Patent ID: 6062807
Filing Date: 2000-05-16
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
A plate feed device for serially removing plates from a stack of plates, comprising:(a) a pick-up head having a rotational centerline and a predetermined number of pick-up units;(b) a first rotational member which is attached to said pick-up head coaxial with its rotational centerline, and a rotation device for rotating said first rotational member and said pick-up head in a first rotational direction at a first rotational speed;(c) a stack of plates and a feed mechanism for placing an outermost plate in said stack a nominal distance from said pick-up head each time a plate is removed from said stack;(d) a vacuum device which is selectively coupled to each of said pick-up units as said pick-up unit is rotated over said stack of plates to draw vacuum through said pick-up unit and pull the outermost plate away from said stack and into contact with said pick-up unit;(e) a second rotational member having a cylindrical bore defined therein which rotatably journals said first rotational member, said bore being configured such that the rotational axis of said second rotational member is parallel to and offset from the rotational axis of said first rotational member;(f) a rotational device which rotates said second rotational member in the opposite direction than said first rotational member at a rotational speed that is a multiple of the speed of said first rotational member equal to the number of pick-up units; wherein(g) the rotation of said first and second rotational members is coordinated such that the surface speed of each pick-up unit is slower and said pick-up unit is closer to the stack of plates each time said pick-up unit is in position to pick up a plate from said stack.