US2374326A - Safety stop and mounting - Google Patents

Description

April 24, 1945. E RLAND 2,374,326

SAFETY STOP AND MOUNTING Filed Sept. 22, 1944 2 //v VENTOR ELI BOUELA ND Fma zw ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 24, 1945 Eli Bourland, Milbrae Highlands, calm, assignor to Pacific Can Company, San Francisco, Calif,, a corporation of Nevada Application September 22, 1944, Serial No. 555,243 1 I 8 Claims. (Cl. 198-232) My invention relates to improvements in continuous cookers and coolers and particularly to means for detecting the jamming or deformation of cans while therein.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one form of yieldable support means and actuating connections.

Fig. 4 is a view in cross-section of the control unit when adapted for electric operation; and

55 imes several Fig. 5 is a similar view when adapted for air or vacuum operation.

In a pressure cooker or cooler, to both of which devices my invention is applicable, it is A present day continuous cooker r cooler in-- necessary to provide a star wheel l0 or equivalent cludes a cylindrical housing 20 to 30 feet long means for lifting the can bodies I I out of the with a reel inside for impelling the cans from mpe in reel l2 and into t e ansfer Valve one end to the other. Its capacity is about pockets IS. in which the cansare passed into the 2,450 cans. If anything happens that a deformed cooler from the-cooker or from the cooler to can should jam when bein lifted out of the the exhaust discharge chute. The star wheel cooker or cooler at the end of its travel, it is 10 has the prongs M which project up intothe important to be able to have the machine stop spaces between the angle irons IE on the imautomatically and immediately upon this jampelling reel i2. Engagement of these teeth I4 ming being detected so that additional good cans in between the angle irons l5 rotates star wheel will not be ruined by jamming against the stalled i0 so that its cam-like actionin lifting cans ll injured can. Not only is damage thus caused to out of the impelling reel 12- is carried out. other cans, but it is not uncommon that the If, during its passage through the cooker, a jammed cans will cause a breakage of the end can H has swollen, burst; or become mashed section of the impelling reel so that it must be so that it is not of normal dimensions or shape replaced before the device can begin operating, it will not readily move out of its pocket be- This is a major operation and requires removal tween adjacent angle irons l5 in spite of the lift of the whole end of the cooker housing and impart d t it by p s I 4 on s w l means interruption of the-cookingof some 2450 Under normal operation the cans II may be cans which in most cases will have their coneasily and readily lifted from the impelling reel tents spoiled. into the transfer valve pockets l3.

One of the objects of my invention is to pro-- My invention involves the provision of a, yieldvide a safety means for detecting a misshapened, able mounting for the star wheel I0 50 that in- J'ammed or crushed can and for stopping the stead of breaking off its mounting bracket 20 or whole machine before the can has had an opallowing the jammed can to injure the end of the portunity to cause any damage. impelling reel |2, the star wheel lll will back away Another object of my invention is to provide from the impelling reel l2 and the jammed can;

a simple form of such an automatic stop mechand as it backs awayit will shut off whatever anism whereby the circuit for the shutdown of p w r m a s is ing used to rotate the impellin the machine may be placed on the outside of the reel and the machine will come to a halt.- This housing and still be actuated from the inside. halting of the machine is so efiective'that usually Other objects and advantages of my invention no other cans are injured than the one which will become apparent to those skilled in this a sed t e machine to shut dOWn. art from the following description of one em- The defective can H may then be readilyrebodiment taken in connection with the drawing m v d through manhole'cover l6. This removal and filed herein pursuant to requirements of 0 operation usually does not takeover fifteen min- U. S. Revised Statutes, sec. 4888. It is underutes and the shortinterruption'tothe cooking stood that in making this description I do not operation has n t pr v n to b n enough to intend to limit my invention to the form of any cause any injury to the ediblematerial in the of the specific structure used for describing this cans As soon as the'star wheel 10 detects the embodiment. presence ofa jammed-can the machine stops In th drawing, automatically, then the operator turns off the Fig. 1 is an end elevational view partly in Steam cooking pressure and hoods the cooker cross-section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; with water while releasing the pressure. Then Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional View taken the manhole cover i6 is removed as soon as the on the line Iii-II f-Fig, 1, and pressure is reduced and the'damaged can is lifted out. The water is then pumped out of the cooking chamber and is replaced by steam cooking pressure. With 'theprior art machines the operation has usually requiredinany hours, somedays. to" secure Yand replace the this case a structure engages its end broken parts.

adapted to engage a correspondingly fiat face 22 on the cooker housing 01' ing. When these faces are the star wheel tion. The faces are held in this normal position by means of a long stud is threaded at 24 into the cooker r valve housing. The stud has a shoulder or collar 25 to receive a washer 26 which holds a spring 21- and washer 28 against the under face 29 of bracket 20. The hole 3|] in bracket 20 is elongated or relieved at 3! to perthe transfer valve housin close engagement 'mit the bracket 20 to pivot around its base corner 32 when a can causes the star wheel l0 and bracket 20 to be deflected. Such deflection causes the corner 33 of face 2| to move into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3. By means of this mounting it is seen that by regulating the strength of spring 21 it is possible to have star wheel yl'll carryout its normal function of lifting cans out of the impelling reel l2 and also to have star wheel l0 deflectably mounted when the pressure of any -prongy|4 against a-jammed can will overcome spring 21 and cause bracket 20 to defleet. When deflected from its normal position it sets inmotionmeans forshutting off the source of power which isdriving impelling wheel l2.

In the drawing 1 have shown one form which this. control shut-off means may take. For example, in the enlarged drawingof Fig. 3, the device is shown as actuating a control means 4t. This control means ay be an electric circuit breaker as shown iii Fig. 4 where the contact member 60 is 'normally held across the terminals 8|, 62 by spring to close the motor control circuit relay. Whenever actuating pin 4| is moved enough ,to lift the contactmember 6|! away from the terminals 6|, 6-2 the motor control relay 'will allow the motor circuit to open-and the whole-machine will shut down. The control means may be through a vacuum or air valve, depending upon the designers choice. In likeFig, 5. would sufiice. Here the piston Ill and springv 14 keeps the port 1| sealed so as to allow pressure to be maintained on the switch control line 12. When the pin 4| is-mqved enough to move the piston I0 beyond the edge ofthe port 1|, thepressure in line 12 will escape through will shut down In either event there is the actuating pin 4| adapted to be engaged by an actuatingrod 43 which projects through the end late 44 of the pressure cooker or cooler and has a suitable packing gland 45 to prevent loss of pressure within the chamber. A spring 46 holds rod 43 in its retracted position. Rod 43 is actuated to shut valve 40 by a pivoted'lever which atfi'l. .An adjustable screw 5| is secured in-pivoted lever 50' and is held in correct' adjustment by set screw 5 2. Adjusting screw 5| bears against the deflectable star wheel supporting bracket so that any movement-of this ke i i mesli tel pmmm a e r u lever 5|) and rod 43 to the shut-off valve or switch actuating pin 4|. Lever 50 pivots on shaft 53 I0 is in its normal operating posi- -et is adjacent said the port 13 and the machine electrical motor or each pocket from its the combination of a bracket mounted in clamped in caps 54 on the ends of studs 23. It will thus be seen that star wheel deflectable bracket 20 moves relatively to studs 23 and that this relative movement is imparted through screw 5| to lever thence to rod 43 and actuating pin 4|.

Whenever star wheel l0 meets more than the predetermined resistance in lifting a. can out of any pocket in the imlpelling reel l2, the star wheel will be deflected downwardly and its stub "shaft ll will cause corresponding deflection of mounting bracket 20 and the valve or switch 40 will be actuated and the drive means, whether an Y any other source of power, will be shutdown immediately. Instead of the form of lever mechanism and rods for actuating the control switch 40 other forms will occur to those skilled in the art. As shown, the control switch 4'0 is placed outside the chamber. This is not essential, as it may be placed within the chamber and if it is an electrical control switch it will then require insulation against the moisture in the chamber, as well as protection against corrosion of the contact points. For these reasons, and because of the easy accessibility of having the control switch on the outside, I prefer this arrangement but I do not intend to limit myself to this embodiment. These changes may be made within the spirit of my invention, the principles of which are set forth in this description and summarized in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a closed container of the type adapted to discharge cylindrical objects through an opening therein, the combination of carrier means having peripheral pockets for impelling said objects therein, a regulating wheel mounted adjacent said opening-havingmeans which moves into bottom outwardly when said pocket is adjacent saidopening, resilient mounting means for. said wheel whereby it will not be forced into any pocketfrom which it does not readily move said cylindrical object, and means actuated by the corresponding induced movement of said mounting means when said Wheel does not clear out said pocket to halt said im'pelling means.

2. In an apparatus for transferring cylindrical objects through an opening, the combination of a chamber, carrier'me'an's having peripheral pockets for impelling 's'alid objects therethrough, power' actuated means for moving said impelling means, a'regulating wheel mounted adjacentsaid opening andh'aving means which moves into each pocket from it's bott'om'oiit'wardly when saidp'ockopening, a bracket and stub shaft for mounting said wheel inside the outer periphery of said carrier means, means for yieldably supporting said bracket and wheel 'in normal operating position in said chamber whereby it will not be forced into any pocket from which it does 'not readily move said cylindrical object but will insteadeifect a movement ofsaid bracket, and means operated by movement of said bracket to stop said impelling means when said bracket is deflected from its normal position by said regulating wheel.

3. In a chamber for treating filled containers having means for impelling them therethr'ough, said chamber adjacent an opening therein, a stubshaft carried thereby, a regulating wheel. rotatably mounted thereon, studs-secured to the inside face of said chamber, guide slots inthe base of said bracket embracing said studs 'to allow it to tilt in relation to said face and said studs, a lever pivoted in fixed relation to said face and movable when engaged by said bracket as it tilts in relation to said face, an actuating rod passing through the wall of said chamber, and

a control means on the outside of said chamber ing said bracket in said chamber in normal operating position, actuating means movably secured in said chamber and engageable by said bracket, and switch means to open the motor circuit on the impelling means when said ejection member is deflected out of its normal operating position by said transfer member and moves said actuating means.

5. In a transfer apparatus of the class described, the combination of a chamber having an outlet, a carrier therein having peripheral pockets, electrically actuated means for rotating said carrier therein, a star transfer wheel journaled on a shaft in said chamber inside the periphery of said carrier so as to engage the underside of objects in said impeller to move them out of said pockets through said opening, a deflectable bracket in said chamber supporting said shaft, means for yield ably supporting said bracket in said chamber in normal operating position so that if said object resists removal from its pocket through said opening then the star wheel will deflect, actuating means movably secured in said chamber and engageable by said bracket, and switch means to open the motor circuit on the impelling means when said bracket is deflected out of its normal operating position by said star transfer wheel and moves said actuating means.

6. In a transfer apparatus of the class described, the combination of a chamber, electrically actuated means for impelling objects therethrough, a star transfer wheel journaled on a shaft in said chamber to engage objects in said impeller, a deflectable bracket supporting said shaft, studs secured to the inside of said chamber, said bracket fitting said studs with a clearance fit to allow tilting of the bracket in relation to the studs, yieldable means holding said bracket in normal operating position, actuating means movably secured in said chamber and engageable by said bracket, and switch means to open the motor circuit on the impelling means when said bracket is deflected out of its normal operating position by said star transfer moves said actuating means.

'7. In a transfer apparatus of the class described, the combination of a chamber, electrically actuated means for impelling objects therethrough, a star transfer wheel journaled on a shaft in said chamber to engage objects in said impeller, a deflectable bracket supporting said shaft, studs secured to the inside of said chamber, said bracket fitting said studs with a clearance fit to allow tilting of the bracket in relation to the studs, yieldable means holding said bracket in normal operating position, a fixed bracket secured to said studs, having an actuatin lever journaled therein and engageable by said tiltable bracket, and circuit control means to open the motor circuit on the impelling means when the tilting bracket is tilted out of its normal operating position by said transfer member and moves said actuating lever.

8. In a chamber for treating filled containers having means for impelling them therethrough, the combination of a bracket mounted in said chamber adjacent an opening therein, a stubshaft carried thereby, a regulating wheel rotatably mounted thereon, studs secured to the inside face of said chamber, guide slots in the base of said bracket embracing said studs to allow it to tilt in relation to said face and said studs, a, lever pivoted in fixed relation to said face and movable when engaged by said bracket as it tilts in relation to said face, and a control means engaged by the tilting of said bracket for stopping said impelling means when said lever is moved by the tilting of said bracket.

ELIBOURLAND.

Wheel and v

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