US2713416A

US2713416A - pizzi

Info

Publication number: US2713416A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1955-07-19
Anticipated expiration: 1972-07-19

Description

July 19, 1955 A. PlZZl 2,713,416

RECIPROCAL FEED CARRIAGE WITH CONSTANT BRAKE DRAG Filed Sept. 4, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ,4. L. P/ZZ/ By MM A. L. PlZZl July 19, 1955 RECIPROCAL FEED CARRIAGE WITH CONSTANT BRAKE DRAG Filed Sept. 4, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Qk INVENTOR A. L. P/ZZ/ ATTORNEY July 19, 1955 A. PlZZl 2,713,416

RECIPROCAL FEED CARRIAGE WITH CONSTANT BRAKE DRAG Filed Sept. 4, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR A. L. P/ZZ/ MW- k A TTORNEY United States Patent RECIPROCAL FEED CARRIAGE WITH CONSTANT BRAKE DRAG Albert L. Pizzi, Newark, N. J., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 4, 1953, Serial No. 378,487

2 Claims. (Cl. 203-159) This invention relates to reciprocal feed carriage with constant brake drag and more particularly to apparatus for feeding strip material of irregular cross-section to a cutter.

In the telephone industry, for example, spacers for use between telephone cables and their supporting or messenger cables are sometimes made by reclaiming scrap plastic, such as polyethylene, extruding it to the required cross-section and cutting into suitable spacer lengths. The irregular cross-sectional contour of these spacers and the fact that spacers of several different crosssectional dimensions and lengths are required, present special problems in automatically feeding the strips to the cutter.

The object of the present invention is an apparatus providing a solution to these problems.

With this and other objects in view, the invention comprises a material feeding apparatus for feeding material longitudinally in a given path and including a carriage supported for reciprocable movement and having elements therein adapted for actuation relative to each other. An important feature of the invention is an operable means, connected to the elements and the carriage, and adapted to actuate them in timed relation with each other whereby the material will be gripped and then advanced a given distance.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the apparatus, interposed between an extruder and a cutting unit, includes sets of rollers, some of which are adjustable, to advance materials of different thicknesses. A control unit, also adjustable for the materials of varied thicknesses, permits free movement of the materials singly in a given path yet prevents their movement in the opposite direction. The unit including the carriage and grlpping elements for advancing the material varied distances includes one gripping element adjustable for the varying dimensions of the materials and another gripping element carried by one arm of a lever pivoted on the carriage and connected to a reciprocable power means. The carriage, having a constant brake drag applied thereto, may be moved forwardly in one direction after the material has been gripped by the elements and rearwardly after the material has been released by the elements.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered m conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of the apparatus shown in conjunction with a cutting unit;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end elevational View of the cutting unit illustrating one of the control switches for the drive or power means;

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of an article cut from one of the materials;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the apparatus illustrating the three main units of the apparatus; t

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of the roller guiding unit;

Fig. 6 is an isometric view of the intermediate unit, and

2,713,416 Patented July 19, 1955 "ice Fig. 7 is an isometric view of the feeding unit.

Referring now to the drawings, attention is first directed to Fig. 1 which illustrates the apparatus 10 mounted adjacent a cutting machine 11 for feeding a material 12 to the cutter 14 of the machine. The cutter 14 is mounted for reciprocation on a tool holder 15 of a ram 16, the ram being connected in the conventional manner to a crank shaft 17 which may be driven in the conventional manner. The crank shaft has a cam 18 adjustably mouted thereon and adapted to actuate the plunger of a microswitch 19 at a given time during each operating cycle of the machine. A chute 20 is positioned to receive articles 21 cut from the material 12. The machine if may be provided with the conventional stationary material supporting structure 23 having a surface cooperating with the cutter 14 to cut the given lengths from the material 12.

The apparatus 10 includes a base or mounting plate 25 supported in the manner shown by the table 26 at 27 and by a bracket 28 fixed to the machine 11.

The apparatus 10 is composed mainly of three

units

31, 32 and 33. These units are shown more in detail in Fig. 4 and individually in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. First, attention is directed to the material 12, the cross-sectional contour of which is illustrated more clearly in Fig. 3, illustrating the article cut from the material. This material includes a central or body portion 35 having a small longitudinal groove 36 in the upper portion thereof and a large longitudinal groove 37 in the lower portion thereof forming leg portions 38 and 39. The material 12 is extruded polyethylene and the variations in the dimensions of the materials lie solely in the distances between the

recesses

36 and 37.

With these thoughts in mind, it is apparent that the conventional pairs of rollers could not be utilized to advance these materials singly. It is necessary, therefore, that the roller unit 31 be composed of a top roller 41 having a cross-sectional contour partially conforming to the recess 36 and a bottom roller 42 having a crosssectional contour substantially conforming to the recess 37. Furthermore,

side rollers

43 and 44 have contours partially conforming to the sides of the body 35 to cooperate with the

rollers

41 and 42 to assure accurate guiding of the material in a given path. To compensate for the variations in the dimensions of the various materials to be fed to the machine 11, the top roller 41 (as illustrated in Fig. 4) is supported at 46 for vertical adjustment predetermined distances from the bottom roller 42. The rollers 41 to 44 inclusive, are mounted on their respective spindles, the spindle of the roller 41 being journalled in a bracket 47, adjustable on a main frame 48, while the spindle for the other roller is journalled in suitable hearings in the main frame which is mounted on the panel or base 25.

Attention is now directed to the intermediate unit 32 which includes a frame 50 mounted on the base 25 and provided with

material guiding elements

51 and 52. The

elements

51 and 52 fixedly mounted on pivots 53 and 54- respectively, have their inner or adjacent faces 55 and 56 formed (as illustrated in Fig. 4) for a purpose herematter described. The pivot 53 for the lower element 51 has a bent arm 57 connected thereto, the upper end of the arm being connected to a spring 58 extending from a fixed connection 59 on the frame 50, whereby the element 51 will be urged normally clockwise about the axis of its pivot against a stop (not shown).

The upper element 52 has its pivot 54 journalled in a sleeve 60, the upper end of the element 52 being engaged by a spring-pressed plunger 61 adapted to apply a variable force to the element normally urging it counterclockwise about its pivot 54. The sleeve is movably disposed in a hollow portion 63 of the frame 50 and pro-' vided with internal threads 6-1 for interconnection with an adjusting screw supported for rotation in a cover plate 66 but held against longitudinal movement therein whereby rotation of the adjusting screw in either direction will move the sleeve 60 vertically in either direction to cause relative movement of the elements 5.1, namely movement of the element 52 relative to the element 5 A pointer 67, movable in a vertically extending slot 68 relative to indications (not shown) on the adjacent surface of the frame 50, provides means to indicate the relative positions of the

elements

51 and 52 for the materials of various sizes.

The unit 33 (shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 7) includes a carriage 70 having outwardly extending side portions 71 of a lower member 72 slidable in a guideway 73 including guide-plates 74. An element '76 disposed in a recess 77 is urged constantly against the adjacent side 71 of the carriage by springs 78 to provide a brake drag on the carriage.

The carriage 70 has a sleeve 80 disposed in a hollow portion thereof and provided with internal threads 81 to receive an adjusting screw 82 supported for rotation in a cover plate 83 but held against longitudinal movement whereby rotation of the adjusting screw may move the sleeve vertically in either direction. A pointer $4- carried by the sleeve and movable in a vertically extending slot 85 relative to indications in the outer surface of the carriage (not shown), may assist in positioning the sleeve at any given position depending upon the size of the material being fed by the apparatus. The sleeve 31 is bifurcated to receive a gripping element 87 rockably supported by a pivot 88 carried by the sleeve. A gripping element 89 is rockably supported on a pivot 90 carried by a bifurcated arm 91 of a lever 92. The lever 92 is pivotally connected at 93 to the carriage 7t.- and has an arm 94 extending through an aperture in the base of the carriage and also through an elongate aperture 95 in the base 25. The arm 94 of the lever is pivotally connected at 96 to a piston rod 97 of an air cylinder 98, the air cylinder being mounted rigidly on the undersurface of the base 25.

The air cylinder 93 may be connected to an air supply line (not shown) and be under the control of solenoid valves adapted for actuation under the controls of the microswitch 19 and the microswitch (Fig. 7). The switch 19 controls the valve to cause forward movement of the carriage to the left (Fig. 4) by like movement of the piston rod 97, while the switch 100 determines the stopping of the forward movement and the reversing of the power means 98 by movement to the right of the piston rod 97. Actuation of the switch 100 is under the control of an adjustable cam 101 mounted at 102 on the side of the carriage 70.

Considering now the operation of the apparatus, let it be assumed that the apparatus, particularly the

units

31, 32 and 33, are set for a given size of material which may be threaded initially through the apparatus. The machine 11 may then be set in operation causing reciprocation of its cutter 14 in timed relation with the cam 18 which will operate the switch 19 at a predetermined time during each operating cycle of the machine. This time coincides approximately with the start of the return portion of the operating cycle of the machine, that is, the upward movement of the cutter, so that the cutter is free or above the cutting area during the feeding cycle of the apparatus. Closing of the switch 19 will cause operation of the air cylinder to move the rod 97 to the left. During the initial portion of this movement, the carriage remains held against motion due to the brake drag of the element 76 so that the lever 92 will be rotated clockwise, moving the element 89 to cause the elements 89 and 87 to grip the material after which continued movement of the rod 97 will cause application of increased gripping action on the material and movement of the carriage forwardly to feed a given length of the material to the machine. This given length is determined by the position of the earn 101 to actuate the switch 190, stopping movement of the piston rod 97 forwardly and causing it to move rearwardly or to the right. The braking force originating in the element 76 applied to the carriage, holds the carriage against rearward movement until the rod 97 has rocked the lever 92 about its pivot 93 to move the gripping element 89 away from the element 87 to free the material whereby the elements with the carriage may be returned to their starting position.

During the return of the carriage, the material may rest on the lower element 39, but to assure against any rearward motion of the material, the unit 32, through the function of its

elements

51 and 52 and the forces embodied in the spring 58 and the spring pressed plunger 61, causes the eiemcnts to grip the material and hold it against rearward. movement. The frictional contact between the surfaces 55 and 5-6 of the

elements

51 and 52 are such that during longitudinal advancement of the material, these elements may be rocked about their pivots whereby the sloping away contours of the surfaces will free the material for longitudinal advancement. However, the contours of the surfaces 55 and 56, when forced by their resilient means into gripping engagement with the material, will assure against backward movement thereof.

Therefore, through the aid of the three

main units

31, 32 and 33 of the apparatus, the material of the irregular cross-sectional contour which may vary in size, may be advanced accurately to a processing machine, such as a cutter where these materials of various sizes will be cut into predetermined variable lengths.

it is to be understood that the above described an rangements are simply illustrative of the application of. the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A materiai feeding apparatus comprising means to guide a material longitudinally in a given path, means limiting movement of the material to one direction, a carriage, means to support the carriage for reciprocal movement parallel with the path, a gripping member mounted in the carriage adjacent the path, a lever pivotally supported by the carriage and having arms extending in different directions, a gripping element supported by one of the arms of the lever adjacent the path, moving means connected to the other arm of the lever to move the lever to cause the gripping element to cooperate with the gripping member to grip the material and then move the carriage to advance the material, and a brake drag for the carriage to hold the carriage against forward or backward movements until the elements have gripped and released the material.

2. An apparatus for feeding material longitudinally in a given path comprising a carriage, means to support the carriage for reciprocal movement parallel with the path, means operable to reciprocate the carriage forward and backward, means actnable in timed relation with the reciprocation of the carriage to cause the elements to grip the material prior to the forward movement of the carriage to cause the elements to release the material prior to the backward movement of the carriage, and a brake drag for the carriage to hold the carriage against forward or backward movements until the elements have gripped and released the material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNiTED STATES PATENTS 293,538 Sunderland Feb. 12, 1884 344,819 Eckerson July 6, 1386 703,183 Chapin June 24, 1902 1,059,338 Bammer Apr. 22, 1913 1,132,111 Nunn Mar. 16, 1915 2,518,172 Packer Aug. 8, 1950