US3051291A

US3051291A - Article-feeding apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3051291A
Application number: US10133A
Authority: US
Inventors: William M Hennessey
Original assignee: Burroughs Corp
Current assignee: Unisys Corp
Priority date: 1960-02-23
Filing date: 1960-02-23
Publication date: 1962-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 1979-08-28

Description

Aug. 28, 1962 w. M. HENNESSEY ARTICLE-FEEDING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 23, 1960 I Rm INVENTOR. WI LLIAM MHE/vmzssEx ATTORNEY Aug. 28, 1962 w. M. HENNESSEY 3,051,291

ARTICLE-FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 23, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ILL [AM MHENNESSEY ZZM QJQLQ AT TORNEY tats This invention relates to article-feeding apparatus and particularly to such apparatus for use in mass feeding of small, round, lightweight articles.

Present day electronic systems, particularly computers, use large numbers of devices which include magnetic cores. Magnetic cores are generally very small and very light toroidal bodies of magnetic material which present special problems in mass handling due to their small size and effective weightlessness. Many types of apparatus are known for feeding or transporting articles in mass production operations; however, none of these is completely suitable for handling magnetic cores.

Accordingly, the principles and objects of the present invention are directed toward the provision of comparatively simple and efficient apparatus for handling large numbers of small magnetic cores or other small, round, lightweight articles and feeding or moving them one at a time from one position to another for the purpose of performing some operation thereon.

Briefly, the apparatus of the invention includes a stationary frame and a horizontally disposed rotatable table which is mounted in operative relation to the frame. The frame is provided with a channel which communicates with the table and through which articles are fed one at a time from a large supply held on the table. The channel includes an entrance portion which the articles enter as they leave the table and which is oriented substantially at right angles to the direction of motion of the table as it passes in front of the entrance portion of the channel. The width of the entrance portion is substantially the same as the width of the article being fed allowing the article to be fed from the table only at substantially right angles to the movement of the article on the feed table. With this relationship between the entrance portion of the channel and the table and the articles being fed, the articles are fed reliably from the rotating table through the channel to an operating position without blocking the entrance portion of the channel.

The invention is described in greater detail by reference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the article-feeding apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view along the lines 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the lines 44 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the lines 55 in FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the article-feeding apparatus of the invention is particularly suited for feeding small diameter toroidal magnetic cores and includes a frame comprising a first horizontal support table 12 which is carried on suitable legs 14 secured thereto in any suitable fashion. A frame member 16, which is generally rectangular in form, is supported horizontally, spaced from the table 12 by support posts 18 at its four corners. The frame includes upper and

lower surfaces

20 and 22, respectively. The frame member 16 includes a comparatively large-area central cutout portion 24 which provides a reservoir area for the cores as they are fed by the apparatus 10. The major portion of the cutout area is defined by inc Patented Aug. 28,

the circularly curved concave wall 26 of a comparatively narrow border portion 28 of the frame 24, and the remainder is defined by a convexly curved wall 30 of a somewhat wider frame portion 32.

A motor 34 is secured to the lower surface 36 of the table 12 and includes a drive shaft 38 which extends vertically toward the frame member 16 and is aligned with the center thereof. The shaft 38 is supported by suitable brackets 40 secured to the support posts 18. A circular rotatable table 42, horizontally oriented, is secured to the upper end of the drive shaft 38 and is mounted closely adjacent to the lower surface 22 of the frame 16 and oriented horizontally and parallel thereto. The rotatable table 42 includes upper and lower surfaces 44- and 46, respectively. The space between the bottom surface of the frame and the top surface of the table is sufiiciently small so that cores 47 held on the table cannot pass therethrough and be lost. In the arrangement of parts shown in FIG. 1, the table is adapted to be rotated in a clockwise direction. Preferably, the rim of the table is chamfered as shown at 4% in FIG. 4 to assist the passage of cores from the table to a suitable passageway to be described.

An auxiliary core guide member is provided for assisting the core-feeding operation of the apparatus and includes a support plate 49 secured to the top surface 26* of the narrow portion 28 of the frame 16 and carrying a curved guide plate 50 which extends radially therefrom over the cutout portion 24 of the frame 16 and lies closely adjacent to the top surface 44 of the table 42. The leading free end 52 of the curved plate 50 terminates beyond or at the center of the table, and it is oriented so that its convex surface 54 faces the curved wall 26 of the frame 16. Thus, the guide plate 50 is oriented so that, as the table rotates, cores bear against the convex surface thereof and are moved to the peripheral wall 26 of the cutout portion. The space between the wall 26 of the frame 16 and the inner end 55 of the guide plate 50 defines the passageway through which cores pass as they are moved outwardly toward the wall 26.

The wider portion 32 of the frame 16 is provided with core-feeding means comprising a channel 58 through which cores 47 are fed from the table to an adjacent operating position. .The channel 58 includes an entrance portion 60 which faces and is in operative relation with the table, an exit portion 62, and an intermediate connecting portion 64. The channel 58 is no wider than necessary to allow cores to flow freely through it one after the other. The entrance portion 60 is of substantially the same width as the channel 58 and preferably is of exactly the same width as the channel. The space above the channel 58 may be open, or it may be covered completely or in part by a removable cover member 65. According to the invention, the longitudinal axis of the entrance portion 65) which opens to the rotating table 42 is oriented substantially at right angle to the direction of flow of cores past the entrance portion due to rotation of the table. In other words, the longitudinal axis of the entrance portion is substantially orthagonal to the direction of movement of the portion of the table which passes in front of the entrance portion. For convenience in utilizing space, the connecting portion 64 is oriented at an angle to the entrance portion, and the exit portion 62, similarly, is oriented at an angle to the connecting portion. The exit portion is connected in any suitable fashion, for example by means of a conduit 66, to the next operating position.

Referring again to the auxiliary guide plate 59, preferably, the inner end 55 thereof is located at a greater radial distance from the center of the table 42 than the entrance portion 60 of the channel 58. This arrangement insures that all cores are driven outwardly beyond the entrance spa 1,

to the channel 58, and each is thus caused to approach the channel 58 at an angle suitable to permit entry.

The Wider portion 32 of the frame 16 is also provided with. a plurality of channels 67 (FIG. 3) which provide communication between the table 42 and a cutout area 68 in the frame 12. The slots are oriented transversely to the wall 30 of the frame 12 from which they originate and are too small to receive cores, but are large enough to receive broken core pieces, dirt, or other undesired refuse. With respect to the direction of rotation of the table 42 and thedirection of movement of the cores, the channels 67 are located ahead of the channel 58 for feeding the cores themselves from the table. A similar cutout portion 70 is provided on the opposite side of the channel 58 for the purpose of receiving particles of dirt and the like.

In operation of the apparatus of the invention, a large quantity of cores 47 is fed haphazardly onto the rotating table 42. As the table rotates, the guide plate 50 tends to push the cores outwardly against the curved Wall 26 of the cutout portion 24 of the frame 16. As the cores are moved along by the rotating table, broken core pieces and the like enter the channels 67 and are removed. The cores which are in contact with the 'wall and reach the entrance portion 60 of the channel 58 are driven accurately and rapidly into the entrance portion and along the channel to the conduit 66. The charnfered rim of the table promotesthe downward passage of the cores into the conduit 66.

It has been found that the orientation of the entrance portion 60 of the channel 58 at a right angle to the direction of movement of the cores 47 provides accurate feeding of the cores from the feed table through the channel to the next operating position. This feeding is accomplished substantially Without blockage of the entrance to the channel by the cores. In addition, it has been found that the novel arrangement of the entrance to the feed channel speeds up the movement of the cores as they leave the feed table and enter the channel. Thus, an overall increase in the speed of core processing is achieved.

It is apparent that applicants article-feeding apparatus will handle disks, spheres, oblate spheroids and similar round, lightweight articles with the same speed and avoidance of jamming as toroidal magnetic cores.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for feeding small, lightweight, substantially round articles comprising a frame member having a central cutout area, a rotatable table positioned beneath said frame and accessible through said cutout area, and

7 a channel in said frame providing a path for feeding said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,437,721 Barganz I Mar. 16, 1948 2,629,481 Stover Feb. 24, 1953 2,642,173 Wehmiller June 16, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 590,775 Germany Jan. 10, 1934