Apparatus for measuring and orienting logs for sawing

Log sawing apparatus comprising a cutting machine that defines a vertical cutting plane, measuring station means spaced horizontally from said cutting machine and at which a log to be sawed is established in a desired rotational orientation and a determination is made of the lateral orientation that the log should have relative to said cutting plane during cutting for optimum yield from the log, and transfer mechanism by which a log is carried in translatory motion from said measuring station to a location at which the log is transferred to feed mechanism that feeds it to the cutting machine in horizontal generally lengthwise translatory feed motion along a defined path parallel to said cutting plane, said feed mechanism comprising carriage means confined to horizontal motion in opposite directions parallel to the cutting plane and two pairs of jaw members carried by said carriage means and by which a log is supported for feed motion, said log sawing apparatus being characterized by:

• A. said location being spaced vertically from said defined path;
• B. means on the carriage means mounting the two jaw members of each pair
• (1) for motion in opposite directions substantially normal to the cutting plane and
• (2) for up and down movement in unison;
• C. two actuating devices, one for each pair of jaw members, each of said actuating devices being connected between the jaw members of its pair to converge and diverge those jaw members by reaction between them and thus enable them to adjust themselves to the position of a log as they grippingly engage it;
• D. lateral adjustment means for each pair of jaw members, operative when the jaw members of a pair are in gripping engagement with a log to effect unison lateral motion of the two jaw members in each direction normal to the cutting plane, each said lateral adjustment means comprising a reversible actuator which, in addition to being arranged to effect movement in opposite directions, is arranged to have
• (1) a free condition in which the jaw members of the pair are unimpeded by the lateral adjustment means in their unison lateral movements, and
• (2) a locked condition in which the jaw members of the pair are confined against unison lateral motion;
• and
• E. actuating means on said carriage means connected with each pair of jaw members for moving the pairs of jaw members up and down simultaneously, so that a log supported by the transfer mechanism at said location can be gripped by said jaw members and translated substantially vertically by them to the level of said path.

Apparatus comprising a feed mechanism by which an elongated workpiece such as a log is fed to a cutting machine in horizontal substantially lengthwise translatory motion along a feed path parallel to a vertical cutting plane through the cutting machine, said feed mechanism comprising carriage means, means constraining said carriage means to move horizontally in a feed direction parallel to the cutting plane, and holding means on the carriage means for constraining a workpiece to move with the carriage means, said apparatus further comprising measuring means at a measuring station horizontally spaced from the feed mechanism, whereby measurements are taken of the contours of a workpiece in relation to a reference plane that has a known relation to said cutting plane, for ascertainment of a lateral position and orientation of the workpiece in relation to the cutting plane that will be optimum for feed of the workpiece through the cutting machine, said apparatus being characterized by:

• A. transfer mechanism for carrying a workpiece in translatory motion from the measuring station to a location in which the workpiece is adjacent to said holding means but in vertically spaced relation to said feed path, said transfer mechanism comprising
• (1) a set of workpiece supporting members by which two lengthwise spaced apart portions of the workpiece are supportingly engaged at said measuringstation, and
• (2) transport means by which the supporting members of said set are carried in spaced relation to one another and by which they are constrained to move in unison in the direction from said measuring station to said location;
• B. said holding means on the carriage means comprising
• (1) two pairs of jaws for gripping opposite sides of a workpiece at said location, comprising a set of jaws,
• (2) actuating means reacting between the two jaws of each pair for converging those jaws in any position transversely of the cutting plane in which they establish themselves when they converge upon a workpiece to grip it, and
• (3) means on the carriage means for adjustably shifting at least one of said pairs of jaws laterally while a workpiece is gripped by said set of jaws, to enable a workpiece supported by the feed mechanism to be established in said lateral position and orientation;
• and
• C. elevator means for effecting up and down motion of one of said sets relative to the other, so that a workpiece at said location can be transferred to said set of jaws and translated vertically into said feed path without change in its orientation, and, after being engaged by said set of jaws, can be shifted laterally to said lateral position and orientation before reaching the cutting machine.

Apparatus comprising a feed mechanism by which an elongated workpiece such as a log is fed to a cutting machine in horizontal substantially lengthwise translatory motion along a feed path parallel to a vertical cutting plane, and means defining a measuring station spaced a substantial distance horizontally from said feed mechanism and at which a workpiece is supported in a predetermined position of rotation and at a level that is vertically spaced from the level of said feed path to be measured for determination of the relationship between a calculated plane in the workpiece and a reference plane at the measuring station that has a known relationship to said cutting plane, said apparatus being characterized by:

• A. a carrier constrained to substantially horizontal motion along a defined transfer path from the measuring station to a position vertically adjacent to the feed mechanism;
• B. a set of workpiece supporting elements on said carrier comprising two spaced apart pairs of members arranged to supportingly engage lengthwise spaced apart portions of a workpiece and confine the workpiece against horizontal and rotational motion relative to the carrier so that the workpiece is constrained to move with the carrier along said transfer path and to arrive at said position with its calculated plane in the same relationship to the cutting plane that it had to the reference plane at the measuring station;
• C. said feed mechanism comprising
• (1) carriage means constrained to back and forth motion along said feed path, and
• (2) another set of workpiece supporting elements on said carriage means comprising two pairs of supporting members;
• D. one of said sets of workpiece supporting elements being arranged for vertical movement in unison to provide for translatory motion of a workpiece from its said level at the measuring station to said level of the feed path;
• E. actuator means connected between the two supporting members of each pair thereof of said set of workpiece supporting elements on the carriage means, for relatively converging and diverging those supporting members so that they can grip a workpiece supported by the set of workpiece supporting elements on the carrier without changing the position or orientation of the workpiece;
• and
• F. other actuator means carried by said carriage means for unison lateral shifting of at least one of said pairs of supporting members of said set of supporting elements thereon, to enable a workpiece supported thereby to be brought to an orientation in which its said calculated plane is in a desired relationship to the cutting plane.

Log sawing apparatus comprising a cutting machine that defines a cutting plane, measuring station means spaced from said cutting machine and at which a log to be sawed is established in a desired rotational orientation and a determination is made of a plane in the log that should be parallel to said cutting plane during cutting for optimum yield from the log, feed mechanism by which the log is fed to the cutting machine, and transfer mechanism by which the log is carried from said measuring station to said feed mechanism and by which its rotational and lateral orientations are controlled while it is so carried, said feed mechanism comprising carriage means confined to horizontal motion in opposite directions parallel to the cutting plane and two pairs of jaw members carried by said carriage means and by which a log is supported for horizontal substantially lengthwise translatory feed motion parallel to said cutting plane, said log sawing apparatus being characterized by:

• A. means on the carriage means mounting the two jaw members of each pair for motion in opposite directions substantially normal to the cutting plane;
• B. two actuating devices, one for each pair of jaw members, each of said actuating devices being connected between the jaw members of its pair to converge and diverge those jaw members by reaction between them and thus enable them to adjust themselves to the position of a log as they grippingly engage it;
• and
• C. lateral adjustment means for each pair of jaw members, operative when the jaw members of a pair are in gripping engagement with a log to effect unison motion of the two jaw members in each direction normal to the cutting plane, each said lateral adjustment means comprising a reversible actuator which, in addition to being arranged to effect movement in opposite directions is arranged to have
• (1) a free condition in which the jaw members of the pair are unimpeded by the lateral adjustment means in their movements in said directions normal to the cutting plane, and
• (2) a locked condition in which the jaw members of the pair are confined against movements in the last-mentioned directions.

Apparatus comprising a feed mechanism by which a log is fed to a cutting machine in horizontal substantially lengthwise translatory motion parallel to a vertical cutting plane through the cutting machine, said feed mechanism comprising carriage means constrained to move horizontally in a feed direction parallel to the cutting plane and holding means on the carriage means for constraining a log to move with the carriage means, said apparatus being characterized by:

• A. measuring station means spaced a distance to one side of said cutting plane,
• (1) said measuring station means defining a reference plane having a known relationship to said cutting plane, and
• (2) said measuring station means comprising a pair of supporting devices cooperable to cradle a log near opposite ends thereof and substantially confine the log to rotation, with the length of the log substantially horizontal and with the log approximately in lengthwise symmetry to said reference plane;
• B. transfer mechanism for carrying a log from the measuring station to the feed mechanism and by which the log is presented to the feed mechanism in the same rotational orientation to the cutting plane that it had to the reference plane at the measuring station, said transfer mechanism comprising
• (1) transport means confined to a predetermined course of motion in opposite directions through said distance,
• (2) a pair of elevators on said transport means, each constrained to motion in said course with the transport means but movable relative to the transport means in opposite directions that are transverse to said course of motion and to the feed direction, and
• (3) a pair of gripping elements on each elevator, the gripping elements of each pair being cooperable with one another and with their elevator to grip a log supported by said supporting devices and to prevent rotation of the log relative to the transfer mechanism while constraining the log to motion with the elevators;
• and
• C. said holding means on the carriage means comprising
• (1) two pairs of jaws for gripping opposite sides of a log presented to the feed mechanism by the transfer mechanism,
• (2) actuating means reacting between the two jaws of each pair for converging the jaws in any positions transversely of the cutting plane in which the jaws establish themselves when they converge upon a log to grip it, and
• (3) means on the carriage means for adjustably shifting each of said pairs of jaws laterally to enable a log supported by the feed mechanism to be established in a desired lateral position and orientation relative to the cutting plane.