US2243032A - Panel carrier - Google Patents

Description

y 1941- R. N. GEFFROY PANEL CARRIER Filed March 8, 1959 INVENTOR P44 P// N fiffifieex' BY ma W ATTORNEYS- Patented May 20, 1941 PANEL CARRIER Ralph N. Geffroy, South Bend, Ind., assignor to Mastic Asphalt Corporation, South Bend, Ind,

a corporation of Indiana Application March 8, 1939, Serial No. 260,556

12 Claims.

This inventionrelates to panel carriers, and particularly to a carrier for a panel of insulation board or the like and employed in an apparatus for treating or processing such panel, such as that disclosed in the co-pending application of Gilbert J. Snyder, Ser. No. 260,554, filed March 8, 1939.

In rapid handling of large numbers of insulation boards in quantity production for dipping to substantially uniformly coat the same, and for preheating and drying the same, as in apparatus of the type shown in the said Snyder application, various requirements as to the panel carrier exist. Thus, the carriers must (a) be adapted for automatic manipulation to grip and to release the boards or panels; (b) they must be adapted to hold a large number of panels in spaced juxtaposed position; they must have operating or control parts located to be clear of the material into which the panels are dipped; (d) they must grip the panels to expose all surfaces thereof for coating; and (6) they must be maneuverable to accommodate movement of the panels in an undulating path without altering points of contact with the panel.

Therefore, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a simple carrier construction meeting the above requirements.

A further object is to provide a carrier having a normal spring pressed position in reference to a support and shiftable from said normal position against the action of said spring.

A further object is to provide a carrier comprising a head carrying juxtaposed fixed and rotatable members having gripping members at their lower ends, and means adjacent said head for rotating the rotatable members and their gripping members.

A further object is to provide a carrier having depending gripping elements engaging restricted points of a panel, and means for preventing said panels from tilting.

Other objects will be apparent from the description and appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the carrier.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the carrier.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view, with parts shown in section, illustrating the gripping elements of the rotatable members of the carrier.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged view, with parts shown in section, illustrating the gripping elements of the stationary members of the carrier.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral l designates a conventional roller chain constituting a conveyor and adapted to roll on and be positioned by a guide such as angle iron -2. Two chains in parallel spaced relation are employed, each having an independent guide, and said guides being of complementary form whereby corresponding points on each chain and guide are transversely aligned and of equal elevation.

The carriers 9 extend transversely between and are secured to conveyor chains l. Each of the chains I has a plurality of ears Ill projecting at the inner side thereof in spaced relation, with ears on the respective chains transversely aligned. Upon ears in rest the reduced ends II of a rigid transverse bar l2. Ends II each have a tapered opening l3 formed therein through which a bolt !4 extends vertically with a loose fit. A coil spring encircles each bolt l4 above end H and supports a washer l6 upon which thebolt head rests. A nut l1 retains the bolt I4 in operative relation.

A plurality of rigid arms l8 depend from bar l2 in equally spaced relation. The intermediate arms l8 have bifurcated lower end portions l9. Set screws are adjustably threaded in the lower ends of the outer arms l8 and in each fork of the lower portions [9 of the intermediate arms. Centrally between each pair of adjacent arms I8 is journaled a depending arm 2| having a cross head 22 at its lower end substantially horizontally aligned with set screws 20. A pair of rollers 23 is journaled at each end of each cross head 22 by means of a rivet 24 or the like parallel to arm 2|. The rollers 23 project beyond the outer ends of cross head 22. Circular plates or flanges 25 are fixedly secured to the intermediate arms I8 and to each rotatable arm 2l' intermediate the length thereof in horizontal alignment and concentric thereto. Flanges 25 are of a diameter to provide spaces therebetween somewhat greater than the spacing between opposed rollers 23 and set screws 20. A plurality of cross bars are each rigidly connected to the projecting upper end of a rotatable arm 2| above bar l2. The cross bars are rouped in complementary sets at the opposite ends of bar I2. The outer cross bar 26 of each pair is pivoted at 21 intermediate its ends to a link 28, to which all bars of one group are connected. At the end of each outer cross bar 26 opposite arm H is journaled a perpendicular roller 29. The intermediate cross bar 30 of each group is connected to its arm 2| intermediate its ends. One end of cross bar 30 is pivotally connected at 3| to link 28. An elongated coil spring 32 interconnects the opposite ends of the intermediate cross bars 30 of the two groups. The inner cross bar 33 of each group is short, and serves merely for pivotal connection at 34 with link28.

In normal condition, spring 32 urges cross heads 22 on arms 2| into substantial alignment, with links 28 engaging bar I2 to limit spring urged rotation of arms 2|. Elongated cam bars 36 are rigidly positioned adjacent guides 2 adjacent the feed and discharge ends of the device in which the carriers are employed for engagement by rollers 29 to equally rotate all arms 2| to releasing position. Also, at the feed end of the device, similar cams may be provided for engagement by the rollers for the purpose of positively rotating arms 2| to operative locking or gripping position.

, rier on said conveyor extending transversely The carrier is adapted to grip panels of various thickness by virtue of the adjustability afforded by screws 2B. These screws, together with the rollers 23, constitute the only elements which contact the panel, and the contact of each with the panel is substantially a point contact, so that the entire surface of the panel gripped therebetween is exposed for coating when carried into a dipping tank. In this connection, note that the spaced relation of arms [8 and 2| from the panel accommodates such point contact at substantially the center of the panel without interfering with the surface coating. Also, in order to prevent lateral tilting of the panels when centrally gripped at such restricted points, the

flanges, 25 on arms l8 and 2| are employed, with the spacing therebetween slightly greater than the panel thickness so as not to interfere with coating under normal conditions, but preventing tilting of the panels to an angle at which the panels touch.

Where the carriers are employed to carry small panels, one carrier only is required to support the panel. However, in cases where elongated panels, of the type conventionally employed to form siding, are to be carried, two juxtaposed carriers an end thereof. In such cases, especially where the chains I travel in a vertically undulating path, the construction illustrated in Fig. 3 is important to permit the carriers to pivot or shift from normal perpendicular relation to the chains in order to maintain the spacing between the points of contact of the two carriers with the panel ,while the chains travel along curved portions of guides 2. In this way the points at which the panel are gripped remain constant and danger of damage to the panel as would result from relative movement of the panel and the gripping screws 20 which penetrate slightly into thereof comprising a head, a fixed member depending from said head and normally substantially perpendicular to said conveyor and to said head, a depending member juxtaposed to and spaced from said fixed member and journaled in said head about an axis substantially parallel to said fixed member, a laterally projecting gripping element at the lower end of said journaled member, and a spring normally positioning said journaled member with said gripping element extending therefrom in the direction of said fixed member in article-clamping relation to said fixed member.

2. The construction defined in claim 1, and a roller journaled on the end of said laterally projecting element.

3. The construction defined in claim 1, and a contact member connected with and extending laterally from said journaled member and spaced from said head for operating said journaled member.

4. The construction defined in claim 1, wherein said conveyor includes aflat element supporting and loosely connected with a fiat portion of said head by means including a spring normally pressing said head into face engagement with said fiat element.

5. The combination with a pair of spaced conveyors each having a projecting part, of an elongated head carried by and extending between said parts, an elongated securing member loosely interconnecting said head and part and projecting thereabove, a coil spring encircling and retained by said securing member and bearing on said head, and a plurality of clamping elements depending from said head.

6. The combination with a conveyor, an elongated transverse head carried by said conveyor,

the panel, isavoided. In order to accomplish this carrier pivot, the spring 32 must be stronger than springs 5 at the pivot, since the panelitself servesto transmit the pivoting force.

Another feature of the construction of great practical importance is that, except for the journals of rollers 23, all journals and all control ele- 1. The combination with a conveyor, of a cara plurality of fixed fingers depending from said head in spaced relation, a depending finger journaled in said head between each pair of adjacent fixed fingers, clamping elements carried by the lower ends of said fingers, means interconnecting groups of journaled fingers at opposite ends of said head and engageable with said head to limit rotation of said fingers in one direction, and a spring interconnecting said last named means to normally urge the same into engagement with 7 said head.

7. The construction defined in claim 6, and a contact carriedby one of said connecting means in projecting relation thereto and adjacent one of said conveyors.

8. The combination With a conveyor, of an article carrier mounted on said conveyor and comprising a head and a pair of juxtaposed spaced clamping members carried by said head and extending at an angle to said conveyor and to said head, one of said members being fixed and the other being rotatable on an axis substantially parallel to said fixed member, at least said rotatable member having a lateral projection, and means normally urging said rotatable member to clamping position with saidlateral projection extending in the direction of said fixed member.

9. The combination defined in claim 8, and an elongated member adjacent said conveyor and engageable by said rotatable member for roand having a laterally projecting part at its lower end, the other member being journaled in said head on an axis parallel to said fixed member and having a laterally projecting part adjacent the projecting part of said first member, and means normally urging said rotatable member to position with its projecting part substantially aligned with the projecting part of said fixed member for gripping a panel between said parts.

11. The construction defined in claim 10, and a roller journaled on the free end of the projecting part of one of said members.

12. The construction defined in claim 10, and a collar fixed on each member intermediate its length for engagement by said panel upon tilting thereof.

RALPH N. GEFFROY.

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