US3057451A - Control device - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 9, 1962 G. MCLAUGHLIN, JR., ETAL CONTROL DEVICE Filed April 30, 1956 l7 I8 2022 I524 IO E O G TNm NU E N V M m 5 YL N H O J BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HERR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,057,451 CONTRGL DEVICE Guy McLaughlin, In, Lancaster, John Lester Denlinger, Manheirn Township, Lancaster County, and Benjamin Franklin Herr, Lancaster, Pa., assignors to Armstrong Cork Company, Lancaster, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 30, 1956, Ser. No. 581,799 4 Claims. (Cl. 19821) This invention relates to a control device, and more particularly to a device for controlling the feeding of a plurality of objects in proper alignment to a processing machine.

This application is a continuation-in-part of our patent application Serial No. 264,332, filed December 31, 1951, now abandoned.

In the processing of objects, such as crown closures for example, it has been found desirable to feed a plurality of the relatively light-weight metal crowns to a machine in rapid succession. In machines of the type disclosed in Patent No. 2,699,197 in the name of Guy Mc- Laughlin, Jr., the crowns are fed in groups of five, and it is desirable that five crowns be in alignment before any crowns are fed to the machine. This overcomes the possibility of a lesser number of crowns than the full complement being supplied to the machine.

An object of this invention is to provide a means whereby a given number of crowns will be fed to a machine at one time and whereby no crowns will be fed unless the required number is available for feeding.

In order that our invention may be more readily understood, it will be described in connection with the attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the device in position for feeding crowns to the machine;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 in which the device is in position for halting the feeding of crowns to the machine; and

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 in which the device is functioning normally.

In order to operate certain machines, such as crown spotting machines, it has been found preferable to supply crowns to the machine at the rate at which the machine is operating; however, due to certain unforeseen holdups in preceding operations, it is sometimes impossible to have the required number of crowns available to supply a full complement to the machine. If a lesser number of crowns is supplied, the spotting attachment will place the spots on the metal channels where the missing crowns should be located. This is highly undesirable. In order to avoid this, it has been found desirable to provide a withholding device to withhold the crowns until the required number is available.

In order to accomplish crown withholding until the desired number of crowns is available, the finger 2 is positioned along the path of travel of the objects carried by the turntable conveyor 3, which objects are to be supplied to the processing machine shown at 4. This finger 2 has a curved end 5 adapted to engage a crown or other object in position to enter the machine 4. After a series of five crowns has been supplied to the machine, the machine 4 is moved until the next crown-receiving station is in alignment for a supply of crowns. Attached to the rotating part of machine 4 is a plate cam 6 which engages ice a cam roller 7 attached to arm 3 which pivots about point 9 and carries on its other end the finger 2. The plate earn 6 moves the roller 7 away from the machine 4, pivoting the arm 3 about pivot point 9 and forcing the point 5 on the end of finger 2 across the path of travel of the oncoming crowns. As cam plate 6 advances with the machine 4, it next engages cam roller 11 carried on the end of arm 12 which is pivoted about pivot point 13. Both the arms 8 and the arm 12 are mounted on the same mount 14. The detector slide 15 is positioned for sliding movement over this same mount 14.

The other end of arm 12 is connected at point 16 with a rod 17. The connection between the arm 12 and rod 17 at point '16 is such that movement of the arm 12 in a clockwise direction by reason of its engagement with plate earn 6 will move the rod 1'7 from left to right as shown in the drawing, FIGURE 1. The detector 10 is mounted on a slide 15 having an opening therein for the reception of the rod 17 and the mounting point 16 between the arm and the rod. The rod 17 is surrounded by a spring 18 which is compressed between the nut 19 on the end of the rod and the shoulder edge 2% of the slide 15. With this arrangement, if the detector 119, which is mounted on the slide 15 by means of stud 21, engages two crowns on the conveyor, "the entire slide 15 will be prevented from moving from left to right as shown in FIGURE 1. When this occurs, the arm 12 and the rod 17 will merely move in the opening 22 provided in the slide 15, and the spring 18 will be further compressed because the rod 17 moves from left to right with the arm 12 but movement of the slide 15 is restrained by the crowns on the conveyor. When this condition exists, the parts assume the relative positions shown in FIGURE 3.

If detector 1%) does not engage stationary crowns in the conveyor, spring 13 will urge the entire slide 15 from left to right along with the rod 17 and the arm 12 extending the detector 10 across the path of travel of the crowns on the conveyor. The direction of movement of the slide '15 is controlled by a stud 23 which is mounted in the mounting member 14, and the slot 24 in the slide 15 moves past the stud in such manner as to guide the slide 15. This forward movement of the slide 15 causes the roller 25 carried on the projection 26 of the slide 15 to roll along the arcuate cam surface 27 of the dog 28. The arcuate cam surface 27 of the dog 28 is of such shape that when the roller 25 is in its foremost position, dog 28 will be urged into the notch 29 on the finger 2. This compresses the spring 30 which is positioned between the spring mount 31 and the dog 28.

The detector 10 is pivotally mounted so that it will adjust itself to engage the skirts of the crowns without damaging them. Such pivotal mounting of the detector it? also permits it to be deflected by crowns in movement on the conveyor so that the detector will move forward into any gap between crowns in motion on the conveyor. With this type of arrangement, the only time detector it) will be restrained from its forward movement across the path of travel of the crowns is when a sufiicient number of crowns is in alignment and the line of crowns is stationary and waiting to be supplied to the machine 4. At all other times, if the crowns contacted by detector 14) are in motion, the detector will move forward and prevent supplying crowns to the machine 4.

After plate cam 6 has passed both rollers 7 and 11 on arms 8 and 12, respectively, the spring 32 moves the arm I'd do 12 in a counterclockwise direction, moving the rod 17 along with the end of arm 12. Inasmuch as the spring 18 has urged the slide 15 along with the rod and the arm, the arm will now engage the slide and move it from right to left as shown in FIGURE 1, returning it to its initial position. Such withdrawal of the slide 15 also withdraws the roller 25 along the cam surface of the dog 28 to the extent that the spring 30 forces the dog 28 out of engagernent with the notch 29 in the finger 2 and allows spring 33 to withdraw the finger from its position across the path of travel of the crowns. It will be understood that in the event detector 10 strikes crowns, the spring 18 will not move the slide 15 from left to right as shown in FIG- URE 1 and the arm 12 at the point 16 and the rod 17 will merely move in the opening 22 in the slide. When this happens, slide 15 does not move and the roller 25 will not move the dog 23 into the notch 29 in the finger 2, and immediately after plate earn 6 passes roller 7 the spring 33 will retract the finger from the path of the crowns and the crowns will move into the machine.

In order that the operation of the machine may be more clearly understood, it will now be described in connection with the sequence of operation when the normal supply of crowns is on hand and then the sequence of operation when insufiicient crowns are on hand. Assuming that five crowns have just been supplied to one of the stations in the machine 4, the machine moving in counterclockwise direction, as shown in all the figures of the drawing, will cause the plate cam 6 positioned just beyond the station to which the last group of crowns has been supplied to engage cam roller 7 on the end of arm 8. Continued movement of the machine 4- in a counterclockwise direction causes the plate cam 6 to rotate arm 8 in a clockwise direction, forcing finger 2 across the path of travel of the crowns carried by the conveyor 3. As the plate cam 6 continues, it next strikes cam roller 11, moving arm 12 in a clockwise direction, forcing point 16 to move from left to right, as shown in FIGURE 1, carrying with it the rod 17. In this particular example, sufiicient crowns are in position in the conveyor 3 for supplying the next station, so detector 10 will engage the sixth and seventh crowns and will prevent the spring 18 from urging slide 15 with the detector 10 across the path of travel of the crowns in the conveyor 3. This being the case, slide 15 remains in a stationary position and as soon as plate cum 6 passes roller 7 the spring 33 withdraws the finger point of the finger 2 from its position across the path of travel of the crowns on the conveyor and as soon as the next station on machine 4 is in alignment with the conveyor 3, the conveyor will force the crowns into position in the machine. By this time, plate cam 6 has also cleared roller 11 and the spring 32 moves the arm 12 in a counterclockwise direction, returning point 16 and rod 17 to the position shown in FIGURE 1 ready for the next cycle.

It will now be assumed that insufficient crowns are available to fill the station. In this event, plate cam 6 strikes roller 7, causing arm 8 to move in a clockwise direction about pivot point 9, forcing point 5 of finger 2 across the path of travel of any crowns on the conveyor 3. Continued movement of plate cam 6 in a counterclockwise direction brings it into engagement with roller 11 on arm 12, moving arm 12 in a clockwise direction about pivot point 13, which in turn moves point 16 on rod 17 from left to right as shown in FIGURE 1. If detector 10, which is urged forward along with slide 15 by means of spring 18, does not engage crowns in the conveyor 3, the spring 18 will force detector out into the conveyor 3 and the entire slide moves forward as slot 24 slides by guide 23 to its fullest extent. This movement from left to right of the slide 15 causes the roller 25 carried by the slide 15 to roll along the arcuate cam surface 27 of the dog 28 and pushes the dog 28 into the notch 29 in the finger. The

2- parts now have assumed the position illustrated in FIG- URE 2. As plate cam 6 leaves roller 7, the spring 33 cannot withdraw finger 2, inasmuch as dog 28 is still in the notch 29, holding the finger in position. After the plate cam 6 clears roller 11, the spring 32 rotates the arm 12 in a counterclockwise direction, withdrawing slide 15 and detector 10, causing the roller 25 to withdraw along the 'arcuate cam surface 27 of the dog 28 and permitting the spring 30 to disengage the dog 28 from the notch 29, which then permits the spring 33 to withdraw the finger from its position across the crowns in the conveyor. By this time, however, the station will have passed the point of alignment with the conveyor 3 and the next cam plate 6 will be brought into position to engage roller 7. If there is a prolonged delay in the supply of crowns, each plate cam engaging rollers 7 and 11 will have the same effect and the detector will continue to move in across the conveyor and lock the finger mechanism, thereby preventing the supplying of crowns in the event an insufficient quantity of crowns is available for continuous operation.

It will be clear from the foregoing that we have developed a device in which a plurality of crowns may be fed instantly to a processing machine but will be withheld until the required number is available for feeding to the machine.

We claim:

1. The combination with a machine for receiving a predetermined number of articles simultaneously to move them intermittently through a series of processing stations of a device for supplying a predetermined number of articles simultaneously to said intermittently operated machine, said device comprising a moving conveyor carrying a plurality of sequentially arranged articles, a stop positioned in the path of travel of the articles, means controlled by said machine to be supplied for urging said step across the path of travel of the articles on the conveyor, a detector positioned to contact the last article in the predetermined group of articles on the conveyor, and means actuated by said detector to lock said stop in position across the path of travel of the articles if the detector does not contact the designated article.

2. The combination with a machine for receiving a predetermined number of articles simultaneously to move them intermittently through a series of processing stations of a device for supplying a predetermined number of articles simultaneously to said intermittently operated machine, said device comprising a moving conveyor carrying a plurality of sequentially arranged articles, a stop positioned in the path of travel of the articles, means controlled by said machine to be supplied for urging said stop across the path of travel of the articles on the conveyor, a detector positioned to contact the last article in the predetermined group of articles on the conveyor, and a dog actuated by said detector to lock said stop in position across the path of travel of the articles if the detector does not contact the designated article.

3. The combination with a machine for receiving a predetermined number of articles simultaneously to move them intermittently through a series of processing stations of a device for supplying a predetermined number of articles simultaneously to said intermittently operated machine, said device comprising a moving conveyor carrying 'a plurality of sequentially arranged articles, a stop positioned in the path of travel of the articles, means controlled by said machine to be supplied for urging said stop across the path of travel of the articles on the conveyor, a detector positioned to contact the last article in the predetermined group of articles on the conveyor, resilient means to urge said detector into engagement with the articles on the conveyor, and means actuated by said detector to lock said stop in position across the path of travel of the articles if the detector does not contact the designated article.

4. The combination with a machine for receiving a predetermined number of articles simultaneously to move them intermittently through a series of processing stations of a device :for supplying a predetermined number of articles simultaneously to one intermittently operated machine, said device comprising a moving conveyor carrying a plurality of sequentially arranged articles, a stop positioned in the path of travel of the articles, means controlled by said machine to be supplied for urging said stop across the path of travel of the articles on the conveyor, a pivoted detector positioned to contact one or more articles on the conveyor to detect if the required number of articles is present to fill the machine at one interval, and means actuated by said detector to lock said stop in position across the path of travel of the articles if the detector does not contact the designated articles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,941,043 Meyer Dec. 26, 1933 2,051,105 Roberts Aug. 18, 1936 2,052,840 Nussbaum Sept. 1, 1936 2,341,014 Blair Feb. 8, 1944 2,558,633 Tuttle June 26, 1951 2,771,177 Cutter et a1 Nov. 20, 1956

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