US3662903A - Carriage for carrying and vertically moving tumblers or frames relative to a treatment or processing line - Google Patents

Abstract

A carriage for carrying workpieces such as drums, and frames through a treatment or processing line is described. The carriage is capable of lifting and lowering the workpieces at predetermined intervals as determined by a plurality of treatment or processing stations along the line. The carriage is useful in carrying the workpieces along a treatment line, for example electroplating, wherein the workpieces must be introduced into a tank, rotated while in the tank and from which they must be lifted after completion of the treatment accomplished in each tank.

Description

United States Patent Mazzone [4 1 May 16, 1972 54 CARRIAGE FOR CARRYING 568,174 9/1896 Taylor 214/1 RZ VERTICALLY MOVING TUMBLERS 0 2,450,718 10/1948 Darnell..... ...2l4/l RZ 1,272,150 7/1918 Thornton ..2l4/l4 FRAMES RELATIVE TO A TREATMENT 0R PROCESSING LINE [72] Inventor: Claudio Mazzone, lvrea, Italy [73] Assignee: Ing. C. Olivetti & C., S.p.A., Ivrea,

(Turin), Italy [22] Filed: Feb. 24, 1970 [211 App]. No.: 13,609

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 26, 1969 Italy .50733 A169 [52] U5. Cl ..2l4/1 QC [5] Int. Cl ..B65g 69/00 [58] FieldoiSearch ..214l1, l R, 1 R2 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 896,781 8/1908 Webster et al .L....214/16 B x Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner -F rank E. Werner Attorney-Birch, Swindler, McKie & Beckett 57 ABSTRACT A carriage for canying workpieces such as drums. and frames v 14 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented May 16, 1972 3,662,903

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented May 16, 1972 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 16, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 m2 m? if CARRIAGE FOR CARRYING AND VERTICALLY MOVING TUMBLERS OR FRAMES RELATIVE TO A TREATMENT R PROCESSING LINE CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION Applicant claims priority from corresponding Italian Pat. application, Ser. No. 50733-A/69, filed Feb. 26, 1969, now Italian Pat. No. 855,160.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Lines for electroplating operations and many other types of processing and treatment lines include a plurality of tanks disposed side by side and sequentially along the line. In each of these tanks at least one state of the processing is carried out and accordingly the pieces to be treated, carried in tublers or supported on frames, must be clipped for a predetermined time into each tank. In order to accomplish the lifting, lowering and translation movements of the workpieces, relative to the treatment tanks, without the intervention of an operator and preferably in a fully automatic manner according to a predetermined working cycle, use is commonly made of a carriage which is movable along the processing line. The carriage is provided with means for lowering and lifting the workpieces with respect to the tanks as well as with means for rotating the workpieces inside the tanks during the treatment which takes place within the tanks.

The means for lowering and lifting the workpieces relative to the processing tanks, with which the carriage of known kind are provided, normally include simple rope-driven electric winches. The means for rotating the workpiece inside the tanks usually include a reduction gear driven by an electric motor and a suitable drive-transmission connecting the reduction gear with the workpiece.

The known carriages of the kind described above suffer from some drawbacks. First of all, the lifting and lowering mechanism is separate and distinct from the means for rotating the workpiece. This results in a complex structure, requiring two separate motors to accomplish the three required movements. The two motors are actuated independently of one another and therefore a complex control system is required. This disadvantage becomes more serious when a fully automatic treatment cycle is desired.

Another disadvantage of the prior art carriages resides in the fact that carriages which are equipped to carry tumblers or drums, cannot be readily and rapidly converted to carry frames.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a carriage which overcomes disadvantages enumerated above.

The present invention is directed to a carriage for carrying the workpiece along the processing line which includes a plurality of drums for lifting and lowering the workpieces into and out of the drums. The carriage includes at least one endless chain which engages a driving pinion actuated by a motor capable of rotating in both directions. The motor actuates a first gear wheel mounted on the carriage through a mechanism which permits rotation in only one direction. The motor also actuates a second gear wheel which is free to rotate in both directions and which is secured to a support. The positions of the axes of the driving pinion of the motor and the first gear wheel are such that the section of chain between them drops into a loop when the motor rotates in the sense in which the first gear wheel will not rotate. The position of the axis of the second gear wheel is such that the gear wheel is lifted, with the support means, as the loop is formed.

When the driving pinion rotates in a first direction, and the aforementioned run of chain is kept taut, rotation of the second gear wheel takes place-This rotation is employed to rotate the workpiece inside a processing tank. When the driving pinion is still rotating in the same direction, but the section of chain is not under tension, lowering of the workpiece into the tank is obtained. Finally, when the driving pinion rotates in the direction opposite to that mentioned above, then lifting of the workpiece from the tank takes place. Consequently, the same mechanism and motor which causes lifting and lowering of the workpiece will also cause the workpiece to rotate. This contrasts with carriages of the prior art which require two mechanisms and motors in order to accomplish these two movements.

By virtue of the arrangement briefly described above and of the arrangement of the workpiece support means, to be discussed hereinbelow, it is further possible to use interchangeably the same carriage for carrying both tumbler and frames. The operation of changing from one to the other of these two operations is extremely simple and rapid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As best shown in FIG. 2 the carriage l is supported by parallel rails 2. Accordingly, the carriage 1 moves above a line of tanks not shown, powered by any of several known means, also not shown.

As shown in FIG. I, the carriage 1 includes two side plates 3,3, which are connected by rigid cross members to form a unitary structure. An electric drive motor 4 is housed within the carriage and rotates an upper shaft 5, which is rotatably mounted in the plates 3,3. Shaft 5 can be connected to motor 4 by use of a chain or gear train, as is well known.

Mounted on each end of the shaft 5 is a chain gear wheel or driving pinion 6 and 6. As best seen in FIG. 2 on each of the side plates 3,3 and in the same vertical plane as the wheels 6 and 6', and chain gear wheels 7 and 7 are provided. The chain gear 7 and 7' are connected to the carriage by means of an overriding clutch or freewheel not shown. The clutch permits rotation of gear 7 and 7 in only one direction. Clutches of this type are known in the art and accordingly need not be shown in detail. Transmission chain gears 8 and 8', are rotatably mounted relative to the carriage.

The two sides of carriage 1 are identical and accordingly the description hereinafter is directed to the portion indicated by the section line II--II.

The set of gear wheels 6, 7, 8 is in engagement with an endless chain 9 which runs on the wheels as shown in dash and dot lines in FIG. 2. The chain 9 passes around a gear wheel 10 located near the bottom of the carriage. Gear wheel 10 is fixed to the end of a horizontal lower shaft 11. As seen in FIG. I, there are two such gears 10 and 10' supported on shaft 11.

The diameters of thegear wheels and the positions of the centers of the gear wheels 6, 7 and 8 are chosen to enable the chain 9 to form two horizontal chain sections, or runs. One of the chain sections, designated with the reference numeral 12,

- extends between the wheels 6 and 7, while the other chain sec- As stated above gear wheels 7 and 7' are constrained against rotation in one direction. v

The rotational movement permitted by the clutch is in a direction which permits the chain 9 to move from the wheel 7 towards the wheel 6.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2the carriage includes a tumbler 17 into which the workpiece can be placed. The support for the tumbler 17 includes shaft 11, two chain gear wheels 15, 15' which are fixed on the shaft 11, two chain gear wheels 16, 16' which are integral with the tumbler 17, and two chains 18, 18' which are engaged with gear wheels 16,16, 15 and 15. lt

is advantageous, but not necessary, to have the wheels 16, 16"

mounted with a slight degree of eccentricity with respect to the axis of the tumbler l7.

The support means for the frame 21 includes the shaft 11, two cams 19, 19' (FIG. 3) fastened to the ends of said shaft 11, and a yoke 20 for supporting the frame wl which is used to support the workpiece.

As seen in FIG. 1 the yoke 20 includes two plates 22,22 connected by means of one or more cross members 23, upon which the frame 21 can rest. Each of the plates 22,22 is provided with a roller, 24 and 24' respectively. The rollers 24 and 24 act against the cams 19 and 19'. The plates 22 and 22 also act against the rollers, 25 and 25 respectively. The axes of the rollers of each pair lie in the same vertical plane and each pair of rollers is adapted to slide inside the vertical guide ways 26 and 26' provided in the side plates 3 and 3' of the carriage.

The operation of the carriage is best understood by assuming first that the carriage is equipped to carry a tumbler 17 into which the workpiece to be treated is inserted. To this end, the tumbler 17 is simply supported on the shaft 11 by means of the chains 18 and 18, which are in engagement with the gear wheels 15, 15 and 16,16 respectively. The yoke 20, which is shown in its lower position relative to the carriage in FIGS. 1 and 2 is lifted to the top of the carriage by sliding the rollers 25, 25' inside the ways 26, 26'. The yoke is then locked in the raised position by well known means, not shown.

Further assume, with reference to the elements of a single side plate of the carriage, for instance the plate 3, that the chain 9 has taken the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The chain section 12 between wheels 6 and 7 is then under tension. By starting the motor 4 rotating in a clockwise direction the driving pinion 6 also rotates clockwise as seen in FIG. 2. This direction of rotation as stated above, permits rotation of the gear wheel 7 which is keyed to the clutch. The chain 9, while maintaining the initial configuration shown in FIG. 2, causes the rotation of wheels 7, 8 and 10. Wheel 10 then acts through the shaft 11 and the gear wheels 15 and 16 to cause the tumbler 17 to rotate. Because the wheels 16, 16' are slightly eccentric with respect to the tumbler axis, the rotation takes place with a certain oscillation of eccentricity e. FIG. 4 diagrammatically shows the position taken by the various parts of the carriage in this first stage of the cycle. This position is the lowered position in which the rotating tumbler 17 remains in one of the processing drums for a predetermined time.

Reversal of the direction of rotation of the motor 4, and hence that of the driving pinion 6 causes the chain 9, which engages the gears to rotate in the same direction that is counter clockwise. Since the clutch which carries the gear wheel 7 does not permit counter clockwise rotation of the gear 7, during the counter clockwise rotation of the driving pinion 6, section run 14 of chain 9 remains stationary, while the section of chain 14 is fed to the right hand side of the pinion 6. A loop is formed in the recess 27 the configuration of which is shown in broken lines in FIG. 2. During this stage of the working cycle, the wheels 10, 10' are arised, as is the shaft 11 and the.tumbler 17. This operation is diagrammatically shown in FIG. 5. At this point it is important to observe that, as contrasted with the carriages of the prior art, the lifting movement of the tumbler is accompanied by a rotation of the tumbler, thereby assisting in draining the workpieces contrained therein.

The lowering movement of the tumbler 17 is accomplished by reversing the direction of rotation of the motor 4. The chain portion 1 which previously gathered as a loop in the recess 27, feeds to the left hand side of wheel 6 and the shaft 11 is lowered as diagrammatically shown in FIG. 6.

When the carriage is intended to be equipped for carrying workpieces such as frames instead of a tumbler, then after removing the tumbler 17 and locking the chains 18, 18' in any suitable manner it suffices simply to lower the yoke 20 until the rollers 24,24 come in contact with the corresponding cams 19,19 and subsequently mounting the frames 21 thereon as shown in FIG. 3.

The carriage and frames 21 are now ready for a processing cycle. The cycle includes the steps of treatment in the bath drum and of raising and lowering the frames from the drum. During the treatment in the plating bath, the frames are reciprocated vertically by the action of the cams 19,19 cooperating with the rollers 24,24. As is well known, such reciprocating movement greatly improves the results obtainable from electroplating operation.

The invention is therefore seen to be directed to a carriage capable of raising and lowering a workpiece and which is also capable of rotating the workpiece during the period of treatment in the drum. Because these three movements are accomplished by means of a single motor the inventive carriage lends itself to fully automatic operation. Also, because a single motor is required, the control circuit for automatic operation is simple as compared to those required for the prior art systems.

Many modifications are obviously possible including the modification of the workpiece holding mechanism for usages in treatment or processing lines other than electroplating.

Iclaim 1. A carriage for moving workpieces of any configuration along a processing line and having a workpiece carrying means which is raised and lowered at stations along said line and is capable of rotating said workpiece if desired comprising:

a drive member mounted for rotation in two directions with respect to said carriage;

a control member mounted for rotation in one direction with respect to said carriage; an idler member mounted for rotation in two directions with respect to said carriage; v

' a supporting member for supportingsaid workpiece carrying means mounted for rotation in two directions with respect to said carriage; and

a continuous linking member engaging said drive member,

said control member, said idler member and said supporting member so that said members are driven by said drive member. v

2. The carriage of claim 1 further including a cam associated with said supporting memberand said linking member so that said carrying means oscillates.

3. The carriage of claim 2 wherein said linking member is an endless chain which determines the lowest position of said supporting member and said oscillations occur at said lowest position;

and wherein said supporting member is drum having at least one gear inclined with respect to the axis of said drum and engaging said chain.

4. The carriage of claim 1 wherein said control member is mounted on said carriage through a clutch which permits rotation of said control member in only one direction.

5. The carriage of claim 4 wherein said drive members and saidcontrol member are arranged so that a first section of said linking member extends therebetween, and said section is under tension when said drive member rotates in a first direction and forms a loop when said drive member rotates in a second direction. 1

6. The carriages of claim 5 wherein said first direction is the direction in which said control member is capable of rotating, and said carriage is lowered during the direction of rotation and is raised during the other direction of rotation.

7. A carriage for carrying a workpiece and having at least one support means for raising, lowering, and selectively rotating said workpiece, each said support means comprising:

an endless support chain,

a driving sprocket mounted on said carriage and engaging said support chain,

drive means coupled to said driving sprocket to rotate said driving sprocket in first and second directions,

a first sprocket mounted on said carriage and engaging said support chain at a point in a vertical plane spaced horizontially from said driving sprocket,

means preventing rotation of said first sprocket in said first direction, and,

a second sprocket attached to said support and engaging said support chain in a lower horizontal plane than said driving sprocket when said support chain is taut, said second sprocket being attached to said workpiece,

whereby when said driving sprocket is rotated in said first direction and said first sprocket is prevented from rotating, a loop will be formed of said support chain between said driving sprocket and said first sprocket, thereby pulling said second sprocket and said workpiece upwardly towards said driving sprocket, and when said driving sprocket is rotated in said second direction said first sprocket also rotates and said second sprocket and said workpiece are lowered, said support chain then becoming taut and causing said second sprocket to continuously rotate in said lower position so long as said driving sprocket is rotated in said second direction.

8. The carriage of claim 7 wherein said means preventing rotation comprises an over-riding clutch.

9. The carriage of claim 7 further comprising a third sprocket being mounted on said carriage and in engagement with said support chain.

10. The carriage of claim 9 wherein said second sprocket engages said support chain between the points of engagement of said driving sprocket and said third sprocket.

11. The carriage of claim 7 further comprising:

a fourth sprocket connected to and rotatable with said second sprocket,

a tumbler for carrying said workpiece,

a fifth sprocket fixed to said tumbler, and,

an endless tumbler chain engaged by said fourth sprocket and said fifth sprocket.

12. The carriage of claim 11 wherein the axis of said fifth sprocket is eccentric with respect to the axis of said tumbler.

13. The carriage of claim 7 wherein said support includes at least one support mechanism attached to said second sprocket and bearing the weight of said workpiece.

14. The carriage of claim 7 wherein said carriage comprises a pair of spaced support means.

Claims (14)

1. A carriage for moving workpieces of any configuration along a processing line and having a workpiece carrying means which is raised and lowered at stations along said line and is capable of rotating said workpiece if desired comprising: a drive member mounted for rotation in two directions with respect to said carriage; a control member mounted for rotation in one direction with respect to said carriage; an idler member mounted for rotation in two directions with respect to said carriage; a supporting member for supporting said workpiece carrying means mounted for rotation in two directions with respect to said carriage; and a continuous linking member engaging said drive member, said control member, said idler member and said supporting meMber so that said members are driven by said drive member.

2. The carriage of claim 1 further including a cam associated with said supporting member and said linking member so that said carrying means oscillates.

3. The carriage of claim 2 wherein said linking member is an endless chain which determines the lowest position of said supporting member and said oscillations occur at said lowest position; and wherein said supporting member is drum having at least one gear inclined with respect to the axis of said drum and engaging said chain.

4. The carriage of claim 1 wherein said control member is mounted on said carriage through a clutch which permits rotation of said control member in only one direction.

5. The carriage of claim 4 wherein said drive members and said control member are arranged so that a first section of said linking member extends therebetween, and said section is under tension when said drive member rotates in a first direction and forms a loop when said drive member rotates in a second direction.

6. The carriages of claim 5 wherein said first direction is the direction in which said control member is capable of rotating, and said carriage is lowered during the direction of rotation and is raised during the other direction of rotation.

7. A carriage for carrying a workpiece and having at least one support means for raising, lowering, and selectively rotating said workpiece, each said support means comprising: an endless support chain, a driving sprocket mounted on said carriage and engaging said support chain, drive means coupled to said driving sprocket to rotate said driving sprocket in first and second directions, a first sprocket mounted on said carriage and engaging said support chain at a point in a vertical plane spaced horizontially from said driving sprocket, means preventing rotation of said first sprocket in said first direction, and, a second sprocket attached to said support and engaging said support chain in a lower horizontal plane than said driving sprocket when said support chain is taut, said second sprocket being attached to said workpiece, whereby when said driving sprocket is rotated in said first direction and said first sprocket is prevented from rotating, a loop will be formed of said support chain between said driving sprocket and said first sprocket, thereby pulling said second sprocket and said workpiece upwardly towards said driving sprocket, and when said driving sprocket is rotated in said second direction said first sprocket also rotates and said second sprocket and said workpiece are lowered, said support chain then becoming taut and causing said second sprocket to continuously rotate in said lower position so long as said driving sprocket is rotated in said second direction.

8. The carriage of claim 7 wherein said means preventing rotation comprises an over-riding clutch.

9. The carriage of claim 7 further comprising a third sprocket being mounted on said carriage and in engagement with said support chain.

10. The carriage of claim 9 wherein said second sprocket engages said support chain between the points of engagement of said driving sprocket and said third sprocket.

11. The carriage of claim 7 further comprising: a fourth sprocket connected to and rotatable with said second sprocket, a tumbler for carrying said workpiece, a fifth sprocket fixed to said tumbler, and, an endless tumbler chain engaged by said fourth sprocket and said fifth sprocket.

12. The carriage of claim 11 wherein the axis of said fifth sprocket is eccentric with respect to the axis of said tumbler.

13. The carriage of claim 7 wherein said support includes at least one support mechanism attached to said second sprocket and bearing the weight of said workpiece.

14. The carriage of claim 7 wherein said carriage comprises a pair of spaced support means.

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