MAGNETIC METERING DRUM ASSEMBLY

Abstract: A drum device and method for the rotation of can-shaped objects (3) over a surface (4) from a first to a second location. The drum device employs a hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member (1) being oriented about a substantially horizontal axis (2). A magnet assembly (11) is provided within the hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member (1) only across a defined segment of orientation.

Description: AGNETIC METERING DRUM ASSEMBLY Technical Field of Invention The present invention relates generally to the mass transport of articles, such as can-shaped containers from a first location at a vertical orientation to a second location at a horizontal orientation. This invention can be most advantageously employed in removing ferrous, can- shaped objects from the surface of an air conveyor while feeding the objects to an air single filer. Can damage is minimized while the device provides for the metering for can-shaped objects in a positive controlled fashion. Background of the Invention In many manufacturing operations, particularly in the manufacture of cylindrical containers, such as two-piece, ferrous cans, it is necessary to mass transport such articles, either in single file or en masse. Such containers are characteristically unstable, particularly at present-day line speeds which are capable of handling up to approximately 2,500 articles per minute. Present-day ferrous, two-piece cans possess can bodies having almost paper-thin side walls. During processing, the can bodies are caused to engage a number of work areas, including washing, decorating and necking stations. When moving from one station to the next, the can bodies either travel in a moving belt, or more advantageously, upon an air conveyor consisting of a plenum having openings for the directional supply of air from the upper deck surface. Devices of this nature are described in U.S. Patent 4,456,406, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, it is often times necessary to change the vertical orientation of the can bodies as well as to convert the flow of cans from an en masse multi-row configuration to a single file orientation, particularly when the can bodies are to be decorated and necked. Air single filers, euphemistically known as doubling boxes, are exceedingly well known in can processing operations. For example, one such device is disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,182,586, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Con- ventionally, the input or upstream end of the air single filer would be fed by a waterfall which, as the name implies, simply consists of a curved slide which transcribes a circular drum across which cans travel while rotating 90° to achieve horizontal orientation at which point they fall into the upstream end of the single filer. A curved top guide surface prevents the cans from tumbling due to the small clearance between the guide and the top of the can. The use of a waterfall in feeding a single filer, or any other device for that matter, possesses a number of inherent shortcomings. Quite obviously, the dropping of cans en masse from a waterfall to a lower collection area can and oftentimes does result in damage being inflicted to the container side walls. This is a particular problem today as ferrous beverage containers have been provided with exceedingly thin side walls as a material saving expedient. When the flow of container bodies was to be interrupted, prior waterfall installations would employ a gate which would physically impede the entrance to the single filer which, itself, oftentimes causes can damage. The gate regulates can flow by capturing a row of cans laterally across the conveyer with a pressure pad that clamps the row of cans between the pad and the conveyor deck surface. When the gate is closed, the pad is applied which clamps the cans, thus stopping the flow. When the gate is open, the pad is released and the cans are free to move. The clamping action applies a force to the can bodies which can result in their damage. The sliding action of the cans through a prior waterfall can cause damage to the open end of the can as it slides on the top guide. It is thus an object of the present inven-tion to provide a drum device and its method of opera¬ tion as a substitute for waterfall installations of the prior art. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a drum device and its method of operation capable of rotating ferrous, can-shaped objects from a first to a second location over a curved surface while avoiding damage to the can bodies and providing a positive means of flow control while avoiding gate structures employed by the prior art. These and further objects will be more readily apparent when considering the following disclosure and appended claims wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the drum device of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the '• present invention; and Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view taken at an angle of 90° to the view of Fig. 2. Summarv of the Invention The present invention deals with a drum device and its method of operation. The device provides for the rotation of ferrous, can-shaped objects over a curved surface from a first to a second location. The device comprises a hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member, capable of rotation about a substantially horizontal, longitudinal axis. A magnet assembly is located within the hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member, said magnet assembly being of a size and placement to adhere the ferrous, can-shaped objects to the surface of the hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member only from first to a second location. Means are then provided for rotating the hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member about the substantially horizontal, longitudinal axis. Detailed Description of the Invention Fig. 1 illustrates the drum device of the present invention in operation. Ferrous, can-shaped objects 3 are moved along air conveyor 4 on its top surface 6 by the directional flow of air through openings 5. Cans 3 thereupon engage hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member 1 at a first location and are adhered to the surface of cylindrical member l by virtue of a magnet assembly, the details of which will be discussed hereinafter. Hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member 1 is caused to rotate about substantially horizontal, longitudinal axis 2 by virtue of a variable speed motor (not shown) . The motor drives gear assembly 9 " which, in turn, .is coupled to a roller chain contained within roller chain housing. The roller chain engages rotatable shaft 14 (Fig. 3) causing rotation of hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member 1 through bearings 13. It is an essential element of the present invention to provide a configuration whereby ferrous, can-shaped objects 3 are to be maintained by means of a magnet assembly on the surface -of rotating, cylindrical member 1 only in a specific predetermined arc of rotation, such as shown in Fig. 2. Ideally, the arc of rotation is approximately 90" whereby ferrous, can-shaped objects 3 are received from the surface of air conveyor 4 at a first location. Turning again to Fig. 2, cans 3 are to be received from horizontal surface 6 having a substan¬ tially vertical axis 7. The ferrous, can-shaped objects are then caused to adhere to the surface of rotating, cylindrical member 1 until the ferrous, can-shaped objects 3 reach a position whereby their collective longitudinal axes 8 are substantially horizontal. At that point, the influence of the magnet assembly diminishes and the ferrous, can- shaped objects fall from the surface of rotating member 1. To further facilitate removal, an optional stripper plate 20 can be provided tangential to the surface of cylindrical member 1. Although, in most instances, gravitational attraction applied to ferrous, can-shaped objects is sufficient to insure discharge from the rotating, cylindrical member's surface, the stripper plate insures can-shaped object removal substantially at the second location. The above-recited method is accomplished by providing magnetic assembly 11 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 within the body of hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member 1. Magnetic assembly 11 is dimensioned along longitudinal axis 2 for a length substantially contiguous to that of hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member 1. The magnetic assembly 11 is positioned along the curved interior of hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member 1 along an arc as defined by angle θ to be between approximately 90° to 110°. This results in a slight "overlap" between position 1 and position 2, which enables ferrous, can-shaped objects 3 to adhere to the surface of rotating member 1 for an approximate 90° arc. It is further to be noted that the drum device of the present invention can also act to regulate the flow of can-shaped objects as an alternative to gate structures of the prior art. As can-shaped objects 3 move from the air conveyor 4, they are captured by magnetic attraction onto the surface of rotatable, cylindrical member 1. If rotation of cylindrical member 1 stops, the flow of can-shaped objects also stops as line pressure from air conveyor 4 is not generally of sufficient strength to overdrive the drum device or to slide the can-shaped objects on the surface of rotating member 1. As such, the present invention advantageously replaces the typical prior art gate and waterfall devices. Where gates of the prior art are either open or closed, the present drum device can be adjusted from a zero to a predetermined maximum speed. Today's high-speed, can-handling processing lines require contiguous flow regulation with a rapid response time. Intermittent flow produced by a gate is not adequate because the response time of a mass of can-shaped objects is slow due to the inertia of the pack. The present invention provides for such continuous flow regulation with a response time unmatched by prior art devices.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A drum device for the rotation of ferrous can-shaped objects over a curved surface from a first to a second location comprising: A. A hollow rotatable cylindrical member capable of rotation about a substantial horizontal longitudinal axis; B. a magnet assembly being non-rotatably fixed in position within said hollow, rotatable cylindrical member having a longitudinal axis substantially contiguous to the longitudinal axis of said hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member and a shape such that it is capable of adhering ferrous can-shaped objects received in substantially vertical orientation onto the surface of said hollow-rotatable cylindrical member only over an arc of rotation no more than approximately 90 to 110°; and C. means for rotating said hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member about said substantially horizontal longitudinal axis. 2. The drum device of Claim 1 wherein said can-shaped objects are fed to said first location in a substantially vertical orientation upon the surface of an air-conveyor. 3. The drum device of Claim 1 wherein a stripper plate is located tangentially to the hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member and proximate to said " - second location. 4. A method for conveying ferrous can-shaped objects over a curved surface from a first to a second location comprising: A. Providing a hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member, capable of rotation about a substantially horizontal, longitudinal axis; B. providing a magnet assembly being non-rotatably fixed in position within said hollow rotatable cylindrical member having a longitudinal axis substantially contiguous to the horizontal axis of said hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member and a shape such that it is capable of adhering ferrous can-shaped objects received in substantially vertical orientation onto the surface of said hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member only over an arc of rota-tion of no more than approximately 90 to 110° ; C. providing means for rotating said hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member over said substantially horizontal, longitudinal axis; and D. feeding said ferrous, can-shaped objects in a substantially vertical orientation onto the surface of said hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member and causing said member to rotate with said ferrous, can-shaped objects adhering to the surface thereof by virtue of the influence of said magnet assembly only until said hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member has traveled an arc of rotation from the point of accepting said ferrous, can-shaped object only to approximately 90 to 110°. 5. The method of Claim 4 wherein said ferrous, can-shaped objects are fed to said first location in a substantially vertical orientation upon the surface of an air conveyor. 6. The method of Claim 4 wherein a stripper plate is provided tangentially to the hollow, rotatable, cylindrical member and proximate to its second location.

Inventors: HARDMAN ALLEN D, HARDMAN, ALLEN, D.
Applicants: RAYMOND PROD SYSTEMS CORP
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B65G15
IPC codes: B65G39, B65G54