Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Thrower
Patent
1993-05-07
1995-05-09
Dayoan, D. Glenn
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Thrower
19880316, B65G 3104
Patent
active
054132100
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to apparatus for projecting in free flight a succession of discrete objects with a closely controlled trajectory and frequency; in particular it relates to a device for accepting a spaced feed of discrete objects, for example nuts and bolts, and projecting them with a predetermined velocity and a predetermined frequency.
Apparatus has been disclosed ( e.g. GB 2 201 648 ) for feeding objects accurately and with controlled frequency, but though it can be highly effective this apparatus requires a large number of components and can therefore be expensive.
Less accurate apparatus for feeding a succession of objects is disclosed in GB 2167029, in which the feeder has a circulating conveyor belt engaging a roll in such a way that the part of the belt immediately downstream of the roll extends in the direction of rotation. The roll has a circumferential channel into which successive objects are fed ensuring that the objects are travelling at and are released with a speed close to the circumferential speed of the roll and the belt.
This apparatus has the disadvantage that in order to operate smoothly, the belt and the base of the channel need to be of highly compressible material, which is found to release the objects with some perturbation.
It is desirable to provide apparatus that can project objects in spaced succession with an accurately controlled trajectory and frequency that does not need a large number of components.
THE INVENTION
The invention provides a method of and apparatus for projecting in free flight a feed of objects along a controlled trajectory. Preferred and/or optional features of the invention are set out in are also disclosed herein.
The object retaining means is preferably a receptacle, the object being retained in the receptacle by centrifugal force.
In order that the objects should have a precisely defined motion, it is desirable that they should come to rest in the receptacle. If they are bouncing around when released, their motion when released will not be precisely determined. Sufficient time for the objects to stop bouncing should be allowed between feeding the objects into the aperture and releasing the objects.
The apparatus of the invention can be highly accurate and may not require a large number of components, and so it can be inexpensive to manufacture.
The invention also accelerates a feed of objects. The invention may provide a rotatable member formed with at least one aperture at a first radius r.sub.1, the objects being fed into the aperture and delivered along a channel to a receptacle at a second radius r.sub.2, where r.sub.1 is less than r.sub.2.
The ratio r.sub.1 :r.sub.2 may be between about 1:1 and about 1:6, preferably between 1:2 and 1:4.
It is preferred that, in order to have a high rate of feed of objects without having a large number of receptacles (which are expensive to make), the feeder may have a small number of receptacles (between 1 and 10 for example, preferably 4) and a high rate of rotation (between 2 and 10 revolutions per second for example). Preferably the rate of rotation is 3.75 revolutions per second, which with 4 arms gives a feed rate of 15 objects per second.
In use, the rotatable member would be rotatably mounted on a mounting member, but it need not be so supplied.
The receptacle may be formed so that at least one face is closed by a movable first face or release member, this face being opened at a fixed point in the motion of the rotatable member, so that the object is released. This movable first face may be connected to or integrally formed with a cam piece, which interacts with a stationary cam surface located on the mounting member, at the fixed point in the motion of the rotatable member to open the receptacle. Preferably said first face forms one face of the receptacle, at least one other face being formed by a movable closure member or side flap which is so linked to said first face that at the fixed point in the motion of the rotatable member the closure member opens simultaneously
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Homer David A.
Turner William J.
Dayoan D. Glenn
Gersan Establishment
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