Patent Publication Number: US-2013236587-A1

Title: Corrugating roller pair support frame

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a corrugating roller pair support frame, and more particularly to a corrugating roller pair support frame that enables easy mounting and releasing of a corrugating roller pair to and from a corrugating machine and easy exchange of one corrugating roller pair with another one, so that the time needed to handle the corrugating roller pair is shortened and the efficiency of manufacturing corrugated boards is upgraded. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     With its special structure and relatively good structural strength, corrugated board has been widely used in many applications, such as creation of art works, formation of paper-made advertisements, or even manufacturing of furniture. A conventional corrugating machine for producing corrugated board mainly includes a corrugating roller pair, which must be preheated before being used to form corrugated board. When using the same corrugating machine to produce another type of corrugated board, the whole corrugating machine must stop operating, the original corrugating roller pair is dismounted from the corrugating machine, and another required corrugating roller pair is mounted on the corrugating machine. Again, the newly mounted corrugating roller pair must be preheated before the corrugating machine can be started for operating. The corrugating roller pair is very heavy, and it is time and energy consuming to release the same from the corrugating machine and mount another one to replace it. Further, it takes time to preheat the newly mounted corrugating roller pair to thereby extend the operating time. 
     It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop a structure that enables easy mounting or releasing of the corrugating roller pair to or from the corrugating machine, so that the time needed for exchanging two corrugating roller pairs can be shortened to upgrade the efficiency of producing corrugated board. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a corrugating roller pair support frame that enables easy mounting or releasing of a corrugating roller pair to or from a corrugating machine and easy exchange of one corrugating roller pair with another one to shorten handling time and upgrade production efficiency. 
     To achieve the above and other objects, the corrugating roller pair support frame according to the present invention is designed for at least one corrugating roller pair of a corrugating machine to easily releasably mount thereto. The corrugating roller pair includes two rectangular supporting plates and two corrugating rollers. The two corrugating rollers are arranged side by side and rotatably connected to between the two rectangular supporting plates; and the two rectangular supporting plates are respectively formed on each of two lateral sides with at least one locating slot. The corrugating roller pair support frame according to the present invention includes four supporting posts, in between two of which one rectangular supporting plate of the corrugating roller pair is mounted while another rectangular supporting plate is mounted in between the other two supporting posts, and the four supporting posts having a plurality of locating blocks movably embedded therein for releasably engaging with locating slots formed on the rectangular supporting plates to thereby releasably hold the corrugating roller pair to the support frame; and a supporting elevator for supporting and regulating the corrugating roller pair to a desired height on the support frame. 
     With these arrangements, the corrugating roller pair can be conveniently mounted to or released from the support frame and be easily exchanged with another one, so that the time needed for handling the corrugating roller pair is shortened and the efficiency of manufacturing corrugated boards is upgraded. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of a corrugating roller pair support frame according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2 to 10  are left-side sectional views of the corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention showing the use thereof; 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view showing a supporting plate of the corrugating roll pair and some locating blocks for the corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a supporting elevator for the corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a left-side sectional view showing movable door panels for the corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention; 
         FIG. 14  is a left-side sectional view showing the use of auxiliary locating blocks for the corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 15  is an exploded perspective view showing the supporting plate and the locating blocks and auxiliary locating blocks for the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will now be described with some preferred embodiments thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1  that is a schematic perspective view of a corrugating roller pair support frame according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and to  FIG. 2  that is a left-side sectional view showing the use of the present invention. As shown, the corrugating roller pair support frame is laterally symmetrically configured, and  FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken along a middle position of the support frame of  FIG. 1  and viewed from the middle position toward a left side of the support frame. The corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention is configured for releasably holding at least one corrugating roller pair  1  for a corrugating machine. In the illustrated embodiment, there are two corrugating roller pairs  1  held on the support frame. Each of the corrugating roller pairs  1  includes two rectangular supporting plates  11  and two corrugating rollers  12 .  FIG. 2  shows only the rectangular supporting plates  11  located at the left side of the support frame. The rectangular supporting plates  11  located at the right side of the support frame are not shown in  FIG. 2  but they are symmetrically identical to the left supporting plates  11 . Further, the corrugating rollers  12  as shown in  FIG. 2  are located with their longitudinal axes perpendicular to a plane containing the drawing sheet. The two corrugating rollers  12  are arranged side by side and are so positioned that a plane passing through their central axes and a horizontal plane contain a 45-degree angle therebetween. The two corrugating rollers  12  are rotatably connected to between the two rectangular supporting plates  11 , i.e. a left and a right rectangular supporting plate  11 . The rectangular supporting plates  11  may be respectively a cuboid or a cube. At least one locating slot  111  is formed on each of two lateral sides of the rectangular supporting plates  11  for preventing the roller pair  1  from moving sidewardly. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2 , there are four locating slots  111  separately formed at four corners of the rectangular supporting plate  11  to locate between two opposite surfaces of the supporting plate  11 . Alternatively, the locating slots  111  may be formed on two in-facing surfaces or two out-facing surfaces of the left and right rectangular supporting plates  11  of the corrugating roller pair  1 . The support frame includes four supporting posts  2  and a supporting elevator  4 .  FIG. 2  shows only the two supporting posts  2  located at the left side of the support frame. The two supporting posts  2  located at the right side of the support frame are not shown in  FIG. 2  but they are symmetrically identical to the left supporting posts  2 . In  FIG. 2 , only the left side of the supporting elevator  4  is shown. However, a complete structure of the supporting elevator  4  is shown in  FIG. 12 . The supporting posts  2  are respectively provided with a plurality of movable locating blocks  3 . Again,  FIG. 2  only shows the locating blocks  3  provided in the two left-side supporting posts  2 , and the locating blocks  3  provided in the two right-side supporting posts  2  are not shown but they are symmetrically identical to the left-side locating blocks  3 . The four supporting posts  2  may be square or round posts, and may be independently fixedly mounted to a floor or be connected to one another via a plurality of transverse connecting members  21  before being fixedly mounted to the floor. The two left-side rectangular supporting plates  11  of the corrugating roller pair  1  are located in between the two left-side supporting posts  2 , and the two right-side rectangular supporting plates  11  of the corrugating roller pair  1  are located in between the two right-side supporting posts  2 . While  FIG. 2  only shows the manner in which the left-side rectangular supporting plates  11  are fitted in between the two left-side supporting posts  2 , the right-side rectangular supporting plates  11  are similarly fitted in between the two right-side supporting posts  2 . The locating blocks  3  are movably embedded in the supporting posts  2 . While  FIG. 2  only shows the manner in which the locating blocks  3  are embedded in the two left-side supporting posts  2 , the locating blocks  3  are embedded in the two right-side supporting posts  2  in the same manner. When the locating blocks  3  engage with the locating slots  111  on the rectangular supporting plates  11 , the corrugating roller pair  1  is firmly held to the support frame. On the other hand, when the locating blocks  3  are disengaged from the locating slots  111 , the corrugating roller pair  1  can be released from the support frame. The supporting elevator  4  serves to support the corrugating roller pairs  1  and regulate the same to different heights on the support frame. 
       FIGS. 2 to 6  show the use of the corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention. Please refer to  FIGS. 2 to 6  along with  FIG. 1 . As shown, the corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention is laterally symmetrically configured, and  FIGS. 2 to 6  are sectional views taken along a middle position of the support frame of  FIG. 1  and viewed from the middle position toward the left side of the support frame. Herein, the support frame will be described with two corrugating roller pairs  1  vertically superposed therein. As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , when the corrugating machine operates, one of the corrugating roller pairs  1  located at a lower position is now in a working zone. A first feeding roller  8  is also arranged on the support frame of the present invention for feeding a first paper material  81  to between the two corrugating rollers  12  of the lower corrugating roller pair  1 , so that the first paper material  81  is pressed to form corrugations thereon. Meanwhile, a feeding mechanism  9  having a second feeding roller  91 , a third feeding roller  92  and a driving unit  93  is also arranged on the support frame of the present invention. The first feeding roller  8 , the two corrugating rollers  12  of the lower corrugating roller pair  1  in the working zone, the second feeding roller  92 , and the third feeding roller  92  are so positioned that a plane passing through their central axes and a horizontal plane contain a 45-degree angle therebetween. The driving unit  93  of the feeding mechanism  9  drives the second feeding roller  91  to locate closely below the corrugating rollers  12  of the lower corrugating roller pair  1 , and the third feeding roller  92  feeds a second paper material  94  to between the corrugating rollers  12  of the lower corrugating roller pair  1  and the second feeding roller  91  while glue is applied onto the second paper material  94 . Finally, the second paper material  94  and the corrugated first paper material  81  are heated and bonded to each other to form a corrugated board, which is then output from the corrugating machine. Meanwhile, the two corrugating rollers  12  of the upper corrugating roller pair  1  are preheated. As shown in  FIG. 3 , in the event the lower corrugating roller pair  1  in the working zone of the support frame is disordered or when a different type of corrugated board is to be manufactured on the corrugating machine, and it is therefore necessary to replace the lower corrugating roller pair  1  with another one, the first feeding roller  8  and the second feeding roller  91  are caused to stop feeding paper materials, the driving unit  93  of the feeding mechanism  9  drives the second feeding roller  91  to move backward away from the corrugating rollers  12  of the lower corrugating roller pair  1 , and all the locating blocks  3  are caused to retract into the supporting posts  2 . Then, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the supporting elevator  4  lowers the two corrugating roller pairs  1 , so that the upper corrugating roller pair  1  is now located in the working zone. Further, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the locating blocks  3  within the working zone are caused to protrude from the supporting posts  2  into the locating slots  111  on the supporting plates  11  of the upper corrugating roller pair  1 , so that the upper corrugating roller pair  1  in the working zone is firmly held to the support frame. On the other hand, the lower corrugating roller pair  1  is further lowered by the supporting elevator  4  and then horizontally moved (perpendicular to the drawing sheet) by a horizontal exchange platform (not shown) to exchange position with another preheated corrugating roller pair  1 , which is then moved onto the supporting elevator  4 . Thereafter, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the supporting elevator  4  elevates the replacing corrugating roller pair  1 , the driving unit  93  of the feeding mechanism  9  drives the second feeding roller  91  to locate closely below the corrugating rollers  12  of the upper corrugating roller pair  1 , and the first feeding roller  8  and the second feeding roller  91  start feeding paper materials for manufacturing corrugated board. 
       FIGS. 7 to 10  show further steps of using the corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention. Please refer to  FIGS. 7 to 10  along with  FIG. 1 . As shown, the corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention is laterally symmetrically configured, and  FIGS. 7 to 10  are sectional views taken along a middle position of the support frame of  FIG. 1  and viewed from the middle position toward the left side of the support frame. Herein, the support frame will be described with two corrugating roller pairs  1  vertically superposed therein. As shown in  FIG. 7 , in the event the upper corrugating roller pair  1  in the working zone of the support frame is disordered or when a different type of corrugated board is to be manufactured on the corrugating machine, and it is therefore necessary to replace the upper corrugating roller pair  1  with another one, the first feeding roller  8  and the second feeding roller  91  are caused to stop feeding paper materials, the driving unit  93  of the feeding mechanism  9  drives the second feeding roller  91  to move backward away from the corrugating rollers  12  of the upper corrugating roller pair  1 , and all the locating blocks  3  are caused to retract into the supporting posts  2 . Then, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the supporting elevator  4  elevates the two corrugating roller pairs  1 , so that the replacing corrugating roller pair  1  at a lower position is now located in the working zone. Further, as shown in  FIG. 9 , the locating blocks  3  within the working zone are caused to protrude from the supporting posts  2  into the locating slots  111  on the supporting plates  11  of the lower corrugating roller pair  1  that is currently located in the working zone, so that the lower corrugating roller pair  1  is firmly held to the support frame. On the other hand, the upper corrugating roller pair  1  is further hoisted by a hoist  5  and then horizontally moved (perpendicular to the drawing sheet) by a horizontal exchange platform (not shown) to exchange position with another preheated corrugating roller pair  1 , which is then moved onto the hoist  5 . Thereafter, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the hoist  5  lowers the new corrugating roller pair  1 , all the locating blocks  3  are caused to protrude from the supporting posts  2  to locate and support the two corrugating roller pairs  1 , the driving unit  93  of the feeding mechanism  9  drives the second feeding roller  91  to locate closely below the corrugating rollers  12  of the lower corrugating roller pair  1 , and the first feeding roller  8  and the second feeding roller  91  start feeding paper materials for manufacturing corrugated board. 
     With the above arrangements, the support frame of the present invention enables easy and convenient mounting or releasing of the corrugating roller pairs  1  to or from the support frame, so that any one of the corrugating roller pairs  1  can conveniently exchange position with an external third corrugating roller pair  1  to enable manufacturing of a different type of corrugated board or replacement of a failed corrugating roller pair  1  almost without the need of stopping the corrugating machine. That is, any of the corrugating roller pairs  1  can be replaced with a third one without incurring additional loss in time because the replacing corrugating roller pair is already preheated when being mounted to the support frame. Thus, the production of corrugated boards can be performed with shortened time and upgraded efficiency. As can be seen from  FIG. 2 , with the support frame of the present invention, the first feeding roller  8 , the two corrugating rollers  12  of each corrugating roller pair  1 , the second feeding roller  91 , and the third feeding roller  92  can be arrayed at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the horizontal plane to thereby reduce an overall height of the support frame as well as the heights at which the rollers are mounted, so that less space is needed for the corrugating machine and operators can handle the corrugating roller pairs in a more convenient manner. Moreover, as can be seen from  FIG. 3 , the support frame of the present invention is so designed that the second feeding roller  91  can be moved backward to a position closer to the supporting posts  2  for easy performing of subsequent operations. Further, as can be seen from  FIG. 2 , with the support frame of the present invention, the first feeding roller  8  and the feeding mechanism  9  can be exchanged in position to satisfy other required arrangements. And, while the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 2 to 6  includes two corrugating roller pairs  1 , the support frame of the present invention can also be used with only one single corrugating roller pair  1 . For example, in the case only one corrugating roller pair  1  is supported by the supporting elevator  4  in  FIG. 2  to locate in the working zone, and it is necessary to replace the corrugating roller pair  1  with another one due to disorder of the corrugating roller pair  1  or for the purpose of manufacturing another type of corrugating board, the operator needs only to stop the first feeding roller  8  and the second feeding roller  91  from feeding paper materials, actuate the driving unit  93  of the feeding mechanism  9  to move backward the second feeding roller  91 , and retract all the locating blocks  3  into the supporting posts  2 . And then, the operator may use the horizontal exchange platform (not shown) to horizontally move the corrugating roller pair  1  (perpendicular to the drawing sheet), so that it exchanges position with another preheated corrugating roller pair  1  and the preheated replacing corrugating roller pair is moved onto the supporting elevator  4 . Thereafter, all the locating blocks  3  can be caused to protrude from the supporting posts  2  to engage with the locating slots  111 , the driving unit  93  of the feeding mechanism  9  can be actuated to drive the second feeding roller  91  to a position closely below the corrugating rollers  12  of the replacing corrugating roller pair  1 , and the first feeding roller  8  and the second feeding roller  91  are caused to feed paper materials again for manufacturing the desired corrugating board. 
     The corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention may further include a plurality of driving units  31 , which may be air cylinders or oil cylinders and are arranged on the four supporting posts  2  for driving the locating blocks  3  to engage with or disengage from the locating slots  111 , so that automated mounting and releasing of the corrugating roller pair  1  to and from the support frame can be achieved. 
       FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view showing the supporting plate  11  for the corrugating roller pair  1  and the locating blocks  3  for the support frame of the present invention. As shown, the locating slots  111  provided on the supporting plate  11  are triangular in shape, and the locating blocks  3  respectively have a triangular projection  32  that can be easily guided into the triangular locating slots  111 . Through engagement or disengagement of the triangular locating projections  32  with or from the locating slots  111 , the corrugating roller pairs  1  are mounted to or released from the support frame of the present invention. 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the supporting elevator  4  for the support frame of the present invention. As shown, the supporting elevator  4  includes a supporting platform  41  and two crossing supporting legs  42  that are pivotally connected to each other at two intersections thereof, and to a lower side of the supporting platform  41  at their upper ends. When the two crossing legs  42  of the supporting elevator  4  are extended from each other, the supporting platform  41  is lowered; and when the two crossing legs  42  are folded toward each other, the supporting platform  41  is lifted. 
       FIG. 13  is a left-side sectional view showing movable door panels  6  for the corrugating roller pair support frame of the present invention. As shown, the support frame further includes four pieces of movable door panels  6 . In  FIG. 13 , two of the four pieces of movable door panels  6  located at the left side of the support frame are shown. The other two movable door panels  6  for the right side of the support frame are not shown in  FIG. 13 , but they are symmetrically identical to the two left-side door panels  6 . These door panels  6  can be folded up or rolled up to be extendably received in the four supporting posts  2 . The movable door panels  6  can be selectively opened or closed between the four supporting posts  2  and the supporting elevator  4 . The door panels  6  in the closed position can stop external foreign matters from invading into the corrugating machine to cause undesirable danger. 
       FIG. 14  is a left-side sectional view of the support frame of the present invention showing a plurality of auxiliary locating blocks  7  for the support frame, and  FIG. 15  is an exploded perspective view showing the supporting plate  11 , the locating blocks  3  and the auxiliary locating blocks  7 . As shown, each of the supporting plates  11  is provided on each of two lateral sides with at least one auxiliary locating slot  112  for assisting in preventing the corrugating roller pairs  1  from moving sidewardly on the support frame. The auxiliary locating slots  112  can be formed in between the two opposite surfaces of the supporting plate  11 , or be formed on two in-facing surfaces or two out-facing surfaces of the left and right rectangular supporting plates  11  of the corrugating roller pair  1 . And, the four supporting posts  2  are respectively provided with a plurality of movable auxiliary locating blocks  7 . When the auxiliary locating blocks  7  engage with the auxiliary locating slots  112  on the rectangular supporting plates  11 , the corrugating roller pairs  1  are more firmly held to the support frame. On the other hand, when the auxiliary locating blocks  7  are disengaged from the auxiliary locating slots  112 , the corrugating roller pairs  1  can be released from the support frame. When the locating blocks  3  are failed, the auxiliary locating blocks  7  can also serve to hold the corrugating roller pairs  1  to the support frame. 
     The support frame of the present invention further includes a plurality of auxiliary driving units  71 , which can be air cylinders or oil cylinders and arranged on the four supporting posts  2  for driving the auxiliary locating blocks  7  to engage with or disengage from the auxiliary locating slots  112 , so that automated auxiliary holding and releasing of the corrugating roller pair  1  to and from the support frame can be achieved. 
     The auxiliary locating slots  112  are triangular in shape, and the auxiliary locating blocks  7  respectively have an auxiliary triangular projection  72  that can be easily guided into the triangular auxiliary locating slots  112 . Through engagement or disengagement of the auxiliary triangular locating projections  72  with or from the auxiliary locating slots  112 , the corrugating roller pairs  1  can be more safely mounted to or released from the support frame of the present invention. 
     The present invention has been described with some preferred embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.