Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
  • B65G47/02—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors
  • B65G47/04—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles
  • B65G47/12—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles
  • B65G47/14—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding
  • B65G47/1407—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding the articles being fed from a container, e.g. a bowl
  • B65G47/1414—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding the articles being fed from a container, e.g. a bowl by means of movement of at least the whole wall of the container
  • B65G47/1428—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from disorderly-arranged article piles or from loose assemblages of articles arranging or orientating the articles by mechanical or pneumatic means during feeding the articles being fed from a container, e.g. a bowl by means of movement of at least the whole wall of the container rotating movement
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
  • B65G47/52—Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices
  • B65G47/525—Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices using fluid jets
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
  • B65G2201/02—Articles

Definitions

• This invention relates generally to the feeding of individual objects from an accumulated quantity of objects, and specifically relates to an apparatus and a method for individually feeding said objects from such a quantity of objects for the continued handling or for the use thereof.
• sorting and/or feeding means that have the purpose of separating individual objects or articles from a supply of such objects/articles, and of individually feeding them on to other equipment, such as for mounting, treating/processing or packaging them.
• a vibrating conveyor consists of a chute that moves slowly in an advancing direction and considerably faster in a return movement. Both conveyor types normally advance details to the end of the chute/belt where they simply fall down for further handling.
• a specific variant of the vibrating conveyor is the type of standing drum that at its inner periphery has a ramp-like chute that climbs helically towards an upper edge and on which details are transported up from inside the drum.
• Common to these types of conveyors or feeding means is that to a great extent the correct operation thereof is based on the weight of the detail and on the friction between the detail and the supporting surface. For that reason, they are at least less suited for lighter details, i.e. details of a relatively low-density material.
• Screw conveyors and bucket elevators are also found within certain forms of material handling.
• said types of conveyors are practically only used for feeding bulk material and are in the known designs unsuitable for use where separate objects are to be separated from a larger quantity and are to be discharged individually.
• a general object of the mvention is to provide an inexpensive and practically useful solution to the problem of feeding and separating individual objects from an accumulated quantity of objects for their further use and/or treatment.
• a basic object of the invention is therefore to provide a simple and practical feeding apparatus that effectively and securely separates individual Objects.
• this is accomplished by designing a feeding apparatus having an accumulation station to which are supplied objects to be fed and in which are provided one or more pick-up devices for further transport of a subset of the objects, a transfer station for the transfer of objects from the pick-up devices to a collecting and separating station as well as a discharge station for individual, controlled discharge of the objects for further handling or treatment.
• a feeding apparatus having an accumulation station to which are supplied objects to be fed and in which are provided one or more pick-up devices for further transport of a subset of the objects, a transfer station for the transfer of objects from the pick-up devices to a collecting and separating station as well as a discharge station for individual, controlled discharge of the objects for further handling or treatment.
• the accumulation device is a rotatable drum or barrel that is provided lying down.
• a pick-up of subsets of objects may be provided in a rational and effective way.
• the pick-up device/devices is/are provided at the inner circumference of the drum and is/are provided with a space accommodating a subset of the objects that is introduced therein upon rotation of the drum and movement of the pick-up device, hi this way, the apparatus may be built to be very compact and may be manufactured in a very rational way.
• each pick-up device is designed having a U-shape consisting of inner and outer rims and a bottom extended therebetween and having a plate being provided between the rims and being inclined in relation to the bottom to form an inclined plane.
• an air nozzle is provided for applying an air jet or air blast against a subset of objects in the transfer station, through an air opening in a front wall of the drum.
• the subset of objects is effectively transferred through a transfer opening in a rear wall of the drum and to an outlet.
• the collecting and separating station comprises an agitation or vortex chamber and an air nozzle adapted to introduce air jets from below against objects in the agitation or vortex chamber. In this way, the objects are continuously kept in motion, whereby bridge formation and other blockage may be effectively prevented.
• the collecting and separating station comprises a visual and/or optical operational control by which the supply of air jets through the second air nozzle is controlled for providing optimum agitation among the objects.
• the discharge station consists of a discharge pipe being provided with a bottom that is intended to support an object in a discharge position; a discharge opening is formed in one side of the pipe and an air nozzle is provided for applying an air jet or blast against an object being in the discharge position.
• a pick-up device for use in a feeding apparatus and designed in accordance with the above stated principles of the invention.
• a collecting and separating station for use in a feeding apparatus and designed in accordance with the above stated principles of the invention.
• a further object of the invention is to provide an appropriate method of effectively and securely separating and feeding individual objects from an accumulated quantity thereof.
• objects are supplied or replenished to a horizontal drum that in its interior is provided with pick-up devices, that the drum is rotated about its centre axis so that a subset of the objects is brought along in the rotation of the drum by the pick-up devices, that the subset of objects is discharged from the drum by an air jet and are directed into an outlet pipe through which they fall down into a separating station in which they are kept in motion by applying intermittent agitating air jets or blasts and that between the air jets the objects are brought to fall down one by one into a discharge station from which they are individually discharged for further handling.
• the objects are continuously kept in motion, which facilitates feeding and minimizes the danger of bridge formation or other blockage.
• Fig. 1 is a partially schematic side view of a first embodiment of the apparatus of the invention
• Fig. 2 A is a front elevational view of the apparatus of Fig. 1;
• Fig. 2B is a rear elevational view of the apparatus of Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3A is a top elevational view of a pick-up device in the accumulation drum of the invention.
• Fig. 3B is a sectional view of the pick-up device, along the line A-A in Fig. 3 A;
• Fig. 3C-D is a side view and an end view, respectively, of the pick-up device of Fig. 3 A;
• Fig. 4 is a front view of the accumulation drum of the apparatus according to Figs. 1 and 2A-B, illustrating the drum with supplied objects and in a transfer position;
• Fig. 5 is a detailed view, partly in a section along line B-B in Fig. 4, illustrating the operation of a transfer station in the apparatus according to the invention
• Fig. 6 is a detailed view, partly in section, illustrating the operation of a collecting and separating station as well as of a discharge station of the invention
• Fig. 7A is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of a discharge station in the apparatus according to the invention.
• Fig. 7B is a likewise schematic top view of the discharge station of Fig. 7 A.
• a feeding apparatus 1 basically consists of an accumulation drum forming an accumulation station 2, a transfer and outlet device foiming a transfer and outlet station 4, a collecting and separating device forming a collecting and separating station 5 and a discharge pipe fonriing a discharge station 6, as will be described in detail below.
• the described parts or stations being included in the feeding apparatus 1 are supported in a frame 20 that in the illustrated example is sized for discharging separated objects 21 in normal table height, but that may naturally be designed having another geometry for other applications.
• the accumulation drum 2 is intended for receiving objects 21 (see e.g. Figs. 4, 5 and 6) that are to be fed.
• the drum 2 is provided lying down, which throughout this description means that the drum is arranged with its centre axis C extended substantially horizontally, and is rotatably journalled in the frame 20 by means of a hub 7 that is schematically indicated in Fig. 1. It is driven for rotation about this centre axis by a drive assembly 10 that is schematically illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2B.
• the drive assembly 10 in the conventional manner comprises a drive motor and a transmission that are not described in detail herein since they are preferably conventional parts that are well known to the man skilled in the art, such as an electric motor and a train of gears.
• the drum 2 has a closed or covered outer wall 2A that at its side facing the frame is covered by a rear wall 2B (see Fig. 5).
• the rear wall 2B is likewise covered or closed, except for transfer openings 2C that serve the transfer of objects 21 from the drum 2 in a way that will be described further below.
• an outlet plate 8 At a small distance behind the rear wall 2B is provided an outlet plate 8 that is fixed to the frame 20 and that in the transfer station 4 has an outlet opening 8A for the later described transfer of objects.
• the front side of the drum 2 consists of an outer support ring 2D that is firmly connected to the outer wall 2A and that in turn supports the outer edge of a front supply and inspection wall 9 that is manufactured from a transparent material, such as plexiglass.
• the inner edge of the front wall 9 is supported by a hub plate 7A.
• the front wall 9 has a fixed lower wall portion 9A and an openable upper wall portion 9B that by means of hinges 9C is pivotally connected to the lower wall portion 9A and that in a closed position may be secured to the support ring 2D by means of a latch 9D.
• the drum 2 At its inner circumference, i.e. at the inner surface of the outer wall 2A the drum 2 has a number of, in the illustrated embodiment four, pick-up devices 3 that rotate with the drum 2 by being firmly attached to the outer wall through an angle bracket 3D that in the illustrated embodiment (see especially Fig. 3A-D) is an integral part of the pick-up devices 3.
• the pick-up devices 3 have a general U-shape formed by an inner rim 3A, a bottom 3B being integral therewith and an outer rim 3C that is likewise formed integral therewith and the continuation of which forms the angle bracket 3D.
• a plate 3E that extends along the major part of the length of the bottom wall 3B, preferably between half and 2/3 of the length of the bottom wall 3B, and that is inclined in relation to said bottom wall 3B so as to form an inclined plane.
• the upper free edge of the inner rim 3A has a general V-shape due to the fact that in a first portion thereof it follows the inclination of the plate 3E and then, in a second portion, it rises again towards a corner 3F. Along the rise towards the corner 3F this free upper edge is bent outwardly from the outer rim 3C, i.e.
• the pick-up device 3 When mounted in the drum 2 the pick-up device 3 is positioned between the rear and front walls 2B and 9, respectively, so that the inclined plate 3E is inclined down towards the bottom wall 3B in a direction towards the rear wall 2B, whereby the formed inclined plane contributes to guiding picked-up objects 21 down towards the transfer area 4, i.e. the transfer and outlet openings 2C and 8A, respectively.
• the pick-up devices 3 are in their installed condition positioned with their longitudinal axis L being substantially perpendicular to the rear and front walls 2B and 9, respectively.
• the transfer station 4 apart from the described transfer and outlet openings 2C and 8A, respectively, the air nozzle 22 and the air openings 9E, comprises also an outlet pipe 4A that at a first end 4B thereof is fixed to the outlet plate 8, surrounding the outlet opening 8A.
• the outlet pipe 4A is firmly connected to the collecting and separating station 5 and between its ends it is formed with a bend so that the second end is directed generally vertically downwardly.
• the collecting and separating station 5 consists of a vessel 5A that may be described as an agitation or vortex chamber in which the objects are brought to whirl round subsequent to the transfer from the drum 2. This is accomplished by introducing air jets T2 from below into the agitation or vortex chamber 5A through a second air nozzle 23 that is attached to the discharge pipe 6 A of the discharge station 6, but that is directed towards the agitation or vortex chamber 5 A and functionally belongs thereto, as will be more evident from the functional description given below.
• the agitation or vortex vessel 5 A has a transparent outer wall 5B that may likewise consist of plexiglass and that allows inspection and visual and or optical operational control 26, i.e. by an operator and/or by an optical sensor, that is not shown or described.
• Fig. 6 this is in both cases symbolized by a schematically drawn eye 26.
• the supply of air jets T2 through the second nozzle 23 can be controlled, with regard both to the frequency and to the intensity, based on the result of such an operational control.
• the detailed configuration of such a control lies outside the scope of this invention and shall be performed in a professional manner.
• the vessel 5A communicates with the discharge pipe 6A of the discharge station 6 through a funnel shaped upper part 6B of the discharge pipe 6A.
• the discharge pipe 6A with the funnel shaped part 6B is separate from the vessel 5 A, i.e. it is either removably connected to the vessel 5 A or is supported quite separate from the vessel, in a way that is not illustrated in detail.
• the purpose thereof is to allow for the replacement of the discharge pipe 6A based on the size of the objects when feeding objects of different size, i.e. to be able to change to a discharge pipe having an inner diameter adapted to the fed objects.
• the discharge pipe 6A is provided with a bottom 6D at its lower end, said bottom being intended for supporting an object 21 in the discharge position.
• An opening 6C is formed through one side of the pipe 6 A.
• the object 21 being present in the discharge position is discharged through said opening by the application of an air jet T4 thereto through a fourth air nozzle 25 at the discharge pipe 6A, and at the same time the nextcoming object is held back by an air jet T3 through a third air nozzle 24 (se fig. 6) that is likewise provided in the discharge pipe.
• Objects 21 that are to be fed are supplied to the drum 2 through the openable wall portion 9B.
• the appropriate degree of filling is dete ⁇ nined by the nature of the objects that are fed at each specific occasion, but in general it may be said that in most cases the drum should not be filled more than to just above the hub 7.
• the wall portion 9B has been closed and locked the drum is set in rotation.
• the rotation of the drum 2 is preferably likewise based on the optical operational control 26 at the collection and separation station 5.
• the drum is stopped before the vessel 5A becomes so full that there is a risk of operational disturbance, and is started again when it is suitable to supply further objects 21 to the collecting and separating station 5.
• an unspecified number of objects are received in the pick-up devices 3 and are brought along upwardly thereby.
• the picked-up objects 21 are guided by the inclined plate 3E down towards the area of the portion of the inner rim 3A having the folded edge, i.e. to a transfer position in the vicinity of the rear wall 2B. In this position, the objects are supported by the inner rim 3 A and its folded edge.
• a pick-up device 3 with objects 21 received therein, and its associated transfer opening 2C reaches a position where it is aligned with the outlet opening 8A the first air nozzle 22 is activated and applies a relatively forceful air jet or blast Tl through the air opening 9E.
• the air nozzle 22 that is stationary with regard to the drum 2 may either be continuously supplied with pressurized air so that the air jet Tl is automatically activated when the air opening 9E passes by the nozzle, or an air jet may be emitted intermittently by this passage, controlled by the rotation of the drum 2. In the latter case an optical or other sensor, not illustrated, is provided that activates an air jet when the position of the nozzle 22 coincides with the air opening 9E.
• the applied air jet Tl causes the picked-up objects 21 to move out from the pick-up device 3, through the transfer opening 2C and the outlet opening 8A and into the outlet pipe 4A, as is illustrated with the objects that in Fig. 5 are drawn with dash-dot lines.
• the objects 21 fall down into the vessel 5 A of the collecting and separating station 5 where they are collected and are subjected to an agitating or whirling motion by the intermittent application of obliquely upwardly directed air jets T2 through the second nozzle 23. Between the air jets T2 objects 21 are allowed to fall down into the funnel 6B of the discharge station 6 and to be aligned for introduction into the discharge pipe 6A.
• Objects that fall down into the discharge pipe 6 A are stacked in-line on top of each other so that, when required, they can be discharged therefrom.
• the discharge pipe 6A forms an intermediate supply of objects, securing operation even in case there would be shorter interruptions in the pick-up and transfer of objects from the drum 2.
• discharge is performed by applying an air jet T4, through the fourth air nozzle 25, to the lower- most object 21 being supported on the bottom 6D.
• the nextcoming object is kept back by applying an air jet T3 through the third nozzle 24.
• the method and the apparatus according to the invention are especially well suited for feeding the type of relatively soft plugs that are used for cleaniiig pipes and conduits.
• each sub-station comprises a discharge pipe of which only one, 108 A, has been specifically identified on the drawing figures and will be described in detail herein.
• all sub-stations 106-109 have the same basic design, but are dimensioned for the respective object 21 that they shall handle.
• the discharge pipe 108 A has an upper funnel-shaped part 108B and a lower end with a bottom wall 108D on which a first object 21 rests until it is discharged through an opening 108C in the side of the discharge pipe 108 A by means of an air jet.
• the discharge is made to a discharge pocket 108E that is connected to the lower end of the discharge pipe 108 A and that is open downwardly to drop the objects 21 one by one in the manner indicated in Figs. 7 A and 7B.
• the frame plates 103, 104 that firmly carry the sub-stations 106-109 are rigidly connected to a rotatable shaft 105 that is provided in the centre of the star shape and that is in turn rotatably journalled in a rod 120 that is rigidly attached to the frame 20 of the feeding apparatus 1.
• the shaft 105 is driven by a motor, not illustrated, and thereby it rotates the carousel 102 and the sub- stations.
• an indexing of the carousel 102 is performed so that it indexes a requested sub-station 106-109, corresponding to the size of the object in question, forward to the position below the collecting station 105 that is illustrated for the sub-station 108.
• a sensor not illustrated, is preferably used to identify which of the sub-stations that at each instance is in this active position.
• each sub-station 106-109 has an air nozzle 23 at the upper portion of the respective discharge pipe and two air nozzles 24, 25 at the lower end thereof, and these nozzles have the same function by this embodiment.
• Fig. 7A is also schematically illustrated a somewhat modified collecting and separating station 105 having a vessel 105 A with straight sides that connect directly to the outlet pipe 4A.
• the vessel 105 A preferably has a transparent wall 105B permitting an operational control in a manner corresponding to that described above.
• the process and the operations at the different sub-stations are likewise controlled in the above described manner, so that these will not have to be repeated for this embodiment.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Feeding Of Articles To Conveyors (AREA)
• Intermediate Stations On Conveyors (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20289828

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Citations (2)

• 2002
  • 2002-12-12 SE SE0203667A patent/SE0203667L/sv not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2003
  • 2003-11-12 WO PCT/SE2003/001742 patent/WO2004052762A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-11-12 AU AU2003302917A patent/AU2003302917A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (2)

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