foot, whereas the edges of the double being less resilient because of the double thickness of the metal, will lift the presser foot. The counterweight 29 provides the only adjustment which is necessary. By moving the counterweight 29 to the left as viewed in Figure 1, the presser foot will resist a greater pressure, and by moving the counterweight 29 toward the right the presser foot can be made to lift under a less pressure. counterweight 29 for the run of sheets for which the machine is designed to operate and thereafter no further adjustment is required. The pivoting of the plate 19 .on the shaft 22 enables the whole mechanism carried on the plate [9 to be lifted upwardly in the event of any jam occurring.

The rolls I4, l5 and 33 may be all connected together to operate continuously and simultaneously, such arrangements being commonly provided for all sheet feeders for tin plate machines. The driving arrangements are more fully disclosed in our said copending application.

While we have illustrated and described a specific embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications are contemplated therein.

We claim:

A double throwout mechanism for sheet feeding devices comprising a pair of feed rolls one of which has an annular groove in the periphery thereof, a supporting finger at the discharge side of the feed rolls projecting into the groove and designed to support the edge of the sheet after it emerges from the rolls and hold it at a predetermined level, a presser foot arranged above said finger and arranged to engage the edge of a sheet coming from said rolls and exert a downward pressure thereon, and a deflector following the presser foot for separating the single sheets which yield to a greater extent than the double sheets which yield to a lesser extent under the influence of the presser foot.

WILLIAM JONES. ALEXANDER R. WEIBEL.

It is merely necessary to adjust the 1

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