Machine for transferring and erecting cardboard package blanks
First Claim
1. A machine for picking cardboard blanks from a magazine which holds the blanks in a given orientation, opening them, and placing them on a conveyor, the machine comprising:
- a pivoting arm having a pivot point, a servo drive at one end portion of the arm for pivoting the arm upwardly and downwardly about the pivot point, and a vacuum head rotatably mounted at the other end portion of the arm;
an intermittent drive on the pivot arm for controlling rotation of the vacuum head on the arm as the arm pivots;
said servo drive pivoting the pivot arm through a range of positions from a pick position in which the vacuum head is adjacent the magazine for picking a blank from the magazine, carrying the blank through a home position in which the vacuum head is disposed in parallel relation to the conveyor but is displaced thereabove, and to a final position in which the vacuum head deposits the blank on the conveyor, means engaging the blank while being carried by the vacuum head to unfold the blank so that the blank is unfolded when deposited on the conveyor, and means for controlling the intermittent drive to rotate the vacuum head from a first angle corresponding to the orientation of the blank in the pick position to a second angle in which the vacuum head is parallel to the conveyor in the home position, and for retarding the intermittent drive as the arm pivots the vacuum head from the home position to the final position, thereby to achieve a plunging motion of the vacuum head from the home position to the final position.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
The machine includes a vacuum head which is mounted to rotate on the outer end of an elongated arm adapted to be pivoted upwardly and downwardly about a fixed pivot by a servo drive. As the arm pivots, the vacuum head picks either a carton blank or a tray blank out of a magazine and transfers the blank toward a conveyor. During the pivoting, the vacuum head is turned relative to the arm and, when the blank is a carton blank, the turning motion brings the blank into engagement with a fixed plow which erects the blank. During final downward movement of the arm, the vacuum head is held parallel to the conveyor and moves toward the conveyor with a vertical plunging motion. When the blank is a tray blank, such vertical plunging causes the blank to be erected by flights on the conveyor as the blank is loaded between the flights.
27 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A machine for picking cardboard blanks from a magazine which holds the blanks in a given orientation, opening them, and placing them on a conveyor, the machine comprising:
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a pivoting arm having a pivot point, a servo drive at one end portion of the arm for pivoting the arm upwardly and downwardly about the pivot point, and a vacuum head rotatably mounted at the other end portion of the arm; an intermittent drive on the pivot arm for controlling rotation of the vacuum head on the arm as the arm pivots; said servo drive pivoting the pivot arm through a range of positions from a pick position in which the vacuum head is adjacent the magazine for picking a blank from the magazine, carrying the blank through a home position in which the vacuum head is disposed in parallel relation to the conveyor but is displaced thereabove, and to a final position in which the vacuum head deposits the blank on the conveyor, means engaging the blank while being carried by the vacuum head to unfold the blank so that the blank is unfolded when deposited on the conveyor, and means for controlling the intermittent drive to rotate the vacuum head from a first angle corresponding to the orientation of the blank in the pick position to a second angle in which the vacuum head is parallel to the conveyor in the home position, and for retarding the intermittent drive as the arm pivots the vacuum head from the home position to the final position, thereby to achieve a plunging motion of the vacuum head from the home position to the final position.
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2. A machine for picking folded cardboard blanks from a magazine, opening them, and placing them on a conveyor, the machine comprising:
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a pivoting arm having a pivot point, a servo drive at one end portion of the arm for raising and lowering the arm, and a vacuum head at the other end portion of the arm; an intermittent drive on the pivot arm for controlling rotation of the vacuum head on the arm as the arm pivots; the intermittent drive causing rotation of the head as the arm pivots toward a home position to rotate the head toward a fixed plow, and restraining rotation of the head as the arm pivots from the home position to a final position to plunge the head between flights on the conveyor, so that the vacuum head has a rotary motion for engaging an edge of a blank with the fixed plow to open the blank as the arm approaches the home position when the blank is a carton, and a plunging motion for causing leading and trailing panels of a blank to engage the flights on the conveyor for folding the panels upwardly when the blank is a tray. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A machine for picking folded cardboard blanks from a magazine, erecting the blanks, and placing the erected blanks on a moving conveyor, the machine comprising:
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a pivot arm having a pivot point; a servo drive connected to one end portion of said arm for pivoting the arm upwardly and downwardly about said pivot point; a vacuum head mounted on the other end of said arm for rotation relative to said arm;
said vacuum head being capable of gripping a blank in said magazine and holding the blank for delivery to said conveyor;a first timing gear rotatably mounted on said arm nearer to the pivot point of the arm than to the other end portion of the arm; a second timing gear connected to said vacuum head and operable when rotated to rotate said vacuum head relative to said arm; a timing belt trained around said timing gears and operable to transmit rotation of said first timing gear to said second timing gear; a rod pivotally mounted to turn about a fixed pivot point extending parallel to the pivot point of said arm; and means rotatable with said first timing gear and slidably receiving said rod whereby said rod causes said first timing gear and said vacuum head to rotate relative to said arm as said arm is swung downwardly to move said vacuum head between said magazine and said conveyor.
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Specification