US3581892A

US3581892A - Device for sorting pieces of timber, such as logs, on the timber receiving table

Info

Publication number: US3581892A
Application number: US823328A
Authority: US
Inventors: Erkki Aro
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-07-11
Filing date: 1969-05-09
Publication date: 1971-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 1988-06-01
Also published as: FR2012702A1; SU370765A3; FI41937B; DE1925252A1; JPS4919389B1; DE1925252C3; NO127612B; DE1925252B2; SE338744B; AT296155B

Abstract

A device is provided for sorting timber on a timber receiving table upon which the timber bundle is placed. The device consists of a carriage reciprocally movable in the direction of travel of the timber above the table and having downwardly directed arms which can be extended into the path of the timber for the purpose of grouping and shifting the pieces of timber, and which can be moved out of the path of the timber for the purpose of permitting free movement of the timber.

Description

I United States Patent n 13,ss1,s92

[72] Inventor E Am [56] References Cited Muottikatu l8, Hyvinkaa, Finland [21] 823328 2 358 283 9/1944 Walter I98/l66X [22] Filed May 9,1969 [45] Patented June 1, 1971 Primary ExaminerAllen N. Knowles [32] Priority July 11, 1968 Attorney-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen [33] Finland [31] 1993/68 [54] A BSTRAC'isA device is provided for sorting timber on a TABLE timber receiving table upon which the timber bundle is placed.

5 CI 2 D F The device consists of a carriage reciprocally movable in the aims rawmg direction of travel of the timber above the table and having [52] U.S.Cl 209/125, downwardly directed arms which can be extended into the 198/166 path of the timber for the purpose of grouping and shifting the [51] Int. Cl B07c 5/36 pieces of timber, and which can be moved out of the path of [50] Field of Search 209/125, the timber for the purpose of permitting free movement of the 122, 123; 198/166 timber.

DEVICE FOR SORTING PIECES OF TIMBER, SUCH AS LOGS, ON THE TIMBER RECEIVING TABLE The present trend is to transfer the handling of timber, such as its sorting by timber species, its sorting into timber to be pulped and timber for the sawmill, its cutting to specified lengths, etc., from the forests to take place at the wood conversion installations. The trees are merely felled and preliminarily pruned in the forest and their tops are cut off. The trees are then transported by various means from the forest to their destination.

The present invention concerns a timber separating and sorting device which is particularly suitable for use in a wood conversion plant. The object of the invention is to provide a device for sorting timber on the timber receiving table, upon which the timber bundle is placed. The table may be composed of two consecutive conveyors, the later of the two conveyors operating at higher speed. The table may also be composed of more than two consecutive conveyors, in which instance the speed continuously increases in transition from one conveyor to the next. In this manner it is achieved thatthe timber bundle is spread out, so that at the ultimate end of the table the pieces of timber are separate from each other. The receiving table may also be without conveyors.

In connection with a receiving table of this kind a sorting device has previously been used which consists of a crane, which grabs one piece of timber at a time and carries it, depending on the kind of timber, onto its particular conveyor. However, a device of this type, which handles the pieces of timber one by one, has only low capacity.

The aim of the present invention is to afford a device with considerably superior sorting capacity. The invention is based on the statistical fact that pieces of timber of different kinds do not alternate at the final end of the receiving table but that there may rather be several pieces of the same kind of timber one after the other at the final end of the table. The invention is characterized in that the device consists ofa carriage movable reciprocally in the timber transporting direction above the table and which has downwardly directed arms, which can be made to extend into the path of the timber for the purpose of grouping and moving the pieces of timber, and which can be retracted from the path of the timber so that the timber is free to move on, the table.

By means of these arms, the operator of the device can thus group the pieces of timber on the table in such a manner that consecutively occurring pieces of the same kind of timber always constitute their own particular group. It is then easy to conduct these groups by means of various kinds of equipment to their particular conveyors.

The arms may be placed on the carriage in various ways. Most suitably, they are arranged in one row which is transverse to the direction in which the timber moves.

The arms may push downward from the carriage in their longitudinal direction. But most appropriately the arms are turnable in a vertical plane parallel to the direction of travel of the timberf Incompletely pruned trees, in particular, may be tangled and may lie across each other even at the final end of the table. For the purpose of separating them, according to one advantageous embodiment of the invention the different arms are movable independent to each other. It is thus possible, by using only one or two arms, to seize the end of one piece of timber and to drag or push it by moving the carriage in one direction or the other. In order that the arms might be able both to drag and push, it is appropriate to give them an angular shape.

In the vent event that the timber is exceedingly poorly pruned and thus shows a great tendency to tangle, the carriage may be used at the initial end of the table to tear the timber bundle apart. If, in addition to its primary task, the carriage hardly has time to perform such timber detaching work, another similar carriage may be placed above the initial end of the table. The carriage is thus also suited as such to the purpose of dispersing the timber bundle.

The invention is described hereinafter with reference to the attached drawing, in which FIG. 1 shows the device in'vertical sectionalong the line I-l in FIG. 2,

FIG. 2 shows the same device, viewed from above.

The device consists of a receiving,'or conveyor,'table, which is composed of two consecutive belt or

chain conveyors

1 and 2. Both conveyors are made up of several parallel belts or chains. The speed of conveyor 2 is higher than that of conveyor 1.

Above the conveyor table a track 3 is mounted, on which a carriage 4 can be moved. The carriage 4 has downwardly directed arms 5 of angular shape, which have been arranged in a row that is transverse to the direction of travel of the timber. The arms 5 can be turned, independently of each other, upward and downward by means of the pressure cylinders 6.

For the person operating thedevice a place can be arranged e.g. on the carriage 4, so that he has an unobstructed view of the timber moving on the conveyor table. In front of him, he has a control desk with pushbuttons for moving the carriage 4 and the different arms 5. In the position shown in FIG. 1, the arms 5 are in their lower position, whereby the movement of the pieces of timber coming behind is prevented when the preceding pieces of timber have moved some distance away, the operator raises the arms 5 so that the timber is free to move along with the conveyor 2. As soon as the pieces of timber 7 have passed the arms 5, the operator lowers the arms 5, whereby the movement of the subsequent timber is prevented. The pieces of timber 7 may be, for instance, coniferous wood suitable for pulpwood. When these pieces pass the arms 5, the operator depresses the pushbutton of the respective electronic memory unit. Then, after the timber 7 has passed over the

conveyors

8 and 9, a guiding plate 10 will turn into the proper position so that the timber 7 falls onto

conveyor

11 or 12. In connection with the conveyor 9, circular saws 13 have been mounted, which cut the timber into predetermined lengths.

After the timber 7 has travelled some distance past the arms 5, the operator releases the next two pieces of timber 14, which may be e.g. hardwood suitable for pulpwood. At the same time he actuates the respective pushbutton of the electronic memory unit, so that this timber 14 will be directed onto its

particular conveyor

11 or 12.

If the next piece of timber is, for instance, one suitable for use by the sawmill, it is guided to the conveyor 16. For this, the operator has to depress the respective pushbutton while he releases the piece 15 from behind the arms 5.

Different embodiments of the invention may naturally vary within the scope of the claims presented below. It should be noted that the invention does not concern the conveyors and elements provided after the conveyor table 1,2, because these conveyors and elements may be arranged in a very great multiplicity of ways.

On the track 3 one may place, in addition to the carriage 4, another carriage, which has its place at the initial end of the track 3 and which preliminarily tears the timber bundle apart.

Iclaim:

1. A device for sorting timber comprising a timber receiving table upon which timber is placed and advanced, a carriage reciprocally movable in the direction of travel of the timber above the table, downwardly directed arms pivotally mounted on said carriage and operator controlled so as to be selectively extendable into the path of the timbe" for stopping the advance of the pieces of timber, and movable out of the path of the timber for the purpose of permitting free advance movement of the timber so that selected timber can be advanced in groups, said arms being arranged in a transverse row relative to the direction of travel of the timber, and being turnable in a plane parallel to the direction of travel of the timber, said arms being movable independently of each other.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, comprising conveyor means for receiving the timber from said receiving table in groups as selected by said arms, a plurality of conveyors for receiving timber from said conveyor means, and operator controlled selector means for guiding the groups of timber selected by the arms into respective of said conveyors.

3 A device as claimed in claim 1. wherein said arms have an angular shape 4 A device as claimed in claim 1. wherein said carriage is movable on said track independently of the advance of the

Claims

1. A device for sorting timber comprising a timber receiving table upon which timber is placed and advanced, a carriage reciprocally movable in the direction of travel of the timber above the table, downwardly directed arms pivotally mounted on said carriage and operator controlled so as to be selectively extendable into the path of the timber for stopping the advance of the pieces of timber, and movable out of the path of the timber for the purpose of permitting free advance movement of the timber so that selected timber can be advanced in groups, said arms being arranged in a transverse row relative to the direction of travel of the timber, and being turnable in a plane parallel to the direction of travel of the timber, said arms being movable independently of each other.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said arms have an angular shape.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said carriage is movable on said track independently of the advance of the timber on said timber receiving table.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said arms are movable on said carriage independently of the advance of the timber on said timber receiving table.