Machine tool loading and transfer mechanism

• US 3,113,404 A
• Filed: 04/25/1960
• Issued: 12/10/1963
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1960
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John W. Johnson, Joseph W. Narel
• Original Assignee: John W. Johnson, Joseph W. Narel
• Inventors: Narel, Joseph W., Johnson, John W.
• Application Number:
  US04/024,561
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• US Class Current: 451/249
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/00 Arrangements for handling work specially combined with or arranged in, or specially adapted for use in connection with, machine tools, e.g. for conveying, loading, positioning, discharging, sorting incorporated in working-spindles B23B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/14 co-ordinated in production lines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5124 with means to feed work intermittently from one tool station to another
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/519 Turret
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 82/2514 with work feeder or remover

Claims

23. A CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A CYCLICALLY OPERABLE UNITARY CONVEYOR MECHANISM ASSEMBLY ARRANGED TO TRANSFER A SERIES OF SIMILAR WORK PIECES FROM AN INPUT STATION THROUGH A SERIES OF SPACED INTERMEDIATE STATIONS TO AN OUTPUT STATION FOR DELIVERY OF WORK PIECES TO AND REMOVAL OF WORK PIECES FROM SELECTED STATIONS SERVING SELECTED UNITS OF A PLURALITY OF WORK PIECE TRANSFER MEANS, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF FIRST SENSING MEANS RESPECTIVELY OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO THE DEPOSIT OF WORK PIECES AT THE RESPECTIVE SELECTED STATIONS BY EACH OF A PLURALITY OF WORK PIECE TRANSFER MEANS, A PLURALITY OF GAGING MEANS EACH OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO OPERATION OF ONE OF SAID FIRST SENSING MEANS TO CHECK A WORK PIECE DEPOSITED AT A SELECTED STATION BY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF WORK PIECE TRANSFER MEANS, A FIRST CONTROL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO PREDETERMINED SIGNALS FROM ALL OF SAID GAGING MEANS FOR READYING A CONVEYOR MECHANISM ASSEMBLY FOR A CYCLE OF OPERATION, A SECOND CONTROL MEANS OPERABLE AFTER SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS HAS OPERATED TO INITIATE AND TERMINATE A CYCLE OF OPERATION OF A CONVEYOR MECHANISM ASSEMBLY, A PLURALITY OF SECOND SENSING MEANS RESPECTIVELY DISPOSED ADJACENT TO SAID SELECTED STATIONS OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO THE ABSENCE OF A WORK PIECE AT EACH OF THE RESPECTIVE SELECTED STATIONS SERVING A PLURALITY OF WORK PIECE TRANSFER MEANS TO PRECLUDE SUBSEQUENT OPERATION OF THE WORK PIECE TRANSFER MEANS SERVED THEREBY, AND A PLURALITY OF SELECTIVELY OPERABLE BY-PASS MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH THE RESPECTIVE PORTIONS OF SAID CONTROL SYSTEM ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF A PLURALITY OF WORK PIECE TRANSFER MECHANISM OPERABLE TO BY-PASS SAID FIRST SENSING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RESPECTIVE SELECTED STATIONS OF A CONVEYOR MECHANISM ASSEMBLY, AND THEREBY THE GAGING MEANS RESPONSIVE THERETO, WHEREBY A CONVEYOR MECHANISM ASSEMBLY RESPONSIVE TO SAID CONTROL SYSTEM MAY BE MAINTAINED OPERABLE WHEN AT LEAST ONE OF A PLURALITY OF WORK PIECE TRANSFER MEANS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH IS INACTIVATED.