US2787303A

US2787303A - Washer dispenser and power screwdriver assembly

Info

Publication number: US2787303A
Application number: US459992A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fred T Coder; Henry W Schaufelberger
Original assignee: Western Electric Co Inc
Current assignee: AT&T Corp
Priority date: 1954-10-04
Filing date: 1954-10-04
Publication date: 1957-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 1974-04-02

Description

April 2, 1957 F. T. CODER ET AL. 2,787,303

WASHER DISPENSER AND POWER 'SCREWDRIVER ASSEMBLY Filed 001:. 4, 1954 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 III I Y! /A/VN70R-5 4 7.- coom H. m SCHA urasmcm 8y I i AprilZ, 1957 F. T. CODER ET AL 2,787,303

WASHER DISPENSER AND POWER SCREWDRIVER ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 4, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "/Nva/vroks f TCODEP H W SCHAUFCLBL RGER ATTok/Vm' United States Patent WASHER DISPENSER AND POWER SCREW- DRIVER ASSEMBLY Fred T. Coder, Groveland, Mass, andI-Ienry W. Schaufelberger, Union, N. J., assignors to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application October 4, 1954, Serial No. 459,992

8 Claims. (Cl. 144-42) This invention relates to washer dispensers particularly those adapted for use in combination with screw driver units.

During the manufacture of various types of electrical units for use in the communication arts, it is necessary to assemble certain of the parts by machine screws and washers. To perform these functionsmanually, considerable time is required. There are satisfactory power driven screw drivers and commercially known units to feed screws to the screw drivers but there arose the problem of feeding washers into position so that the screws may be forced through the washers and driven into threaded apertures of the parts' The object of the invention is a washer dispenser capable of efiiciently and economically feeding a given number of washers successively to an assembling position.

With this and other objects in view, the invention comprises a washer dispenser including an arm having a washer receiving pocket movable between an assembling position and a receiving position beneath a stack of washers in a hopper to move a shelf from beneath the stack of washers and to actuate an element capable of'separating a given number of washers from the stack for depositing in the pocket of the arm.

In the present embodiment of the invention, thewasher dispenser is employed in combination with the screw driving unit and a screw dispensing unit so that a given number of washers will be received in the pocket of the arm and returned to alignment with the screw driver unit whereby a screw from the screw dispensing unit may be forced into the washers and the washers forced. through the pocket for connection with threaded parts.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailedrd'escription when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the washerv dispenser shown in combination with a screw driving unit and a screw dispensing unit;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the washer dispenser with the other units removed;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of a part of the washer dispenser taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the pocket portion of the arm, illustrating a portion of the screw driver unit and a screw about to be moved into the washers;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 5--5 of Fig. 2; s

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the structure shownin Fig. 5 illustrating the pocket of the arm in the receiving position;

Fig. 7 is a view of the structure shown in Fig. 6 with the arm moving out of the receiving position, and

Fig. 8 is an exploded view of the structure shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 (not including the arm).

Referring now to the drawings, attention is directed 2,787,303 Patented Apr. 2, 1957 first to Fig. 1 which illustrates the dispensing apparatus in combination with a screw driver unit 10 having a reciprocable screw driving element 11 movable in a given path to which screws 12- may be fed singly through the aid of a commercially known screw feeding unit 14.

The washer dispenser includes a hopper 15 adapted to receive a supply of washers 16 and support them in stacked formation. The hopper 15 is supported by an apertured cover plate 18- of a supply unit 19. The cover plate 18 has a groove 20 therein to receive a member 21 of a spacing element 22. A block or enlarged portion 23 mounted in the groove 20 of the cover plate 18 disposed adjacent the aperture 24- for the hopper, limits movement of the spacing element 22 in one direction. The spacing element 22 with its member 21 is disposed in a hollow portion 26 of a slide 27', lateral portions 28 of the member 21 nesting in cutaway portions 29 of the slide which are greater in length than the portions 28. A spring 30 interposed between the member 21 and a surface 31 of the slide 37 performs important functions which will be described hereinafter. The slide 27' with its open portion 26 straddling the block or projection 23 also straddles the aperture 24 so as to receive washers from the hopper and allow them to rest on a shelf 33.

The slide 27" rests in an intermediate member 35 particularly in a groove 36 thereof with the shelf 33 extending through an elongate aperture 37 in the grooved portion thereof. The cover member 18 and the intermediate member 35 with the slide 27 and element 22 assembled therebetween are mounted on a support 38 of the contour shown in Fig. 8 Where the upper surface is cut away at 39. The cutaway portion 39, cooperating with the intermediate member 35, provides a passageway for a Washer dispensing arm 40. A pin 41 fixed to the slide 27 is con- I nected to one end of a spring 42, the other end thereof being connected at 43in a longitudinal aperture 44 of the support 38.

The dispensing arm 46 is mounted on a vertical shaft 45 and includes a pocket 46 at one end thereof in which resilient members 47 are mounted. The resilient elements 47 are of the general contours shown in Figs. 2 and 4 to receive, in the present instance, two washers 16, transfer them from the receiving position adjacent the chute 15 to the assembling position shown in Fig. 2 and to permit the screw driver element 11 to force the screw 12 into the washers through the pocket 46 where the screw may be driven by the screw driver 11 into threaded apertures 48 of parts 49. A lever 51 is fixedly mounted on the shaft 45 and has a slidable connection 52 with a ram 53 of a double acting piston (not shown) of an air cylinder 54. The air cylinder has its

heads

55 and 56 connected through lines 57 and saw a commercially known solenoid operable valve 59. Solenoid units 69 and 61' are energizable singly to actuate the valve 59. The solenoid unit is shown in a circuit 62 under the control of a switch 63 which may be actuated by the screw driver unit 10 including (for example) a projection 64 on a rod 65 of the reciprocating means for the screw driver element 11. The projection may be positioned so that, as the screw driver element 11 moves upwardly after completing an assembling operation, it may close the switch 63 to operate the solenoid unit 6!) to operate the valve 59. The solenoid unit 61 is under the control of a switch 67 in a circuit 68, the switch being actuated by the leading portion 70 of the ram 53.

Considering now the operation of the washer dispenser, it should be understood that, as the screw driver element 11 moves upwardly after completing one driving operation, switch 63'is closed, operating the solenoid unit 60 to actuate the valve 59, admitting air under pressure from a supply line 71 through line 57 to move the ram 53 to the right (Fig. 2) to swing the arm 40 from the assembling position shown in Fig. 2 to a position where the pocket 46 will be in alignment with the hopper 15. During movement of the arm into the receiving position, the forward end of the arm strikes the shelf 33, moving the shelf with the slide 27 against the force of the spring 42, while at the same time, moving the dividing element 22 between the second washer from the bottom and the remainder of the stack of washers. Attention is directed to the knife-like forward edge 73 of the element 22 adapting it to readily enter the chosen space above the second washer from the bottom in the stack dividing the leading or lowermost pair of washers so that they may rest on the shelf 33 until the shelf has been moved free of the hopper by the arm 40. At this time, the pocket 46 of the arm is positioned beneath the hopper to receive the two washers separated from the remaining washers in the stack by the element 22. At this point in the operation of the dispenser, the spring 30 performs its most important function (as illustrated in Fig. 7) of holding the member 21 and the element 22 against movement to the right until the shelf 33 starts its movement beneath the hopper 15. It will be observed by viewing Fig. 7, that the element 22 and the shelf 33 overlap each other to prevent any possibility of downward movement of the washers in the hopper until the shelf 33 is ready to receive them. Furthermore, the distance between the element 22 and the upper surface of the shelf is substantially equivalent to the thickness of two washers. This distance may be varied to include the thickness of any desired number of washers to be transferred to the assembling position. When the arm 40 has been rocked from the assembling position to the receiving position, the washers immediately drop into the pocket and, at the same time, the ram or the forward portion of the ram 70 actuates the switch 67 to energize the solenoid unit 61. The switches 63 and 67 are operated momentarily during movement of their actuating members 65 and 70 and, for this reason, the switches are not held operated. However, the valve 59 will remain in any position moved through the energization of its solenoid units 60 and 61 until reversed. With this arrangement, it is apparent that the washer dispenser functions automatically while the screw driver unit returns to its starting position so that rapid successive operations may be performed accurately, feeding a selected number of washers between each operating cycle of the screw driver unit to the assembling position.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements 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 washer dispenser comprising a hopper for washers in stacked formation, an arm swingable about a pivot and having a washer receiving pocket therein, means to swing the arm to move the pocket between its normal assembling position and a receiving position in alignment with the hopper, a shelf normally urged into a position beneath the hopper to support the washers and movable from beneath the hopper by the arm movable into its receiving position, and an element moved by the arm and with the shelf to separate a given number of washers from the bottom of the stack to drop into the pocket when the pocket is moved into the receiving position.

2. A washer dispenser comprising a hopper for washers in stacked formation, an arm swingable about a pivot and having a washer receiving pocket therein, means to swing the arm to move the pocket between its normal assembling position and a receiving position in alignment with the hopper, a shelf normally urged into a position beneath the hopper to support the washers and movable from beneath the hopper by the arm moving into its receiving position, an element moved by the arm and with the shelf to separate a given number of washers from the bottom of the stack to drop into the pocket when the pocket is moved into the receiving position, and means to retard movement of the element from beneath the stack of washers until the shelf is moved beneath the stack of washers.

3. A washer dispenser comprising a hopper for washers in stacked formation, an arm swingable about a pivot and having a washer receiving pocket therein, means to swing the arm to move the pocket between its normal assembling position and a receiving position in alignment with the hopper, a shelf normally urged into a position beneath the hopper to support the washers and movable from beneath the hopper by the arm moving into its receiving position, an element moved by the arm and with the shelf to separate a given number of washers from the bottom of the stack to drop into the pocket when the pocket is moved into the receiving position, and compressible means to hold the element beneath the stack of washers until the shelf is moved beneath the stack of washers.

4. The combination with a power driven screw driver reciprocable in an assembling position relative to a work support and a unit to feed screws singly to the screw driver, of a washer dispenser comprising a hopper for washers in stacked formation spaced from the assembling position, an arm swingable about a pivot and having a washer receiving pocket therein, means actuable to swing the arm to move the pocket between the assembling position and a receiving position beneath the hopper, means actuated by the arm moving into its receiving position to cause the deposit of a given number of washers into the pocket, and means to retain the given number of washers in the pocket until pushed through the pocket by the screw and screw driver.

5. The combination with a power driven screw driver reciprocable in an assembling position relative to a work support and a unit to feed screws singly to the screw driver, of a washer dispenser comprising a hopper for washers in stacked formation spaced from the assembling position, an arm having a washer receiving pocket therein, means actuable to swing the arm to move the pocket between the assembling position and a receiving position beneath the hopper, means under the control of the screw driver to actuate said arm swinging means, means actuated by the arm to cause the deposit of a given number of washers into the pocket, and means to retain the given number of washers in the pocket until pushed through the pocket by the screw and screw driver.

6. The combination with a power driven screw driver reciprocable in an assembling position relative to a work support and a unit to feed screws singly to the screw driver, of a washer dispenser comprising a hopper for washers in stacked formation spaced from the assembling position, an arm having a washer receiving pocket therein, means actuable to swing the arm to move the pocket between the assembling position and a receiving position beneath the hopper, a shelf normally urged into a position beneath the hopper to support the washers movable from beneath the hopper by the arm, and an element movable with the shelf to separate a given number of washers from the bottom of the stack to drop into the pocket when the pocket is moved into the receiving position.

7. The combination with a power driven screw driver reciprocable in an assembling position relative to a work support and a unit to feed screws singly to the screw driver, of a washer dispenser comprising a hopper for washers in stacked formation spaced from the assembling position, an arm having a washer receiving pocket therein, means actuable to swing the arm to move the pocket between the assembling position and a receiving position beneath the hopper, a shelf normally urged into a position beneath the hopper to support the washers movable from-beneath the hopper by the arm, an element movable means to retard movement of the element from beneath the stack of washers until the shelf is moved beneath the stack of washers.

8. The combination with a power driven screw driver reciprocable in an assembling position relative to a work Support and a unit to feed screws singly to the screw driver, of a Washer dispenser comprising a hopper for Washers in stacked formation spaced from the assembling position, an arm having a washer receiving pocket therein, means actuable to swing the arm to move the pocket between the assembling position and a receiving position beneath the hopper, a shelf normally urged into a position beneath the hopper to support the washers movable from beneath the hopper by the arm, an element movable with the shelf to separate a given number of washers from the bottom of the stack to drop into the pocket when the pocket is moved into the receiving position, and compressible means to hold the element beneath the stack of washers until the shelf is moved beneath the stack of washers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,058,654 Barber Apr. 8, 1913 1,203,554- Brackett Oct. 31, 1916 1,624,189 Steen Apr. 12, 1927 1,839,490 Moeller Jan. 5, 1932 1,958,248 Runk May 8, 1934 1,991,467 Sawin Feb. 19, 1935 2,507,047 Perry May 9, 1950 2,599,283 Price June 3, 1952 2,628,646 Bailey et al Feb. 17, 1953 2,681,668 Labbert June 22, 1954