Patent GB-781652-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines for stacking flat articles
IPC: B65H31/32
Filed: 1954-06-04
Abstract: 781,652. Photo-electric control of machines for stacking flat articles. IGRANIC ELECTRIC CO., Ltd. June 4, 1954 [June 10, 1953], No. 16593/54. Class 40 (3). [Also in Group XVI] A machine for stacking flat articles (e.g. newspapers) comprises a conveyer for feeding the articles to a stacking surface, an interceptor blade disposed above the stacking surface, means, adapted when an appropriate number of articles have piled up on the stacking surface, to change the relative position of the conveyer and the interceptor blade so that thereafter the articles will be stacked on the blade instead of on the stacking surface, and means adapted to be subsequently operated to discharge the pile of articles from the stacking surface, then to retract the blade so as to deposit the articles accumulated thereon on the stacking surface where they are augmented by further articles until the appropriate number has again been attained, and then to restore the blade and conveyer to their initial positions ready for the cycle of operations to be repeated. As shown in Fig. 1, overlapping newspapers are conveyed to the delivery end 56 of a conveyer 48 and as each newspaper leaves the last roller of one input conveyer 12 one edge thereof sags so as to interrupt the light path to a photo-cell in circuit with an electronic counter. The newspapers pass from the delivery end 56 on to a stacking surface comprising two inclined stacking blades 100, 102 adapted to be moved apart by a crank mechanism 108 operated by air cylinder 110, to allow the newspapers to face on to a table 122, which may be raised and lowered relatively to rollers 126 by the ram of an air cylinder 130 and rotated through 180 degrees by gearing operated by air cylinder 146. When (say) 25 newspapers have interrupted the light path to the photo-cell the electronic counter triggers a delay counter which, after the time required for the 25th newspaper to reach an interceptor blade 76, energizes a solenoid 68 and thus releases a latch 66 so that the delivery end 56 of the conveyer moves upwards under spring pressure until a slide 60 engages a stop 61 and the 26th and succeeding newspapers are fed on to the interceptor blade 76, which is retractable by an air cylinder 78 and movable vertically by an air cylinder 88. After the last newspaper of the first batch of 25 has fallen from the delivery end 56 on to the stacking blades 100, 102, a second delay counter is triggered to energize a solenoid and cause air cylinder 110 to open the blades and allow the batch of newspapers to fall on to the table 122. This movement of the blades results in air cylinder 88 lowering the blade 76 on to the stacking blades 100, 102. Also, after a time delay, air cylinder 110 is caused to close the stacking blades, air cylinder 146 rotates table 122 through 180 degrees and an air cylinder 70 moves the delivery end 56 of the conveyer to its initial position. This closure of the stacking blades in turn causes air cylinder 78 to retract the interceptor blade 76 so that the newspapers thereon fall on to the stacking blades, the retraction of the blade resulting in the closure of switches and in the raising of the blade by air cylinder 88. When the blade reaches its upper position it is advanced to its initial position by air cylinder 78. The second batch of 25 newspapers is now being stacked on the blades 100, 102, and when the 25th newspaper of this batch cuts the photo-cell light beam the above sequence of operations is repeated and, in addition, when the stacking blades 100, 102 open the table 122 is lowered so that the rollers 126 engage the newspapers through apertures in the table base and move the newspapers away from the table.