Device for causing holders transporting objects to release the objects

• US 4,396,109 A
• Filed: 06/19/1981
• Issued: 08/02/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tatsuo Nambu
• Original Assignee: Tatsuo Nambu
• Inventors: Nambu, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Valenza, Joseph E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holmes, Jonathan D.
• Application Number:
  US06/275,198
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 198/431, 198/437, 198/440, 198/479, 198/631, 198/653, 198/694, 198/695, 198/696, 198/478, 198/802, 198/426, 198/427
• US Class Current: 198/431
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 43/00 Testing, sorting or cleaning eggs investigating or analysing eggs, e.g. by candling G01N33/08; Conveying devices for batteries A01K31/165; Pick-up devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 23/08 using grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/12 comprising a series of individual load-carriers fixed, or normally fixed, relative to traction element
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/02 Articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/842 the article-engaging elements being grippers

Abstract

A device for causing holders transporting objects to release the objects so as to place them at predetermined positions. The holders comprise a rotatable shaft, and a driving arm and an object-gripping arm both connected to the rotatable shaft and are carried by an endless conveyor so that the holders pick up an object at a first station and release the object at a second station. As the holders are conveyed from the first to the second station, the object-gripping arm gripping an object is kept parallel with the running direction of the conveyor. At the second station the driving arms of the holders are selectively moved into engagement with a device to turn the object gripping arm from the parallel position to a position perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor and the object is released.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for transporting objects by holders, each of which comprises a member for mounting said holder to endless conveying means circulating in a predetermined direction, a shaft rotatably mounted on said mounting member, a first arm having an outer free end and fixed at the opposite end thereof to said rotatable shaft, with the axis of said first arm crossing the axis of rotation of said rotatable shaft, so that turning of said arm about the axis of rotation of said shaft causes said shaft to be rotated about said axis of rotation of its own, and a second arm provided at one end thereof with means for releasably gripping an object and pivotally connected at the opposite end thereof to said rotatable shaft, with the axis of said second arm crossing the axis of rotation of said rotatable shaft, so that rotation of said rotatable shaft about said axis of rotation of its own causes said second arm to be turned about said axis of rotation of said shaft between a first position in which said gripping means is positioned forwardly of said axis of rotation of said rotatable shaft in the direction of circulation of said endless conveying means and a second position in which said second arm lies substantially perpendicularly to said direction of circulation, said gripping means operating to release the object gripped thereby when said second arm has been turned from said first to said second position, said apparatus further including along the path of circulation of said endless conveying means a first station at which objects supplied thereto are successively picked up by said holders and a second station provided downstream of said first station and at which said holders are caused to release said objects;

a device for causing said holders to release said objects at said second station, comprising arm-turning means disposed adjacent said second station and having a member engageable with said outer free end of said first arm of a selected one of said holders to turn said first arm and consequently said second arm from said first to said second position, and arm-pushing means disposed adjacent said arm-turning means for moving said first arm of a selected one of said holders into engagement with sand engageable member of said arm-turning means.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said arm-turning means comprises bearing means and an actuating member comprising a vertical portion journalled in said bearing means, a main portion extending downwardly aslant from the lower end of said vertical portion and an end portion depending vertically from the lower end of said main portion and engageable with said outer free end of said first arm of said selected holder.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said arm-pushing means comprises a pushing member, means for pivotally supporting said pushing member and means for causing said pushing member to bring said first arm of said selected holder into engagement with said arm-turning means.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein said arm-pushing means comprises a pushing member, means for pivotally supporting said pushing member and means for causing said pushing member to bring said first arm of said selected holder into engagement with said end portion of said actuating member of said arm-turning means.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein while said holders are conveyed at a first velocity, the turning of said first and second arms of said selected holder from said first to said second position gives the object gripped by said gripping means of said second arm a second velocity having a direction the angle of which relative to the direction of said first velocity changes so as to eventually offset said first velocity when said second arm has been turned to said second position.

6. In an apparatus for transporting objects by holders, each of which comprises a member for mounting said holder to endless conveying means circulating in a predetermined direction, a shaft rotatably mounted on said mounting member, a first arm having an outer free end and fixed at the opposite end thereof to said rotatable shaft, with the axis of said first arm crossing the axis of rotation of said rotatable shaft, so that turning of said arm about the axis of rotation of said shaft causes said shaft to be rotated about said axis of rotation of its own, and a second arm provided at one end thereof with means for releasably gripping an object and pivotally connected at the opposite end thereof to said rotatable shaft, with the axis of said second arm crossing the axis of rotation of said rotatable shaft, so that rotation of said rotatable shaft about said axis of rotation of its own causes said second arm to be turned about said axis of rotation of said shaft between a first position in which said gripping means is positioned forwardly of said axis of rotation of said rotatable shaft in the direction of circulation of said endless conveying means and a second position in which said second arm lies substantially perpendicularly to said direction of circulation, said gripping means operating to release the object gripped thereby when said second arm has been turned from said first to said second position, said apparatus further including along the path of circulation of said endless conveying means a first station at which objects supplied thereto are successively picked up by said holders and a second station provided downstream of said first station and at which said holders are caused to release said objects;

a device for causing said holders to release said objects at said second station, comprising;

a plurality of arm-turning means disposed adjacent said second station in spaced apart relation to each other in the direction in which said holders are conveyed, each of said plurality of arm-turning means comprising a member engageable with said outer free end of said first arm of a selected one of said holders to turn said first arm and consequently said second arm from said first to said second position;

a plurality of arm-pushing means each paired with one of said plurality of arm-turning means and each for moving said first arm of a selected one of said holders into engagement with said engageable member of the corresponding one of said plurality of arm-turning means; and

control means for selectively operating said plurality of arm-pushing means in accordance with the characteristic of the objects said holders grip or the order said holders grip said objects by using clock pulses produced in accordance with the distance said endless conveying means travels.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein each of said plurality of arm-turning means comprises bearing means and an actuating member comprising a vertical portion journalled in said bearing means, a main portion extending downwardly aslant from the lower end of said vertical portion and an end portion depending vertically from the lower end of said main portion and engageable with said outer free end of said first arm of said selected holder.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein each of said plurality of arm-pushing means comprises a pushing member, means for pivotally supporting said pushing member and means for causing said pushing member to bring said first arm of said selected holder into engagement with the corresponding one of said plurality of arm-turning means.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein each of said plurality of arm-pushing means comprises a pushing member, means for pivotally supporting said pushing member and means for causing said pushing member to bring said first arm of said selected holder into engagement with said end portion of said actuating member of the corresponding one of said plurality of arm-turning means.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein said control means is an electronic computer.

11. The device of claim 6, wherein while said holders are conveyed at a first velocity, the turning of said first and second arms of said selected holder from said first to said second position gives the object gripped by said gripping means of said second arm a second velocity having a direction the angle of which relative to the direction of said first velocity changes so as to eventually offset said first velocity when said second arm has been turned to said second position.

12. An apparatus for transporting objects by holders so as to place said objects at predetermined positions, comprising:

means for supplying said objects to a first station;

a plurality of holders;

means for conveying said holders at a first velocity in a predetermined direction from a first station where said holders pick up said objects to a second station where said holders release said objects;

each of said holders comprising a rotatable shaft, a driving arm and an object-gripping arm, both of said arms being connected to said rotatable shaft so that turning of said driving arm about the axis of rotation of said rotatable shaft causes said object-gripping arm to be turned between a first position in which said object-gripping arm lies in parallel with said predetermined direction in which said holders are conveyed and a second position in which said object-gripping arm lies perpendicularly to said predetermined direction and releases the object;

arm-turning means disposed adjacent said second station so as to be engageable with said first arm of a selected one of said holders to turn said first arm and consequently said second arm from said first to said second position; and

arm-pushing means disposed adjacent said arm-turning means for moving said first arm of a selected one of said holders into engagement with said arm-turning means.

13. An apparatus for transporting objects by holders so as to place said objects at predetermined positions, comprising:

means for supplying said objects to a first station;

a plurality of holders;

means for conveying said holders at a first velocity in a predetermined direction from a first station where said holders pick up said objects to a second station where said holders release said objects;

each of said holders comprising a rotatable shaft, a driving arm and an object-gripping arm, both of said arms being connected to said rotatable shaft so that turning of said driving arm about the axis of rotation of said rotatable shaft causes said object-gripping arm to be turned between a first position in which said object-gripping arm lies in parallel with said predetermined direction in which said holders are conveyed and a second position in which said object-gripping arm lies perpendicularly to said predetermined direction and releases the object;

a plurality of arm-turning means disposed adjacent said second station and each being engageable with said first arm of a selected one of said holders to turn said first arm and consequently said second arm from said first to said second position;

a plurality of arm-pushing means each paired with one of said plurality of arm-turning means for moving said first arm of a selected one of said holders into engagement with the corresponding one of said plurality of arm-turning means; and

control means for selectively operating said plurality of arm-pushing means in accordance with the characteristic of the objects said holders grip or the order said holders grip said objects by using clock pulses produced in accordance with the distance said endless conveying means travels.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of arm-turning means comprises bearing means and an actuating member comprising a vertical portion journalled in said bearing means, a main portion extending downwardly aslant from the lower end of said vertical portion and an end portion depending vertically from the lower end of said main portion and engageable with said outer free end of said first arm of said selected holder.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of arm-pushing means comprises a pushing member, means for pivotally supporting said pushing member and means for causing said pushing member to bring said first arm of said selected holder into engagement with the corresponding one of said plurality of arm-turning means.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of said plurality of arm-pushing means comprises a pushing member, means for pivotally supporting said pushing member and means for causing said pushing member to bring said first arm of said selected holder into engagement with said end portion of said actuating member of the corresponding one of said plurality of arm-turning means.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said control means is an electronic computer.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein while said holders are conveyed at a first velocity, the turning of said first and second arms of said selected holder from said first to said second position gives the object gripped by said gripping means of said second arm a second velocity having a direction the angle of which relative to the direction of said first velocity changes so as to eventually offset said first velocity when said second arm has been turned to said second position.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said objects are eggs, fruits, or other damageable objects.