Nail detector system
AssigneeEmhart Inc.
InventorRalph E. Karcher, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system is disclosed for detecting the proper transfer of nails within a nailing machine. The disclosed system includes optical sensors attached to feed tubes within the nailing machine. Signals produced by the optical sensors are processed in such a manner as to alert the operator of the machine at a predetermined time when an improper transfer of nails has occurred.
Claims17
A system for detecting the transfer of nails from a first station within a nailing machine to a second station within the machine wherein the nails are arranged in a nailing pattern at the second station, said system comprising:
- means for sensing the passage of nails from the first station to the second station wherein the nails are arranged in the nailing pattern;
- means, responsive to the sensing of the passage of nails, for accounting for each nail that is to be present in the nailing pattern;
- and
- means, responsive to said accounting means, for alerting the operator of the nailing machine at a predetermined time prior to a nailing operation of the nailing machine when at least one nail is missing from the nailing pattern.
In a nailing machine wherein nails are fed through a plurality of feed tubes to locations within a predefined nailing pattern, a system for alerting the operator of the machine when one or more nails have not been properly fed to the locations within the predefined nailing pattern, said system comprising:
- means, associated with each feed tube, for sensing the passage of a nail in the respective feed tube;
- and
- means for alerting the operator of the machine at a predetermined time during the operation of the machine when the passage of a nail has not been previously sensed in any of the feed tubes.
A system for detecting the transfer of nails from a first station within a nailing machine to a second station within the machine wherein the nails are arranged in a nailing pattern at the second station, said system comprising:
- a plurality of individual feed tubes which define individual paths for the nails traveling to given locations within the nailing pattern at the second station;
- a plurality of means, each associated with individual feed tubes, for indicating whether the passage of a single nail has previously occurred in a respective feed tube;
- and
- means for checking each of said plurality of indicating means at a predetermined time during the operation of the nailing machine so as to detect any feed tube wherein the passage of a nail has not previously occurred.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.