US2827151A

US2827151A - Packaging machine

Info

Publication number: US2827151A
Application number: US541940A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry E Engleson; Elmer D Sramek
Original assignee: Redington Co F B
Current assignee: F B REDINGTON Co; Redington Co F B
Priority date: 1955-10-21
Filing date: 1955-10-21
Publication date: 1958-03-18
Anticipated expiration: 1975-03-18

Description

March 18 1958 HE. ENGLJESON ETA]. 2,827,151

PACKAGING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed OGC. 21. 1955 FIG! . INVENTORS: HARRY E. ENGLESON ELMER D. SRAMEK Filed Oct. 21, 1955 March 18, 1958 H. E. ENGLESON ET'AL 2,827,151

PACKAGING MACHINE 3' Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.5

2o 5 INVENTORS:

HARRY E .ENGLESON ELMER D. SRAMEK ATT'YS hired States 2,827,151 PAckaoiNG tvmcnnsn Application ()ctober 21, 1955, Serial No. 541,940

8 Claims. (Cl. 1%37) This invention relates to machinery for inserting manufactured articles into packages, and more particularly to methods and means for loading movable conveyer buckets of such a machine with a predetermined number of articles and then mechanically checking to detect any deficiency in the number of articles appearing in a bucket.

Machinery for processing and packaging articles of manufacture commonly includes a movable conveyer with especially adapted holders fixed thereto for the purpose of holding and carrying the articles. in the industry, these special holders are known as buckets, and for the purpose of this specification the term bucket will be used accordingly.

in packaging articles of manufacture for sale to the public, it is essential that each package be completely filled and contain the full, predetermined number of articles intended for that package. When the packaging is accomplished by machinery, it is desirable to employ a method to insure the proper filling of a bucket with articles to be packaged, and it is further essential to employ a device for checking for deficiencies which may result from malfunctioning or failure of some part of the loading mechanism.

it is an object of this invention to provide an improved method for loading a predetermined number of articles 'upon a movable conveyer bucket from which they may be inserted into a package.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved mcthod for detecting any deficiency in the number of articles appearing in a bucket and to be included in a single carton or package.

Another object is to provide an improved detector mechanism for mechanically determining whether each bucket of a conveyer is completely filled with a predetermined quantity of articles, such mechanism having a gang of pivotally mounted fingers adapted to descend over the bucket and to probe positions along a row which is normally filled with articles, and having an electrical switch which will be operated by any finger failing to contact an article and to be pivoted thereby; said electrical switch may be connected to stop the conveyer when a deficiency or" articles is thereby detected in a bucket.

A further object is to provide improved apparatus for loading a bucket with predetermined number of articles and for subsequently determining that the bucket is in fact completely loaded.

According to this invention, articles to be packaged are arranged in a rectilinear configuration having several rows, and then are moved onto a bucket by a pusher ember that presses against the rearrnost row. Since the articles in preceding rows are urged forward by pressure from thearticles immediately behind, any gaps which may have been present in the original configuration will subsequently appear as gaps in the foremost row of the bucket. To detect the gaps or vacancies in the foremost row, a mechanical detecting device having a plurality of fingers is moved downward into close proximity with the bucket, thereby permitting each finger to probe a position in the foremost row normally occupied by one of the articles. An electrical switch mechanism is so mounted as to be operated by any finger which fails to contact an article.

Although this invention is generally concerned with the loading of manufactured articles onto intermittently moving buckets, a more complete understanding may be gathered in considering a particular machine for packaging .22-caliber rifle cartridges as further described in this specification and taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view of a portion of a cartridge packaging machine illustrating the manner in which .22-caliber cartridges are loaded onto movable buckets, and further illustrating the detecting device for assuring that no bucket will be incompletely loaded;

Fig. 2 is a detail front elevational view of the detecting device looking along the line 2-2 of 1, and showing the several detector fingers thereon for probing and contacting cartridges positioned in the cartridge carrying part of a bucket;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the detector device positioned over a bucket, and having .22caliber cartridges therein;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the detector device as it is positioned over a bucket, but being shown in a raised position;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 and illustrating the manner in which the fingers probe positions in the first row of cartridges and illustrating further the operation of the electrical switch when at least one of the fingers fails to contact a cartridge; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar, to Figs. 4 and 5 and illustrating the manner in which the fingers pivot upon contact with a cartridge and the position of the electric switch when all of the fingers are outwardly pivoted.

The packaging machine, as particularly illustrated by the drawings, is for placing .ZZ-caliber cartridges into boxes wherein the cartridges are arranged seven to a row in four rows, thereby providing for twenty-eight cartridges to a box. Cartridges are in two rows of tubes 1, Fig. 1, from which they are guided downwardly into grooved structures 2 and thence urged forward into corresponding grooves in a bucket loader member 3. The bucket loading tray 3 is an elongated platform containing seven pockets 4. Each of the pockets includes seven parallel grooves to receive the cartridges urged forward from the grooved structure 2. The length of the pockets 4 is just sufiicient to hold four cartridges lying in the grooves in an end-to-end relationship. Therefore, each pocket of the loading tray will accommodate twenty-eight cartridges in a rectangular configuration of four rows from the forward side to the rear.

A plurality of buckets 5 is arranged adjacently and is mounted upon a chain 6, thereby forming the conveyer which is adapted to move intermittently and adapted to dwell with the buckets in predetermined positions between the intermittent motions thereof. Thus, the conveyer moves in steps with each successive bucket stopping at the same predetermined position between each step. As is illustrated in Fig. 1, the conveyer and the buckets thereon may be of dual character having bucket pockets 5 arranged to hold and transport the cartridges and having companion pockets 5' adapted to receive cardboard cartons into which the cartridges from the bucket parts 5 are ultimately transferred.

The loading tray 3 containing seven pockets 4 is first positioned in alignment with the grooved structure 2 to receive cartridges therefrom; and is thence moved to a second position in alignment wtih seven adjacent buckets 5 as they dwell between intermittent movements of the conveyer chain 6. The cycle of operation of the loading When the conveyer dwellsbetween intermittent stops.

and thebucket loading 'tray comes into alignment with the conveyer buckets, a movable dividing member 7 lowers-to a retracted position to permit the cartridges to beimoved from the pockets of the bucket'loading tray 3 onto the buckets 5. A pusher member 8 formed with seven forwardly extending pusher arms 9 is adapted to move across the loading tray 3 and push cartridges from each pocket 4 of the loading tray into the corresponding buckets 5 of the. conveyer.

The pusher'member 8 is rigidly mounted upon a supporting. bar 10 which is in turn supported at its ends by' slide shoes 11 adapted to move forwardly and rearwardly in the slide bearings 12. The forward and rearward motion of. the slide shoes 11 and of the structure connected thereto, including the pusher member '8, is accomplished by linking bars 13 connected to each slide shoe lland mechanically coupled to a main drive shaft which also drives the conveyer chain 6. The driving.

means'for accomplishing the motion of the slide shoes 11 and of the conveyer chain 6 may be of any conventional type and may employ conventional means for producing the intermittent motions required,'such as Geneva gears, cams, etc.

The method for loading the buckets as accomplished by the apparatus of this invention, comprises generally arranging articles in a predetermined rectangular configuration having. several rows; thence engaging the rearmost row of the configuration by a pusher member 8 and moving the articles onto the buckets 5 by pressure against the rearmost row. It will be appreciated that the articles in the foremost row are urged forward by further articles in subsequent rows, and that if 'any deficiency orgap 7 appears in asubsequent' row of theoriginal configuration,

.an article of the foremost row will drop back and the configuration is adjusted in the step of moving the articles onto the bucket such that a gap or deficiency. will appear in the foremost row of the bucket. Thus, by this method of loading, gaps or deficiencies of any part of the original configuration. subsequently appear as deficiencies in the foremost row of the articles after they are loaded onto the bucket. A

After each bucket 5 of the conveyer is loaded with articles from the loading tray 3, it continues to advance with intermittent motionv to the right (as shown in Fig. l) and ultimately arrives at a position beneath a mechanical detecting mechanism 14.. The detector assembly 141comprises. generally a plurality of probing elements 15. The

probingelements 15 are mounted to pivot about a point lfiandare supported on a structure comprising an angular support. bar 17 which is in turn attached to a vertical slide bar 18; The vertical slide bar 18 is mounted to slide upwardly and downwardly to raise and lower the supporting bar 17* and the detector probe elements which are pivotally mounted thereon-.7 The slidably mounted bar 18 is mechanically linked to the main drive shaft of, the machine by conventional means. and operates therefrom in timed relation with. the movement of the conveyer suchthat the detector probe fingers are lowered into the proximity of a bucket 5 as the'bucket dwells between the intermittent movements of the conveyer. The

articles contained within the, buckets are confined thereto a by a pair of rails 19- and 20 positioned respectively in front. of and behind the bucket and: extending parallel to .the'direction ofmotion thereon. As is shown in Fig. 3, the; rear. rail, 20,- contains a. cut-out. portion. to. permit the vertical slide member 18 to descend without interference between the rail 20 and the support bar 17'.

The detector mechanism 14 includes the plurality of pivotal probe elements 15 which are movably supported to be lowered into a position for probing the foremost row of cartridges contained in the bucket. Each pivotal probe element .15 contains a 'finger 21 for probing the bucket and contains a hooked part 22 for engaging and operating an electric switch assembly 23. The switch assembly 23 comprises generally an upstanding arm 24 mounted to pivot. about a point 25 and a ledge part 26 adaptedto be engaged by any of the hooked parts 22' of the detector elements 15. When the switch is operated, 'the ledge part 26 is pulled down by one or more detector elements, and the upstanding arm 24' pivots to the right (Figs. 4, 5 and 6) and

electric contacts

27 and 28 are separated. A tension spring 29 urges the upstanding arm 24 of the electrical switch to the left (Figs. 4, S and 6) and holds the

contacts

27 and 28. together in a normally closed position. e Figs. 4; 5 and 6 illustrate the manner of operation of the. detector. mechanism of this invention. In Fig, 4 the probe elements 22 are in a raised position over the bucket 5. p In Figs. 5 and 6, the supporting bar 17. is lowered and the elements 15 probe their respective posi:

tions which are normally occupied by articles in the. bucket 5. I Fig. 5 illustrates the function of the detector. mechanism when one or more articles are missing from 1 the foremost row of the bucket; and Fig.6 illustrates the probing action of the detector mechanism 'when the bucket is completely filed and no deficiencies or gaps exist. In Fig. .6, as the supporting bar 17 lowers the elements 15, the probing finger. 21 contacts the articles and causes the element to be thereby pivoted; The

hooked part 22 of'the probing element 15' pivots away from and fails to engage the ledge 26 of the electric switch assembly 23, and, therefore, the

electric switch contacts

27 and 28 remain in the closed position. Fig. 5,1 one;- of the cartridges is missing, leaving. a gap or deficiency in the foremost row of the bucket. The

, supporting bar 17 has lowered andalthough several of the probe fingers 21 have contacted cartridges and have caused the probe elements 15 to pivot, at' least one of the fingers 21 had descended into the gap, resulting i and any deficiency subsequently appears in the foremost row of articles. The detector mechanism probes each of the positions normally occupied by the articles of the foremost row, and if a deficiency there appears, the electric switch is opened. 1 The electric switch 23 is connected by a cable 23' to conventional electrical controls supplying electric power to a motor coupled to the main drive shaft. The opening of the electric switch may function to stop the machine and therefore stopthe conveyer, or it may functionto set off an alarm to alert an operator, or it may function to givea visual indication that a bucket and a carton filled therefrom lacks the predetermined number'of articles;

Each probing element comprisesgenerally a partadapt ed to be journaled at the pivot point16, an upstanding vertical leg 30 terminating in a hooked part 22 at the upper extremity thereofr A first horizontal arm 31 ex tends from an intermittent point on the vertical leg 30 to support the probe finger 21 which extends down- Wardly therefrom. A second horizontal arm 32 extends horizontally from the vertical leg 30 in a direction op posite to that of the first horizontal arm 31 and ternit ates in a downwardly. extending. hooked part. 33;

A bar 34 is adjustably mounted on the supporting bar 17 and extends in spaced relation behind the upstanding legs 30 of the probe elements 15. A compression spring 35 is positioned between the bar 34 and each of the upstanding legs 30 of the pivotal mounted elements 15, thereby urging the probe element 15 in a counterclockwise direction (Figs. 4, 5 and 6) about the pivot point 16. The hooked part 33 of each probe element engages the bar 34 to provide a stop limiting the pivotal motion of the probe elements.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is hereby reserved to make all such changes as fall fairly within the scope of the following claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. Apparatus for loading a bucket of a movable conveyer with a predetermined number of articles, said apparatus comprising means adjacent to the conveyer for arranging the articles in a configuration having a plurality of rows, means associated with the first means for pushing the articles from a side of said configuration into the conveyer bucket whereupon the articles in the foremost row are urged forward by pressure from articles in a subsequent row and whereby any deficiency in the number of articles of the original configuration results in a deficiency of articles in the foremost row in the bucket, and means associated with the conveyer for detecting the deficiency of articles in the foremost row of the bucket.

2. Apparatus for loading a bucket of a conveyer with a predetermined number of articles, said apparatus comprising means adjacent to the conveyer for arranging the articles in a configuration having a plurality of rows, means operatively associated with the first means for moving the articles onto the bucket by pressure against the rearmost row of articles whereupon the articles in the foremost row are urged forward by pressure from articles in subsequent rows and whereby any deficiency in the number of articles in the original configuration causes a deficiency of articles in the foremost row in the bucket, and a device positioned substantially over the conveyer for detecting a deficiency of articles in the foremost row of the bucket, said device including a plurality of fingers pivotally mounted on a movable support, said support being operable to move said fingers into close proximity with the bucket whereupon each of said fingers probes a position in the foremost row in the bucket which is normally occupied by one of the articles, and an electric switch associated with said fingers for stopping the conveyer when any of said fingers fails to contact an article.

3. Apparatus for loading a bucket of a conveyer with a predetermined number of articles, said apparatus comprising means adjacent to the conveyer for arranging the articles in a configuration having a plurality of rows, means operatively associated with the first means for moving the articles onto the bucket by pressure against the rearmost row of articles whereupon the articles in the foremost row are urged forward by pressure from articles in subsequent rows, and a device for detecting a deficiency in the number of articles in the foremost row of the bucket, said device including a movable support, a plurality of fingers pivotally mounted upon the support, said support being operable to move the fingers into close proximity with the bucket whereupon each finger probes a position in the foremost row of articles in the bucket, said fingers individually pivoting upon contact with the articles, an electrical switch operatively associated with the fingers and responsive to any of said fingers failing 7 4. A method for mechanically detecting a deficiency in a predetermined number of articles, said method comprising arranging said articles in a plurality of rows, moving the articles by exerting a force against the rearmost row and thereby transposing any gaps in any of the rows to the foremost row, and mechanically probing positions normally occupied by articles in the foremost row.

5. A method for loading a bucket of a machine with a predetermined number of articles and for mechanically detecting a deficiency in the number of articles so loaded, said method comprising arranging said articles in a configuration having a plurality of rows, moving the articles onto the bucket by pressing against the rear of the configuration and thereby permitting articles to fill any gaps in the rows behind the foremost row and to transpose any gaps to the foremost row, and mechanically probing the bucket at positions normally occupied by articles of the foremost row.

6. In a detector mechanism for sequentially probing the buckets of a conveyer and for operating an electric switch to stop the conveyer when a deficiency of articles appears in a bucket, a detector element comprising a journaled part for pivotally supporting the detector element, an upstanding leg extending vertically from the journaled part, a horizontal arm extending horizontally from an intermediate point of the upstanding leg above the journaled part, a probe finger extending downwardly from the horizontal arm, and a hooked part at the upper extremityof the upstanding leg adapted for engaging and operating the electric switch when the detector element is lowered and when the probe finger fails to engage an article in a bucket.

7. In a detector mechanism for sequentially probing the buckets of a conveyer and for operating an electric switch to stop the conveyer when a deficiency of articles appears in a bucket, a detector element comprising a journaled part for pivotally supporting the detector element, an upstanding leg extending vertically from the journaled part, a first horizontal arm extending horizontally from an intermediate point of the upstanding leg above the journaled part, a probe finger extending downwardly from the first horizontal arm, a hooked part at the upper extremity of the upstanding leg adapted for engaging and operating the electric switch when the detector element is lowered and when the probe finger fails to engage an article in a bucket, a second horizontal arm extending horizontally in the direction opposite of the direction of the first horizontal arm, and a downwardly extending part forming another hook at the extremity of the second horizontal arm, said hook being adapted to engage a stop member of the detector mechanism.

8. A method for mechanically detecting a deficiency in a predetermined number of articles, said method comprising arranging a plurality of rows of articles on a support wherein each row includes a predetermined number of articles arranged in side-by-side relation, supplying a force to the rearmost row of articles to advance the row transversely of its axis, moving the articles to an adjacent support thereby transposing any gaps in any of the rows to the foremost row, and mechanically probing positions normally occupied by the articles in the foremost row.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,952,042 Ahnger Mar. 27, 1934 2,696,903 Krupke Dec. 14, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 298,315 Great Britain Oct, 11, 1928