US 4,903,822 A · Tube feed apparatus

Abstract

A feed apparatus for tubing in which a pair of arms are mounted in scissors fashion and a feed roller and drivingly connected pulley are mounted at each free end of the each arm. An endless drive belt is trained around the pulleys and a motor drivingly engages the belt so as to drive the pulleys and thereby the feed rollers. As the arms move in scissors fashion to move the feed rollers into and out of driving engagement with the tubing, the length of the path of the drive belt is shortened but a belt tensioning mechanism operates to compensatingly increase the length of the belt path to maintain a constant tension on the belt and thereby a constant drive to the feed rollers. The tensioning mechanism includes an air cylinder and a tensioning roller secured to the free end of the piston rod of the air cylinder. A constant air pressure is maintained in the air cylinder so that the tensioning roller is automatically moved outwardly to maintain a constant tension on the drive belt as the feed rollers move toward or away from the tubing.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A power feed apparatus for tubing or the like comprising:

(A) a pair of feed rollers adapted to drive the tubing along a tube feed path;
(B) means for moving said rollers relative to each other between a drive position engaging opposite sides of the tubing and a rest position withdrawn from the tubing feed path;
(C) means for rotationally driving said rollers and including a drive belt having a path of movement that varies in length in response to relative movement of said feed rollers;
(D) belt tensioning means operative in response to relative movement of said rollers to vary the length of said belt path in compensation for the variation in belt path length resulting from said relative movement of said feed rollers so as to maintain a relatively constant path length and thereby a relatively constant belt tension;
(E) said means for relatively moving said rollers including a pair of arms mounted for movement about a fixed pivot axis and each defining a free end;
(F) said feed rollers being respectively mounted on the free ends of said arms;
(G) said apparatus further including a pulley mounted on the free end of each of said arms in driving relation to the respective feed roller;
and
(H) said drive belt being trained around said pulleys.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Tube feed apparatus

Life of this patent

Tube feed apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10