US2661830A

US2661830A - Mechanism for distributing slim articles

Info

Publication number: US2661830A
Application number: US298900A
Authority: US
Inventors: Total Henri
Original assignee: MACH AUTOMATIQUES BARDET SA
Current assignee: MACH AUTOMATIQUES BARDET SA; MACHINES AUTOMATIQUES BARDET SA
Priority date: 1951-07-30
Filing date: 1952-07-15
Publication date: 1953-12-08
Anticipated expiration: 1970-12-08

Description

Dec. 8, 1953 N H TOTAL MECHANISM FOR DISTRIBUTING SLIM ARTICLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 15, 1952 ATTORNEY Dec. 8, 1953 H. TOTAL MECHANISM FOR DISTRIBUTING SLIM ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 15, 1952 rA/vEA/wk HEM?) 737741;

Arrow 1 Dec; 8, 1953 H. TOTAL MECHANISM FOR DISTRIBUTING SLIM ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 15, 1952 Patented Dec. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE MECHANISM FOR DISTRIBUTING SLIM ARTICLES Henri Total, Paris, France; assignor to Societe Anonyme dite: Machines Automatiques Bartlet,

Paris, France 6 Claims.

There are machines, e. g. automatic weighing machines which are designed to deal with such slender commodities as macaroni, spaghetti and like Italian pastes the average length of which is about ten inches, in which a distributing mechanism is desirable which is capable of ensuring a uniform supply of the product and to stop the flow depending on the requirements.

The present invention has for its object an extremely simple and sturdy distributor whereby such slender commodities can be discharged in perfectly parallel arrangement into receptacles to be filled or onto the pan of ascale and the discharge can be stoppedquite accurately.

The said distributor is comprised essentially of:

(a) A hopper adapted to contain the articles to be distributed, which includes three vertical walls and a fourth wall in the shape of a portion ofa cylinder mounted with its axis horizontal and capable of being oscillated aboutthe said axis in a movement of adjustable amplitude and frequency.

The articles are laid in the hopper with their axes substantially parallel to that of said oscilt latable cylindrical surface.

The purpose of the vibratory wall is to cause the articles in the bottom of the hopper to sink. progressively while preventing them, owing to the jerks to which they are subjected, from getting intermingled to inextricable vaults.

(b) A shaking floor arranged below the hopper just clear of the three vertical walls of the same while a substantial clearance is left below thevibratory wall which is adjustable according to the character-and rate of now of the articles to be distributed.

A reciprocatory motion is imparted to said floor which is oi variable amplitude and frequency and which is adapted to cause the articles to creep towards the point of distribution while removing them from the action of gravity.

Said floor is provided with side walls adapted to prevent the articles from hanging out and with straightening wires arranged crosswise tangent to the floor. The purpose of said wireswhich are unequal in diameter-is to oppose slight obstacle to the creeping flow of articles while keeping them at right angles to the direction of the flow. Said wires may be replaced by low obstacles secured to the floor.

(0) A vertically adjustable flexible baiile arranged above the floor below the hopper outlet and adapted to throttle and regulate the flow of articles.

(cl) A ranging hand arranged below the throttling screen consisting of a flexible blade to. which an' oscillatory motion of adjustable amplitude and frequency can be imparted; the gap between said hand and the subjacent floor is such that only the lower layer of articles are allowed to get through, while the bulk is drawn backwards repeatedly.

(-6) Following the aforesaid ranging hand. a vertically adjustable guide arranged coaxial with the shaking floor and having its outer end flush withthe end of the latter, the distance of. said guide above said floor being such that only one layer of the rod-like products are allowed to'get through even if they were slightly crooked.

An embodiment of the invention will be described hereinafter, reference being had to the appended drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatical longitudinal sectional view showing the main parts of the distributor.

Figure 2 is a'sectional view taken on line II--Il in Fig. l.

Figures 3 and a show a modification of the ranging hand in frontand side view respectively.

Figure 5 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing the actuating means for the movable members together with the control means for the adjustable parts.

Figure 6 illustrates a modification.

The hopper: I includes three fixedwalls and a substantially quarter-round oscillatable wall carried by an L-sectioned frame 5 swingably mounted on a shaft 4 as shown by the arrows F1, F1.

Thevibratory wall 2 is oscillated by means of an electromagnet 2t adapted to attract a plate 2! connected through a rod 22 with the vertical wall 3. That fixedwall of the *hopper which is. located opposite the vibratory wall 2 is slightly bent in at its lower end at E where it nearly reaches the floor t secured to a vibratory support I and formed with side walls it. The direction in which the floor is vibrated is indicated by the arrows F2.

l-iereagain, an electromagnet 23 is used for vibrating the floor. The support I which carries said floor is connected with a fixed stand 21 through flexible blades 25. The latter are secured at their ends by means of bolts to brackets 25 rigid with support 7 and brackets 26 rigid with the fixed stand 2'3. Said electromagnet 23 periodic'ally attracts a plate 58 secured to the support The two aforesaid electromagnets are energized periodically by means of electric sources 5!, 52 to which they are connected through

circuits

58, 5%. A pair of interrupters 53, 54 are actuated by means of a motor '55 driven by belts 56, 57.

The articles (e. g. macaroni) which are shown in end sectional View at 3 sink through the hopper and accumulate on the floor to a heap the top layer is shown at 9 and the thickness of which is determined by the height of the lower edge of the oscillatory wall 2 above the floor, which height is adjustable owing to the provision of stud-andslot guides Z329 and -31.

A vertical battle it is secured to a bracket II and is adapted to throttle the flow of articles, for which purpose a locking peg 33 with a knob 32 is provided by means of which said baffie l6 can be set in any desired position, that is, its lower edge can be set at any desired height above the floor.

As the articles creep on the vibratory fioor past the screen they will heap up at I2 against a ranging hand i 4 secured to an arm 5 which is rocked about a shaft It.

Said arm !5 is rigid with a slotted arm 34 in which is guided a pin 35 rigid with a rod 36. The latter is mounted for reciprocatory motion in a guide ill and carries an end follower 38 which cooperates with a cam wheel 39 by means of which it is moved up and down and consequently the hand It is moved to and fro. Said cam wheel 39 is rotated by a motor 19 through the medium of a belt 50.

Said hand may be of any suitable design. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a hand M1 made of foam rubber is secured to the end of an arm I51 and departs somewhat from the design shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The hand I4 is arranged above the floor 6 at a distance thereof which corresponds to the diameter of the articles 3 in such a manner that only one layer of them will be allowed to creep therebelow. The hand 14 may be arranged for vertical adjustment by any convenient means (not shown) such as the bolt and slot uides 28, 29.

Wires l9 are secured crosswise on the floor 6 in order to keep the articles ranged.

In order to prevent slightly crooked articles from overlapping adjacent ones a longitudinal guide (3 is arranged above the end of the floor 6 at a distance therefrom which can be adjusted owing to the provision of a slot-and-bolt connection idll. The articles then fall into a receptacle ll which for instance may be a packing box to be filled or a scale pan. The articles 9 are thus perfectly ranged.

Various modifications may be made in the distributor thus described, notably in the design of the hand and of the vibratory wall of the hopper.

In a modification the electromagnets are replaced by motors such as the one shown in Fig. 6. The variable-speed motor 32 through the medium of an eco trio i l actuates a rod to which is attache-.1 -o the movable member to be reciprocated, that to either the wall 3 or the floor l.

What I claim is:

l. A mechanism for distributing macaroni, spaghetti, and like slim commodities which cornprises a supply hopper havin ee substantially vertical fixed walls and s ntially quarterround wall mounted ior os llatory motion about its horizontal axis, a reciprocatable floor with side walls disposed below the hopper crosswise to said a flexible baffie having its lower surface positioned adjustable distance above said door for re or; articles across the iioor, an os g hand disposed downstream of bafile adapted to allow a single layer of the articles being handled to creep on the reciprocatable iloor, a longitudinal guide disposed downstream of ranging hand for preventing crooked articles from overlapping adjacent articles, axed obstacles disposed transversely on the floor to keep tr e articles parallel. means for oscilatin he c arter-rou11d hopper wall, means in said and means for oscil. g ng h 2. A mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the means for oscillating the quarter-round hopper well and reciprocating the door consist of electromagnets connected for energizetion periodically, plates secured to said wall and said floor respectively to be attracted by the related electromagnet and springs to return the parts to their original position upon the de-energization of the related electromagnet.

3. A mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the means for oscillating the ranging hand consist of a rod pivoted at one end to an arm rigid with the hand-carrying arm while its opposite end carries a follower cooperating with a cam wheel rotated at a variable angular speed.

4. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein means are provided for adjusting the distance between the reciprocatable floor and the oscillata'ble wall of the hopper, the baffle and the longitudinal guide.

5. A. mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the said obstacles consist of wires spaced along the floor and arranged crosswise thereto.

6. A mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the means to move the oscillatable hopper wall and to reciprocate the floor consist of rods connecting each of the related movable parts to an eccentric driven by a. variable-speed motor.

HENRI TOTAL.

No references cited.