US3680683A

US3680683A - Helicoidal vibrating ramp handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3680683A
Application number: US29461A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jean-Claude Gaston Cl Lebreuil
Original assignee: JEAN CLAUDE GASTON CLEMENT LEB
Current assignee: JEAN CLAUDE GASTON CLEMENT LEB
Priority date: 1969-04-25
Filing date: 1970-04-17
Publication date: 1972-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 1989-08-01
Also published as: ES378937A1; FR2116191A1; DE2016777A1; DE2016777B2; GB1244708A

Abstract

Handling apparatus of the type comprising a vibrating trough, provided with a helicoidal transport ramp and connected to a frame by means of elastically deformable systems, characterized in that the elastically deformable systems are formed, in their simplest form, by spring blades all attached by one of their extremities to a base, of light construction, and by the other alternately to the vibrating trough, or useful mass, and to a reaction mass arranged beneath said trough so that the latter and said reaction mass have a common axis of symmetry.

Description

United States Patent Lebreuil [451 Aug. 1, 1972 [54] HELICOIDAL VIBRATING RAMP HANDLING APPARATUS [72] Inventor: Jean-Claude Gaston Clement Lebreuil, 24 rue Paul-Bert, 94 Villeneuve-le-Roi, France [22] Filed: April 17, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 29,461

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data April 25, 1969 France ..69l32l8 [52] US. Cl..l98/220 BC, 198/220 CA, 198/220 DC [51] Int. Cl ..B65g 27/00 [58] Field of Search 198/220 BB, 220 BC, 220 CA,

198/220 CB, 220 CD; 209/368, 220 BC, 220

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,322,260 5/1967 Schwenzfeier ..209/368 3,258,111 6/1966 Spurlin ..198/220 BC 3,528,541 9/1915 Barton ..l98/220 CB FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 467,206 2/ 1969 Switzerland ..l98/220 BC Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Attorney-Linton & Linton [57] ABSTRACT Handling apparatus of the type comprising a vibrating trough, provided with a helicoidal transport ramp and connected to a frame by means of elastically deformable systems, characterized in that the elastically deformable systems are formed, in their simplest form, by spring blades all attached by one of their extremities to a base, of light construction, and by the other alternately to the vibrating trough, or useful mass, and to a reaction mass arranged beneath said trough so that the latter and said reaction mass have a common axis of symmetry.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAUB 1 I972 3.686.683

INVENTOR TEAN-CLAUDE GDSTM CLEMENT LEBREU/L g y 1M ATTORNEYS HELICOIDAL VIBRATING RAMP HANDLING APPARATUS The present invention relates to helicoidal vibrating ramp handling apparatus of the type used to lift parts or to distribute them along a determined position.

Such apparatus generally comprise a cylindrical trough with inner helicoidal ramp, forming the useful mass, connected to a frame, or mass of reaction, by an elastic system formed by spring blades.

The reaction mass, always substantial with respect to the useful mass, is nevertheless subjected to vibrations, with all the disadvantages this involves.

In order to remedy this drawback, vibrating units have been created, constituted by two oscillators vibrating in opposition and arranged so that the assembly has one axis, if not a plane, of symmetry, locus of points where, at any instant, the resultant of the active forces is nil, the attachment of each of the elastic systems of the oscillators to the frame of the apparatus being done at points situated on this axis.

Each vibrating unit being formed by two flexible and parallel blades each having a point of attachment respectively to the useful load and to the mass of reaction, said blades being joined at their extremities by rigid cheeks centrally transversed by a shaft whose axis was in the aforementioned plane of symmetry.

Such a device however is not satisfactory.

In fact the creation of such units is very costly for it requires the use of spacing cheeks and connecting pieces attached to the blades either by means of straps, or by piercing said blades to respectively connect the latter to the useful mass and to the mass of reaction.

Also experience has confirmed that, in such machines, it is important that the mass of reaction be arranged as near as possible to the useful mass, and this condition cannot be fulfilled except by arranging the longitudinal axis of the blades horizontally to the detriment of the guiding of said blades which, in this position, can vibrate by flexing in their plane and consequently perturbing the vibration of the useful mass.

The present invention, which remedies these drawbacks, is remarkable in that the elastically deformable organs are constituted in their simplest form by spring blades all attached by one of their extremities to a base at points of fixation situated circumferentially and by the other alternately to the useful mass and to the reaction mass in such a manner that the latter and said useful mass have a common axis of symmetry.

The mass of reaction is constituted by a crown arranged beneath the support plate of the helicoidal ramp trough.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing in exploded perspective the principal components of the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the base.

Referring to the drawing, it can be seen that the apparatus consists of a cylindrical trough l, with the usual inner helicoidal ramp, attached to a plate 2, the whole forming the useful mass and being attached to the base 3, of light construction, by means of elastically deformable blades 4.

The mass of reaction is constituted by a heavy crown 5 arranged beneath the plate 2 and connected to the base 3 by means of elastically deformable blades 6.

The points of fixation of the lower extremities of the

blades

4 and 6 are respectively constituted by

bolts engaging bosses

7 and 8 of the base arranged according to a circumference C whose center is situated on the common axis of symmetry of the useful mass and of the mass of reaction, FIG. 3.

The blades 4 extend by their upper extremities beyond notches 9 of the crown 5 to be attached by bolts or the like (not shown) to bosses l0 situated beneath the plate 2.

The attachment of blades 6 to the crown 5 is done by means of bolts to one of the faces of notches 9' identical to 9, but it is evident that this attachment could be done by any other means such as, for example, by means of bosses provided by said crown and similar to the aforementioned bosses 10.

The angle formed by a blade and the base 3 is the same for all

blades

4 and 6. The orientation of

blades

4 and 6 is such that the latter are all tangent at a point of one of their fields to a right cylindrical surface with circular directrix whose center is situated on the axis of symmetry x-y common to the useful mass and to the mass of reaction.

The useful mass and the mass of reaction are equal and they are supported by

identical blades

4 and 6, the difference in height being determined by

bosses

7 and 8.

The arrangement of the blades with respect to the useful mass and to the mass of reaction allows, without disturbing the guiding of said blades, to place said mass of reaction as near as possible to the useful mass.

Also the attachment of the blades is done without costly parts, and it requires a minimum of machining of said blades.

Finally it is possible to attach the protective housing 11 to the base 3 whatever its weight may be and without taking precautions for balancing, since it plays no part in the mechanical action of the apparatus. For this reason the housing 11 can be used without disadvantage to support the electrical control equipment which is placed in it.

As in most known vibrating apparatus, the efforts of excitation are applied between the useful mass and the mass of reaction.

Thus one may use an electro-magnet whose coil 12 placed along the x-y axis is attached to the plate 2 while the armature 13 is fixed on the crown 5.

Naturally the forces of excitation can also be of electrodynamic, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, etc. origin.

Finally the vibrating

blades

4 and 6 can be associated in stacked layers of blades and they can be made of steel, wood, bronze, glass fiber and generally of any material able to flex elastically.

I claim:

1. In a handling apparatus comprising a vibrating trough of useful mass provided with a helicoidal transport ramp, elastically deformable spring blades, a base of a relatively light construction, a mass of reaction provided by a heavy crown positioned beneath said useful mass with said useful mass and said mass of reaction having a common axis of symmetry, said crown having an interior opening therein means connecting some of said blades to the interior of said crown, means connecting others of said blades to said useful mass metry of said useful mass and said mass of reaction, fastening means attaching said blades to said bosses and the bosses for the blades attached to said useful mass, extending further from said base than the bosses for the blades attached to said mass of reaction.

3. In a handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the coil of said electro-magnetis attached to the underneath side and center of said useful mass.

* I I l t

Claims

1. In a handling apparatus comprising a vibrating trough of useful mass provided with a helicoidal transport ramp, elastically deformable spring blades, a base of a relatively light construction, a mass of reaction provided by a heavy crown positioned beneath said useful mass with said useful mass and said mass of reaction having a common axis of symmetry, said crown having an interior opening therein means connecting some of said blades to the interior of said crown, means connecting others of said blades to said useful mass with said latter blades extending through said crown, means connecting said blades to said base and an electromagnet connected to said useful mass and said mass of reaction.

2. In a handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spring blades are all of the same length, said means connecting said blades to said base consists of bosses attached to said base on a circumference whose center is situated on the common axis of symmetry of said useful mass and said mass of reaction, fastening meAns attaching said blades to said bosses and the bosses for the blades attached to said useful mass, extending further from said base than the bosses for the blades attached to said mass of reaction.

3. In a handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the coil of said electro-magnet is attached to the underneath side and center of said useful mass.