US3665575A

US3665575A - Apparatus for inserting electrode rods into pockets of double-web mats for storage batteries

Info

Publication number: US3665575A
Application number: US87271A
Authority: US
Inventors: Josef Sucher; Oswald Segieth
Original assignee: VARTA AG
Current assignee: VARTA AG
Priority date: 1969-11-11
Filing date: 1970-11-05
Publication date: 1972-05-30
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-30
Also published as: DE1956569A1; FR2069285A5; DE1956569B2; GB1315023A

Abstract

An apparatus for inserting contour rods into the pockets of double-web mats for storage-battery electrodes comprises a contour-rod magazine with dispensing means for releasing one rod at a time. A spreader device opens the pockets of the mat. Catch and guide means then engage the released rod and partially insert it into a pocket then spread open. Further transport means engage the partially inserted rod and completely shove it into the mat pocket. A control mechanism operates to actuate the abovementioned component devices of the apparatus in the sequence described. Preferably two rod inserting apparatus are arranged on opposite sides of the double-web mat for simultaneously inserting respective contour rods from opposite sides into the pockets.

Description

United States Patent Sucher et al. 1 May 30, 1972 [54] APPARATUS FOR INSERTING References Cited ELECTRODE RODS INTO POCKETS OF UNITED STATES PATENTS DOUBLE'WEB MATS FOR STORAGE 2,296,479 9/1942 Nichols ..29/204 BATTERIES inventors: Josef Sucher, Hagen; Oswald Segleth,

Schwehn, both of Germany Assignee: Varta Aktiengesellschait, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Filedi. Nov. 5, 1970 Appl. No.': 87,271

Foreign Application Priority Data Field of Search ..29/204 D, 204 R, 203 R, 203 D Primary Examiner-Thomas H. Eager Attorney-Curt M. Avery, Arthur E. Wilfon, Herbert L. Lerner and Daniel J. Tick ABSIRACT An apparatus for inserting contour rods into the pockets of double-web mats for storage-battery electrodes comprises a contour-rod magazine with dispensing means for releasing one rod at a time. A spreader device opens the pockets of the mat. Catch and guide means then engage the released rod and partially insert it into a pocket then spread open. Further transport means engage the partially inserted rod and completely shove it into the mat pocket. A control mechanism operates to actuate the above-mentioned component devices of the apparatus in the sequence described. Preferably two rod inserting apparatus are arranged on opposite sides of the doubleweb mat for simultaneously inserting respective contour rods from opposite sides into the pockets.

20 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures 9b Q 090 200 O PATENTEDMAY a0 1972 SHEET 10F 7 H Om 0m 9 PATENTEDMAY 30 1972 3. 565.575

' sum 20F 7 FIG. 2

PATENTEDmvao 1972 3, 655, 575

we? .3 nr 7 FIG. 4b

FIG. 40

PATENTEn m 3 0 m2 SHEET 0F 7 PATENTED MAY 3 0 I972 SHEET 8 OF 7 PATENTEI] MAY 3 0 I972 SHEET 7 BF 7 APPARATUS FOR INSERTING ELECTRODE RODS INTO POGKETS OF DOUBLE-WEB MATS FOR STORAGE BATTERIES Our invention relates to apparatus for automatically inserting contour rods into double-web mats for producing pocketed rod arrays to be used as storage-battery electrodes.

, In a more particular aspect, our invention relates to positive electrodes consisting of a number of vertical rods made of conducting lead metal and interconnected by traverse connections to-conjointly form a storage-battery electrode, the rods being parallel in mutually spaced relation and individually surrounded by active mass which is covered by tubular porous envelopes of insulating electrolyte-resistant material.

,The envelopes may consist of various types of woven or other webs made of various materials. They serve to retain the active mass while permitting free access of the acid to the active mass. The envelopes can be made, for example, on weaving looms from acid and oxidation resistant plastic yarns and are constituted by a multiplicity of tube or hose configurations locatedparallel beside, and joined lengthwise with each other. When the double mat comes from the loom, it lies flat, the ultimate tubular shape of the pockets being formed by-additional processing steps. These comprise, for example, the application of impregnation to the fabric unless the fabric is made from self-hardening synthetic plastic yarns. The further steps also comprise the insertion of shaping bodies, for exam ple round rods, into the originally flat pockets, followed by thermal fixing. 1

The present invention especially concerns the operations of inserting the round or otherwise contoured rods into the woven or other double-web mats. For producing these tubular envelopes it is still customary to shove all of the rods manually into the mat material. This involves an undesirably large amount of manual labor and time.

It is an object of our invention, therefore, to render the production of such storage-battery electrodes more economical.

Another, more specific object of our invention is to devise machinery capable of automatically inserting the contour rods into the pockets of the mat so as to minimize or virtually obviate the need for manual work.

Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus that affords shoving the shaping rods mechanically and continually from opposite sides simultaneously into two parallel and adjacent pockets of the mat.

To achieve these and such further objects as will appear hereinafter, and in accordance with a feature of our invention, we provide an apparatus for inserting contour rods into pockets of double-web .mats for storage-battery electrodes, which comprises a contour-rod magazine with dispensing means for sequentially releasing the rods, one at a time. We furtherprovide the apparatus with a spreader device which opens the pockets of the mat, and with drive means engageable with the released rod for axially shoving it into the pocket than spread open by the spreader device.

According to another feature of our invention, the justmentioned rod drive means comprise catch andguide means which transfer each individually released rod from the dispensing means of the magazine toward and partially into the mat pocket then spread open by the spreader device, further transport means engageable with the released rod being then active to completely shove the rod into the mat pocket.

The invention will be more fully described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of apparatus according to the invention.

FIGS. la and lb show schematically a top view and a lateral elevation respectively of the entire apparatus, both illustrations being hereinafter collectively referred to as FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a partly sectional view of the rod magazine appertaining dispensing and guiding equipment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram relating to details for elucidating the principle of the spreader device and the transport device for the contour rods;

FIG. 4a is a lateral elevation and FIG. 4b a front view of the spreader device proper, both illustrations being hereinafter collectively referred to as FIG. 4;

FIG. 5a is a front view of the same spreader device with adhesive tape supply means and appertaining transport rollers, and FIG. 5b is a lateral view of the same spreader, both illustrations being hereinafter collectively referred to as FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a partly sectional, perspective view of the spreader device according to FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a partly sectional, perspective illustration of the same spreader device with appertaining adhesive tape means and transport rollers;

FIG. 8 is explanatory and schematically illustrates six sequential phases of operations relating to the insertion of the contour rods;

FIG. 9 is a top view onto a double-web mat partly equipped with contour rods;

FIG. 10a shows schematically a side elevation of a transport device which forms part of the apparatus according to FIG. 1; and FIG. 10b is a top view of the same device, both illustrations being hereinafter jointly referred to as FIG. 10.

The rod inserting apparatus represented by FIGS. 1 to 9 comprises the following main components or subassemblies:

A magazine 1 for the contour rods 21 (FIG. 1) and a rod presorting dispenser device 2 (FIGS. 1, 2, 3) for issuing individual rods from the magazine; rod driving means composed of a catch device 3, 4 (FIG. 3) and a

transport device

7, 8 for the contour rods 21 (FIGS. 1 and 3); a spreader device 9 for opening the pockets of the mat 22 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4); a transport device 10, l1, 12, 17, 18 for adhesive tapes (FIGS. 5, 6 and 7); a further transport device 19 for advancing the mat 22 perpendicularly to the rod inserting direction (FIG. 1); and a device 20 (FIG. 1) for positionally equalizing the rods which otherwise might protrude different distances from the mat.

The illustrated embodiment is a twin arrangement which comprises an apparatus of the above-outlined type on each of the two longitudinal sides of a table 22a (FIG. 1) for supporting the double-web mat 22. The following description, to the major extent, is limited to explaining only one of the two apparatus since the other side of the equipment constitutes essentially a symmetrically designed and simultaneously operating unit related in the sense of a mirror image to the one apparatus more fully described. It therefore also suffices to hereinafter mainly explain the functioning of the apparatus components situated on one and the same side of the mat table 22a.

The mat 22 is a double web composed of parallel pockets which extend across the width of the mat (FIG. 9) and are open at both ends. During the insertion of rods 21 into respective pockets, the mat 22 is at rest upon the table 22a (FIG. I Upon completed insertion of a rod, or rather the simultaneous insertion of two rods from opposite sides into adjacent pockets (FIG. 9), the mat advances stepwise to the next position, moving in the direction of the arrow 2212 (FIG. 1) and driven by a frictional transport device 19.

Each magazine 1 (FIGS. 1, 2) into which bunches of contour rods 21 may be placed by hand, consists substantially of a container whose front and rear walls are shaped as irregular pentagons. The magazine container tapers downwardly and forms a dispensing gap whose width corresponds substantially to the thickness of the individual rods 21. The rods 21 (FIGS.

2, 3, 9) are pointed at both ends to facilitate shoving them into the mat. Located laterally at each end of the dispensing gap is a worm 2 (FIGS. 2, 3) so that the pointed rods, when reaching the lowest level of the magazine container 1, will engage the helical grooves of the worms which then laterally guide the rods. During rotation of the two worms 2, individual rods 21 are transported downwardly and are then individually released. To prevent the rods 21 in the individual turns of the worms 2 from dodging laterally, the dispensing gap adapted to the diameter of the rods is designed as a parallel guide and extends downwardly to shortly beneath the last turn of the worms 2 (FIG. 2). This lateral guidance also contributes to ensuring that only one rod per worm turn can travel downwardly at a time. The gap opening is as elongated as the rods and is directed toward the table 22a.

When a rod arrives at the lowermost point of its dispensing travel, it is received by the catch device. This device comprises a catch hook 3 (FIG. 1,3) which is moved, preferably with the aid of a compressed-air cylinder 4 (FIG. 3), in the direction'toward the mat 22. During the first one-third of the first travel phase, the rods 21 are guided by three pairs of rollers 5 (FIG. 2). These are so arranged that the center lines of each roller pair define with each other an angle of 90. The outer periphery of the rollers 5 has a profile mating the cross section of the rods. The further guidance is taken over by a profiled supporting roller 6 (FIGS. 2, 3) which, after termination of the first travel phase, is tilted away by means of a compressed-air cylinder 6a.

The hook 3 (FIG. 3) moves the rod 21 lengthwise up to a point where the rod has entered a few centimeter into the mat. Thence, a pair of transport rollers 7, 8 (FIGS. 1, 3) pushes the rod further into the mat until the rods pass beyond the

rollers

7, 8. The

rollers

7, 8 are arranged one above the other. The upper roller 7 is externally threaded. Its screw thread 7a (FIG. 3) has a profile corresponding to the cross section of the rod. The pitch of the screw thread corresponds to a given, integral multiple of the pocket division of the mat. This is a consequence of the fact that the same arrangement of devices is located on the opposite side and to substantially form a mirror image of the one here being mainly described, so that two pockets next adjacent to each other in the mat 22 are simultaneously provided with respective rods from opposite sides of the mat (FIGS. 3,9). Such simultaneous insertion from opposite sides is essential for minimizing or eliminating the mechanical stresses imposed upon the mat by the rod shoving operations and also makes it unnecessary to provide particular holding means for arresting the mat in the proper position during insertion of the rods. That is, the mat normally has the tendency to advance in the direction 22b (FIG. 1) under the entraining friction of the transport device 19, but is held stopped as long as the mat is engaged by rods being shoved into the pockets.

The first turn ofthe upper roller '7 is milled away at 7b (FIG. 1) down to the shaft along one-half of the periphery. This secures during the first phase of operation a reliable and friction-free insertion of the rod by the hook 3 into the mat 22 (FIG. 3) when the pocket is kept open by the spreader device 9 (FIGS. 1, 3). The lower roller 8 (FIGS. 1, 3) serves as pressure roller and is covered with a glide resistant friction material such as synthetic plastic or rubber. After termination of the first phase of movement imparted to the rod 22 by the hook 3 under control by the pneumatic cylinder 4, the threaded roller 7 has reached the rotational position in which the first turn of it screw thread becomes active. The seized rod 21 which has already penetrated a few centimeter into the mat, is then shoved into the mat 22 by the

transport rollers

7 and 8.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 the spreader device 9 for opening the individual pockets of the mat comprises a unilaterally open bearing block 16 (FIGS. 1, 6) in which two protruding rocker levers 9 (FIGS. 1 3, 4, 6) are pivoted. The ends of the levers 9 form four-sided prisms 90 above and beneath the plane of the mat (FIGS. 4 and 6), the same arrangement being duplicated on the opposite side of the mat travel path in a mirror-image arrangement.

The other ends of the rocker levers 9 carry cam follower rollers 13 (FIGS. 4, 6) which engage the inner periphery of a cam disc 12 (FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7). In cam 12 the rollers 13 scan a predetermined control path which, during rotation of the cam 12, controls the spreading operation and all other working phases in proper time relation to one another. For this purpose the cam 12 also has lobes or dog pins 27 (FIG. 7) more fully described hereinafter, and the same cam 12 or another cam mounted on, or driven by the same control shaft 12a may be used to actuate the pneumatic cylinders 6a (FIG. 2) and 4 (FIG. 3) by controlling the appertaining valves either directly or by means of elective switches in any conventional manner.

A helical pressure spring 14 (FIG. 4) attached between the two rocker levers 9b holds the rollers 13 in engagement with the cam 12. The pivot 9e (FIGS. 4, 6) of each rocker arm 9 is also the pivot for two retainer levers 15 arranged at the left and at the right of each rocker arm 9 in proximity to their four-sided prismatic ends (FIGS 4,6,8). The two retainer levers 15 flanking each arm 9 are interconnected by a movable and laterally secured pin 23 (FIGS. 4, 6). Further prisms 15c at the outer ends of the levers l5 face the mat at opposite sides of the rocker-arm prisms 90 (FIGS. 6,8) to perform a retaining function. The faces of the rocker-arm prisms 9c are parallel to those of the retaining prisms 151: at the left and right of the prisms 9c.

The faces of the retainer prisms are roughened such as by serrations, projections and/or recesses. A gap is formed between the rocker-arm prisms 9c and the retainer prisms 150 located at the left and right respectively of the prisms 9c (FIG. 8, working phase d). Two adhesive tapes 24 pass through the respective gaps above and beneath the mat plane, each tape 24 having a non-adhesive face adjacent to the rocker ann. The tapes are pulled off respective supply reels 25 and are rewound upon take-up reels 26 (FIGS. 5, 7 The serrations of the retainer prisms 15c serve to firmly clamp the adhesive tapes 24 in a given position of the follower rollers 13 relative to the cam disc 12; that is, the clamping of the tapes 24 takes place in a predetermined working phase.

As mentioned, the same device, substantially in the mirror symmetry, is located on the opposite side of the mat (FIGS. 1,3).

The transport and guidance of the adhesive tapes will now be more fully explained with reference to FIGS. 5 and 7. Two ratchet gears 18 are connected with respective take-up reels 26. Each ratchet is engaged by two pawls or

detents

17, 31. Each of the two detents 17 is connected with a lever 28 fixedly seated on a shaft 28a which carries two arms 28b linked to the respective detents 17 through link members 10 on which the detents are pivoted.

During each full rotation of cam 12 its two dogs 27 (FIG. 7) press twice against a roller 27a on arm 28 and thereby pull the detent 17 out of the ratchet 18, whereafter a leaf spring 30 forces the detent 17 into the next tooth gap. As soon as dog 27 releases the lever 28, the latter is pulled by a spring 29 back to its original position. This turns the ratchet 18 with take-up reel 26 one tooth division. While the lever 28 returns to its original position the second detent 31 of the same dimensions keeps the ratchet 18 arrested. As a result, the rocker arms 9 now engage new adhesive faces. While the adhesive tape 24 is being transported under control by the cam 12, there exists a gap between each rocker-arm prism 90 and the retainer prisms 15c (FIG. 8, working phase d; and FIG. 6).

The mat transporting assembly 19 (FIG. 1), located behind the inserting equipment proper, seen in the mat transporting direction, serves to shift the mat, now armed with rods, away from the mat-supporting table of the machine. The assembly 19 comprises two V-belt drives 19a at the left and at the right of the mat supporting table which have the same drive motor in common.

The rods 21, after having been inserted into the mat, may non-uniformly protrude therefrom. The device 20 for equalizing the rod positions is disposed between the two directionreversing sheaves 19b, 19:: for the V-belts 19a of the transporting assembly. The equalizing device 20 comprises two plungers 20a operated by compressed air which are located on opposite sides of the rods relative to the travel direction of the double-web mat. After the mat 22, equipped with rods (FIG.

9) leaves the table, uniform lengths of the rods will protrude from the mat at the left and at the right.

The transporting assembly 19 (FIG. 1 separately shown in FIG. 10, has its two V-belts 1911 located at the left and at the right respectively of the mat separating table 22a. The two

belt sheaves

19b and 19c of each V-belt have a single drive motor in common. The mat 22b, now provided with the rods 21, rests upon the respective top runs of the two V-belts 19a. Due to the weight of the mat inclusive of the rods, the friction between the mat and the V-belts suffices to advance the mat in the delivering direction (arrow 22b).

The cooperation of the individual subassemblies in a machine according to the invention will be further elucidated with reference to an example.

At'the beginning of the operations, the apparatus is set to a condition in which the rocker arms 9, controlled by cam 12, are open. The catch device 3 is in starting position, an individual rod 21 being located in front of the catch device. The helical turns of the worms 2 are individually occupied by rods 21. The

transport rollers

7, 8 are in the position at which the cut-away first turn 7b (FIG. 1) along one-half of the periphery on the upper roller 7 permits the rod 21 to pass through. For starting the operation, one rod 21 is shoved by hand from each side into two parallel and juxtaposed pockets of the mat 22 (FIG. 9) until the two rods laterally overlap approximately 100 mm. This initially provides for proper arresting and guiding of the mat 22 so that it cannot follow the frictional pull of the mat transport device 19.

Now, the machine can be switched into operation. During full performance of the machine, the individual working strokes take place in sequence as well as partly simultaneously. The following working phases a to e (FIG. 8) occur during one-half rotation of the cam disc 12.

Working phase a:

The rocker-arm prisms 9c surrounded by adhesive tape 24 are pressed against the mat 22. The adhesive tape 24 adheres to the mat.

Working phase b:

The rocker arms 9 are spread apart and open the pockets due to the fact that the two webs of the mat mill remain adherent to the adhesive tapes 24.

Working phase c:

The rods 21 are shoved into the open pockets by the action of the catch hooks 3 (FIG. 3) controlled by compressed air.

Working phase d:

The transport roller pair 7, 8 (FIG. 3) commences to drive the rod. The adhesive tape 24 is pulled away from the mat 22 by additional spreading-apart of the rocker arms 9 and the simultaneous forward transport of the adhesive tape 24.

Working phase e:

The shoving-in operation is terminated, the mat 22 is ad vanced by transporting assembly 19 (FIG. 1). A fresh adhesive tape surface is firmly pressed against the mat with the aid of the retainer prisms c.

Working phases f:

This phase is identical with initial phase a. The next one-half rotation of the cam disc 12 commences. The rocker arms press the adhesive tape 24 against the mat 22 to which the tape then adheres.

After the apparatus is switched into operation, the first two rods 21, inserted by hand, are seized by the

transport rollers

7, 8 and shoved into the mat 22. Simultaneously, the rod and the mat are displaced in the direction 22b (FIG. 1) transverse to the rod axis. As soon as the upper roller 7 has performed one full rotation, the rods have travelled in the direction 22b a distance that corresponds to the screw pitch of the upper rollers 7 and consequently to twice the pocket subdivision of the mat. After one full rotation of the upper roller 7 is completed, the second next pocket counted from the pocket last filled with a rod is located between the rocker arms 9. While this operation takes place the rocker arms 9, under control by the cam 12, are lifted from a pocket now filled with a rod 21, and the retainer prisms 15c release the adhesive tape 24 (FIG. 6). One of the dogs 27 on cam 12 releases the detents 17 from the ratchets 18. The detents 17 are then pressed by the leaf springs 30 into the next following tooth tap of the ratchets 18. A return spring 29, attached to the lever 28 that moves the detent 17, pulls the lever 28 back to the original position as soon as dog 27 and hence cam 12 have moved a further extent. As a result, the ratchet 18 is rotated one tooth division and a fresh piece of adhesive tape 24 is thus placed about the rocker arms 9. Due to the adhesion between the tape 24 and the mat 22, the next following return movement of the rocker arms 9 causes the pocket to be spread open.

At this moment, the rod released by the sorting device and caught by the catch device 3 is inserted about 20 to 30 mm into the mat 22. During the period of time in which the rod 21 is being moved by the pneumatic cylinder 4 and the catch hook 3 (FIG. 3), the gap now formed between upper roller 7 and lower roller 8 by the milled-away portion of roller 7, permits the rod 21 to pass through. As soon as the rod, being pushed through this gap, has penetrated into the mat 22, the

transport rollers

7, 8 catch the rod and complete the insertion. A portion of the mat 22 with fully inserted and partially inserted rods 21 is illustrated in FIG. 9.

While we have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood upon a study of this disclosure by those skilled in the art that with respect to arrangement, design of component subassemblies and various other respects, our invention can be modified and may be given various embodiments other than the one illustrated and described herein, without departing from the essential features of our invention and within the scope of the claims annexed hereto.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for inserting contour rods into the transverse pockets of double-web mats for storage-battery electrodes, comprising a contour-rod magazine having dispensing means for releasing one rod at a time, a spreader device for opening one of the pockets of the mat, and rod drive means engageable with the released rod for axially shoving it into the pocket of the mat then spread open by said spreader device.

2. In apparatus according to claim 1, said rod drive means comprising catch and guide means disposed adjacent said dispensing means and engageable with the released rod for partially inserting it into said spread open pocket, and rod completely shoving it into said pocket.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, comprising sequence control means connected with said dispensing means and said spreader device and said rod drive means for controlling them to cyclically operate in the repetitive releasing-spreadingshoving sequence.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a mat-supporting table on which the mat is longitudinally advanceable with the mat pockets extending in a direction transverse to the mat advancing direction, said apparatus being arranged beside the mat advancing path of said table, said dispensing means of said magazine comprising an elongated slot dimensioned to let only one rod pass through at a time, said slot extending parallel to said transverse direction so that the dispensed rods are aimed substantially toward respective pocket openings of the mat.

5. In apparatus according to claim 4, said dispensing means comprising conveyor worms rotatable at opposite ends respectively of said elongated slot and having respective worm gear turns engageable by the ends of a rod for controlling the individual dispensation of the rods from said magazine.

6. In apparatus according to claim 4, said rod drive means comprising a catch device engageable with the rear end of a rod released by said dispensing device and movable toward said mat path of said table for partly shoving the rod into the mat pocket, and driven guide rollers engageable with the rod for seizing the rod and shoving it further into the pocket.

7. In apparatus according to claim 6, said guide rollers comprising a pair of profiled rollers whose profile corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the rods, and a hinged supporting roller also engageable with the rod between the rod-engaging localities of said pair.

8. In apparatus according to claim 2, said rod transport means comprising a pair of upper and lower rollers, said upper roller being externally threaded and having a screw pitch that is an integral multiple of the pocket width of the mat, said lower roller having a glide-resistant peripheral surface.

9. In apparatus according to claim 8, the first thread turn of said upper roller having a cut-out portion extending along one-half of the roller periphery.

10. In apparatus according to claim 4, said spreader device comprising a bearing block, a pair of rocker arms pivoted on said bearing block, one of said rocker arms being above the mat locality of said table, said other rocker am being below said locality, said rocker arms being provided with pressure faces on the mat-facing side.

11. In apparatus according to claim 3, said control means comprising a rotatable control cam, cam followers engaging said cam and connected to said respective rocker arms for controlling their operation in dependence upon rotation of said cam.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, comprising a spring link which interconnects said two followers to force them against said cam, and a pair of retainer levers situated on the two sides respectively of each of said rocker arms and interconnected for conjoint movement, said two retainer levers and said rocker arm intermediate said two retainer levers having a fulcrum axis in common.

13. In apparatus according to claim 12, said two rocker arms having respect prismatic portions pointing toward each other, each pair of said retainer levers having ends adjacent to said rocker-arm prisms with lateral faces of said rocker-arm prisms parallel to lateral faces of said retainer-lever ends, said lateral faces of said retainer-lever ends having a rougher surface than the adjacent parallel faces of said rocker-arm prisms.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, comprising adhesive tape feeder means having when in operation a unilaterally adhesive tape extend around each of said two rocker-arm prisms with the adhesive side facing the mat, said tape being engageable by said ends of the two retainer levers flanking said rockerarm prism, whereby said tape is held fixed against said rockerarm prism by said retainer levers during operation of said spreader device.

15. In apparatus according to claim 14, said tape feeder means comprising two tape supply reels and two tape takeup reels for each of two adhesive tapes, tape transport means for each of said tapes, said control means comprising a rotatable control cam, cam followers engaging said cam and connected to said respective rocker arms for controlling their operation in dependence upon rotation of said cam, said tape transport means having each a ratchet mechanism under control by said cam.

16. In apparatus according to claim 15, said cam comprising two tape-transport control members, a spring-biased lever means operable by said members in opposition to the spring bias, said tape-transport ratchet mechanism comprising two ratchets joined with said respective take-up reels, two detent pawls engageable with each of said ratchets, said lever means being connected to one of said detents for releasing the ratchet under control by said cam, and spring means for causing said other detent to drop into the ratchet for arresting the ratchet while said lever means return to the inactive position.

17. A twin arrangement comprising two apparatus according to claim 4 arranged on opposite lateral sides of said mat supporting table and forming a substantially mirror symmetrical group, the respective spreader devices and rod drive means being directed from said opposite sides toward respective directly adjacent mat-pocket localities of said mat advancing path of said table.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17 comprising rod position equalizing devices arranged on both sides of said table at localities behind said spreader device and said rod drive means of each apparatus seen in the web advancing direction.

19. Apparatus according to claim 4, comprising an auxiliary mat transport device frictionally engageable with the mat on said table whereby the mat tends to advance, the mat being temporarily stopped by operation of said spreader device and said rod drive means during insertion of a rod.

20. In apparatus according to claim 19, said transport device comprising two endless V-belt drives extending parallel to each other at opposite longitudinal sides of said table, said respective belts being frictionally engageable with the mat on said table.

Claims

2. In apparatus according to claim 1, said rod drive means comprising catch and guide means disposed adjacent said dispensing means and engageable with the released rod for partially inserting it into said spread open pocket, and rod transport means engageable with said released rod for completely shoving it into said pocket.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, comprising sequence control means connected with said dispensing means and said spreader device and said rod drive means for controlling them to cyclically operate in the repetitive releasing-spreading-shoving sequence.

10. In apparatus according to claim 4, said spreader device comprising a bearing block, a pair of rocker arms pivoted on said bearing block, one of said rocker arms being above the mat locality of said table, said other rocker arm being below said locality, said rocker arms being provided with pressure faces on the mat-facing side.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, comprising adhesive tape feeder means having when in operation a unilaterally adhesive tape extend around each of said two rocker-arm prisms with the adhesive side facing the mat, said tape being engageable by said ends of the two retainer levers flanking said rocker-arm prism, whereby said tape is held fixed against said rocker-arm prism by said retainer levers during operation of said spreader device.