US 6,655,902 B2Granted

Apparatus for stacking elongated members

AssigneeLeggett & Platt LTD / Leggett & Platt LTEE

InventorsRichard Dubé, Dany Blanchet

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Abstract

An apparatus for transferring rows of side-by-side elongated members from a conveyor to a stacking platform to form bundles. A plurality of parallel stacker arms are displaceable in a direction parallel to the conveying of the elongated members, between a retracted position, and a stacking position, wherein the stacker arms are positioned above the stacking platform for disposing rows of elongated members thereon. A ramp is displaceable between an inclined position and a horizontal position, for guiding the pivoting of the stacker arms about carriages, such that stacker arms moving from the retracted portion to the stacking position are pivoted upward to pick up a row of elongated members from the conveyor portion, and that stackers arms moving from the stacking position to the retracted position are kept generally horizontal, so as to encompass the rows of elongated members conveyed on the conveyor portion. A slat positioner is also disclosed.

Claims27

Dependent claims

An apparatus for transferring rows of side-by-side elongated members from a conveyor to a stacking platform to form bundles, said apparatus comprising:

a conveyor portion for conveying separate rows of said elongated members in a direction perpendicular to longitudinal axes of said elongated members;
a plurality of parallel stacker arms displaceable in a direction parallel to the conveying of said elongated members, between a retracted position, wherein said parallel stacker arms are positioned below said conveyor portion so as not to interfere with said elongated members being conveyed on said conveyor portion, and a stacking position, wherein said stacker arms are positioned above said stacking platform for disposing rows of elongated members thereon;
each said stacker arm having a rear end connected to a carriage so as to pivot about said carriage, each said carriage being actuated so as to displace each said stacker arm between said retracted position and said stacking position;
each said stacker arm having a follower portion in operative contact with a ramp, said ramp being displaceable between an inclined position and a horizontal position, for guiding the pivoting of said stacker arms about said carriages, such that stacker arms moving from said retracted position to said stacking position are pivoted upward to pick up a row of elongated members from said conveyor portion, and that stackers arms moving from said stacking position to said retracted position are kept generally horizontal, so as to encompass said rows of elongated members conveyed on said conveyor portion;
wherein said plurality of stacker arms are divided in a first group of stackers arms and a second group of stacker arms, said first group of arms moving in concert from said retracted position to said stacking position so as to pick-up a row of elongated members being conveyed on said conveyor portion, while said second group of arms move oppositely in concert from said stacking portion to said retracted portion, and vice-versa.

2 more elements

An apparatus for disposing slats between rows of a product being deposited on a bundle being formed, comprising:

an outer shell portion defining a magazine for storing a stack of slats, said magazine being open at a bottom end thereof for slats to outlet therefrom;
at least one pincer arm pivotally mounted to said outer shell portion so as to be displaceable between a pincer arm supporting position and a pincer arm bypassing position, said pincer arm having at least one finger projecting laterally from a bottom end thereof so as to block said open bottom end of said magazine when said pincer arm is in said pincer arm supporting position;
and
a carriage operatively mounted to said outer shell portion so as to translate vertically thereon, said carriage adapted for being actuated in displacement between a carriage retracted position and a carriage discharging position, said carriage having at least one transport arm pivotally mounted thereto, said transport arm having at least one support surface portion projecting laterally from a bottom thereof, said support surface portion being positioned generally below said open bottom end of said magazine;
wherein displacement of said carriage from said carriage discharging position to said carriage retracted position actuates said pincer arm into pivoting from said pincer arm supporting position to said pincer arm bypassing position, and back to said pincer arm supporting position, so as to dispense a bottommost slat from said stack of slats in said magazine onto said support surface portion of said transport arm, and wherein displacement of said carriage from said carriage retracted position to said carriage discharging position causes said slat on said support surface portion to be disposed on the bundle being formed.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.