US3244266A

US3244266A - Lehr loader

Info

Publication number: US3244266A
Application number: US434860A
Authority: US
Inventors: Anthony T Zappia; Jr Maynard O Bough
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-02-24
Filing date: 1965-02-24
Publication date: 1966-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 1983-04-05

Description

April 5, 1966 A. T. zAPPlA ETAL LEHR LOADER Filed Feb. 24. 1965 60 Fig.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ltige INVENTORS. ANTHQNY T. ZAPPm and BY MAYNARD O. BoueH, JR.

Nwawmm AHorne s April 5, 1966 A. T. zAPPlA ETAL LEHR LOADER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 24. 1965 l//l//l/ll/l INVENToRs. ANTHONY T. ZAPPIA am BY MAYNARD O. BoueH,Jn.

wwww dwf Ahfgus United States Patent Oli lice 3,244,266 Patented pr. 5, 1966 Ind.

Filed Feb. 24, 1965, Ser. No. 434,860 12 Claims. (Cl. 198-31) The present invention relates to a mechanical movement whereby an element may be caused t-o travel in a polygonal path, said element main-taining a constant attitude throughout its travel, and pausing briey at each angle of the polygon. The invention has been devised primar-ily for driving a pusher bar in a lehr loader in which the pusher bar m-ust travel preferably rectilinearly at a relatively low level to push Ware from an in-coming conveyor onto a belt travelling transversely with respect to the incoming conveyor, must then be raised to a level above the tops of Ware moving on the incoming conveyor and, at an upper level, must be retracted, and then must be lowered to its starting point; and therefore the invention has Ibeen illustrated and will be described in what we presently believe to be the optimum form for use in that environment. However, it will be understood that the invention may have uses in other environments and that, while the rectangular pathway herein illustrated is believed to be optimum in the illustrated environment, the principle of the invention is not thus limited but may be applied in environments in which other polygonal shapes such as triangles, pentagons, hexagons and the like may be advantageous.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a drive through which rotary movement of an input element will cause an operated member Ito travel, in the manner above described, in a closed circuit of predetermined contour, without change of attitude.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, `our invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illust-rative only, and that change may be made in the specic construction illustrated .and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a lehr loader assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 2 2 of FIG. l and drawn to an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary section taken substantially on the line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a corner of the trackway in which the travelling members are guided;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevation, taken substantially in the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of FIG. l, showing the same trackway corner with parts of a travelling member and its associated parts just entering the corner; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a motion transmitting arm which constitutes an element of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that we have suggested a lehr apron or first con* veyor 10 which, as -is well understood in the art, travels slowly and continuously into and through a lehr or oven (not shown) in which temperature is carefully controlled, for the purpose of annealing glassware. A second or incoming conveyor 11 is conventionally arranged adjacent the input end of the conveyor 10', the upper run of the conveyor 11 traversing the upper run of the conveyor 10 at a level only slightly above the latter. The upper urn of the conveyor 11 moves either continuously or stepby-step across the conveyor 10, carrying -hot glassware 12 from the forming machine into the relationship to the conveyor 10 indicated in FIG. 1. It is conventional to provide means periodically to sweep a rank of ware transversely from the Iconveyor 11 onto the conveyor 10; and various m-ore or less complicated mechanisms for accomplishing that purpose have been used in the past.

The present invention provides improved, simplied and more effective means for accomplishing that function.

The transfer mechanism as a whole is indicated generally by the reference numeral 13. It comprises, at each side of the conveyor 10, a pair of upright, 14, 14 one Iof which is disposed alongside the conveyor 10 and the other of which is spaced rearwardly from the conveyor 10 and on the opposite side of the conveyor 11, so-that each pair of upright-s 14 straddles .the conveyor 11. One such pair of uprights supports a frame indicated generally by the reference numeral 16 and the other pair of uprights supports a similar, but allochirally arranged, frame 17; and the two frames are joined by

beams

15, 15. Since .the two

frames

16 and 17 are identical but of opposite hand, only one will be describedv in detail.

the closed, square trackway 19.

As illustrated, a further trackway means, indicated generally by the reference numer-al 24, is arranged within the trackway 19; and the trackway means 24 comprises upper and lower horizontal walls 25 land 26 joined by front and rear

vertical walls

27 and 28. The respective walls, 25, 26, 27 and 28 are parallel with, and equally spaced from, the

corresponding walls

20', 21, 22 and 23 of the outer tr-ackway 19. In the illustrated form of the invention, the

trackways

19 and 24 may be dened by the flanges of channel members secured to the backboard v18 and joining each other in mitered or square joints.

Located on diagonals of the square trackways and at points equidistant from the center of the frame are four axles 29, 3l), 31 and 32 cach of which provides a journal mounting for one of four

sprockets

33, 34, 35 and 36. A continuous chain 37 is trained about the said sprockets. While we presently believe the chain and sprocket arrangement thus illustrated and described to be optimum, it will be apparent that alternatively some other form of flexible, continuous strand element might be trained about a similar arrangement of some other form of wheels.

At one point in the length of the chain 37, an arm, indicated generally by the reference numeral 38, is xedly secured thereto and preferably, a second, similar arm 40 is similarly fixed to the chain 37 at a point diametrically opposite the arm 38. Each of the

arms

38 and 40 is rigidly secured at its proximal end to the chain so that the arm will always extend inwardly in perpendicular relation to the chain throughout the travel cycle of the chain, as will be explained in detail hereinafter.

At Va point spaced inwardly from the chain by a dimen- Vsion equal to the radius which is common to all four sprockets, the distal end of the arm 40 carries an outwardly projecting journal stud 44. A square block 45 is formed with a central bore 46 which receives the stud 3 44 whereby the block is journal mounted on said arm 40. As is most clearly to be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, each side length of the block is substantially twice the distance by which each of the

axles

29, 30, 31 and 32 is spaced from the adjacent walls of the trackway 19. Friction-reducing means is preferably carried by the block 45, and in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, each corner of the block is recessed to receive one of the

rollers

47, 48, 49 and 50, said rollers being suitably journalled within said recesses as, for instance, by means of journal pins of the Character indicated in FIG. 5 by the reference numeral 51.

Rigidly fixed to the outer face of the block 45, traversing the axis of the bore 46 and extending beyond the perimeter of the block is a bar 52. A similar bar 53 is similarly secured to the corresponding block of the frame 17, the parts being so arranged that, throughout travel of the chains of the two frames, those corresponding blocks are in horizontal registry; and a pusher plate 54 is supported at its opposite ends, respectively, upon the

bars

52 and 53. Desirably, the forward face of the pusher plate 54 is contoured, as shown, to provide separate sockets for cooperative association with the several pieces of ware 12 which it will encounter as it traverses the upper run of the conveyor 11. y v The block 55 is in all respects identical with the blockv 45 and is identically carried by the arm 38. In turn, it supports a bar 56 which, in cooperation with the bar 57 carried by the corresponding block of the assembly 17, supports .a pusher plate 58 identical in construction and function with the pusher plate 54.

Means is provided, of course, for synchronously driving the chains 37 of the

assemblies

16 and 17. As shown, the axle 29 extends rearwardly beyond the backboard 18v and there carries a sprocket or gear 59, which may be referred to as an input element, to which power is delivered from a suitable source (not shown); and a similar input element 61B is mounted-on a similar axle element of the assembly 17 and is similarly driven.

It will now be seen that, if the element 59 is driven in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in FlG. 2, the axle 29 and sprocket 33 will be correspondingly driven, whereby the chain 37 will be driven in a counter-clockwise direction to drive the

other sprockets

34, 35 and 36. It will be seen that, in the illustrated positions of the parts, the

rollers

50 and 48 of the block 45 are in enegagement with the wall 23 of the trackway 19 and that the rollers 43 and 47 of said block are in engagement with the wall 21 of that trackway. The roller 49, at this moment, is not in contact with anything. Similarly, the rollers 61 and63 of the block 55 are in contact with the wall 22, the

rollers

63 and 64 are in contact with the wall 20 and the roller 62 is not in contact with anything. As the chain 37 begins to move, the arm 3S will carry the block 55 toward the left, thus removing the

rollers

61 and 63 from contact with the wall 22. Almost immediately, the roller 62 will engage the wall 25 of the trackway 24. At the same time, the block 45 will begin to move toward the right, withdrawing the rollers 48 and 5t) from contact with the wall 23 and moving the roller 49 into contact with the wall 26. Continuous engagement of the

rollers

47 and 48 with the wall 21 during movement of the block 45 to the right will tend to prevent any rocking or change of rattitude of the block 45 about the axis of the journal stud 44; and engagement of the roller 49 with the wall 26, followed shortly by engagement of the roller 50 with the wall 26, will further steady the block. Thus, as the pusher plate 54,A disposed `at a level just above the upper run of the conveyor 11, engages the ware 12, it will entrain that ware to move it steadily toward the right off the conveyor 11 and onto the conveyor 10. lAs the stud 44 reaches coaxial relation with the axle 31, the

rollers

47 and 49 will come into engagement with the wall 22. At this moment, the arm 4t) is vertical. As the chain continues to travel in a counter-clockwise direction about the sprocket 35, the proximal end of the arm 40 will travel with the chain while the stud 44 remains stationary in coaxial association with the axle 31. During one-quarter turn of the sprocket 35, then, the arm 40 will continue to turn bodily about the axis of the stud 44, while the block 45 remains stationary. When the arm 40 has assumed a horizontal position, further travel of the chain will carry the arm, and therefore the block 45, upwardly between the

trackway walls

22 and 27.

Meantime, the arm 38 has traveled until the journal stud on which its block 55 is mounted has come into coaxial relation with the axle 29, the arm has turned bodily about that axis, and as the block 45 starts upwardly, the block 55 will start downwardly.

It will be apparent that, each time a block reaches a corner of the trackway, it will pause and will stand stationary while its arm turns about the axis of its journal stud, whereafter each block will continue `to move in a new direction. It will also be apparent that the pushed

plates

54 and 58 will travel in a common, rectangular path, traversing the upper run of the conveyor 11 in a forward direction and at a level just above the conveyor runto sweep the ware from the conveyor 11 onto the conveyor 10, then rising to a level above the tops of the ware on the conveyor 11, moving rearwardly to a point at the side of the conveyor remote from the conveyor 10, and then descending once more to a level just above the upper run of the conveyor 11. The two pusher plates will travel concurrently in this path, maintaining theirv spacing, and without interference with each other. p

It will be apparent that, in the absence of inhibiting means, the

arms

38 and 40 would exert racking stresses on the chain; and therefore while in some instances the proximal ends of said arms may be supported solely by said chain, we prefer to provide for external guidance therefor in accordance with the following explanation.

At its proximal end, the arm 40,y is formed to provide an out-turned toe 65 dimensioned to span the width of the chain 37 and terminating in an upturned bar 66 extending for a significant distance equally andv oppositely forwardly and rearwardly of the median line of the arm. The toe 65 bears against the outer surface ofone link of the chain, and the rivets for that link extend through spaced perforations 67 in the arm and registering perforations (not shown) in the bar 66 to secure the arm to the chain.

The trailing end 68 of the bar 66 carries a roller 69 while the leading end 70 of the bar carries a similar roller 71 offset outwardly from the plane of the roller 69.

Between the backboard 18 and the plane of travel ofV the chain 37, we provide a series of

rails

72 and 73 spaced apart to define a guidway 74 which, throughout the major length of each side of the trackway 19, is rectilinear and of suiicient depth to accommodate both

rollers

69 and 71. At each corner of the trackway,` however, the guideway is specially formed in the manner perhaps most clearly illustratedin FIGS. 4 and 5. l

Beginning at the point 75 attained by the roller 71 at, the instant when the journal stud 44 reaches coaxial registry with, for instance, the axle 30, the whole depth of the roller-guiding face of the rail 72 is curved, as indicated at 76 upon a radius equal to the distance between the axes of the stud 44 and the roller 71, to the point 77 which is attained by the roller 69 at the instant when the stud 44 is ready to move away from registry with said axle. From the point 77 to the point 7S attained by the4 roller 71 at its last-mentioned instant, the outer half only of the depth of said face of the rail 72 continues on the same curvature, as indicated by the numeral 79. From the point 80 attained-.by the roller 69 at the instant whenv the stud 44 reaches coaxiality with said axle, the inner half only of the depth of said face is continued on the same curvature, as indicated at 81.

Thus, as the block 45 and its arm 40 move downward' ly between the sprockets 33 and 34, both rollers 69 and V 71 are conned by the

rails

72 and 73 to .rectilinear movement parallel with the chain 37 thus restraining ,any tendency of the arm 40 to tilt about the axis of the hub 44 to exert a racking stress on the chain until the roller 71 reaches the point 75, the roller 69 reaches the point `80 and the hub 44 stops in ,coaxial relation to the axle 30. Now, as the chain 37 continues to travel, the roller 71 enters the curved region 76 -while the roller 69 enters the vcurved region 8..1 Of the guideway 74. As the -roller 71 passes the point 77, it continues lthrough .the curved region 79, while w,the ,roller 69 continues through ,the curved regions 8 1 and 76 until, when the roller 71 reaches the point 78 whence it will be guided rectilinearly by the outer half of the depth of the guiding face of the rail 72, the roller 69 will simultaneously reach the point 77 whence it will be guided rectilinearly by the inner half of the depth of the guiding face of YVthe rail 72.

Thus, the path of the distal end of the arm 40 is afirmatively established by the guideway 74 which prevents the transmission of racking stress through the arm 40 to the chain 37. Similar means at each corner of the mechanism similarly controls the arm 40 in its passage about each sprocket over which the chain 37 is trained; and the arm 38, being similarly constructed and arranged, is similarly controlled.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a trackway dened by a plurality of straight angularly related walls outlining a polygon, a plurality of wheels equal in number to the angles of said polygon, each of said wheels being mounted for rotation about an individual axis located on a bisector of one of said angles, said axes being mutually parallel and all of said wheels being of the same diameter and located substantially in a common plane, a continuous flexible element drivingly trained about said wheels, an arm fixed to said iexible element, offset in parallel relation to said common plane and projecting from said flexible element inwardly with respect to said polygon, a block centrally journal mounted on said arm at a point spaced from said flexible element by a distance equal to the common radius of said wheels, said block conforming in contour to said polygon but having radial dimensions substantially equal to the distance of said wheel axes from the adjacent walls of said trackway, and means for driving said flexible element circuitously about said trackway.

2. The device of claim 1 including a second trackway conforming in contour with said first-named trackway, disposed concentrically within said first-named trackway and having its walls spaced from the corresponding walls of said first-named trackway by a distance substantially equal to twice the radial dimension of said block.

3. The device of claim 2 including friction-reducing means carried by said block for engagement with the walls of said trackways.

4. The device of claim 1 including friction-reducing means carried by said block for engagement with the walls of said trackway.

5. The device of claim 1 including pusher means rigid-ly carried by said block and extending outwardly beyond the perimeter of said block.

6. In a device of the class described, a trackway defined by a plurality of straight, angularly related walls outlining a polygon, a plurality -of wheels equal in number to the angles of said polygon, each of said wheels being mounted for rotation abou-t an individual axis 1ocated on a bisector of one of said angles, said axes being mutually Iparallel and all `of said wheels being of the same diameter and located substantially in a common plane, a continuous flexible element drivingly trained about said wheels, an arm operatively connected at its proxima-l end to said flexible element, offset in parallel relation to said common plane and projecting from said flexible element inwardly with respect to said polygon, a block centrally journal mounted on said arm near its distal end at a point spaced from said flexible element by a distance equal yto the common radius of said wheels, said block conforming in contour to said polygon but having radial dimensions substantially equal to the dis- .tance of Asaid wheel `axes from the adjacent walls of said trackway, and means for driving said flexible element cir-cuitously `about said trackway, said arm having bar means at its proximal end extending forwardly ,and rearwardly therefrom, -a first roller carried by the rearward extension of said bar means and offset from said common plane in the direction opposite the offset of said arm, a second roller carried by the forward extension -of said har means and offset to a greater degree from said common plane in said opposite direction, the axes of said lrollers being parallel with each other and with the axes of said wheels and being equally spaced from said arm, and a guideway for said rollers generally paralleling said trackway but for-med to provide, at each angle of said polygon, a rst arcuate path centered on the adjacent wheel axis for said rst roller and a second and separate, longitudinally-advanced arcuate path centered on the same axis for said second roller.

7. The device of claim 6 in which the forward end of said lirst arcuate path overlaps the rearward end of said second arcuate path.

8. A lehr loader comprising, in combination with a first conveyor having an upper, substantially horizontal run moving in a `first direction, a second conveyor having an upper, substantially horizontal run traversing the upper run of said first conveyor at a slightly higher level and moving in a second direction transverse with respect to said first direction, and transfer means comprising two mutually facing, rectangular trackways spaced from each other in said second direction, located on opposite sides of said first conveyor and above said second conveyor in substantially vertical planes, each trackway comprising lower and upper horizontal, walls and front and rear vertical walls and said front walls being located alongside said rst conveyor and said rear walls being located on the opposite side of said second conveyor, a wheel located in each corner of each trackway for rotation about an individual axis, the axis of rotation of each wheel of one trackway being coincident with the axis of rotation of the corresponding wheel of the other trackway and the wheels of each trackway being disposed substantially in a common plane, a continuous exible element drivingly trained about the Wheels of each trackway, an arm for each exible element, each such arm being fixed to its flexible element, offset in .parallel relation to said common plane and projecting from its flexible element inwardly with respect to its trackway, a square block centrally journal mounted on each arm at a point spaced from its ilexible element by a distance equal to the common radius of said wheels, the sides of each block having lengths substantially equal to twice the distance of each wheel axis from the adjacent wal-ls of said trackway, a bar rigidly secured to each block and extending beyond the perimeter thereof a distance substantially equal to the spacing of said lower horizontal trackway walls above said second conveyor upper run, pusher lmeans joining said bars, and means for driving said continuous flexible elements synchronously in a direction to move said blocks, while in contact with their trackway lower walls, away from their trackway rear walls toward their trackway front walls.

9. The lehr loader of claim 8 in which each block is provided with friction-reducing means adjacent each of its corners, at least two of said friction-reducing means being at all times in bearing contact with the trackway for said block.

1t). The lehr loader of claim 8 including further trackway means for each of said two trackways, each such further tra-ckway means including an element paralleling the lower horizontal wall of its associated trackway and terminating at points respectively spaced from said trackway front and rear vertical walls by distances substantially equal to the length of a side of said block, whereby when said pusher means is traversing said second conveyor, each of said blocks has hearing upon the lower horizontal wall of its trackway and upon sai-d element vof its said trackway means.

11. The lehr loader of claim 10 in which each block is provided with friction-reducing means adjacent each of its corners, at least two of said friction-reducing means being at all times in bearing contact with the trackway for said block and two others of said frictionreducing means being in bearing contact with said trackway means element while Asaid pusher means is traversing said second conveyor.

12. The lehr loader of claim 8 including, for each trackway, further trackway means conforming in contour to its associated trackway, each such trackway 8 lmeans havingupper and lower horizontal walls and front and rear vertical walls respectively spaced inwardly from the corresponding walls of its associated trackway by a distance substantially equal to the length of a side of the associated block.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 861,383 7/1907 MoOrShead l98-3L1 1,983,593 12/1934 Beeson et al. 198-3L1 2,781,121 2/1957 Brandenberger 198-3l.l 3,040,867 6/1962 Posten et al l98--3l.1

EVON BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Examiner.

R. WALKER, Assistant Examiner'.

Claims

1. IN A DEVICE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, A TRACKWAY DEFINED BY A PLURALITY OF STRAIGHT ANGULARLY RELATED WALLS OUTLINING A POLYGON, A PLURALITY OF WHEELS EQUAL IN NUMBER TO THE ANGLES OF SAID POLYGON, EACH OF SAID WHEELS BEING MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL AXIS LOCATED ON A BISECTOR OF ONE OF SAID ANGLES, SAID AXES BEING MUTUALLY PARALLEL AND ALL OF SAID WHEELS BEING OF THE SAME DIAMETER AND LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY IN A COMMON PLANE, A CONTINUOUS FLEXIBLE ELEMENT DRIVINGLY TRAINED ABOUT SAID WHEELS, AN ARM FIXED TO SAID FLEXIBLE ELEMENT, OFFSET IN PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID COMMON PLANE AND PROJECTING FROM SAID FLEXIBLE ELEMENT INWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID POLYGON, A BLOCK CENTRALLY JOURNAL MOUNTED ON SAID ARM AT A POINT SPACED FROM SAID FLEXIBLE ELEMENT BY A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE COMMON RADIUS OF SAID WHEELS, SAID BLOCK CONFORMING IN CONTOUR TO SAID POLYGON BUT HAVING RADIAL DIMENSIONS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE OF SAID WHEEL AXES FROM THE ADJACENT WALLS OF SAID TRACKWAY, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID FLEXIBLE ELEMENT CIRCUITOUSLY ABOUT SAID TRACKWAY.