GB2101099A

GB2101099A - A materials-handling machine

Info

Publication number: GB2101099A
Application number: GB08212411A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Torre Giancarlo Della
Original assignee: Rockwell-Rimoldi SpA
Current assignee: Rockwell-Rimoldi SpA
Priority date: 1981-06-23
Filing date: 1982-04-29
Publication date: 1983-01-12
Also published as: JPS586849A; DE3223240A1; FR2508014A1; GB2101099B; IT8122170V0

Abstract

A materials-handling machine includes a device for removing flexible articles (12) from a stack. The device includes a pick-up member (2) carried by an arm (4) and provided with a plurality of article-engaging surfaces (3) with article-adhering elements assembled thereon. The pick-up member (2) includes a self-aligning element (9) e.g. a damper made of elastomeric material, and, when lowered by the arm (4) into engagement with a flexible article, all of the article- engaging surfaces (3) make contact herewith and are effective in removing only the uppermost article from the stack. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A materials-handling machine This present invention relates to a materialshandling machine and, more particularly, to a machine provided with a device for removing pieces or flexible sheet articles from a stack, wherein the device includes a pick-up member having a plurality of article-engaging surfaces.

The pick-up member is carried by an arm that lowers and raises it to and from contact with a stack and is effective in causing its articleengaging surfaces to remove the uppermost article from its stack.

Apparatuses for removing flexible sheet-like articles from a stack are well known and the pick-up members thereof are commonly provided with pin members or adhesive elements which when alternately lowered and raised from engagement with a stack have the intended function of removing the respectively uppermost article from the stack.

Although the known devices for removing articles from a stack have performed their intended functions reasonably well, they have not been completely effective in causing positive removal of an article each time the pickup members are lowered to the stack. This can be attributed to the fact that not all of the article-engaging surfaces of the pick-up members actually make the necessary contact with the article to be removed. This is in turn attributed to the fact that the pick-up members are firmly attached to the arms which cause them to be raised and lowered and that the plurality of superposed flexible articles forming the stack do not always lie truly flat so as to be parallel with the engaging surfaces of the pick-up members.Such a condition does not permit the plurality of article-engaging surfaces of the pick-up members to properly engage an article and frequently results in failure to remove an article from the stack.

According to the present invention, there is now provided a materials-handling machine comprising a base member, a carousel plate rotatably mounted thereon for supporting a plurality of stacks of flexible articles and for bringing the stacks successively to an unloading station, and an unloading device for effecting sequential removal of articles from a stack when at the unloading station, the device comprising a rod extending vertically from the base member, drive means to raise and lower the rod, a horizontal arm extending from the upper end of the rod, an article pickup member provided with a plurality of spaced article-engaging surfaces, and aligning means operatively connecting the pick-up member with the horizontal arm to enable the article-engaging surfaces to be aligned with the uppermost article of a stack when the pick-up member is lowered by the rod for engagement therewith.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a materials-handling machine embodying the present invention and Figures 2 and 3 are enlarged elevational views of self-aligning means for a pick-up member of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates generally a materials-handling machine provided with an unloading device 1 for effecting sequential and independent removal of pieces or articles from a stack. The device 1 includes a pick-up member 2 of "I" configuration with each of the ends thereof being provided with article-engaging surfaces 3. The pick-up member 2 is supported by a horizontal arm 4 formed by a pair of spaced horizontal rods 5 rigidly linked together adjacent their ends by bar elements 6 and 7. The bar element 6 is fixed intermediate its ends adjacent the upper end of a vertically extending rod 8, which is raisable and lowerable by not shown drive means.Intermediate the ends of the bar element 7, a damper 9 is fixedly attached and, depending from the bar element, its lower end is operatively connected to the pick-up member 2 (Fig. 2) by means of a clip member 10 and a locking screw 11.

This damper 9 is fabricated from a suitable elastomeric material and provides the pick-up member 2 with a self-aligning feature that will be more fully described hereinafter.

The articles 1 2 forming a stack are carried on support plates 1 3 provided with guides 14 disposed adjacent the sides thereof. These guides 1 4 extend upwardly and their lower ends are fixedly attached to a carousel plate 1 5 which is rotatable about a vertically extending rod 1 6 operatively connected to a base member 1 7.

By any suitable actuating means (not shown), the vertically extending rod 8 is alternately lowered and raised in such a way that the article-engaging surface 3 of the pick-up member 2 are effective in removing the uppermost article from a stack that has been brought into position at the unloading station.

These article-engaging surfaces 3 may be provided with pin elements or adhesive members for effecting the removal of the uppermost article in the stack that is located in alignment with the pick-up member 2. When the pick-up member 2 is raised, it is rotated around the vertical axis of rod 8 and caused to release the article removed from the stack. The released article may then be deposited on a transport device (not shown) for transferring the article to another machine, such as a sewing machine, where it is subjected to specific operations for the formation of articles of clothing or the like.

The damper 9, which is located between the bar element 7 and the pick-up member 2, is provided with a plurality of stress-relieving notches or channels 18, which are arranged on opposed sides thereof and perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis A (Figs. 1 and 2) of the damper. The stress-relieving notches 1 8 serve to increase the adaptability of the article-engaging surfaces 3 to any deformities formed as a result of upper surface irregularities of the stacks of the articles 1 2.

As each article 1 2 is removed from the top of a stack, an actuating means (not shown) acts on a rod 1 9 extending from the base member 1 7 into operative association with the underside of the plate 1 3 so as to raise the latter a predetermined distance which places the upper surface of the stack supported thereon in precisely the same location for receiving the pick-up member 2 each time it is lowered to effect removal of the next article from the stack.

As shown in Fig. 1, the carousel plate 1 5 is adapted to support more than one stack of articles 1 2. Upon removal of the last article 1 2 of one stack, the carousel plate 1 5 is automatically rotated by means not shown to bring another stack of articles 1 2 into operative association with the pick-up member 2 which then continue to perform its intended function.

Claims

1. A materials-handling machine comprising a base member, a carousel plate rotatably mounted thereon for supporting a plurality of stacks of flexible articles and for bringing the stacks successively to an unloading station, and an unloading device for effecting sequential removal of articles from a stack when at the unloading station, the device comprising a rod extending vertically from the base member, drive means to raise and lower the rod, a horizontal arm extending from the upper end of the rod, an article pick-up member provided with a plurality of spaced article-engaging surfaces, and aligning means operatively connecting the pick-up member with the horizontal arm to enable the article-engaging surfaces to be aligned with the uppermost article of a stack when the pick-up member is lowered by the rod for engagement therewith.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, the aligning means comprising a damper of elastomeric material.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the damper comprises stress relieving means provided by a plurality of channels in opposed sides of the damper and extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis thereof.

4. A materials-handling machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated iby the accompanying drawings.