Patent GB-1227814-A (GB)
IPC: B65H29/34
Filed: 1968-05-07
Abstract: 1,227,814. Stacking-machines; endless-belt conveyers. FERAG, FEHR & REIST A.G. 7 May, 1968 [26 May, 1967], No. 21589/68. Headings B8A and B8C. Apparatus for piling stacks of laminar objects has a carrier for the objects reciprocable over at least one stacking surface, means for removing the objects from the carrier at the beginning of its withdrawal from the stacking surface and for moving the stacking surface towards the underside of the carrier at the latest at the beginning of its withdrawal, to press the uppermost object on the surface against the underside of the , carrier to steady the pile. Stacks of newspapers 13 are placed on a conveyer 10 one at a time which turns them alternately through 90 degrees in opposite directions to retain even stack height and passes them on to conveyers 15 which convey them in direction "A" (Fig. 1) until they abut stops 32 and intercept a light beam from a detector 35. Belts 15 are lowered to deposit the stack on rollers 16 and a pusher 31, reciprocable at right angles to the direction A, pushes the stacks on to a carrier in the form of extensible fork members 17 which, in extending, move in the same direction as the pusher from beneath the rollers. The carrier brings them over one or the other of a pair of stacking surfaces 18. The stacking surfaces are each formed by belts 20 and rollers 19 mounted on a vertically movable table 21, the upper and lower limits of travel of which are determined by magnetism operated switches 44 responding to a magnet 42 on the table, Figs. 1, 2, and cause the bundle to fall on to the surface 18 as the carrier is withdrawn, the bundle being stripped from the carrier by a respective pair of stop blades 39. The respective table 21 is lowered until photo-electric detector 46 picks up the top of the pile and causes the cycle to start again. When the carrier is again over the surface 18, the table is raised until the pressure of the bundle on the underside of the carrier actuates a switch 37 to extend the stop blades 39 and withdraw the carrier, thus straightening and compressing the pile before the next stack is dropped on to it. When the pile reaches a desired height, which may be determined by the number of bundles on the pile or by the height as measured by the detector 46, the height of which may be adjustable, the table 21 is lifted level with conveyer belts 24, 25, 26 and the pile is removed. The device is then switched over so that the other table 21 is loaded. The conveyer belts 24, 25, 26 may be raised and lowered relative to other conveyers 27, 28, 29 so that the latter may take over their load, the lifting arrangement in this case and in the case of the belts 15 being as shown in Fig. 4. If a solenoid 70 is excited, an arm 61 rotates anti-clockwise, raising a rail 58 to which it is hinged and consequently raising the belt 52. The change of belt path is taken up by its spring- loaded end reversing roller 55, which is mounted in a slotted guide. If a solenoid 73 is excited the belt is lowered by an arm 64 also hinged to the rail 58 to form a parallel motion linkage with it and the arm 61. If desired, stacks may be fed straight through the machine the belts 15, 25 being maintained raised and stop rods 32 moved clear of the stack path.