Vibratory bar feeder

• US 3,882,993 A
• Filed: 11/16/1973
• Issued: 05/13/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dennis E. Mead
• Original Assignee: Dennis E. Mead
• Inventors: Mead, Dennis E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blunk, Evon C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Watts, Douglas D.
• Application Number:
  US05/416,380
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 198/22BA,59,26 46/1C 221/12,13
• US Class Current: 198/524
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2205/04 where the stop device is not adaptable
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 27/04 Load carriers other than helical or spiral channels or conduits
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/8838 with a linearly movable pusher element which lifts or releases the article

Abstract

A vibratory bar feeder has a magazine storing a supply of bars and a device for dropping the bars one at a time from the magazine into a trough below the magazine and extending beyond the magazine toward a bar-working machine. The inside of the trough is covered with a pile material having flexible filaments inclined from the vertical toward the bar-working machine, the trough is vibrated in a generally reciprocal motion in the general direction of the inclination of the filaments which are sufficiently resilient to flex under the bars during upward movement of the trough to translate the vibratory motion into feeding speed and force moving the bars toward the bar-working machine.

Claims

1. A vibratory bar feeder for feeding bars axially to a bar working machine, said vibratory bar feeder comprising:

a. a magazine for storing a plurality of said bars;

b. means for dropping said bars one at a time from said magazine;

c. a trough below said magazine for receiving said bars dropped from said magazine;

d. said trough having a cylindrical bottom and extending beyond said magazine toward said bar working machine;

e. the inside of said trough being covered with a pile material having flexible filaments uniformly inclined by about 5* - 25* from a vertical transverse plane toward said bar working machine along the length of said trough;

f. said filaments having uniform length and thickness and a sufficient density so that only the tips of said filaments support said bars for feeding;

g. means for vibrating said trough in a generally reciprocal motion in the general direction of the inclination of saiD filaments;

h. said filaments being sufficiently resilient to flex under said bars during upward movement of said trough in said vibratory motion so said filaments translate said vibratory motion of said trough into feeding speed and force moving said bars toward said bar-working machine;

i. means for sensing the movement of one of said bars out from under said magazine; and

j. means for operating said bar-dropping means in response to said sensing means.

2. The feeder of claim 1 including means for adjusting the width of said magazine to accommodate different axial lengths of said bars.

3. The feeder of claim 1 wherein said filaments are inclined at an acute angle to the axial movement of said bars toward said bar working machine to turn said bars on the axes of said bars as said bars advance toward said bar working machine.

4. The feeder of claim 1 wherein said sensing means includes a switch arranged for sensing the movement of the trailing end of one of said bars out from under said magazine.

5. The feeder of claim 1 wherein said vibrating means reciprocates said trough at about 0* - 20* above the horizontal, and said filaments are inclined by about 10* - 20* from said transverse plane toward said bar working machine.

6. The feeder of claim 1 including means for sensing the presence of a bar positioned for dropping by said bar-dropping means, said bar sensing means being arranged so that the lack of one of said bars positioned for dropping effectively disables said bar-dropping means.

7. The feeder of claim 1 wherein said bar-movement sensing means is operable upon sensing the movement of the leading end of one of said bars out from under said magazine for enabling said bar-dropping means and is arranged for operating said bar-dropping means upon sensing the movement of the trailing end of one of said bars out from under said magazine.

8. The feeder of claim 7 including means for sensing the presence of a bar positioned for dropping by said bar-dropping means, said bar sensing means being arranged so that the lack of one of said bars positioned for dropping effectively disables said bar-dropping means.