Patent GB-953461-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for handling towels or the like
IPC: D06F95/00
Filed: 1960-07-19
Abstract: 953,461. Automatic towel flattening devices. F. W. MEANS & CO. July 19, 1960 [Aug. 13, 1959], No. 25131/60. Heading B8S. An apparatus for orientating towels has a pick-up member, a gripping member, and sensing means which senses the presence or absence of a towel; the pick-up member picking up the towel and drawing it through the gripper member till the sensing member operates the gripper member to grip the ends of the towel. First embodiment. Grasping device 12 (Figs. 6, 10). This includes two grasping heads 20 and 21. Each such head has a shell 38 and a ring 40 rotatable relative thereto. Shell 38 and ring 40 each have a set of elastic lacings 45 such that when the ring 40 is rotated relative to shell 38 the lacings move towards the centre into a gripping position. The displacement is effected by air cylinders 27 and 31 respectively. In addition head 20 may be given a rotary movement about shaft 23 by air cylinder 34; and both heads together may be given a bodily rotary movement about shaft 23. Flattening means 13 (Fig. 7).-This is a carriage running on wheels 48 which has two suction heads 52 pivoted at 51 and displaceable by racks 55 operated by gears 58 driven from a power source. Operation (Fig. 1).-Vacuum tube 16 is lowered into heap 62. It picks up a towel and raises it past light beam 64. When the towel has passed the light beam, cell 65 is operated to actuate solenoid 27 to cause the gripping head 20 to seize the lower end of the towel. Thereafter vacuum tube 16 is shut off and air cylinder 34 is actuated to rotate head 20 about shaft 25 through 180 degrees to cause the towel to hang downwards. Next, solenoid 31 is actuated to cause head 21 to grip the hanging lowermost corner of the towel. Shaft 23 is then rotated through 90 degrees to move the grasping means 12 as a whole from the vertical position to the horizontal position. In this position, the towel is stretched horizontally and its two corners hang. The flattening means is then traversed on its rollers to approach the handkerchief and its vacuum boxes 52 are caused to pivot to engage the hanging sides of handkerchief. The vacuum boxes are then raised to the horizontal position while the grippers 20 and 21 are opened to release the towel. The flattening means 13 now supporting the towel in a flat horizontal position then moves rightwards till over conveyer 14. When its vacuum is shut off the towel drops flat on to the conveyer which discharges it. Embodiment two. Vacuum pick-up 77 (Figs. 15, 17).-This is a rotary conveyer rotating on a horizontal axis and having arms 149. Each arm has a suction tube 151 provided with suction from pipe 137, and a pair of grippers or pincers 165 and 166 pivoted at 167. Suction tube 151 is telescopic relative to tube 149, which latter is telescopic relative to hub 140, so that the suction tube 151 is doubly extensible. Pincers 165 and 166 are carried by rods 158 displaceably carried by block 156 secured to tube 149. Relative displacement is effected by followers 161 and 157 which engage respectively with fixed cams 145 and 144. Thus, as the arms rotate, follower 157 causes tube 149 to move outwards so that suction tube 151 also moves outwards and with a pecking movement sucks and retains a towel. As the arm rotates further, follower 161 engages cam 145 to cause tube 149 to move relative to rods 158. This causes block 170 carried by tube 149 to engage extensions of pincers 165 and 166 to allow the pincers to close and grip the towel. Gripper mechanism 78 (Figs. 18, 23).-This is a rotary conveyer on a horizontal axis and has pairs of arms 210 and 211 between which a towel is to be positioned. Operations are initiated by three cams 182, 185 and 186. Cam 182 engages with follower 206 to cause separation between grippers 210 and 211. Cams 185 and 186 engage the followers 227 of grippers 210 and 211 respectively to initiate the sensing and gripping movement. Grippers 210, 211 are similar, each gripper 210 for example having a pivoted blade 215, a stationary blade 214, a pivoted sensing bar 254, and a retaining finger 244 pivoted to blade 214. Operation.-When the towel is received between blades 214 and 215, cam 186 causes displacement of follower 227. This effects two things. Firstly, by engagement of rear arm 234 with arm 245, retaining finger 244 is swung inwards to retain the towel. Secondly, it causes lever 230 to displace pin 256 on arm 255 to displace sensing bar 254 towards fixed blade 214 to trap the towel and at the same time to actuate switch 262. The switch in turn operates solenoid 220 to close the blade 215 against the fixed blade 214. Vacuum take-off 79 (Fig. 27).-This is a rotary conveyer having a number of vacuum heads 282 rotating about horizontal shaft 275, and a similar rotary conveyer having the same number of vacuum heads rotating about horizontal shaft 276. Additionally two pairs of grippers 312 are provided. Operation.-As the towel is received between the two sets of vacuum heads rotating towards each other, pins 318 on the rotating heads engage blocks 311 to cause the four grippers 312 to move inwards and to engage the towel which is thus suspended between two sets of rotating heads. As the pins move past blocks 311 the gripper 312 are released, and the towel falls with one half gripped by one set of vacuum heads and the other half gripped by the other set of vacuum heads. The two heads move the towel inwardly and downwardly till the edge of the towel is received between fixed stripper fingers 323 and conveyer belt 337 and is then discharged flatwise by the said belt. General operation (Fig. 13).-A mass of towels is fed into hopper 82, and is delivered therefrom by belt 84. Rotating vacuum wheel 76 picks up the towels one by one from belt 84 and delivers them on to belt 102. Each single towel is then picked up by vacuum tube 151 on one of the arms 149 of vacuum pick-up 77, the grippers 165 and 166 then closing upon the towel to grip it when the suction is released. The towel is thus carried upwards and counterclockwise for 90 degrees until at the horizontal position the towel is offered by the grippers 165 and 166 to a pair of grippers 211, 210 of gripper mechanism 78. Cams then operate a gripper 211 to cause the finger 244 to retain the towel, and to cause sensing bar 254 to move towards the fixed blade 214. As the grippers 165, 166 continue their anticlockwise movement they drag the towel past sensing bar 254 which then is free to move in full engagement with fixed blade 214. This energizes solenoid 220 and moves the blade 215 into engagement with blade 214 to grip the towel securely. The cam on the device now causes the grippers 210 and 211 to move apart. This causes the towel locked in gripper 211 to be pulled through gripper 210 until it is part drawn through gripper 210. This then permits sensing bar 254 of gripper 210 to complete its movement towards blade 214 to operate movable blade 215. The opposite ends of the towel are now firmly locked in the two grippers 210, 211 which are separated. The towel is now ready to be passed to the vacuum take-off 79. The grippers 210 and 211 move between the sets of vacuum heads 282 and the solenoids are released to release the towel at the moment when grippers 312 move forward to take hold of the towel. Then pins 318 strike blocks 311 to release the grippers 312 to allow the towel to fall between the two sets of rotating vacuum heads and to allow it to be delivered flatwise on to discharge belt 337.