US 4,921,398 AGranted

Apparatus for stacking and conveying wafer-like articles

AssigneeSIG Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft

InventorRene Fluck

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Abstract

An apparatus for forming consecutive groups of face-to-face stacked, flat articles includes an input conveyor for advancing the articles arranged in a flat-lying orientation and in a column of indeterminate length; a downwardly curving track arranged for receiving the articles from the input conveyor; a stock-forming device arranged for performing stacking steps by consecutively taking articles from the track and moving each article onto a trough into a face-to-face engagement with an outermost article of a group being under formation on the trough. There is provided a stepping motor connected to the stack-forming device for operating it in steps; a sensor arranged upstream of the stack-forming device responds to a passage of each article on the track. The sensor is connected to the stepping motor to operate it when the sensor responds. When the group has reached a predetermined number of articles or length, a mechanism discharges the group from the trough into a receptacle.

Claims9

Dependent claims

An apparatus for forming consecutive groups of face-to-face stacked, flat articles, comprising

(a) an input conveyor for advancing the articles arranged in a flat-lying orientation and in a column of indeterminate length and random spacing;
said input conveyor having a discharge end;
(b) a suction wheel having an air-pervious cylindrical peripheral face and a generally horizontally supported rotary shaft, said peripheral face being arranged for receiving the articles from said discharge end of the input conveyor in a random spacing on an upper portion of said suction wheel;
(c) vacuum means for drawing air through said peripheral face for pressing the randomly spaced articles thereagainst during the downwardly sloping advance of the articles carried by said peripheral face;
(d) a stack-forming device arranged for performing stacking steps by consecutively lifting off articles from said peripheral face and mechanically moving each article onto a trough into a face-to-face engagement with an outermost article of a group being under formation on said trough;
(e) a stepping motor connected to said stack-forming device for operating the stack-forming device in steps;
(f) a sensor means arranged at said peripheral face upstream of said stack-forming device as viewed in a direction of article advance on said peripheral face for generating a signal in response to a passage of each article on said peripheral face;
said sensor means being connected to said stepping motor for causing the stack-forming device to perform a stacking step when receiving said signal;
(g) a magazine including said trough;
said magazine further including means for discharging the article group from said trough when the article group has reached a predetermined quantity characteristic;
and
(h) a removal conveyor means including receptacles periodically aligned with said magazine for receiving the article group discharged from the trough of the magazine.

9 more elements

An apparatus for forming consecutive groups of face-to-face stacked, flat articles, comprising

(a) an input conveyor for advancing the articles arranged in a flat-lying orientation and in a column of indeterminate length;
said input conveyor having a discharge end;
(b) a downwardly curving track arranged for receiving the articles from said discharge end of the input conveyor;
(c) a stack-forming device arranged for performing stacking steps by consecutively taking articles from said track and moving each article onto a trough into a face-to-face engagement with an outermost article of a group being under formation on said trough;
the stack-forming device comprising two wheels supported on opposite sides of said downwardly curving track;
each wheel having a rotary axis extending parallel to a tangent of said track at said wheels;
each wheel having axially parallel extending wings arranged such that upon rotation of the two wheel the wings thereof together engage and lift an article off said track and advance the article onto said trough;
(d) a stepping motor connected to said stack-forming device for rotating said wheels in steps;
(e) a sensor means arranged at said downwardly curving track upstream of said stack-forming device as viewed in a direction of article advance on said track for generating a signal in response to a passage of each article on said track;
said sensor means being connected to said stepping motor for causing the stack-forming device to perform a stacking step when receiving said signal;
(f) a magazine including said trough;
said magazine further including means for discharging the article group from said trough when the article group has reached a predetermined quantity characteristic;
and
(g) a removal conveyor means including receptacles periodically aligned with said magazine for receiving the article group discharged from the trough of the magazine.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/172,320Filed 23 Mar 1988
Priority: CH 1090/8723 Mar 1987
Granted: 1 May 1990
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

B65G 57/28
Stacking of articles: by assembling the articles and tilting the assembled articles to a stacked position
B65D 23/14
Means for the attachment of smaller articles: of tags , labels, cards, coupons, decorations or the like
B65H 29/18
By contact of one face only with moving tapes, bands, or chains: and introducing into a pile
B65H 29/40
By movable piling or advancing arms, frames, plates, or like members with which the articles are maintained in face contact: members rotated about…