Automated round tube loading machine

An automated round tube loading machine, comprising:

• a tube pickup mechanism, an elevator, and a box plunger, wherein:
• the tube pickup mechanism comprises a tube receiver, left and right side main track assemblies, left and right side secondary track assemblies, left and right side timing belts, and a timing belt drive mechanism;
• the tube pickup mechanism is configured to group a plurality of round tubes into a row for stacking multiple rows of the tubes into sets for loading into boxes;
• wherein:
• the tube receiver comprises a horizontal surface to hold the plurality of tubes to be picked up;
• the tube receiver extends at least partly between the front side of the automated round tube loading machine and the elevator;
• the tube receiver is configured to receive the plurality of round tubes;
• the left and right side main track assemblies comprise respectively a left and right side track, a left and right side carriage configured respectively to move linearly along the left and right side tracks, and a left and right side air cylinder mounted respectively to the left and right side carriage such that the left and right side air cylinders extend and retract respectively perpendicularly to the left and right side track;
• the left and right side main track assemblies are mounted and extend respectively adjacent and parallel to the left and right side of the automated round tube loading machine between the front and back side of the automated round tube loading machine;
• the left and right side secondary track assemblies comprise respectively a left and right side track, a left and right side carriage configured respectively to move linearly along the left and right side tracks, a left and right side air cylinder mounted respectively to the left and right side carriage such that the left and right side air cylinders extend and retract respectively perpendicularly to the left and right side track, a left and right side pickup bar mounted respectively to the left and right side track and extending adjacent and parallel to the left and right sides respectively of the automated round tube loading machine, and left and right side pickup fingers extending perpendicular respectively from the left and right side pickup bars toward the right and left sides respectively of the automated round tube loading machine and spaced apart respectively along the left and right side pickup bars such that the left and right side pickup fingers are insertable into the openings of a respective plurality of round tubes received on the tube receiver, wherein the left and right side pickup fingers are configured to insert into the openings of the respective plurality of round tubes, to pick up the respective plurality of round tube from the tube receiver, to move the respective plurality of round tube from the tube receiver to the elevator, and to drop off the respective plurality of round tube on the elevator;
• the left and right side secondary track assemblies are mounted respectively to the carriages of the left and right side main track assemblies perpendicular to the left and right side main track assemblies such that the tracks of the left and right side secondary track assemblies extend respectively perpendicular to the tracks of the left and right side main track assemblies below and parallel to the left and right side air cylinders of the left and right side main track assemblies respectively, wherein the carriages of the left and right side secondary track assemblies are mounted respectively to the carriages of the left and right side main track assemblies;
• the left and right side air cylinders of the left and right side main track assemblies respectively the left and right side secondary track assemblies are connected respectively to the left and right side carriages of the left and right side secondary track assemblies respectively such that the extension and retraction of the left and right side air cylinders of the left and right side main track assemblies respectively move respectively the left and right side tracks of the left and right side secondary track assemblies respectively through the left and right side carriages of the left and right side secondary track assemblies respectively;
• the left and right side timing belts are mounted respectively extending adjacent and parallel to the left and right sides of the automated round tube loading machine each extending in a loop having an upper belt side and a lower belt side, wherein the lower belt side of the left side timing belt is attached to the left side carriage of the left side main track assembly and the upper belt side of the right side timing belt is attached to the right side carriage of the right side main track assembly such that a common movement of the left and right side timing belts by the timing belt drive mechanism causes the left side carriage of the left side main track assembly to move in a first direction along the left side track of the left side main track assembly while also causing the right side carriage of the right side main track assembly to move in an opposite second direction along the right side track of the right side main track assembly;
• the timing belt drive mechanism comprises a drive motor, a drive shaft connected to the drive motor, and left and right side pulleys connected to the drive shaft, wherein the left side pulley movably engages the left side timing belt and the right side pulley movably engages the right side timing belt such that an operation of the timing belt drive mechanism moves the left and right side timing belts in a common direction and rotation around the left and right side pulleys respectively toward the front or back side of the automated round tube loading machine, and wherein the timing belt drive mechanism is configured to move the left and right side timing belts together in alternating motions toward the front and back sides of the automated round tube loading machine respectively and thereby cause the movement of the left and right side carriages of the left and right side main track assemblies respectively in alternating opposite directions with respect to each other between the front and back sides of the automated round tube loading machine;
• the elevator comprises a receptacle having a platform and a piston and configured to receive and hold grouped pluralities of the round tubes, wherein:
• the platform comprises a horizontal surface extending at least partly between the back side of the automated round tube loading machine and the tube receiver and configured to receive the grouped pluralities of the round tubes thereon;
• the piston is attached to the platform and configured to extend upward and downward such that the platform is raised and lowered respectively, wherein the piston is further configured to
• raise the platform to an initial upper position such that the grouped pluralities of tubes can be initially received onto the platform, and incrementally lower the platform from the initial upper position to allow the drop off of rows of the grouped pluralities of the round tubes in the elevator from the left and right side pickup fingers to form a stack of the rows on the platform within the elevator until a final lower position of the platform is reached to form a set of the rows of stacked tubes to be loaded into a box;
• and
• the box plunger comprises a plunger wall and a plunger mechanism connected to the plunger wall, and is configured to push vertically stacked rows of the tubes formed in the elevator off of the platform and out of the elevator, wherein the plunger wall comprises a movable vertical wall that normally positions adjacent to the elevator on the left or right side of the automated round tube loading machine and is configured to move horizontally across the platform of the elevator to a temporary position by operation of the plunger mechanism to push the vertically stacked rows of tubes formed in the elevator off of the platform and out of the elevator, and wherein the plunger mechanism comprises a movable mechanism configured to move the plunger wall between the normal position and the temporary position during an operation of the box plunger to push the vertically stacked rows of tubes formed in the elevator off of the platform and out of the elevator.