US3667420A

US3667420A - Frangible target apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3667420A
Application number: US81956A
Authority: US
Inventors: Eli H Mechling
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-10-19
Filing date: 1970-10-19
Publication date: 1972-06-06
Anticipated expiration: 1989-06-06

Abstract

Apparatus for handling and painting clay pigeons or targets is provided. The clay targets are fed in a line along a conveyor and are then formed into two lines, and subsequently four lines, after which the targets are sequentially removed from each of the four lines of the conveyor. The clay targets are then fed to four painting positions. In each position, the target is moved upwardly by a plunger into contact with a circular brush. The brush is located at an angle to the vertical with a lower portion submerged in a receptacle of paint and the target is positioned to one side of the receptacle so that if the target should be broken, it will not tend to fall into the receptacle. The target is rotated by its support while in contact with the brush and the brush is periodically, incrementally rotated to supply additional coating material from the receptacle.

Description

D United States Patent 1 3,661 Mechling June 6, 1972 4] FRANGIBLE TARGET APP TUS 2,170,610 8/1939 Schutz ..118/232 [72] Inventor: E H. Mechling, 2881 McClain Road, 2,165,210 7/1939 Baldwin ..1 l8/Dig. 9

Ohm 45804 Primary Examiner-John P. Mclntosh 22 Filed; Oct 19, 1970 AttorneyAllen D. Gutchess, Jr.

[21] Appl. No.: 81,956 57 ABSTRACT Apparatus for handling and painting clay pigeons or targets is [52] U.S. Cl ..l18/6, 1 13/232, 118/239, rovided, The clay targets are fed in a line along a conveyor 118/258 and are then formed into two lines, and subsequently four [51] Int. Cl. .L ..B05c 1/02, B05c 11/14 lines, after which the targets are sequentially removed from [58] Field of Search ..118/6, 50, 320, 232, Dig. 9, each of the four lines of the conveyor. The clay targets are 1 18/258, 239; 198/31 AC then fed to four painting positions. ln each position, the target is moved upwardly by a plunger into contact with a circular 56 R fere Cited brush. The brush is located at an angle to the vertical with a lower portion submerged in a receptacle of paint and the tar- UNITED STATES PATENTS get is positioned to one side of the receptacle so that if the target should be broken, it will not tend to fall into the recepta- 2,781,02O 2/1957 Scott ..1 18/6 cle. The target is rotated by its Support while in Contact with 1236389 8/1917 Augensen" 198/3 1 AC the brush and the brush is periodically, incrementally rotated 1,894,547 1/1933 Tucker ..198/31 AC to Supply additional coating material f the receptacle 3,001,506 9/1961 Ford ..1 18/320 X 2,284,366 5/1942 Bryant ..1 18/232 10 Claims, 5 Drawing figures PATENTEDJun 5 I972 SHEET 10F 3 INVENTOR. Eu H. New L! m;

fiwm/ A mRMeQ PATENTEnJun 6 I972 3.661420 SHEET 2 UF- 3 INVENTOR. ELI H.MEC.HLIMG- PATENTEDJUN 6 I972 v sum 3 0F 3 INVENTOR. Eu H. MEQHLIMG FRANGIBLE TARGET APPARATUS This invention relates to apparatus for feeding and coating frangible flying targets.

Frangible flying targets, known as clay pigeons or clay targets, are commonly thrown into the air and shot down for target practice. Because the targets are used but once, whether or not they are hit, they must be made inexpensively and sold at low prices in order to meet a market for sportsmen. Consequently, in order to keep the cost of manufacture down, the targets must be capable of being made in large quantities with a minimum amount of labor. Thus, the apparatus for handling and manufacturing the frangible targets must have a high output and require a minimum of operating supervision and maintenance.

The apparatus according to the invention is capable of handling and coating the targets at a high rate of speed, in the order of 6,000 to 8,000 targets per hour. The apparatus also requires minimum maintenance and is designed so that broken targets will not cause a problem in interfering with the operation of the apparatus, as has often heretofore been the case. After the targets are molded by known apparatus from a tar substance, despite the name clay, they are fed down a conveyor belt in single file. In accordance with the invention, the single row of targets is then formed into two rows by an oscillating member located immediately above the conveying belt, and then formed into four rows by two additional oscillating members. The targets in the four rows continue to move, now in widely spaced relationship, along the belt, and are then directed by guides ofi the belt to a coating station for each of the rows, where a suitable stripe or circular coat is applied to the convex side of each target.

At each coating station, the target is stopped and positioned above an opening through which a plunger is longitudinally moved to carry the target to the vicinity of a brush which is contacted by the target and applies the coating material to the target. The brush has a lower portion immersed in a coating material and is periodically incrementally rotated to present a new supply of coating material for the clay target at an upper portion of the brush. The plunger for the clay target is rotated to enable the desired peripheral or circular surface to be coated. The rotatable brush is mounted at an angle to the vertical so that the portion contacting the target is located to one side of the receptacle with the target, of course, being similarly located. Consequently, in the event the target is broken or breaks, the pieces will not fall into the receptacle and the coating material therein.

It is, therefore, a principle object of the invention to provide apparatus for handling and coating frangible targets more rapidly and reliably than heretofore.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for handling and coating frangible targets which requires less supervision and less maintenance.

Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for coating frangible targets in which broken targets will not hamper operation of components of the apparatus.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide apparatus for coating frangible targets which includes a rotating brush partially immersed in coating material and means for positioning a target in contact with the brush but to one side of the receptacle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an overall view in perspective of apparatus for handling frangible targets in accordance with the invention, with drive components therefor being shown somewhat schematically;

FIG. 2 is a view in vertical cross section of a coating station at which a coating material is applied to the frangible targets in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective of one part of the coating station of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective of another part of the coating station of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a view in perspective showing part of a coating material applicator of FIG. 2.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, frangible targets or clay pigeons indicated in dotted lines at 10 are supplied from suitable means such as a frangible target molding machine to the center of a conveyor belt 12 forming a longitudinally-extending conveying surface 14. The molding machine used to make the targets can embody the features disclosed in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 832, 355, entitled Ejecting Mechanism for Molding Machines. The targets are maintained in a row by side plates 16 and are fed longitudinally along the surface 14 in predetermined, uniformly-spaced relationship by stop members 18 and 20. The dotted targets in FIG. 1 represent the positions of the targets as they move along the belt 12 and do not represent the actual spacing of the targets. The stop members move between open and blocking positions alternately to control movement and spacing of the targets 10 along the belt 12 at uniform intervals. A first oscillating vane or member 22 is located in the central path of the targets 10 and oscillates or moves back and forth across the path in timed relationship to move the targets into two additional rows, alternate targets being moved toward one side of the surface 14 into one row and the other alternate targets being moved toward the other side of the surface 14 into a second row. A generally arrow-shaped guide 24 further directs the targets into the two rows to assure proper alignment of the targets in each of the rows.

Additional oscillating vanes or members 26 and 28 are located in the paths of the additional two rows of targets and also oscillate or move back and forth across the path. Alternate targets in each of the two rows are then moved toward one side of the surface 14 while the other alternate targets are moved toward the other side of the surface 14 to establish four rows of the targets 10. The targets in the four rows are then directed off one side of the surface 14 by

arcuate guides

30, 32, 34, and 36. The targets of the four rows are received by four substantially identical coating stations indicated generally at 38, 40, 42, and 44 which are spaced apart and located along a common side of the conveyor belt 12.

This arrangement for handling the targets 10 enables a large number to be handled and coated per unit of time in a relatively small space and with minimum supervision or maintenance.

The stop members 18 and 20 and the oscillating members 22 26, and 28 can be driven in a number of suitable ways. One arrangement for this is schematically shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, a motor 46, through a drive sprocket 48 and a chain 50, drives a sprocket 52 and, through suitable gear reduction means (not shown), operates a drive roller 54'of the conveyor 12. The roller 54 is shown below an intermediate part of the belt for purposes of illustration but preferably is located at one end thereof, in the usual manner. Through a second sprocket 56 and a chain 58, the motor drives a sprocket 60 and a shaft 62, which is suitably supported above the conveyor belt 12 by

frame members

64 and 66. A first cam 68 on the shaft 62, through a follower lever 70 and an adjustable link 72, oscillates a lever arm 74 attached to a shaft 76 connected to the first stop member 18, the upper end of the shaft 76 being suitably mounted in a bearing (not shown) and also supported by the

frame members

64 and 66. A second cam 78 on the shaft 62, through a follower lever 80 and an adjustable link 82, oscillates an arm 84 on a shaft 86 which operates the stop member 20. The shaft 86 is similarly supported through a bearing by the

upper frame members

64 and 66. Both of the follower levers 70 and 80 are urged against the cams 68 and 78 by springs 88 and 90. With this arrangement of the springs, the stop members 18 and 20 move into the blocking positions to stop the targets in the central row under spring pressure. If a target is too far along the row when the stop member 18 or 20 moves inwardly, it will then not break the target since the force exerted by the springs 88 and 90 is insufficient to do this. However, the stop members will stop such targets and thus be effective in their operation. The levers 70 and 80 are suitably pivotally mounted on an axle 92 extending between the

frame members

64 and 66.

A second shaft 94 is driven from the shaft 62 through a drive sprocket 96, a chain 98, and a driven sprocket 100. A cam 102 on the shaft 94 operates the first oscillating member 22 through a follower lever 104, a link 106, and a lever arm 108 affixed to a shaft 110 which supports the oscillating member 22 above the surface 14. The shaft 110 again is supported through a suitable bearing by the supporting

frame members

64 and 66. The lever 104 is spring loaded by a spring 112 to urge the lever against the cam 102, the lever being mounted on an axle 114.

A third drive shaft 116 is rotatably supported by the

frame members

64 and 66 and is driven by the shaft 94 through a drive sprocket 118, a chain 120, and a driven sprocket 122. The oscillating member 26 is driven by a cam 124 through a follower lever 126, a link 128, and a lever arm 130 mounted on a shaft 132. The shaft 132 supports the oscillating member 26 above the surface 14 and is rotatably supported through the

frame members

64 and 66. The oscillating member 28 is similarly driven by a cam 134 on the shaft 116 through a follower lever 136, a link 138, and a lever arm 140 mounted on a shaft 142. The shaft 142 supports the oscillating member 28 above the surfaces 14 and is rotatably supported through the

frame members

64 and 66. The levers 126 and 136 are urged against the

cams

124 and 134 by springs 144 and 146. The follower levers 126 and 136 are pivotally mounted on an axle 147. The drive arrangement thereby enables all of the target manipulating devices to be operated in timed relationship, along with the movement of the. belt 12.

By way of a specific example, when an output of 8,000 frangible targets per hour is to be obtained, the belt 14 is moved at a rate of 78 fpm and the shaft 62 is operated at a speed of 133 rpm to cause the stop members 18 and 20 to release 133 targets per minute in uniformly-spaced relationship. The shaft 94 is operated at A the speed of the shaft 62 or 66- 1% rpm. Finally, the shaft 116 is operated at y the speed of the shaft 94 or 33-% rpm to provide the four rows of the targets 10. Other suitable drive arrangements can be employed for the target handling system. For example, the stop members 18 and 20 and the

oscillating members

22, 26, and 28 can be operated by appropriately-shaped cams all located on a single shaft running at 33-14 rpm.

The four coating stations 38-44 are substantially identical and only the station 38 will be discussed in detail. As the targets are directed off the side of the surface 14 by the arcuate guides 30-36, they slide down an apron or slanted wall 148 (FIG. 3), directed by a side guide 150 to a gate 152. The gate 152 can be operated by a shaft 153, a cam 155, and a follower lever 157. The gate controls the supply of the targets 10 one at a time to a position above a plunger opening 154 where they are held by an end portion 156 (FIG. 3) of the guide 150 and by a stop member 158. The targets 10 are then concentrically located with respect to the opening 154, with the end portion 156 and the stop member 158 spaced substantially apart to enable any broken targets to fall beyond and not jam the mechanism.

When above the opening 154, the targets 10 are positioned to be moved upwardly to a coating position. For this purpose, a target plunger 160 (FIG. 2) is aligned with the opening 154, the plunger having an appropriately contoured end 161 located just below the opening and designed to be received in the concave side of the target 10 when moved into contact therewith. The plunger 160 is mounted on a shaft 162 having a collar 164 rotatably mounted thereon to which a follower lever 166 is connected. The lever 166 is urged against a cam 168 by a spring 170, with the lever pivoted on an axle 172 and the cam 168 mounted on a suitable drive shaft 174. The spring 170 maintains the lever in contact with the cam 168 and also urges the shaft 162 upwardly. The upward movement of the shaft 162 is mostly achieved, however, by a main spring 176. The plunger 160 will thus be urged upwardly mainly by the spring 176 and will be moved back to the retracted position below the opening 154 by the earn 168. Cams for all four stations can be mounted on the shaft 174 or one cam can be designed to operate all four of the shafts 162.

The target 10 is rotated at least when in the coating position and for this purpose a pulley 178 can be keyed to the shaft 162 and slidable longitudinally thereon to be maintained in a constant position when the shaft 162 is moved longitudinally. The pulley 178 is driven by suitable means, schematically shown as a belt 180 and a motor 182. Particularly when the target 10 is coated by means of a brush, it must be reasonably firmly held on the plunger 160. This can be accomplished through a vacuum established at the end 161 of the plunger which can communicate through a passage extending longitudinally through the plunger and the shaft 162 to a flexible vacuum line 184 located at the lower end of the shafi 162 and rotatably connected thereto through a suitable bearing 186.

If for any reason there is no target above the plunger opening 154, then it is desirable not to have the plunger 160 move upwardly to the coating position since the coating material may then undesirably be applied to the end 161 of the plunger. To prevent this, a sensing device or limit switch 188 (FIG. 3) is positioned adjacent the opening 154 in a position to have a feeler arm 190 thereof engaged by a target when located on the apron 148 above the opening154. A solenoid 192 (FIG. 2) is located near the shaft 162 and is engageable with a lever 194. The lever 194 has a blocking position engageable with a flange member 196 on the shaft 162 and a spaced position clear of the flange 196. When one of the targets 10 is positioned above the opening 154 and moves the feeler arm 190 to close the limit switch 188, the solenoid 192 is energized to move the lever 194 in a clockwise direction free of the flange member 196. The shaft 162 can then move upwardly under the action of the springs and 176 as the earn 168 rotates. If there is no target above the opening 154, the solenoid 192 will not be energized through the limit switch 188 and the end of the lever 194 will remain against the flange 196. Consequently, as the cam 168 rotates, the upper end of the lever 166 will be stationary above the cam 168 and remain so until a target is received above the opening 154. A spring 198 urges the lever 194 to the position in which it engages the flange 196 when the solenoid 192 is not energized. Rather than the solenoid 192, a vacuum-operated switch or cylinder can be used to be actuated if a target is on the plunger 160 and a vacuum is established in the passage of the shaft 162.

When the plunger 160 is moved upwardly to the coating position, the target thereon is moved through a stripper opening 200 in a slanted discharge ramp or apron 202. During this movement, a pair of stripper levers 204 and 206 (FIG. 4) are opened to the dotted line positions to clear the opening 200. While the plunger 160 is extended beyond the opening 200, the stripper levers 204 and 206 are urged back toward the closed position in which arcuate edges thereof are urged into contact with the side of the plunger 160. As the plunger then retracts, the stripper levers engage the lower edge of the target 10 and prevent it from retracting through the opening 200 with the plunger 160. The target then slides down the ends of the

levers

204 and 206 and the discharge ramp 202 onto a suitable conveyor 208 which carries the target to a packaging machine or any other desirable location. The

stripper arms

204 and 206 for all four stations can be operated through

rods

210 and 212 respectively which are reciprocated by cams 214 and 216 and are urged toward the closed positions by compression springs 218 and 220. The

arms

204 and 206 will not break a target with the resilient closing arrangement, if they accidentally engage the peripheral edges of one.

At the coating position above the discharge ramp 202 is a receptacle 222 (FIG. 2) which holds a supply 224 of coating material which can be of an inexpensive mixture of plaster lime, latex paint, and water, by way of example. A circular applicator 226 has a peripheral coating-applying portion 228 extending therearound in the form of a brush or bristles. These can be contoured somewhat, as shown, to approximate the outer surface of the target 10, although this is not always necessary. If a circular stripe is to be applied to the target 10, the brush will be of a small narrow configuration to suit the particular application. The applicator 226 has a lower peripheral portion, including part of the peripheral brush 228,

immersed in the coating material 224, the applicator 226 being supported in this position by a shaft 230 which extends through a bearing 232 in a rear wall of the receptacle 222. A ratchet wheel 234 is affixed to the shaft 232 and is periodically rotated to present a new supply of the coating material 224 to the portion of the peripheral brush 228 in contact with the frangible target at the coating position. The wheel 234 can be periodically rotated by a plunger or piston rod 236 reciprocated by a fluid-operated cylinder 238, with a pawl 240 preventing opposite movement of the wheel. A spring-loaded dog 242 is located at the end of the rod 236 to engage the next tooth of the wheel 234 during the next stroke of the rod 236, as is known in the art.

A spray gun can be used to coat the frangible targets in the coating position rather than the applicator 226.

in the operation of the coating station 38, when the gate 152 is open to enable one of the targets to slide downwardly to the position against the guide end 156 and the stop 158, the limit switch 188 will be closed to energize the solenoid 192 and move the lever 194 out of the way of the flange 196. As the cam 168 rotates from the position shown, the lever 166 moves in a counterclockwise direction and the spring 176 moves the shaft 162 upwardly. As the plunger 160 is moved through the opening 154, it engages the target thereon and moves it through the opening 200 to the coating position. During this movement the shaft 162 is continuously rotated through the pulley 178. A vacuum is also supplied to the plunger end 161 through the flexible line 184. The rotating target at the coating position then receives a layer of the coating material from the peripheral brush 228.

When the plunger retracts, the stripper levers 204 and 206 move the target off the plunger and enable it to slide down the discharge ramp 202 onto the conveyor 208. The targets then can be moved to a stacking or packaging position. If the targets are'not to be painted, they can be stacked and packaged at the

stations

38, 40, 42, and 44 as they move off the conveyor belt 12.

After each target is coated, the cylinder 238 can be operated to cause the rod 236 to move theratchet wheel 234 one increment and thereby similarly move the coating applicator 226 to present additional coating material to the portion' of the brush at the coating position.

Various modifications of the above described embodiment of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is to be understood that such modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, if they are within the spirit and the tenor of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for feeding targets to a plurality of operating stations and for coating them at the stations, said apparatus comprising means for supplying the targets centrally along said conveying surface in a row and along a predetermined path, said targets being in substantially uniformly-spaced relationship, a member located in the path, means for moving said member back and forth across the path to move alternate targets toward one side of the conveying surface and the other alternate targets toward the opposite side of the conveying surface to form two spaced, second rows of targets movable by said surface means in predetermined second paths, an additional member located in each of the second paths, additional means for moving said additional members back and forth across the second paths to move alternate targets toward one side of the conveying surface and the other alternate targets toward the other side of the conveying surface to form four spaced rows of targets movable by said surface means in predetermined additional paths, means for operating said moving means and said additional moving means in timed relationship, means for directing targets in each of the four rows off said conveying surface to the operating stations, each of said operating stations comprising movable stop means for temporarily detaining one of the targets received from said conveying surface, positioning means for receiving the target when releasedfrom said stop means, coating means spaced from said posltlonmg means, and means for moving the target from said positioning means to a position in which the target can receive coating material from said coating means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized by said coating means comprising a circular applicator positioned so that one portion can contact the target and another portion can contact a coating material supply source, means for incrementally rotating said applicator independently of the rotation of the target, and said means for moving the target from the positioning means to the coating means also includes means for rotating the target.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 characterized by said circular applicator comprising a brush having bristles generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation and bristles substantially parallel to the axis of rotation.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized by sensing means associated with said positioning means for sensing whether a target is located at said positioning means, and means responsive to said sensing means for preventing said target moving means from moving from said positioning means to said coating means if no target is sensed at the positioning means.

5. Apparatus for coating frangible targets comprising a receptacle for liquid coating material, circular coat-applying means having a brush around a peripheral portion thereof, a drive shaft on which said means is mounted, said shaft being positioned to immerse at least a lower portion of said brush in the liquid coating material in said receptacle, drive means for driving said shaft to move said brush around said shaft, in an incremental manner, said brush having bristles extending radially outwardly from said shaft and having bristles in an annular pattern extending parallel to said shaft and toward the target, supporting means for positioning a target in contact with a portion of said brush spaced from the liquid coating material, said supporting means being located at least partially to one side of said receptacle whereby a broken target on said supporting means will tend to fall to one side of said receptacle.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 characterized further by means for rotating said supporting means when supporting a target adjacent said applicator.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 characterized further by means for establishing a vacuum between said supporting means and a target supported thereon to cause the target to rotate with said supporting means even when the target is in contact with said applicator.

8. Apparatus according to claim 5 characterized by positioning means to position a target spaced from said coat-applying means, and means for moving said supporting means between said positioning means and said coat-applying means.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 characterized by sensing means for sensing whether a target is located at said positioning means, and means responsive to said sensing means for preventing said moving means from moving from said supporting means to said coat-applying means if no target is sensed at the positioning means.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8 characterized further by means forming a stripper opening between said positioning means and said coat-applying means, said opening being large enough to receive said supporting means and a target thereon, at least one pivotally mounted stripper arm adjacent said opening, and means for moving said stripper arm partly across said opening to remove the target from said supporting means when said supporting means moves from said coat-applying means toward said positioning means.

Claims

1. Apparatus for feeding targets to a plurality of operating stations and for coating them at the stations, said apparatus comprising means for supplying the targets centrally along said conveying surface in a row and along a predetermined path, said targets being in substantially uniformly-spaced relationship, a member located in the path, means for moving said member back and forth across the path to move alternate targets toward one side of the conveying surface and the other alternate targets toward the opposite side of the conveying surface to form two spaced, second rows of targets movable by said surface means in predetermined second paths, an additional member located in each of the second paths, additional means for moving said additional members back and forth across the second paths to move alternate targets toward one side of the conveying surface and the other alternate targets toward the other side of the conveying surface to form four spaced rows of targets movable by said surface means in predetermined additional paths, means for operating said moving means and said additional moving means in timed relationship, means for directing targets in each of the four rows off said conveying surface to the operating stations, each of said operating stations comprising movable stop means for temporarily detaining one of the targets received from said conveying surface, positioning means for receiving the target when released from said stop means, coating means spaced from said positioning means, and means for moving the target from said positioning means to a position in which the target can receive coating material from said coating means.