Patent GB-938214-A (GB)
Title: Knotter mechanism for automatic wire-tying machine
IPC: B65B13/28
Filed: 1961-02-09
Abstract: 938,214. Bundling-machines. UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION. Feb. 9, 1961 [Feb. 10, 1960], No. 4896/61. Class 94(1). [Also in Group XXII] A knotter mechanism, in a wiretying machine including a platform for supporting a package to be tied, a guide track extending around the platform with a lower horizontal portion just below the platform, and a slot through said platform and in line with said lower track portion has a twister pinion arranged in a housing movable from a first position in which said twister pinion is in line with said lower portion to a second position offset laterally therefrom. Wire W is fed from means 8 around a slotted guide track 12 surrounding a platform F, formed with a slot 19 in line with the lower, horizontal, part of the track 12, the wire W passing through knotter mechanism 10 twice, the overlapping parts W1, W2, of the wire being disposed in two separate grooves in the said lower part of the track 20, Figs. 5, 12. When the leading end of the wire hits a trigger 148 a switch 144 is actuated to cause a fluid pressure piston 138 to move a jaw 136 to clamp the wire end W2 against a finger 42 on a lever 32 pivotable about a shaft 34, Fig. 9. The switch 144 also stops the wire feed 8. To start the wire tying operation the wire feed 8 is operated in the reverse direction to pull the wire from the track 12 tight around a package P on the platform F, surplus wire being pushed up into an escapement 16. This actuates a switch 154 which causes a piston 124, Fig. 9, to rock an arm 120 to move a slide 86, Figs. 9, 20, downwardly so that the overlapped wire ends are freed from grooves 88, 90 in the slide and so that lugs 130 on the slide disengage stop 128 to allow a spring 110 to pivot an arm 46, carrying twister gear housing 44, about the shaft 34 towards the wires so that they are engaged by a slot 56 in twister pinion 52. The arm 46 operates a switch 226 to start a motor 22 to rotate a shaft 170 and sector gear 174, Fig. 5, and drive gears 200, 206, Figs. 5 and 7, shaft 208, twister gear 48 and pinion 52 to twist the wires together. When the sector 174 contacts a stop 176 it operates a switch 182 to reverse the motor 22 and to cause the gripper 136 to release. A cam shaft 186 is driven through pawl 202, Fig. 7, during the reverse movement of the sector 174, a pawl 210 permitting the twister pinion 52 to remain stationary. However the pinion 52 is rotated by spring and pawl means, Fig. 17 (not shown), to align the pinion slot 56 and to align a transverse slot, Fig. 6 (not shown), in the hub of the gear 48 and a driving key on the end of the shaft 208, to permit sliding disengagement of the driving connection when the twister housing 44 is moved back. A cam 190 (not shown) on the shaft 186 rocks a lever 222, Fig. 27, to lift a pivoted grooved cutter bar 216 out of alignment with a finger 40 to sever wire leading back to the feed means 8. A cam 194 on the shaft 186 rocks the twister housing 44 back from the twisted wire and a cam 192 on the shaft 186 moves the lever 32 to move fingers 40, 42 clear of the track 12 to allow the twist knot to be released towards the package P. The sector 174 contacts a stop 176 to switch off the motor 22 and start operation of the wire feed means 8. U.S.A Specification 2,416,859 is referred to.