Abstract:
A mechanism for inverting containers or other objects. The mechanism inverts the container or object a full 180 degrees while providing motion control without the use of hydraulic actuators; thereby eliminating the costs, maintenance, environmental issues, and contamination concerns associated with hydraulic systems. The primary application for the inverting mechanism is inverting containers for the purpose of emptying the contents. The mechanism may also be employed to rotate a variety of other objects in other applications.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    Many products used in manufacturing are transported in containers or drums. The product must be removed from the container during the manufacturing process. The most common method of removing the product from the container is by inverting the container, allowing gravity to cause the product to flow from the container. Some products, such as liquids or free-flowing solids, easily flow from the container and therefore do not require being fully inverted to empty the container. Other products, such as powders, do not flow freely and require the container to be fully inverted 180 degrees to completely empty the container. 
         [0002]    A common existing mechanism used to invert containers employs a single cam roller and cam track to cause the container to invert as the container is raised. This mechanism is not capable of fully inverting the container 180 degrees due to limitations of the single cam roller. Therefore, this mechanism can only be employed for free-flowing products that do not require the container to be fully inverted 180 degrees. 
         [0003]    Fully inverting a container 180 degrees is commonly achieved with the use of a hydraulic rotary actuator. The hydraulic rotary actuator is a rack and pinion type device that also provides motion control as the container&#39;s center of gravity goes past the axis of rotation, referred to as “over-centering”. The hydraulic rotary actuator requires the use of hydraulic fluid for motion control as hydraulic fluid is non-compressible. 
         [0004]    The use of hydraulic systems often presents a quality control issue due to the potential for product contamination with hydraulic fluid, as in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Yet there are many applications, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, where it is necessary for the containers to be fully inverted 180 degrees in order to completely empty the container. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is thus a principal object of the present invention to provide an inverting mechanism capable of fully inverting a container or object 180 degrees. 
         [0006]    Another object of this invention is to provide an inverting mechanism that provides motion control of the container or object during the inverting process. 
         [0007]    A still further object of this invention is to provide an inverting mechanism that does not require the use of hydraulic actuators or hydraulic systems. 
         [0008]    These and other objects will become apparent hereinafter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged side elevation view of the cam track assembly. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a horizontal section view of  FIG. 1  taken along section line  4 - 4 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a vertical section view of  FIG. 1  taken along section line  5 - 5  in exploded form. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a vertical section view of  FIG. 1  taken along section line  6 - 6 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a vertical section view of  FIG. 1  taken along section line  7 - 7 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism at the beginning of operation. 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is an enlarged side elevation view of the cam track assembly of  FIG. 10 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  is an enlarged side elevation view of the cam track assembly of  FIG. 12 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0023]      FIG. 15  is an enlarged side elevation view of the cam track assembly of  FIG. 14 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 16  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0025]      FIG. 17  is an enlarged side elevation view of the cam track assembly of  FIG. 16 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 18  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0027]      FIG. 19  is an enlarged side elevation view of the cam track assembly of  FIG. 18 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 20  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0029]      FIG. 21  is an enlarged side elevation view of the cam track assembly of  FIG. 20 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 22  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0031]      FIG. 23  is an enlarged side elevation view of the cam track assembly of  FIG. 22 . 
           [0032]      FIG. 24  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism in the inverted position. 
           [0033]      FIG. 25  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism in the inverted position. 
           [0034]      FIG. 26  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism with a receiver and container. 
           [0035]      FIG. 27  is a side elevation view of  FIG. 26 . 
           [0036]      FIG. 28  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism with a receiver and a container as the rotating assembly at the beginning of the inverting process. 
           [0037]      FIG. 29  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0038]      FIG. 30  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0039]      FIG. 31  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0040]      FIG. 32  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0041]      FIG. 33  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism during the inverting process. 
           [0042]      FIG. 34  is a front elevation view of the inverting mechanism with a receiver and a container as the rotating assembly in the inverted position. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0043]    Referring to  FIG. 1  thru  FIG. 7 , a 180 degree inverting mechanism  1  is provided. The inverting mechanism  1  is comprised of five main components which are the stationary frame  2 , the carriage  3 , the rotating member  4 , the cam track assembly  5 , and a drive  6 . 
         [0044]    As seen in  FIG. 1 , the stationary frame  2  provides the primary support structure for the inverting mechanism  1 . The stationary frame  2  is adapted with a base plate  7  affixed to one end and a top plate  8  affixed to the opposite end. The drive  6  is comprised of a ball screw  9 , a ball nut  10 , an end bearing  11 , a gear unit  12 , and an electric motor  13 . The electric motor  13  is connected to the gear unit  12  which is mounted to the top plate  8  with bolts  14 . The gear unit  12  is connected to one end of the ball screw  9 . The other end of the ball screw  9  is supported by the end bearing  11  which is secured to the base plate  7  with fasteners  15 . The ball screw  9  passes thru the ball nut  10  which is secured to the carriage  3  with fasteners  16 . As the ball screw  9  turns, the ball nut  10  travels up or down depending on the direction of rotation of the ball screw  9 . The drive  6  is commonly known as a ball screw actuator. Alternative drives may be substituted including a variety of linear actuators, chain and sprocket drives, etc.; as would be obvious to anyone skilled in the art. 
         [0045]    The cam track assembly  5  is affixed at an intermediate location along the length of the stationary frame  2 . The cam track assembly  5  provides a first cam track  17 , a second cam track  18 , and a third cam track  19 , as seen in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 . The first cam track  17  is located in a different plane  42  than the plane  43  in which the second cam track  18  and the third cam track  19  are located. The plane  42 ,  43  is defined as that space which is the width of, and in a direction perpendicular to, the contact surface  39 ,  40 ,  41  of the cam track  17 ,  18 ,  19 ; a portion of which is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0046]    As seen in  FIG. 4 , the stationary frame  2  provides two guide tracks  20  sized to receive the guide blocks  21  which are secured to the carriage  3  with fasteners  22 . The guide tracks  20  and the guide blocks  21  guide the carriage  3  in a linear direction relative to the stationary frame  2 . The guide blocks  21  are constructed of plastic or other suitable material to reduce friction, and may be substituted with rollers as would be obvious to anyone skilled in the art. 
         [0047]    The rotating member  4  represents the object to be inverted and is pivotally affixed to the carriage  3 . The rotating member  4  is adapted with a first cam roller  25 , a second cam roller  26 , and a third cam roller  27 . The first cam roller  25  is located in a different plane  44  than the plane  45  in which the second cam roller  26  and the third cam roller  27  are located. The plane  44 ,  45  is defined as that space which is the width of the cam roller  25 ,  26 ,  27  and in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the cam roller  25 ,  26 ,  27 ; a portion of which is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The stationary frame  2  provides a left cam roller guide  23  and a right cam roller guide  24 . The cam roller guides  23 ,  24  interface with the second cam roller  26  and third cam roller  27  to maintain the rotating member  4  in the proper orientation relative to the stationary frame  2 . 
         [0048]    As seen in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , the rotating member  4  is adapted with a long cam roller mounting  28  for receiving and mounting the first cam roller  25  and a short cam roller mounting  29  for mounting the second cam roller  26 . The cam rollers  25 ,  26  are retained on the cam roller mountings  28 ,  29  with a thrust washer  30  and fastener  31 . The rotating member  4  is adapted with a pivot sleeve  32  sized to receive a bearing  33  at each end. The carriage  3  is adapted with a pivot bar  34  sized to receive the pivot sleeve  32  and bearings  33 . The rotating member  4  is pivotally affixed on the pivot bar  34  with a thrust washer  35  and fastener  36 . 
         [0049]    As seen in  FIG. 7 , a short cam roller mounting  29  is also affixed to the rotating member  4  for mounting the third cam roller  27  which is retained on the short cam roller mounting  29  with a thrust washer  30  and fastener  31 . The third cam track  19  is located in a plane to receive the third cam roller  27  and the first cam track  17  is located in a plane to receive the first cam roller  25 ; whereas the plane of the third cam roller  27  does not extend into the plane of the first cam track  17 . It can be seen in  FIG. 7  that the second cam track  18  is located in the same plane as the third cam track  19  and, as seen in  FIG. 4 , the second cam roller  26  is located in the same plane as the third cam roller  27 ; therefore, the second cam track  18  is located in a plane to receive the second cam roller  26  and the plane of the second cam roller  26  does not extend into the plane of the first cam track  17 . The cam rollers  25 ,  26 ,  27  interface with the cam tracks  17 ,  18 ,  19  as the carriage  3  is moved in a linear direction relative to the stationary frame  2 , causing the rotation of the rotating member  4 . The cam tracks  17 ,  18 ,  19  are sized slightly larger than the cam rollers  25 ,  26 ,  27  to permit the rotation of the cam rollers  25 ,  26 ,  27 . 
         [0050]    Referring to  FIG. 8  thru  FIG. 25 , the operation of the inverting mechanism  1  is illustrated. The various positions of the rotating member  4  are shown in phantom outline for clarity. 
         [0051]    As seen in  FIG. 8 , the gear unit  12  and electric motor  13  rotate the ball screw  9 , thereby driving the ball nut  10  upward. The ball nut  10 , which is secured to the carriage  3 , drives the carriage  3  upward in a linear direction relative to the stationary frame  2 . The rotating member  4  is pivotally affixed to the carriage  3  and, therefore, also travels upward. As the carriage  3  and the rotating member  4  travel upward, the third cam roller  27  rides against the right cam roller guide  24  and the second cam roller  26  rides against the left cam roller guide  23 ; thereby maintaining the orientation of the rotating member  4  in an upright position relative to the stationary frame  2 . As the carriage  3  and the rotating member  4  continues travel upward, the first cam roller  25  clears and passes the third cam track  19 . 
         [0052]    As seen in  FIG. 9 , the carriage  3  and the rotating member  4  continue travel upward and the third cam roller  27  engages the third cam track  19 . This is the point that the rotating member  4  begins to rotate clockwise relative to the carriage  3 . 
         [0053]    As seen in  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11 , the carriage  3  continues travel upward and the third cam roller  27  travels up the third cam track  19 , causing the rotating member  4  to rotate clockwise relative to the carriage  3 . 
         [0054]    As seen in  FIG. 12  and  FIG. 13 , the carriage  3  continues travel upward and the third cam roller  27  continues travel in the third cam track  19 , causing the rotating member  4  to further rotate clockwise relative to the carriage  3 . Before the third cam roller  27  exits the third cam track  19 , the first cam roller  25  enters the first cam track  17 ; thereby maintaining motion control of the rotating member  4 . 
         [0055]    As seen in  FIG. 14  and  FIG. 15 , the carriage  3  continues travel upward and the first cam roller  25  continues travel in the first cam track  17 , causing the rotating member  4  to further rotate clockwise relative to the carriage  3 . The second cam roller  26  clears and passes the second cam track  18  and the first cam track  17 . The pivot bar  34  also clears and passes the third cam track  19 . 
         [0056]    As seen in  FIG. 16  and  FIG. 17 , the carriage  3  continues travel upward and the first cam roller  25  continues travel in the first cam track  17 , causing the rotating member  4  to further rotate clockwise relative to the carriage  3 . 
         [0057]    As seen in  FIG. 18  and  FIG. 19 , the carriage  3  continues travel upward and the first cam roller  25  reverses travel direction in the first cam track  17 . This causes the rotating member  4  to further rotate clockwise relative to the carriage  3  due to the pivot bar  34  now being above the first cam track  17 . The third cam roller  27  clears and passes the third cam track  19  and the first cam track  17 . The pivot bar  34  also clears and passes the second cam track  18 . 
         [0058]    As seen in  FIG. 20  and  FIG. 21 , the carriage  3  continues travel upward and the first cam roller  25  continues the reverse travel direction in the first cam track  17 . This causes the rotating member  4  to further rotate clockwise relative to the carriage  3 . Before the first cam roller  25  exits the first cam track  17 , the second cam roller  26  enters the second cam track  18 ; thereby maintaining motion control of the rotating member  4 . 
         [0059]    As seen in  FIG. 22  and  FIG. 23 , the carriage  3  continues travel upward and the second cam roller  26  continues travel in the second cam track  18 , causing the rotating member  4  to further rotate clockwise relative to the carriage  3 . 
         [0060]    As seen in  FIG. 24 , the carriage  3  continues travel upward and the second cam roller  26  travels up the second cam track  18 , causing the rotating member  4  to further rotate clockwise to a fully inverted position relative to the stationary frame  2 ; having rotated a full 180 degrees from the original orientation. Before the second cam roller  26  exits the second cam track  18 , the third cam roller  27  contacts against the left cam roller guide  23 ; thereby maintaining motion control of the rotating member  4 . 
         [0061]    As seen in  FIG. 25 , the carriage  3  may continue travel upward with the rotating member  4  in the inverted position. As the carriage  3  continues upward, the second cam roller  26  now rides against the right cam roller guide  24  and the third cam roller  27  now rides against the left cam roller guide  23 ; thereby maintaining the orientation of the rotating member  4  in an inverted position. As the rotating member  4  continues travel upward, the first cam roller  25  clears and passes the second cam track  18 . 
         [0062]    The carriage  3  and the rotating member  4  are returned to their original position by reversing the rotation direction of the electric motor  13 , thereby reversing the rotation direction of the ball screw  9  and driving the ball nut  10  downward. The carriage  3  and the rotating member  4  simply follow the same motion demonstrated in  FIG. 8  thru  FIG. 25  in reverse order. 
         [0063]    Referring to  FIG. 26  thru  FIG. 34 , the application of the inverting mechanism  1  for inverting containers is demonstrated. The rotating member  4  is comprised of a receiver  37  which is adapted to receive and secure a container  38 . The operation of the inverting mechanism  1  for this application is illustrated in  FIG. 28  thru  FIG. 34 . For clarity, the various positions of the receiver  37  and container  38  are shown in phantom outline. The operation of the inverting mechanism  1  for this application is the same as the operation presented in the discussion for  FIG. 8  thru  FIG. 25 . The inverting mechanism  1  fully inverts the container  38  a full 180 degrees from the original orientation, as seen in  FIG. 34 , thereby allowing gravity to empty the contents. 
         [0064]    The application of the inverting mechanism  1  is not limited to a vertical orientation and may be used in various applications to rotate other objects. The present invention may be provided in other modified forms and the foregoing description provides one embodiment of the invention for the purposes of this disclosure. It is intended to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention.