Claims
- 1. Apparatus for capturing topmost elements from supplies of battery elements and transferring the captured topmost elements to depository zones comprising:
- a plurality of vacuum pick-up means, each said means comprising a flexible cup-shaped member having a central opening,
- each said pick-up means having stationary sensing means remote from its said cup-shaped member for sensing variations in vacuum pressure applied to said cup-shaped member,
- means independent of time responsive to said sensing means for individually moving each said pick-up means toward and away from the topmost elements of the supplies of elements,
- switch means responsive to maximum movement of said cup-shaped members each with a captured element away from the supply of elements,
- means responsive to said switch means for moving said cupshaped members with captured elements simultaneously toward a zone for depositing the elements held by said pick-up means only when all said cup-shaped members have attained said maximum movement with captured elements.
- 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means responsive to said moving means responsive to said switch means for preventing lowering of said cup-shaped members toward the deposit zone following the deposition of the elements.
- 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which each said means for moving said pick-up means toward and away from said supplies of elements includes a double acting cylinder external to said pick-up means, a piston within said cylinder having one end extending beyond said cylinder and mounted externally to said pick-up means,
- means responsive to said sensing means for applying pressurized gas of one value of pressure to one end of said cylinder to drive said piston and said pick-up means downward toward said supply of elements, and
- means for continuously applying pressurized gas of a second value of pressure lower than said one value of pressure to an opposite end of said cylinder to drive said piston and said pick-up means upward upon absence of said one value of pressure.
- 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for delaying the response of said means responsive to said switch means.
- 5. An apparatus for picking up and interlayering in stacks battery elements comprising:
- conveyor means,
- means for receiving stacks of horizontally disposed first battery elements along one side of said conveyor means,
- means for receiving stacks of horizontally disposed second battery elements along an opposite side of said conveyor means,
- a first plurality of retractable and extendable heads, one for each of the stacks of first battery elements,
- a second plurality of retractable and extendable heads, one for each of the stacks of second battery elements,
- vacuum pick-up means carried by each said first plurality of heads, each said pick-up means being moveable into contact with the top element in the stack associated with that pick-up means upon extension of its associated head,
- vacuum pick-up means carried by each said second plurality of heads, each said pick-up means being moveable into contact with the top element in the stack associated with that pick-up means upon extension of its associated head,
- each pick-up means carried by said first plurality of heads including means for initially contacting a top element whereby the affect of vacuum will flex the top element to effect the withdrawal of only the top element from a stack of first battery elements,
- each pick-up means carried by said second plurality of heads including means for initially contacting a top element whereby the affect of vacuum will flex the top element to effect the withdrawal of only the top element from a stack of second battery elements,
- means for sensing the engagement of a top element of said stack of first battery elements with its said associated pick-up means,
- means for sensing the engagement of a top element of said stack of second battery elements with its said associated pick-up means,
- control means independent of time responsive to said top first battery element engagement sensing means for retracting each said first plurality of heads only when said pick-up means is loaded with a first battery element attached thereto;
- control means independent of time responsive to said top second battery element engagement sensing means for retracting each said second plurality of heads only when said pick-up means is loaded with a second battery element attached thereto;
- means for moving said first battery element pick-up means over said conveyor means only when all loaded heads have been retracted, and
- means for moving said second battery element pick-up means over said conveyor means only when all loaded heads have been retracted.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which said sensing means is a micro switch on each head operated when an associated pick-up means is loaded.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said sensing means detects a change in vacuum when a pick-up means is loaded.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said control means is a pressure actuated valve responsive to the sensed change in vacuum to enable the retraction of said head and associated pick-up means.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 5 including means for sensing the position of said first plurality of retractable and extendable heads, and
- means responsive to said position sensing means to enable said means for moving said first battery element pick-up means over said conveyor only when all said first plurality of heads have been retracted.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 5 including means for sensing the position of said second plurality of retractable and extendable heads, and
- means responsive to said position sensing means to enable said means for moving said second battery element pick-up means over said conveyor only when all said second plurality of heads have been retracted.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 5 in which each said pick-up means includes means forming a partial vacuum in its associated head whereby a battery element is held in engagement with said pick-up means due to the differential in pressure across the element,
- a normally closed switch responsive to said pressure differential, and
- a solenoid-actuated valve means responsive to the condition of said switch for controlling the movement of said head between retracted and extended positions.
- 12. A method of picking up and interlayering in stacks battery plates and battery plate separators comprising the steps of:
- a. placing stacks of horizontally disposed
- battery plates along one side of a conveyor means,
- b. placing stacks of horizontally disposed separators along an opposite side of the conveyor means,
- c. engaging a portion of each top battery plate,
- d. flexing each top battery plate against said engagement to effect a separation between said top plates and adjacent plates in said stacks,
- e. effecting a temporary connection with said top plates,
- f. individually sensing that the connection has been made with top plates,
- g. upon sensing the connection with each top plates, independently of time removing each top plate from its stack,
- h. sensing that all top plates have been removed from their related stacks,
- i. transferring each top plate to said conveyor only when all top plates have been removed from their respective stacks, and
- j. repeating steps c. through i. for said separators.
- 13. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of effecting a temporary connection includes the step of forming a differential pressure across said top plates tending to move said plates away from their respective stacks.
- 14. The method of claim 13 further including the steps of sensing said differential in pressure and transmitting a signal representative thereof; and
- comparing said transmitted signal with a predetermined value and preventing movement of said temporarily attached plates away from said stacks if said signal does not exceed said predetermined value.
- 15. The method of claim 14 including the steps of sensing the completion of the generally upward movement of said temporarily attached plates and transmitting a signal upon completion of such movement; and
- completing said transferring step for said plates to said conveyor upon receipt of said signal indicating completion of the generally upward movement of said attached plates.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 598,361 for "Apparatus for Stacking Battery Plates and the Like" filed Apr. 9, 1984, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2339487 |
Feb 1974 |
DEX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
598361 |
Apr 1984 |
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