US2609779A - Cover stack height controlling means - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 9, 1952 N. H. GOLDSWORTHY 2,509,779

COVER STACK HEIGHT CONTROLLING MEANS Filed March 18, 1946 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOi 7 NORMAN hz'aowswmrHr Sept. 9, 1952 -.'N. GOLDSWORTHY 2,609,779

COVER STACK HEIGHT CONTROLLING MEANS Filed March 18, 1946 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 mmvron.

NORMAN H. GULDSWORTHY Patented Sept. 9, 1952 Norman H. Goldsworthy, New York, N. Y., as-

signor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 18, 1946, Serial No. 655,346

2 Claims.

The inventionrela'tes generally to apparatus for automatically controlling the height of stacks of metal objects such as the covers or end closures fed onto containers to be closed in a closing machine or to machine structures in which other types of work may be performed on said covers, and it primarily seeks to provide a control means effective to start operation of a cover feeding means each time the height of the cover stack falls to a predetermined point so as to replenish the stacked supply, and for maintaining said operation until the stack height has been built up to a predetermined point and then discontinuing the cover feeding.

An object of the invention is to provide a stack feed control of the character stated in which the control means includes a novel circuit controlling switchstructure having stack mass attracted magnets which are vertically spaced adjacent the cover stack so that one thereof is placed approximately at the low stack level at which the control devices are effective to initiate replenishment of the stack, and the other one thereof is placed at the higher stack level at which the replenishment of the control devices are effective to discontinue said replenishment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a controlling switch of the character stated in which the magnets are mounted on spring leaf supporting members secured on a support within a casing of non-magnetic material, a third leaf member also being provided and equipped with contacts at its respective ends in position for being normally engaged by contacts carried by the respective spring leafs and disengaged by said last named contacts whenever said magnets are attracted'by'the stack of covers. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a stack feed controlling means including a switch of the characterstated and circuits controlled by said switch in a manner for initiating operation of the stack replenishing cover feeding means each time the stack falls below the level of the lower magnet and then maintaining said feed until the stack is replenished to a height for attracting and breaking contact at the position of the upper magnet, without interruption incidental to the attracting of the lower magnet and the breaking of contact by said lower magnet attraction as the stack height moves past the lower magnet during said replenishment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stack controlling means including devices for alternately starting the feeding means each time the stack reaches a predetermined low level and stopping said feeding means each time the stack is replenished to a predetermined higher level, and also devices for discontinuing operation of the machine which is to perform work upon the covers whenever the stack height falls to an emergency level at which continued operation of said machine, if permitted, would soon result in operation of the machine without the feeding of covers thereinto.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims, and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing one adaptation of the invention for controlling the feeding of covers or end closures to a container closing machine.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view of the magnetic switch and the control connections for electrically controlling the cover feed driving motor.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the upper endportion of the cover feedmg means.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating the lower end of the cover feeding means.

In the example of embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, the novel control structure takes the form of a cover feed control associated with a machine for closing the containers by affixing said covers thereon. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is adaptable to use in controlling stack heights other than in the case of the cover stacks, and also for controlling the feeding of covers to machines in which other types of work are to be performed thereon, such as curling or the applyingof coatings or sealing compound.

In the example disclosure herein made, the closing machine is generally designated 5, and the containers 6 are fed into the machine over a, feed-way I. As each container passes under the cover depositing means 8, it has a cover C deposited thereon from the cover stack generally designated 9. The cover depositing means and the closure machine structure are conventional, and the structure and functioning of such apparatus is well known in the art. An example of such closing machines is illustrated in U. S. Letters Patent 1,752,912 issued to A. L. Kronquest on April 1, 1930. It is a purpose of the present invention to provide control devices effective to maintain a proper working level of covers in the stack 9. The controls operate to initiate the feeding of the covers into the stack 8 when the supply therein falls to a predetermined low level, and to continue the replenishment of the stack until a predetermined higher level of covers is attained in said stack. include means for automatically discontinuing the operation of the closing machine whenever the supply of covers in the stack '9 falls to a predetermined emergency level at which continued operation of said machine, if permitted, will soon result in operation of the machine without the feeding of covers therein-to.

The covers C are delivered into the stack 9 through the lower or discharge end Iii of a feeding means generally designated ll, said covers being received in said feeding means from a hand fed stack l2 preferably located above the second floor level E3, or in other words on a iloor above the floor on which the closing machine is located.

It is to 'beunderstood that any acceptable form of cover feeding means may be employed in the feeding of covers to the stack 9, but in the present disclosure said feeding means includes a plurality of uprightly disposed screws l4, each having a pinion [5 at its upper end. The screws are so grouped that the peripheral edges of the covers will be engaged in and moved downwardly by the grooves in the rotating screws M in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 3. Thescrew gears i5 are collectively driven through idler gear couples Hi from the ring gear ll which is rotatably mounted as at l8 on the table structure l9 whereon the stack guides of the hand fed cover stack generally designated ['2 are mounted. It will also be apparent by reference to Figures 1 and'3 of the drawings that the ring gear I! is driven by a pinion 23 which is in turn driven through the bevel gear-couple 22 and transmission connections 23 from thecover feed motor CFM. As the covers C gravitate into the screws I 4 through the upper contact guides 20 they pass through a guide sleeve 24 in the table structure I9.

At their lower ends, the cover feed screws 14 have step bearings as at '25 on the bottom plate 26 at the discharge end is of the cover feed means. See Figures 1 and 4. As they leave the lower ends of the screws [4, the covers C gravitate through the guide sleeve 21 into the guides 28 of the cover stack generally designated 9.

Near the bottom of the stack 9, there is mounted a feeler 29. The feeler is so placed as to engage the periphery of the covers C adjacent the bottom of the stack, and spring means 5'9 may be employed for lightly urging the feeler against said covers. The pivotally mounted feeler 29 includes a contact making and breaking extension 31 the pivotal connection constituting one said contact, and the other of said contacts being spaced from the pivotal mounting in the manner illustrated in Figure 1. The feeler 29 forms a part of the control devices effective to discontinue operation of the closing machine whenever the covers C fall to an emergency level at which only a few covers remain to be fed into the machine, thereby to avoid continuing the operation of the machine after the covers are exhausted.

The power in-put lines are indicated at 32, 33, 34, and said lines may be connected with the conductor lines 35, 36 and 31 by a manually operated control switch 38. A three-pole contact making and breaking switch 39 is provided and is normally held in a closed position by the energizing of a coil 40. The coil 40 is connected by The control devices also.

the conductors 4| and 42 with the contacts controlled by the feeler carried circuit maker and breaker 3| and with conductor lines 36 and 3 1 through the step down transformer 43, thereby to provide a low voltage current at the position of the stack 9. It will be apparent by reference to Figure 1 that whenever the switch 33' is closed and there are enough covers C in the stack to force the feeler 29 outwardly and complete a circuit across the contacts engaged by the circuit maker 3!, the coil 40 will be energized and the three-pole switch 39 will be held in the closed position, thereby directing current through the conductor lines 4d, '45 and 46 to the motor CMM which drives the .closing machine 5. lhe motor CMM is directly connected with the conductor lines 64, and 45 as at 4T.

The conductor lines 44, 45 and id, with which the closing machine motor CMM is connected, are connected by conductor lines it, 59 and with the cover feed means driving motor CFM through a starting and stopping switch unit generally designated 51. The switch 5! operates under the control of a magnetic switch generally designated "52 and which is disposed close beside the cover stack generally designated 9. The control switch '52 is electrically connected with the starting and stopping switch 51 and with the power, lines through a step down transformer generally designated 53 so as to provide low'volt age current at the position of the cover stack 9 as a precaution for the operator or others likely to have contact with the cover stack and the control mechanismyas well as' provide longer life in the contact points of the switch 52 to be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Within the starting and stopping switch unit 5|, there is included ,a four-pole circuit making and breaking switch generally designated 54. it will be apparent by reference to Figure 2 that the three bridge pieces 55 of the switch 5i serve to make or break connection across the conductor line 34, 48, the conductor line 45, 49 and the conductor line 45, 5B. Whenever the coil 56 of the switch unit '5! is energized, the switch 5% will be closed to make connection through the power conductor lines referred to, and whenever the coil 56 is de-energized the switch 54 will be moved to the circuit breaking position shown in Figure 2.

The coil 56 is connected through lines 51 with the power-line 45 through the transformer 53, and through the line 58 with the contact leaf E3 of the switch '52, said leaf having two free ends, one equipped with a contact 60 and the other i with a contact 6i, and being supported intermediately of its ends as at 62 within a casing tube 63 of glass or "some more rugged non-magnetic material. A second, readily bendable contact leaf &4 is supported at its lower end on the support member '62 and is provided at its upper end with a contact disposed in position for cooperating with and normally contacting the previously mentioned contact fill; The free end of the contact leaf 64 also carriesa permanent magnet 65 disposed within the casing '33 and close to the periphery of the covers C in the stack 9 so as to be attractable by the cover mass when presented at the level thereof. A third contact leaf 61, also readily bendable, is supported at its free end on the support member 62 and has its downwardly extended free end provided with a contact 63 disposed in position for cooperating with and normally contacting the previously mentioned contact 6|. The lower end of the contact leaf 6! also carries a permanent magnet 59 which is pothe magnet member 66 at a materially greater height than the magnet 69. The contact leaf 61 is connected by a conductor line with the contact H within the switch unit 5|, said line 10 being in turn connected by a line 12 with the power conductor line 46 through the transformer 53." The companion contact 13 within the switch unit 5| is connected by a conductor line 14 with the contact leaf 64, and it will be apparent by reference to Figure 2 that the bridge piece I5 of the switch 54 is effective to make or break the control circuit across the contacts H and 13.

Operation By reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be apparent that whenever the switch 38 is closed, and there is a sufiicient number of covers C in the stack 9 to displace the feeler 29 in the manner illustrated in Figure 1 to make contact across the conductor lines 41 and 42, the coil 40 will be energized and the switch 39 will be positioned for completing a circuit through the lines 32, 35, 44-33, 36, 45-34, 31, 46 and bring about a driving of the closing machine 5 by the motor CMM. Obviously, if the motor CMM does not start when the switch 38 is closed, this normally will be due to the fact that the covers C have fallen below the emergency level, and this being the case the desired starting of the closing machine 5 can be effected by inserting a sufficient number of covers in the stack to displace the feeler 29.

The level of covers in the stack 9 being well below the position of the magnet 69 of the control switch unit 52, said switch unit will be conditioned as illustrated in Figure 2 with the contacts 6|], '65 and 6!, 68 in circuit making engagement. With the parts in this position, the circuit completed through conductor lines 58, 51 and 12, 16 will energize the coil 56 and position the switch 54 for completing the circuit through the power conductor lines 44, 48-45, 49-46, 50 and bring about operation of the motor CFM of the cover feeding means ll, thereby to feed covers C into the stack 9.

As the covers rise to the level indicated at Y in Figure 2, so as to present a mass of metal opposite the magnet 69, said magnet will be attracted to the right to bring about a separation of the contacts 61 and 68. However, this will not de-energize the coil 56 and result in an opening of the switch 54 because of the holding circuit established by the lines 51, with the power line 45 through the transformer 53, the coil 56, the line 58, the contact leaf 59, the contacts 60 and 65, the contact leaf 64, the conductor line 14, the contacts 73 and H, through the bridge piece I5, and the lines 10, 12 through transformer 53 with the power line 46.

The feeding of the covers to the stack 9 will continue until the stack height reaches the level Z at which the cover mass presented opposite the magnet 66 will attract said magnet and break the whole circuit across the contacts 60 and 65. The circuits being at this time also broken across the lower set of contacts 6| and 68, the

coil 56 will be de-energized and the switch 54 will move to the circuit breaking. position illustrated in Figure 2, thereby discontinuing operation of the motorCFMwhich drives the cover feeding device. The motor CFM will remain idle until the height of the cover stack falls approximately to the level X at which time the lower magnet 69 will no longer be attracted by the stack mass and will return to the normal position illustrated in full lines in Figure 2 to close the circuit across the contacts, BI and 68 and reenergize the coil 56. It will be obvious that the re-energizing of the coil 56 will again initiate operation of the cover feed device driving motor CFM in the manner previously described.

It is to be understood that when the uppermost cover in the stack is abovethe level Y but below the level of the magnet 66 and covers are falling onto the stack, they will pass by the magnet 66 so rapidly and with insufficient mass so that the magnet 66. will not be attracted by these falling covers and therefore contacts 60 and will remain in en agement and the circuit to the cover feeding device driving motor CFM will not be broken. It will be apparent from the foregoing thatthe motor CMM which drives the closing machine, or in other words the machine in which work is performed on the covers, drives said machine continuously under normal working conditions. It will also be apparent that the motor CFM drives the cover feeding means feeds covers at a rate in excess of the rate at which the closing of cans, or in other words the work on the covers is performed, and therefore said cover feeding means operates intermittently under the previously described controls to assure that a proper supply of covers will be fed to the ma chine under usual working conditions, and also that the machine motor will be cut off in case of an emergent condition when the cover supply falls to a predetermined emergency level.

It is to be understood that forms of cover feeding means other than that disclosed herein may be employed, and also that the control devices disclosed herein may be employed in controlling the heights of stacks of metal objects other than container covers. A cover feeding means of the type herein disclosed but not specifically claimed, and including motor driven screws extending downwardly from a hand fed stack on an upper floor is illustrated in detail in U. S. Letters Patent 2,479,955 issued August 23, 1949, on an application filed by William H. Morgan on February 23, 1945, and identified by Serial No. 579,389.

While one form of the invention has been shown for purposes of illustration, it is to be clearly understood that various changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. The combination with a machine in which work is to be performed on covers and the electric motor by which said machine is continuously operated under normal operating conditions, of means for feeding covers to the machine and including a cover stack supporting means and electric motor driven means for feeding covers to said stack intermittently at a rate in excess of the rate at which work is performed on the covers in said machine, coverfeed motor control means effective each time the cover stack height falls to a predetermined low level to initiate cover feed motor Operation and the feeding of covers to the stack to replenish the same and for continuing the cover feed motor operation until the cover stack has been replenished to a predetermined materially higher level and stopping said cover feed motor, and means for automatically stopping both motors whenever thecover stack height falls to a predetermined emergency level below the before mentioned low level.

2. The combination with a'machine in which Work is to be performed on covers and the electric motor by which said machine is continuously operated under normal operating conditions, of means for feeding covers to the machine and including a cover stack supporting means and electric motor driven means for feeding covers to said stack intermittently at a rate in excess of the rate at which work is performed on the covers in said machine, cover feed motor control means efiective each time the cover stack height falls to a predetermined low level to initiate cover feed motor operation and the feeding of covers to the stack to replenish the same and for continuing the cover feed motor operation until the cover stack has been replenished to a predetermined materially higher level and stopping said cover feed motor, and means for automatically 8 stopping both motors whenever the cover stack height falls to a predetermined emergency level below the before mentioned low level, said last named means being effective to automatically restart both motors when the cover stack is replenished to a height above said emergency level.

NORMAN'H. GOLDSWORTHY.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,739,153 Laxo et a1. Dec. 10,1929 1,767,442 Evans June 24,1930 1,784,358 Jones Dec. 9, 1930 1,903,989 Fink et al Apr. 18, 1933 2,051,105 Roberts Aug. 18, 1936 2,061,589 Philp Nov. 24,1936 2,085,767 Reid July 6, 1937 2,158,069 Grover May 16, 1939 2,180,601 Mitchell et al Nov. 21, 1939 2,184,029 Wicklund Dec. 19, 1939 2,274,019 Werder Feb. 24, 1942 2,381,505 Lindholm Aug. 7, 1945 2,406,489 Case Aug. 27, 946

Images