Claims
- 1. An apparatus for transporting articles, such as electrode plates, comprising:
- a first conveyor having a first conveyor member adapted to have said articles deposited thereon and transported thereby, said first conveyor member extending substantially horizontally and having a loading station and a discharge station associated therewith for respectively permitting articles to be loaded on and removed from said first conveyor member, and a first power device interconnected to said first conveyor member for drivably moving same;
- a second conveyor having a second conveyor member adapted to have groups of said articles deposited thereon and transported therealong, each said group containing a preselected number of adjacent articles, said second conveyor member extending substantially horizontally and having supply and removal stations associated therewith for respectively permitting the articles to be deposited on and removed from said second conveyor member, and a second power device interconnected to said second conveyor member for drivably moving same;
- feeding means associated with said first conveyor for sequentially depositing said articles one-by-one on said first conveyor member at said loading station;
- transfer means movable back and forth between said first and second conveyors for transferring articles from the discharge station of said first conveyor member to the supply station of said second conveyor member, said transfer means including a movable carriage;
- drive means for causing said carriage to be moved back and forth between a pickup position wherein said carriage is disposed over said first conveyor member and a discharge position wherein said carriage is disposed over said second conveyor member;
- said transfer means also including article engaging means supported on said carriage for vertical movement relative thereto, and motor means coacting between said carriage and said article engaging means for controlling lifting and lowering of said article engaging means;
- first control means for detecting the presence of a group of articles on said first conveyor member when said carriage is moving rearwardly from said second conveyor toward said first conveyor for stopping said carriage and energizing said article engaging means for lifting said group upwardly from said first conveyor member;
- second control means coacting between said transfer means and said second conveyor when said carriage is being moved forwardly from said first conveyor toward said second conveyor for detecting the presence of a preselected space on said second conveyor member of a size capable of permitting said group to be deposited thereon, said second control means preventing lowering of said group onto said second conveyor member so long as said preselected space is not present; and
- third control means for detecting the presence of the rearmost article on said second conveyor member and for stopping said carriage and energizing said motor means whereby said group is lowered into engagement with said second conveyor member, said third control means being operable only after said second control means has been activated so as to indicate the presence of said preselected space; and
- fourth control means for activating said transfer means to return said carriage toward said first conveyor upon depositing of the group of articles on said second conveyor member.
- 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, including:
- fifth control means for stopping the return movement of said carriage when said carriage reaches a preselected location relative to said first conveyor member which is adjacent said loading station without sensing the presence of a group of articles on said first conveyor member; and
- sixth control means for stopping the forward movement of said carriage adjacent the removal station on said second conveyor member when said carriage moves forwardly without sensing the presence of a rearmost article on said second conveyor member, said sixth control means also causing lowering of said article engaging means so that the group carried by said transfer means is deposited on said second conveyor member.
- 3. An apparatus according to claim 2, including:
- seventh control means for detecting the articles which are supplied to said first conveyor member from said feeding means and for energizing said first power device to cause an intermittent steplike movement of said first conveyor member so that said articles are deposited on said first conveyor member in adjacent and aligned relationship, said seventh control means also including counting means for counting a preselected number of articles as supplied to said first conveyor member and timer means for permitting selected energization of said first power device whereby said first conveyor member is moved through a larger distance prior to depositing of a further article on said first conveyor member so that adjacent groups of articles are spaced apart by a distance which is greater than the spacing between the articles within each group; and
- eighth control means for detecting the presence of the frontmost article of the frontmost group when located at the discharge station of said first conveyor member for preventing energization of said first power device.
- 4. An apparatus according to claim 3, including:
- ninth control means for detecting the presence of the frontmost article on said second conveyor member when located in said removal station for preventing energization of said second power device, said ninth control means causing energization of said second power device and movement of said second conveyor member when an article is not located at said removal station whereby the articles on said second conveyor member are moved forwardly so that the frontmost article is moved into said removal station.
- 5. An apparatus according to claim 1, including:
- a third conveyor having a third conveyor member adapted to have articles deposited thereon and transported therealong, and a third power device connected to said third conveyor member for drivably moving same;
- second transfer means movable back and forth between said second and third conveyors for transferring articles from said second conveyor member to said third conveyor member, said second transfer means including a second carriage movable back and forth from the removal station of said second conveyor member to a depositing station located over the inlet end of said third conveyor member;
- said second transfer means including second article engaging means and second motor means drivingly connected to said second article engaging means so that said second article engaging means can lift an article out of engagement with said second conveyor member and lower the article into engagement with the third conveyor member, said second article engaging means lifting only a single article from said second conveyor member;
- fifth control means for stopping the forward movement of said second carriage when positioned over said depositing station and for energizing said second motor means whereby said article is lowered into engagement with said third conveyor member;
- sixth control means for initiating the return movement of said second carriage after said article has been deposited on said third conveyor member; and
- seventh control means for stopping the return movement of said carriage when located over the removal station of said second conveyor member and for energizing said second motor means to lift an article from the removal station of said second conveyor member and for initiating the forward movement of said second carriage.
- 6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said sixth control means also causes energization of said third power device to thereby cause movement of said third conveyor member after the article has been deposited thereon; and
- eighth control means for deenergizing said third power device after said third conveyor member has been moved a preselected distance whereby said sixth and eighth control means coact to result in intermittent energization of said third conveyor member so that the articles thereon are individually spaced a preselected distance apart in the longitudinal direction of the third conveyor member.
- 7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said fifth control means upon stoppage of the forward movement of said second carriage also causes energization of said second power device so that said second conveyor member is moved forwardly until the frontmost article is moved into said removal station.
Parent Case Info
This is a division of application Ser. No. 442,598 filed Feb. 14, 1974, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,854.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
442598 |
Feb 1974 |
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