Programmable electronic clutch for I.S. machine

Abstract

A pusher mechanism comprising a finger assembly, an upper cylinder including a shaft secured to the finger assembly for displacing the finger assembly between retracted and extended positions, housing means supporting the upper cylinder for pivotal displacement, means for pivotally displacing the upper cylinder from a start location to an end location when the finger assembly is extended including a servomotor, a control including profile generating means for generating a profile having a plurality of constant acceleration segments beginning at selected locations and an amplifier for receiving the profile and for driving the servomotor in response thereto, dynamic electronic clutch means for stopping the servomotor to prevent damage to the pusher mechanism when the pivotal displacement of the upper cylinder to the end location is prevented including the amplifier including means for generating a motor current signal, limit logic means including a corresponding plurality of selected constant current limits corresponding to the plurality of constant acceleration segments and logic means for outputting the constant current limit corresponding to a constant acceleration segment when the finger assembly is located at the start location of the segment, means for supplying the logic means with location data for the finger assembly as the extended finger assembly is displaced from the start location to the end location, comparator means for comparing the current limit signal and the motor current signal and for generating a servomotor stop signal in the event that the motor current signal exceeds the current limit signal, and the amplifier further comprising means for receiving the servomotor stop signal and for stopping the servomotor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.