CARDBOARD FEEDER

Abstract: A cardboard feeder having upper lower feed rolls (9, 10) for gripping and sending cardboards (5) toward a subse­ quent step and a kicker (8), characterized by rolls (11) disposed so as to contact with the under surface of the cardboard which rotate in synchronization with the opera­ tion rate of the kicker only when the kicker operates in the feed direction of the cardboard, whereby a feed force is applied to the under surface of the lowest one of the card­ boards in a hopper.

Description: S P E C I F I C A T I O N TITLE Or THE INVENTION Caraboar@ Feeder BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Fiela of the Invention This invention relates to a machine for making cartons of cardboard such as corrugated sheet and, more particularly, to a cardboard feeder for use with the carton making machine which achieves smooth feeding of cardboards without causing aefective feeding, collapse, and the like. 2. Description of the Prior Art fiig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a conventional cardboard feeaer 1. In this drawing, caraboar@s 5 are piled and stored in a hopper formea by a front stopper member ) ana a rear support member 4 provided on a table 2. A slide bar 6 embedded slidably in the table 2 is reciprocated by a crank mechanism 7. A kicker 8 is fixed on the slide bar 6 so that in response to the operation of the crank mechanism 7 the cardboards 5 in the hopper are kicked out in the airection of the arrow shown in the drawing through a slit formed at the lower end of the front stopper member j of the hopper each lowest one at a time. In front of the front stopper member : there are proviaea a pair of upper and lower teed rolls y ana 10 so that tne caraboara sent out from the hopper is pinched between tne upper and lower feed rolls y and 10 and in response to the rotation of tne two rolls y and 10, is forwaruea successively to a subsequent step. Fig. 5 is an enlarged front view of a portion A in Fig. 4. The upper feed roll y is divided into plural segments atla supportea rotatably, while the surface of the lower feed roll 10 is finished through knurling or made rough by forming it by rubber, for example. For clarity, a driving system of tne upper and lower feea rolls 9 and 10 is not illustrated. Fig. 6 illustrates the state in which the cardboard 5 passes between the upper and lower feea rolls 9 and 10. As shown in Fig. 6, a gap g between tne upper and lower feed rolls y and 10 is set by a gap adjusting unit provided separately, but not illustrated, so as to assume a spacing smaller tnan the thickness T of tne cardboard 5. The reason is that if a feea force is absent or insufficient when tne cardboard 5 is conveyea by tne upper ana lower feed rolls 9 and 10, the positions of printing ana grooving being performed in the subsequent step at a certain timing are disordered, that is, the aim of setting tne gap as above is to prevent occurrence of disorder of these positions ana make uniform the product quality. In audition, the upper and lower feea rolls 9 ana 10 must draw out surely the cardboard with a force sufficiently larger than the friction arag caused by being pinched between the total weight of caraboarus 5 piled in the hopper and the upper surface of the table 2. In this connection, according to tne conventional device, the gap g between the upper and lower feea rolls 9 ana 10 haa to be made considerably smaller than the thickness T of the oardboara 5 because the friction arag is of the static type and relatively large. As the result of tne manner above of setting the gap, the aegree of collapse of the caraboara 5 ( see tne shaded portions of Fig. 6 ) becomes large ana the strength of a carton thus made is insufficient; thus, aisqualified products tend to be manufactured many. To prevent such inconveniences, corrugated board of thick linerboara configuration had to be employed ana this in turn causea another inconvenience¯, such as a waste of resources. As described above, tne conventional cardboard fe#aer had tne problems that to draw out the lowest cardboard out of those storea in tne hopper it is necessary to increase the pinching force of the upper and lower feed rolls, thistenas to cause collapse of the caraboara just conveyed, and to prevent such collapse the raw caraboara must be tnick. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a caraboara feeaer wnich applies a feed force to a corrugated sheet by means of upper and lower feed rolls tnereby not causing inferior feeding, collapse, and the like of the caraboarÅa when it is forwarded to a subsequent step. o achieve the foregoing object, the present invention resides in a cardboard feeder naving upper and lower feea rolls for gripping ana sending caraboarus toward a subsequent step and a kicker, characterized by rolls disposed so as to contact with the under surface of the cardboard which rotate in synchronization with tne operation rate of the kicker only when the kicker operates in tne feea airection of the cara boara. Specifically, in synchronization with the operation of the Kicker actuatea by means of a crank mechanism ana a slide bar, the rolls interlocked with gears accommodating ratchets therein are rotated only in the feea airection of the caraboard to thereby apply a feea force to the under surface of the lowest one of the cardboards in a hopper. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a caraboara feeder accorainfi to an emboulment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken in the airection of tne arrows B-B of Fig. 1; rtig. is a partial front view of a roll in another embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of the conventional cardboara feeder; Fig. 5 is an enlarged front view of a portion A of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a side view showing the state in which a cardboard is pinched between upper ana lower feed rolls and sent out thereby. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a caraboara feeder according to an embouiment of the present invention ana Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken in the airection of the arrows B-B of Fig. 1. In Pigs. 1 ana 2, a cardboard feeaer indicated by reference numeral 1 functions as a device for Kicking out forwara the lowest one of caraboaras > pilea in a hopper formed by a front stopper member 9 ana a rear support member 4 provided on a table 2 by the use of the reciprocating motion of a kicker 8 projecting from tne upper surface of the table 2. The cardboard tnus Kicked is pinched between a pair of upper ana lower feed rolls 9 and 10 disposed in a station subsequent to tne cardboard feeder 1, so that it is forcealy taken and sent out. She kicKer 8 is fixed on a sliae bar 6 slidable inside the table 2 so that it can reciprocate together with this slide bar b. The sliae bar 6 in turn is reciprocated by means of a crank mechanism 7 disposed therebelow. The foregoing configuration of the device is similar to the conventional cardboard feeder shown in Fig. 4. Besides the foregoing configuration, rolls 11 are included which form an important portion of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 2, gears 12 are secured on either end of each roll 11. The roll 11 is arrangea so tnat its upper point is substant ially flush with the surface of the table 2. Inside the gear 12 a ratchet mechanism is accommodatea for rotating the shaft of the roll in one wirection, that is, in the embodi- ment illustrated these are designed so that the roll 11 can rotate only in the feed airection of cardboards. Reference numeral 1) inaicates a gear whose upper point is in gear with the gear 12 accommodating the ratchet mechanism with its lower point being in bear with a rack 14 provided underside the slide bar b. Although the embodiment illustrate° in Figs. 1 ana 2 includes six gears 12 each accommodating the ratchet mechanism therein provided on either side of the caraboara feed station, i.e. six rolls 11 arrangea in parallel with one another, the number of rolls may be one or more and as shown in Fig. j, a roll composea of a plurality of short rolls lla supported by one shaft may be employed in place of one long roll 11. Originally, it is desirable that the caraboaras 5 piled in the hopper be kicked out by the kicker 8 ana sent smoothly into the subsequent step by tne upper and lower feed rolls 9 and 10 at an accurate timing without causing any collapse of the cardboard each lowest one at a time. According to the embodiment of the foregoing configuration, the rolls 11 are provided in the table 2 with their upper points being substantially flush with the upper surface of the table 2, the rolls 11 are driven only when the Kicker 8 moves forward ( only at the time of kicking out the cardboard 5 ), ana the top speea of the kicker 8 is set so as to coincide substantially with the peripheral speed of the rolls 11; thus, the friction drag causea by the face of the table 2 is reaucea and tne caraboara 5 KicKea out by the kicker 8 can be sent forward by a small force even while it is conveyea by the upper and lower feea rolls y ana 10, consequently, the cardboard 5 is collapsed little and a processing in tne subsequent step can be performed accurately, thereby resulting in the auvantages of enhancing the product quality ana of saving resources, As described hereinabove, according to the present invention, the cardboards are sent out smoothly from inside the hopper; thus, a waste of resources ana a fall of strength of products that woula otherwise result from collapse of the cardboard can be prevented from arising, and the degree of accuracy of printing, grooving, and like processes done in the subsequent step can be improved.

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A caruboaru feeder having upper and lower feed rolls for gripping ana sending caraboarus towara a subsequent step and a kicker, characterized by rolls disposed so as to contact with the unuer surface of the caraboara which rotate in synchronization with the operation rate of said kicKer only when said KicKer operates in the feed direction of the cardboards 2. A cardboard feeder according to claim 1, wherein each of said rolls contacting with the under surface of the cardboara is composea of a plurality of short rolls supported by one shaft.

Inventors: TAKAHASHI, TAKEHIRO C/O MIHARA MACHINERY WORKS OF
Applicants: MITSUBISHI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B65H3
IPC codes: B65H3