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US 4,942,956 AGranted
Part indexing and positioning apparatus
AssigneeTherma-Tron-X, Inc.
InventorsJohn N. Acker, Bradley M. Andreae
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeTherma-Tron-X, Inc.
InventorsJohn N. Acker, Bradley M. Andreae
Estimating the term…
A series of rigid I-beams are secured to the underside of a driven endless looped chain and supported by a leading trolley and a trailing fixed connector. The chain is supported in a track by trolleys. End hooks on the beam support a load crossbar. A drive and brake assembly includes a reciprocating drive unit having a rail with a drive member sliding therein. The rail is mounted adjacent the chain and includes an inverted U-shaped arm pivotally mounted with the rail at one end. The slide has coupling fingers spaced in accordance with the chain links. A cylinder is coupled to the rail support and pivots the rail and slide member to selectively engage the chain link. A brake member secured to the U-shaped arm opposite side of the rail and has locking fingers spaced corresponding to the chain links. Pivoting of the rail to engage the slide member disengages the brake member to move the chain unit. Alternately, the brake member is engaged and the drive member disengaged and reset with positive alignment to the chain unit. A drive cylinder unit is secured to the rail and coupled to reciprocate the slide member. Alternately, parallel support units are connected by a load carrier for corresponding movement connected to trolleys moving along a track. A drive and brake assembly for each support unit includes a rail and slide and a brake pivotally mounted to the opposite side of tracks and trolleys. Both rails and brakes are mechanically coupled to a single cylinder for appropriate timed and alternate engagement of the drive to the trolleys to move the load one step and of the brake to hold the trolleys for resetting the slide unit.
A load indexing apparatus for precise powered motion of an elongated member, comprising a linear guide unit having a predetermined cross section, a driven unit movably mounted in said guide unit for linear movement therein, a reciprocating drive unit operable between a first position and second position along the path of said guide unit, a coupling connected to said driven unit and to said reciprocating drive unit, a movable support structure connected to said guide unit and operable to move the guide unit laterally to the line of movement of said drive unit, a positioning unit to move said movable support structure, said driven unit having at least one coupling member aligned for selective engagement with the elongated member in said first and second positions, and said driven unit including a first lateral position engaging said elongated member and a second lateral position disengaged from said elongated member for return movement of said driven unit from said second position to said first position, and a brake unit connected to said guide unit and positioned by said guide unit in a first engaged position to hold said elongated member in fixed relation when said driven unit is in said second lateral position.
A load indexing apparatus comprising an elongated beam defining a guide track, a trolley assembly mounted on said track and riding thereon and having a plurality of spaced coupling elements, a load support unit on said trolley assembly, a linear guide unit mounted adjacent said elongated I-beam, a driven unit movably mounted in said linear guide unit, a reciprocating drive unit coupled to said driven unit to position said driven unit between a first position and second position in spaced relation with said linear guide unit, a brake unit movably mounted to the opposite side of said track, each of said driven units and said brake unit including a coupling member aligned with a coupling element of said elongated member and each operable for selective coupling to an aligned coupling element of said elongated member, and means for oppositely positioning said linear guide unit and said brake unit to engage said coupling element of said elongated member to selectively move said driven unit and elongated member and alternately to hold said elongated member in a fixed position during movement of said driven unit within said linear guide unit from said second position to said first position, said guide unit is pivotally mounted to said machine frame, said brake unit being pivotally mounted to said machine frame, said brake unit being an operator unit establishing reciprocating motion, and a linkage interconnecting said operator unit and said pivot support units for said alternate positioning of said linear guide unit and said brake unit.
A load indexing apparatus for a stepped endless unit for sequential loading and unloading of an elongated work transfer member, comprising an endless chain unit mounted for movement in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of spaced trolley members secured to said chain unit, a plurality of support beams secured to said trolleys for stepped movement with said chain, a pivoted driven unit mounted to said frame structure and pivotal between operative engagement with said chain and from engagement with said chain, a linear reciprocating drive unit for moving of said pivotally mounted driven unit and said engaged chain a predetermined distance, said driven unit mounted for reciprocation and cyclically moving of said chain in accordance with said stepped movement, a pivoted brake unit coupled to said pivoted driven unit and engagable with said chain means and disengagable from said chain means, said brake unit being oppositely pivoted with said driven unit to alternately lock said chain unit against movement with the driven unit disengaged from said chain unit.
An indexing apparatus for transfer of a work support member between a load and unload location and a transfer location, comprising a supporting frame structure including an annular support frame, an endless drive member rotatably supported in said annular frame, a load member support structure depending from a plurality of identical load support members secured to said endless drive member for equicircumferentially spaced relation, stepped drive means coupled to said endless drive member and operable to sequentially move said endless drive member in a predetermined fixed equal length stepped in equal timed spaced periods and an elongated rigid support member secured to said endless drive member and having a length related to said stepped movement for sequentially alignment with a transfer location on said loop and a corresponding spaced load station on said loop for timed spaced alignment with said spaced stations, a pivoting member secured to said loop frame and extending to the opposite sides of said frame and said endless driven member, a drive means secured to said bridging member to the first side of said bridging member and a brake member secured to the second side of said bridging member, a pivot support for said bridging member having a pivot axis parallel to the frame and a pivot member coupled to said bridging member and alternately positioning said drive unit or said brake unit in engagement with said endless driven member to provide stepped movement of said endless driven member or said load support member to establish stepped movement of said load support member during said stepping movement and to positively hold said support member against movement during the reset of said drive unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.