Stocker in reel supply apparatus

A stocker in a reel supply apparatus for delivering a loaded reel having an open core cylinder of a predetermined diameter onto a movable carrier running on a track, said stocker comprising:

• a stationary base positioned along said track;
• a motor fixedly mounted on said stationary base;
• a revolvable cylindrical body having a vertical axis, said cylindrical body revolvable about said vertical axis, said cylindrical body having a first stop position and a second stop position, said first stop position and said second stop position being angularly displaced from one another by 180 degrees;
• support means, fixedly mounted to said stationary base, for supporting said cylindrical body for rotation about said vertical axis;
• gear transmission means, operably connected to said motor and to said cylindrical body, for revolving said cylindrical body about said vertical axis in response to operation of said motor;
• sensor means for detecting said first stop position and said second step position;
• locking means for locking said cylindrical body at said first and second stop positions, said locking means operable in response to sensing of said first and second stop position by said sensor means;
• a gear box mounted on top of said cylindrical body;
• a pair of reel support arms fixedly attached to said gear box to extend horizontally on opposite sides thereof, said support arms having a diameter substantially corresponding to the predetermined diameter of the open core cylinder of the reel to allow the insertion thereof into said core cylinder for snugly, slidingly receiving the reel thereon and holding the reel thereon at a right angle thereto, said pair of reel support arms extending perpendicular to said track at said first stop position and said second stop position, each reel support arm comprising a pair of elongated arc sections, said pair of elongated arc sections defining a pair of diametrically opposed gaps therebetween, each reel support arm having an inner end adjacent said gear box and an outer end remote from said gear box, each reel support arm having a pair of shaft supporting plates, each shaft supporting plate mounted at a respective end of said reel support arm;
• pusher means, disposed on said reel support arms, for movement therealong to push the reels outwardly stepwise one-by-one, said pusher means comprising a rotatable threaded shaft journaled in each pair of said shaft supporting plates and a pusher member threadingly engaging said rotatable threaded shaft and extending through said gaps of said reel support arm at right angles with said reel support arms;
• and
• a drive motor, provided at said inner end of said rotatable threaded shaft, for rotating said threaded shaft by a predetermined amount to push each reel outward in a stepwise manner by a distance corresponding to a reel thickness, whereby said reels are moved along said reel support arms while maintaining a right angle with said reel support arm.