Patent GB-940736-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in, or relating to, automatic machines for counting and boxing screws and like small articles
IPC: B65B57/20
Filed: 1960-04-11
Abstract: 940,736. Counting and boxing small articles; endless conveyers. P. CHIAIA. April 11, 1960 [April 11, 1959], No. 12742/60. Headings B8A and B8C. [Also in Division G4] A machine for automatically counting and boxing screws 1, Fig. 1, has drums 3 and 4 that convey the screws individually to a box 11, and means 7 that is actuated by each screw, as it is carried by a drum, to establish a connection between a driving clutch plate 43, and a counting wheel 23. The screws 1 slide down parallel runways 2 and pass one at a time into indents 6 formed in two drums 3, 4 geared together at 41 and driven continuously by a shaft 42 through clutch plates 43, 44. Each drum is formed with a groove 9 into which projects a primary star wheel 7 such that each screw carried by the drums 3, 4 turn one of the star wheels 7 through a fraction of one increment of rotation. Such movement of a primary star wheel 7 turns a secondary star wheel 13 to a position in which it is driven by an element 14 on the clutch plates 44, and, as a result, a worm 15 is driven through an increment of rotation to turn a cog wheel 19 and thus a counting wheel 23 by one unit, and the star wheel 7 is turned through the remainder of its incremental movements to present a fresh prong to the groove 9. The secondary star wheel 13 is then in a position in which it is not driven by the element 14 until the primary star wheel 7 is actuated by a further screw. There is a worm 15 for each drum 3, 4 and in Fig. 2 each drum 15 can turn a cog wheel 19 rotatable relatively to a shaft 22. Each wheel 19 has a crown wheel 26 meshing with a common sun wheel 28 mounted on a radial projection 27 of the shaft 22. By this arrangement the sun wheel 28, and with it the shaft 22, is caused to rotate by every rotary movement imparted to one of the cog wheels; a pinion 21 fast on the shaft 22, transfers each rotary movement of the shaft 22 to the counting wheel 23. As the counting wheel 23 completes one revolution, a spring-biased slide 30 covering an aperture 29 in the wheel 23 is deflected away from the aperture by a feeler stud 33. The stud 33 then enters the aperture 29 and this motion causes a projection 38, Fig. 1, to engage a toothed wheel 39 on the drum 4 and so lock the drums 3, 4 against rotation, the driving clutch plate 43 sliding passed the driven clutch plate 44 during this period. The motion of the feeler stud 33 also causes a clockwise movement of an arm 46, Fig. 2, and this in turn causes a jack mechanism 60 to displace a conveyer belt 62, provided with spaced arms 63, along a track 64. This motion of the belt 62 removes a filled box 11 from a shoot 10 and replaces it with an empty box. To release the apparatus from its locked state so that a fresh box can be filled, the apparatus includes a friction disc 49, Figs. 2 and 3, having an arcuate recess 51 in its periphery. When the arm 46 is deflected clockwise a coupling arm 48 turns the friction disc 49 about its axis 50 until its unrecessed periphery is in driving relationship with a continuously rotating wheel 52. The resulting rotation of the friction disc 49 moves the arm 48 to the right and this in turn causes clockwise movement of the arm 46 such that the feeler stud 33 is withdrawn from the aperture 29, whereupon the spring biased slide 30 is free to cover the aperture 29 and prevent re-entry of the stud. The friction disc 49 is driven until the recess 51 therein is again opposite the driving wheel 52. The track 64 has an opening formed therein immediately below the discharge end of the shoot and a box-supporting plate 65 is located in and fills the opening. The plate is carried by and fixed upon a rod 67 connected to the shoot and is adapted to be vibrated by any suitable vibrator (for example a rotating turntable contacting and adapted to vibrate an arm fixed to the rod 67) so as to shake the plate and shoot thereby ensuring that, as each screw is extracted from an indent 6 in either of the transporter drums 3, 4, it travels down the shoot and into the box 11 and the screws in the box are caused to occupy a minimum volume.