Abstract:
The machine is designed to form pallets by assembling cardboard longitudinal beams ( 1 ) and transverse beams ( 2 ) comprising means for storage, feed and dosification of longitudinal beams ( 1 ) and with means for storage, feed and dosification of transverse beams ( 2 ), means provided at corresponding areas ( 4, 5 ) for placing the longitudinal beams ( 1 ) longitudinally edgewise and coupling transversally thereto the corresponding transverse beams ( 2 ), both being provided with complementary notches for assembling the same. The longitudinal beams ( 1 ) from the area ( 4 ) are displaced on rails ( 16 ) and are situated in the area ( 5 ) where the transverse beams ( 2 ) fall and are pushed vertically by a pusher ( 22 ) to assemble the transverse beams ( 2 ) onto the longitudinal beams ( 1 ) previously and appropriately placed in the area.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application is a Continuation of co-pending PCT Application No. PCT/ES2004/000544, filed Dec. 3, 2004 which in turn, claims priority from Spanish Application Serial No. P200302959, filed on Dec. 16, 2003. Applicants claim the benefits of 35 U.S.C. § 120 as to the PCT application and priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 as to said Spanish application, and the entire disclosures of both applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
     
    
     OBJECT OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention, as expressed in the title of this specification, relates to a pallet assembling machine, the pallets in this case being made completely out of cardboard and made up by transverse beams and longitudinal beams provided with complementing notches that enable the assembly based on the different means and devices the machine is equipped with, essentially, the means of loading and positioning the longitudinal beams and the means of loading and positioning the transverse beams, as well as the pusher elements that enable the transversal assembly of both elements.  
         [0003]     The objective of the invention is to provide a machine capable of assembling transverse and longitudinal elements to form the structure of a pallet in a simple, efficient and highly productive manner.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     Currently, there are machines to assemble the traditional wooden pallets made by transverse beams and battens that are nailed to each other. The Spanish patent P-9001274 relates to an automatic one way advance pallet nailing machine that includes the means to feed the wooden transverse beams and the wooden lath o batten strips to be nailed over the transverse elements, and also includes nail guns to effect the nailing action. This machine is also equipped with the means to switch the position or turn about the formed structures before feeding a new series of wooden strips over the opposite face of the structure and nail them to form a pallet.  
         [0005]     This machine, besides being complex, since it requires the means to feed, nail, position, turning the structure around, etc, has the added inconvenient that has been designed for the assembly of wooden pallets, and therefore its structure cannot be used to assemble pallets made of cardboard longitudinal and transversal elements.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The machine described in this invention is designed, precisely, to assemble pallets made of cardboard and allows the assembly of the longitudinal and transversal elements that make up the pallet&#39;s structure without the need of additional affixing elements to put them together.  
         [0007]     More specifically, the machine object of the invention is designed to assemble transversal and longitudinal elements of various types so differently structured pallets can be formed, and has the particularity of including two well differentiated areas, one area is designed for the storage, feeding and dosification of longitudinal beams or elements, and the other area is designed for the storage, feeding and dosification of transversal beams or elements, both the transversal and longitudinal elements being supplied by the machine one by one to meet at the common point where they are assembled together.  
         [0008]     To allow the assembly of longitudinal and transversal elements it is necessary that both have notches in their lower edge and those said notches complement and match those notches located in the upper edge of the longitudinal elements, since the assembly process is done with the transversal elements travelling in a vertical position and a downward direction over to the longitudinal elements. During the travelling path of the longitudinal elements glue is injected on the notches to aid the affixing process.  
         [0009]     The machine includes several feeding and dosification storage areas for longitudinal elements arranged in a collateral and parallel manner amongst them, as well as several feeding and dosification storages of transversal elements arranged so that they corresponds with the former, and are provided with a transportation rail guide that moves the longitudinal elements towards the area where the transverse elements will be fed.  
         [0010]     Specifically, each feeding and dosification storage area for the longitudinal beams comprises a plate with a tilted portion that configures a lateral support for the longitudinal beams that are piled by leaning one of the longitudinal edges of said beams over said support surface of the plate, while the longitudinal beams are retained by means that are actuated by a cylinder that actuates, in turn, over the claws that retain the pile when the previous means move in a basculating motion to expel the lower longitudinal beam towards a channel or passage way placed below, all of it associated to a system of spring mediated rockers.  
         [0011]     Said plate that supports the longitudinal beams, incorporates in its outer or posterior face, the dosification mechanism that is pat of the retention means mentioned above.  
         [0012]     A basculating bumper has been placed at the exit end of the longitudinal beam feeding and dosification system mentioned above to establish a mean to position the longitudinal elements on edgewise on their side, that is, laying on one of its longitudinal edges in a horizontal position, so they can be pointed, one by one, towards the channel or passageway provided with a rail guide that is placed in the lower side that transports the longitudinal elements towards the area in which they will be deposited and the transversal elements will be then affixed to them during the assembly stage. A particularity of the system is that the channel or transportation passageway has been outfitted with lateral retractile guides that are, preferably, located at the areas where the transversal elements are assembled, allowing the downwards sliding of said transversal elements on their way to be assembled onto the longitudinal elements.  
         [0013]     All the feeding and dosification means for both the longitudinal and transversal elements are equipped with spindle screws, sliding devices and other appropriate accessories to aid and control the relative positioning of said feeding and dosification means.  
         [0014]     As for the feeding and dosification storage for the transversal elements, it is configured by a couple of “U” shaped pillars facing each other and separated by a distance that will correspond, logically, with the length of the transversal elements, establishing a vertical storage guide for said transversal elements, the lower transversal element is then retained by actuating basculating bumpers that allow said lower transversal element to fall towards a channel established to that effect and equipped with a wall presenting a tilted surface that acts as a deflector allowing the transversal element to be positioned vertically and parallel to the vertical line of the pile of elements, at the exit end of this deflecting system there is a channel that the transversal element accesses in said position, and is then pushed by a pusher device to travel downwards and positioned with its notches facing the notches of the longitudinal elements and arrive to the area where the transversal element will be assembled over the longitudinal element that has been previously placed in the appropriate position for this to occur.  
         [0015]     The machine allows the assembly of differently structured cardboard pallet models, that is, is capable of assembling different types of pallets. This can be achieved by merely regulating the position of the storage, feeding and dosification means for both the longitudinal and the transversal elements. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]     To complement the detailed description to be found below and to aid in the understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings has been attached to this specification. Said set of drawings will facilitate the understanding of the innovations and advantages of this pallet assembling machine that is the object of the invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  Shows a perspective view of the structure of a given type of pallet that has been assembled by the machine object of the invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  Shows an outline view of the section of the machine that configures the two areas of feeding and dosification for both the longitudinal and the transversal elements.  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  Shows another outline view of a profile of the transversal element dosification device and their subsequent assembly onto the longitudinal elements.  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  Shows a perspective view of the storage, feeding and dosification means for the longitudinal elements.  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  Shows a lateral profile view of the set represented in the previous figure, in which the storage, feeding and dosification means for the longitudinal elements can be seen.  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  Shows a perspective view of the storage, feeding and dosification means for the transversal elements.  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  Shows a perspective view of the rail guide for the longitudinal elements, as well as the regulation means that allow changing the position of the feeding and dosification means for the longitudinal elements. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0024]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the structure of each pallet is composed of various longitudinal beams  1  and transversal beams  2  both provided with matching notches  3  that enable the assembly of both beams.  
         [0025]     The assembly of the longitudinal beams  1  and transversal beams  2  to make a pallet such as the one shown in  FIG. 1 , is done by the machine described in this invention, that has two well differentiated areas  4  and  5 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , the first of these areas is set as the feeding and dosification area for longitudinal beams  1 , and the second area  5  serves as the feeding and dosification area for the transversal beams  2 , as well as serving as the assembly area where they are affixed to the longitudinal beams  1 .  
         [0026]     The storage, feeding and dosification of the longitudinal beams  1  as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , encompass a plate  6 , which has considerable length, and positioned in a tilted position, that supports the longitudinal beams  1  that are positioned laying on one of their longitudinal edges, said plate  6  is complemented by an additional plate  6 ′ which is separated from plate  6  by a distance that is approximately that of the width of the longitudinal beams  1  as shown in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0027]     The posterior or external face of said support plate  6  for the longitudinal beams  1 , is equipped with the corresponding dosification mechanism  7  with a cylinder  8 , and a rocker  9 , to which retention means or claws  10  and  10 ′ are associated, and said rocker is actuated by a spring  11  that tends to thrust the rocker  9  in the direction of the retention means or claws  10  and  10 ′ for them to support the pile of longitudinal beams  1 .  
         [0028]     In addition there are bumpers  12  mounted over a basculating axis  13 , one of the bumpers  12  ceases acting over the rocker  9  and causing, by the action of the corresponding springs  11 , the retention means or claws  10  and  10 ′ to be thrown against the longitudinal beams  1  and therefore blocking said elements in their piled position as shown in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0029]     Below said dosification systems there is a basculating bumper  14  that allows the fall of the longitudinal beam  1  placed in the lower position towards a channel or passageway  15 . The bumper  14  is placed in such a manner that longitudinal beam  1  accesses channel  15  laying on one of its edges, that is, with its lower longitudinal edge placed horizontally in order to reach rail guide  16  located in the lower part of the channel  15 , that will transport the longitudinal beams  1  from area  4  to area  5 , there are also pusher elements  17  that position, in a precise manner, the longitudinal beams  1  in area  5 , the same area to which the transversal beams  2  travel in vertical position with their notches  3  facing the matching notches of the longitudinal beams to allow assembly of both beams and form the required pallet.  
         [0030]     According to the above, the pile of pallets is retained by the basculating bumper  14 , that when is actuated by the cylinder  8 , causes with the oscillating motion of the basculating bumper  14  the longitudinal beam  1  placed on the lower position of the pile to fall, while the next longitudinal beam  1  in the pile is retained, and therefore the pile itself is also contained, by claws  10  and  10 ′ that act in synchronicity with bumper  14  while said bumper is basculating, since when said bumpers recovers its stationary position claws  10  and  10 ′ retract and the pile of longitudinal beams  1  is again supported by said basculating bumper.  
         [0031]     The storage, feeding and dosification of the transversal beams  2 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , requires a pair of vertical pillars  18  placed apart at a distance that will correspond, logically, to the length of the transversal beam or beams  2  in question, said pillars or profiles being configured in a “U” shape to frame a guide against which the transversal beams  2  are piled by leaning on the largest wing  19  of said profiles  18 , as seen in  FIG. 3 , in such a manner that the piled transversal beams  2  can access a tilted and deflecting surface  20  that guides the transversal beams  2  towards attaining a vertical position on their way to access channel  21 , above which there is a pusher element  22  that pushes each transversal beam  2  on a downward descent and presses it against the appropriate longitudinal beam  1  and thus achieving the assembly between both beams since their respective matching notches  3  will be facing each other. Once the assembly of the various transversal beams  2  over the longitudinal beams  1 , previously placed below, has been completed the extraction operation of the pallet thus obtained begins by means of the elements and means designed to that effect.  
         [0032]      FIG. 6  shows the actuating cylinders  23  and the bumper  24  which function is to retain the fall of the transversal beam, since the pile, or rather the lower transversal beam is retained by retractile bumpers  25  located over the basculating axis  26 , as represented in  FIG. 6 , all of it in such a manner that the basculating motion of said bumpers  25  allows the fall of the first transversal beam  2  in order for it to be fed towards channel  21  according to the process described above.  
         [0033]      FIG. 7  shows rail  16  to guide the longitudinal beams  1 , this rail guide  16  has retractile bumpers  27  placed on its sides, that is, the bumpers  27  can be stowed away or retracted during the pressing operation but not during the transportation operation, since there are is a profile in the machine that travels vertically in each one of the transversal beams feeding-dosificator means.  
         [0034]     Said retractile bumpers  27  will be placed above area  5 , coinciding with the assembly area for the transversal beams  2  and allowing assembly of said elements all the way to the bottom of the structure by having previously lowered them to that point, and having the particular characteristic that said lateral bumpers  27  have to be retracted to allow the passage of the transversal beams  2  without harming them or impeding their free passage.  
         [0035]     Finally, the machine has devices to regulate the relative position of each feeder-dosificator by means of spindle screws  28 , sliding guides  29  and additional accessories that allow for said adaptability.