Component feeding with continuous motion escapement
AssigneeThe Gillette Company
InventorsDikrun DerMarderosian, Matthew T. Brightman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to methods and systems for transferring a stream of a components (28, 84, 100, 100′), either as individual components (28, 84, 100′) or as a continuous strip (100) or band from which individual components are cut, from a component feeder (62a) to a component receiver (92, 108), e.g., in a processing machine, with controlled, e.g., continuous, motion escapement of the individual components (28, 84, 100, 100′) from the feeder (62a).
Claims27
A continuous motion escapement system comprising
- a rotatable disk comprising a central axis;
- a capture location at a first distance from, and at a first radial position of, the central axis;
- a delivery location at a second radial position of the central axis, the delivery location is at a second distance from the central axis different than the first distance;
- and wherein the distance of the component from the central axis changes as the component transfer mechanism moves the component from the capture location to the delivery location;
- and
- a plurality of component transfer mechanisms arranged on the disk, wherein each component transfer mechanism comprises a component holder configured to actively grip a component at the capture location, and wherein each component transfer mechanism is configured to move the component holder from the capture location to the delivery location, enable the component holder to deposit the component in a defined orientation at the delivery location, and return the now empty component holder to the capture location within one rotation or less of the disk, wherein as the disk rotates, the component holder moves radially from the first distance at the capture location to the second distance at the delivery location along a path at an angle to a surface of the disk.
A method of continuously transferring a stream of components from a capture location to a delivery location, the method comprising:
- capturing and gripping each component with a component transfer mechanism at a capture location at a first distance from, and at a first radial position of, a central axis;
- moving the component transfer mechanism gripping the component to a delivery location at a second radial position with respect to the central axis different from the first radial position;
- and
- depositing the component in a defined orientation into a component receiver at the delivery location wherein the capture location is positioned on a first plane, the delivery location is positioned on a second plane at a different level than the first plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.