Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6568895
-
Patent Number
6,568,895
-
Date Filed
Thursday, March 8, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, May 27, 200321 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 414 7464
- 414 18
- 198 740
- 198 4681
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International Classifications
-
Abstract
A feeder system for feeding objects to object-carriers of a machine for processing the objects, in particular a printing machine, includes a reciprocating finger for pushing each object directly towards an object-carrier to place the object on the object-carrier; the finger being carried by a reciprocating carriage slidably mounted on a chassis and rotatably mounted on the carriage so that it can occupy at least an operational position in which it can push an object when it is moved and a retracted position in which it can avoid an object when it is moved.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to machines for processing objects, for example printing machines including a turret, which can rotate about its axis and which carries a plurality of object-carriers radially at its periphery via supports which are in turn rotatably mounted on the turret, and a plurality of workstations distributed circumferentially around the turret, in line with the trajectory of the object-carriers, and some of which are printing stations while others are processing stations, for example drying, varnishing, flame treatment, dust removal or other stations.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
The printing machines are used to print circular objects, for example, such as flexible tubes made of synthetic or other materials and to be printed with several different colours in succession; in this case the object-carriers are cylindrical mandrels onto which the objects are threaded.
Feeder systems are of course provided for feeding the object-carriers with the objects.
Until now the feeder systems have included a finger, generally of cylindrical shape, reciprocating along its axis and adapted to push each object directly towards an object-carrier.
Although these systems operate well, they nevertheless have the disadvantage that, to access the next object to be pushed, the finger must be retracted by a distance at least equal to the length of the object, and that it is only after this movement, which frees the space for the next object, that the next object can take up its place.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject matter of the present invention is a feeder system in which the next object to be pushed takes up its place before the finger has effected its retraction stroke, which increases the feed rate.
In accordance with the invention, a feeder system for feeding objects to object-carriers of a machine for processing the objects, in particular a printing machine, said system including a reciprocating finger for pushing each object directly towards an object-carrier to place the object on said object-carrier, is characterised in that said finger is carried by a reciprocating carriage slidably mounted on a chassis and is rotatably mounted on said carriage so that it can occupy at least an operational position in which it can push an object when it is moved and a retracted position in which it can avoid an object when it is moved.
Said finger is advantageously also subjected to the action of spring means which urge it towards its retracted position and locking means are provided for temporarily retaining the finger in its operational position against the action of the spring means.
The finger is preferably fastened to a shaft rotatably mounted on the carriage and the spring means comprise a spiral spring wound around said shaft.
The locking means advantageously comprise a plunger mounted to slide in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the finger.
In the position of the plunger in which the shaft is locked relative to the carriage the outside surface of the plunger preferably cooperates with a flat surface formed on the shaft.
The plunger advantageously has a peripheral groove which in the position in which the shaft is unlocked is in line with said flat surface.
The carriage preferably reciprocates between two abutments carried by the chassis.
The plunger is advantageously adapted to cooperate with the abutment in its locking position and with the abutment in its unlocking position, the carriage being in line with said abutments in each of those positions.
The finger preferably includes an operational position selector ramp adapted to cooperate with a fixed roller carried by the chassis.
The invention also provides a machine, in particular a printing machine, including object-carriers and a feeder system for feeding the object-carriers with objects, characterised in that the feeder system is a system as defined above.
The objects are advantageously carried by an inclined table.
The objects are preferably retained by a rim of the table and the rim is parallel to the rotation axis of the finger.
Said finger is advantageously generally C-shaped and straddles said rim.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
To explain further the subject matter of the invention, an embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings will now be described by way of purely illustrative and non-limiting example.
In the drawings
FIG. 1
is a partial elevation view of a machine equipped with a feeder system according to the invention;
FIG. 2
is a partial view of
FIG. 1
showing in section a carriage carrying a finger;
FIG. 3
is a partial bottom view relative to
FIG. 1
showing a drive link of the carriage;
FIG. 4
is a partial view as seen in the direction of the arrow IV in
FIG. 1
; and
FIGS. 5
to
10
are views analogous to
FIG. 4
showing various steps in the operation of the feeder system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The figures show, by way of example, the application of the invention to the situation in which the objects to be printed are flexible tubes, for example, intended to contain a more or less paste-like product, such as cream, which tubes include a body and a bottom. The body is globally cylindrical and its cross section is substantially circular.
The printing machine used to print these objects, only part of which is shown in the figures, is of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,199, for example, and globally comprises, as known in the art, a turret which is rotatable on a frame about is axis, which in this instance is a vertical axis, and which carries radially at its periphery a plurality of object-carriers each of which is in turn rotatably mounted on the turret by means of a respective support, their rotation axes being orthogonal to the axis of the turret in this example, and therefore horizontal.
The turret is generally a simple circular contour plate rotatably mounted on a table that is part of the frame. This is known in the art.
The turret is driven stepwise in rotation by a motor associated with an indexing device. This is known in the art.
Because the objects to be printed are flexible tubes, the object-carriers are cylindrical mandrels onto which the objects are simply threaded.
The corresponding arrangements are well known in the art and are not described in more detail here.
The printing machine includes a plurality of workstations which are circumferentially distributed around the turret in line with the trajectory of the object-carriers and some of which are printing stations while others are processing stations. This is known in the art.
The system is completed by a loading and offloading station and workstations for processing the objects before they are printed, for example a flame treatment and dust removal station and a varnishing station followed by a drying station.
The machine includes a feeder system shown in
FIGS. 1
to
4
adapted to feed objects to the object-carriers.
The cylindrical objects
10
are perpendicular to the plane of
FIGS. 1 and 2
and are placed on an inclined table
23
; they are caused to come into contact with each other by their weight alone, with the first object
10
A abutted against a transverse rim
24
of the inclined table
23
.
A feed finger
11
is carried by a carriage
12
slidably mounted on a chassis
13
. The carriage
12
reciprocates; to this end, it is fastened by arms
26
to a sled
27
in turn slidably mounted on a rail
28
; the sled
27
is coupled to a link
29
in turn coupled to a crank
30
(see
FIG. 3
) fastened to the shaft
36
of a motor incorporated in the machine.
Accordingly, when the shaft
36
turns, the sled
27
is moved on the rail
28
with a reciprocating motion that is transmitted by the arm
26
to the carriage
12
.
The finger
11
is cut and bent to shape from sheet metal and includes a plane body
31
and a plane beak
32
in a plane perpendicular to the plane body
31
; the beak
32
and the body
31
have a generally C-shaped configuration so that the body
31
and the beak
32
can be placed on respective opposite sides of the rim
24
of the inclined table
23
; the body
31
is parallel to the rim
24
and the beak
32
is transverse to the objects
10
.
The carriage
12
includes a bore
33
in which is rotatably mounted a shaft
16
fastened to the plane body
31
, in this example perpendicularly to said body
31
, and therefore fastened to the finger
11
.
The shaft
16
incorporates a cut-out whose back defines a flat surface
17
parallel to the axis of the shaft
16
(see FIG.
2
).
The shaft
16
is surrounded by a spiral spring
14
one end of which is carried by the plane body
31
of the finger
11
and whose other end is fastened to the carriage
12
; accordingly, the spiral spring
14
bears against the carriage
12
and urges the finger
11
to rotate in the direction which raises the beak
32
, as explained below.
The axis of a cylindrical passage through the carriage
12
is orthogonal to the axis of the bore
33
and tangential to said bore
33
; a plunger
15
is slidably mounted in said passage; for the plunger
15
to be able to serve as a locking member for immobilising the shaft
16
relative to the carriage
12
in the bore
33
, its diameter is such that it is tangential to the flat surface
17
on the shaft
16
; to unlock the shaft
16
, the plunger has a groove
18
(see
FIG. 2
) whose depth is such that when said groove
18
is in line with the flat surface
17
, after the plunger
15
has been moved to bring this about, the shaft
16
is free to rotate inside the bore
33
.
As it reciprocates, the carriage
12
moves between two abutments
21
and
22
carried by the chassis
13
, in this example by means of a spacer
25
; one abutment
21
is the inside face of a plate
42
fixed to the end of the spacer
25
and the other abutment
22
is the inside face of one flange of an L-shaped bracket
42
fixed to the top face of the spacer
25
.
In this example the spacer
25
is parallel to the rail
28
and inclined at an angle equal to the angle of inclination of the table
23
, as can be seen in
FIGS. 1 and 2
. This is not necessarily the case, however.
The length of the plunger
15
is greater than that of the passage through the carriage
12
in which it is housed, so that in each extreme position of the carriage
12
, in line with the abutment
21
or
22
, the plunger
15
is adapted to cooperate with each abutment and to be moved one way or the other; when it is cooperating with the abutment
21
(
FIG. 4
) the plunger
15
is in the position which unlocks the shaft
16
, and the groove
18
is in line with the flat surface
17
, and when it is cooperating with the abutment
22
(
FIG. 8
) the plunger
15
is in the position which locks the shaft
16
, and the groove
18
is no longer in line with the flat surface
17
.
This is how the feeder system according to the invention works.
In
FIG. 4
, the finger
11
is at the end of its operational stroke and the beak
32
of the finger
11
has threaded the hollow cylindrical object
10
A onto the object-carrier mandrel, not shown; the plunger
15
is cooperating with the unlocking abutment
21
and the shaft
16
can be turned in the carriage
12
by the spiral spring
14
; in this example it is preferred that the finger
11
rest momentarily in this position, a heel-piece
34
of the finger
11
cooperating with a roller
35
at a greater distance from the abutment
21
than the rotation axis of the shaft
16
, and said roller
35
being carried by a support
44
attached to the end plate
41
.
During its return stroke (
FIG. 5
) the finger
11
turns about its axis, progressively freeing the passage for the next object
10
B to take up its position; at about the half-way point of its return stroke (
FIG. 6
) the heel-piece
34
leaves the roller
35
and the back of the finger
11
abuts against a roller
20
at the end of a boom
43
carried by the L-shaped bracket
42
.
Note that in this position the next object
10
B is ready to be threaded onto the object-carrier even though the finger
11
, i.e. the carriage
12
, is only at the half-way point of its travel.
As the return movement of the carriage
12
continues, a ramp
19
on the finger
11
cooperates with the roller
20
to return the finger
11
to its operational position against the action of the spring
14
(see FIG.
7
).
The cooperation of the plunger
15
with the locking abutment
22
(
FIG. 8
) immobilises the shaft
16
, and therefore the finger
11
, in this position, which it retains until it takes up the object
10
B (FIG.
9
); the operational travel of the carriage
12
continuing, the plunger
15
comes into contact with the abutment
21
(
FIG. 10
) and then unlocks the shaft
16
while the object
10
B is threaded onto the object-carrier: the situation is therefore that of
FIG. 4
again, and a new cycle begins.
Claims
- 1. A feeder system for feeding objects to object-carriers of a machine for processing the objects, said system comprising:a reciprocating finger (11) for pushing each object (10) directly towards an object-carrier to place the object (10) on said object-carrier, said finger (11) being carried by a reciprocating carriage (12) slidably mounted on a chassis (13) and is rotatably mounted on said carriage (12) so that it can occupy at least an operational position in which it can push an object (10) when it is moved and a retracted position in which it can avoid an object (10) when it is moved, said finger (11) being also subjected to the action of spring means (14) which urge it towards its retracted position; and locking means (15) provided for temporarily retaining the finger (11) in its operational position against the action of the spring means (14), wherein the finger (11) is fastened to a shaft (16) rotatably mounted on the carriage (12) and the spring means (14) comprise a spiral spring wound around said shaft (16), the locking means (15) comprise a plunger mounted to slide in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the finger (11).
- 2. A feeder system according to claim 1, characterised in that in the position of the plunger (15) in which the shaft (16) is locked relative to the carriage (12) the outside surface of the plunger (15) cooperates with a flat surface (17) formed on the shaft (16).
- 3. A feeder system according to claim 2, characterised in that the plunger (15) has a peripheral groove (18) which in the position in which the shaft (16) is unlocked is in line with said flat surface (17).
- 4. A feeder system according to claim 3, characterised in that the carriage (12) reciprocates between two abutments (21, 22) carried by the chassis (13).
- 5. A feeder system according to claim 4, characterised in that the plunger (15) is adapted to cooperate with the abutment (22) in its locking position and with the abutment (21) in its unlocking position, the carriage (12) being in line with said abutments (21, 22) in each of those positions.
- 6. A printing machine, including object-carriers and a feeder system for feeding the object-carriers with objects, characterised in that the feeder system is a system according to claim 1.
- 7. A machine according to claim 6, characterised in that the objects are carried by an inclined table (23).
- 8. A machine according to claim 7, characterised in that the objects (10) are retained by a rim (24) of the table (23) and the rim (24) is parallel to the rotation axis of the finger (11).
- 9. A machine according to claim 8, characterised in that the objects (10) are retained by a rim (24) of the table (23) and the rim (24) is parallel to the rotation axis of the finger (11).
- 10. A feeder system for feeding objects to object-carriers of a machine for processing the objects, said system comprising:a reciprocating finger (11) for pushing each object (10) directly towards an object-carrier to place the object (10) on said object-carrier, said finger (11) being carried by a reciprocating carriage (12) slidably mounted on a chassis (13) and is rotatably mounted on said carriage (12) 50 that it can occupy at least an operational position in which it can push an object (10) when it is moved and a retracted position in which it can avoid an object (10) when it is moved, said finger (11) being also subjected to the action of spring means (14) which urge it towards its retracted position, and locking means (15) provided for temporarily retaining the finger (11) in its operational position against the action of the spring means (14), wherein the finger (11) includes an operational position selector ramp (19) adapted to cooperate with a fixed roller (20)carried by the chassis (13).
- 11. A printing machine, including object-carriers and a feeder system for feeding the object-carriers with objects, characterised in that the feeder system is a system according to claim 10.
- 12. A machine according to claim 11, characterised in that the objects are carried by an inclined table (23).
- 13. A machine according to claim 12, characterised in that the objects (10) are retained by a rim (24) of the table (23) and the rim (24) is parallel to the rotation axis of the finger (11).
- 14. A printing machine, including object-carriers and a feeder system for feeding the object-carriers with objects, characterised in that the feeder system is a system comprisinga reciprocating finger (11) for pushing each object (10) directly towards an object-carrier to place the object (10) on said object-carrier, said finger (11) being carried by a reciprocating carriage (12) slidably mounted on a chassis (13) and is rotatably mounted on said carriage (12) SO that it can occupy at least an operational position in which it can push an object (10) when it is moved and a retracted position in which it can avoid an object (10) when it is moved, said finger (11) being also subjected to the action of spring means (14) which urge it towards its retracted position, and locking means (15) provided for temporarily retaining the finger (11) in its operational position against the action of the spring means (14).
- 15. A machine according to claim 14, characterised in that the objects are carried by an inclined table (23).
- 16. A machine according to claim 15, characterised in that the objects (10) are retained by a rim (24) of the table (23) and the rim (24) is parallel to the rotation axis of the finger (11).
- 17. A machine according to claim 16, characterised in that said finger (11) is generally C-shaped and straddles said rim (24).
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
00 03030 |
Mar 2000 |
FR |
|
US Referenced Citations (9)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2 670 759 |
Jun 1992 |
FR |
2 782 292 |
Feb 2000 |
FR |
2 174 667 |
Nov 1986 |
GB |
406156641 |
Jun 1994 |
JP |