GB1379964A

GB1379964A - Fastener feeding apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB1379964A
Application number: GB3329772A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
Priority date: 1971-07-20
Filing date: 1972-07-17
Publication date: 1975-01-08
Also published as: DE2265172A1; DE2234566B2; IT964722B; FR2146398B1; DE2234566A1; CA968593A; SE418702B; FR2146398A1; NL7210019A

Abstract

1379964 Feeding fasteners MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO Ltd 17 July 1972 [20 July 1971 27 July 1971 29 July 1971] 33297/72 Headings B8A and B8S Fasteners, e.g. screws, in hopper 10 are scooped up by members 11d on rotary drum 11 and drop on to plate 30 and thence to a shoot formed by parallel rails 25 and 26. Screws which are incorrectly positioned, i.e. whose heads are not resting on the rails with the stem depending between the rails, are dislodged from the track by impeller 32 comprising a cylindrical member (34, Fig. 11, not shown) with equally spaced projections (34a) extending the length of the member and a paddle wheel 40 either side of the member (34) positioned so that the paddle wheels depend on either side of the shoot. Rails 25 and 26 are also contoured (Fig. 7, not shown) to facilitate correct orientation of the screws. Electrodes (25a, 25b, Fig. 7) on one of the rails cause a short-circuit with the other rail when fasteners occupy the entire space between the electrodes, to stop rotation of the drum 11 and thus prevent further supply of fasteners until the row of fasteners on the shoot leaves both electrodes free. At the bottom of the shoot is an escapement device, Fig. 16, comprising a reciprocating block 57 with a slot 57a across it, through which the fasteners are fed one by one to drop through a hole 55 into tubing 72 through which each fastener is driven by compressed air escaping from a chamber (53, Fig. 17, not shown) when plunger 51 is in retracted position. In this position, a fastener previously held by its head between blocks 64 and 65 drops into hole 55, and the first of the remaining row of fasteners falls into slot 57a at 62. As the plunger 51 is extended, the part 57c of block 57 separates the row of fasteners from the fastener in slot 57a, which fastener moves along the slot to be received by blocks 64 and 65 which grip it by its stem. The fastener in the hole 55 is fed through tubing 72 (Fig. 1) by escape of air to a poweroperated fastening tool, e.g. a screw-driver.