Loading apparatus

Claim 2

In combination with a pair of horizontally spaced apart, corresponding and vertically rotatable turrets each carrying about its outer periphery a corresponding plurality of pairs of adjacent and associated workpiece chucks which are equally spaced apart about the outer periphery of each respective turret and which are indexed in unison by said turrets through vertically circular and corresponding paths of travel comprising a series of stations including a loading station located in a selected lower quadrant of said paths of travel and at which said pairs of associated chucks are successively positioned for receipt therein of opposite ends of pairs of a series of longitudinal workpieces such as similar lengths of rod or tubing, an apparatus associated with said turrets for loading of said pairs of workpieces into said pairs of chucks, such apparatus comprising: A. an endless workpiece conveyor associated with each said turret, each such conveyor movable through a vertical loop path of travel a portion of each of which extends parallel with and downwardly past said loading station, each such conveyor also including on the outer periphery thereof an endless succession of workpiece pockets whose centers are spaced apart a distance equal to a third of the distance between the centers of adjacent ones of said chucks on said turrets; B. workpiece pusher means associated with each said conveyor and each located below and adjacent to said portion of the vertical loop path of travel of the respectively associated conveyor, such pusher means each including a pair of pusher members which are spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the centers of adjacent ones of said chucks on said turrets and which have workpiece contacting ends which face normal to said portion of said loop path of travel of the respectively associated conveyor; C. means associated with each said workpiece pusher means for supporting the respectively associated pusher means in its rEspective said location, each such supporting means so supporting its respective pusher means for first reciprocative movement of said ends of said pusher members parallel with said portion of said loop path of travel of the respectively associated conveyor and for second reciprocative movement of said ends of said pusher members normal to a line projected between the centers of each of said pairs of adjacent and associated workpiece chucks which each respective pair of such chucks are positioned at said loading station; D. means for moving each said conveyor through its said path of travel at a constant speed and a speed such that odd and evennumbered pockets of consecutively numbered pockets on each respective conveyor are aligned with the centers of each of said pairs of associated chucks at some point in time during the dwell period of each such pair at said loading station; E. means for imparting said first reciprocative movement to each said pusher means at a first speed and in a direction corresponding to the speed and direction of movement of each respectively associated conveyor, and at a second speed and in a direction corresponding to twice the conveyor speed and opposite the direction of movement of the respectively associated conveyor, the total time of movement of each said pusher means in both directions being equal to the time of movement past any selected point of any two successive ones of said pockets on said conveyors; and F. means for imparting said second reciprocative movement to each said pusher means for actuation of said pusher members between retracted and projected positions with a brief period of dwell at said projected position, the total time of said actuations and said dwell period being equal to the time of movement of said pusher means in said first direction of said first reciprocative movement of such means.

Claim 3

In combination with first and second horizontally spaced apart, corresponding and vertically rotatable turrets each carrying about its outer periphery a corresponding plurality of pairs of associated and adjacent workpiece chucks which are equally spaced apart about the outer periphery of each respective turret and which are indexed in unison by said turrets through vertically circular corresponding paths of travel comprising a series of stations including a loading station located in a selected lower quadrant of said paths of travel and at which said associated pairs of chucks are successively positioned for receipt therein of opposite ends of pairs of a series of longitudinal workpieces such as similar lengths of rod or tubing, apparatuses associated with said turrets for loading of said pairs of chucks, such apparatuses comprising: A. a first apparatus associated with said first turret, such first apparatus including; a. an endless article conveyor movable through a vertical loop path of travel including a selected portion extending parallel with lines projected between the centers of each of said pairs of adjacent and associated chucks when each such pair is positioned at said loading station, such conveyor including about the outer periphery thereof an endless succession of workpiece conveying pockets which are closely adjacent to the outer limit of said circular path of travel of said chucks when such pockets are moved by the conveyor through said selected portion of said path of travel of the conveyor and past said loading station, each said pocket having a width greater than the diameter of said workpieces and the centers of adjacent ones of said pockets being spaced from each other a distance generally corresponding to one third of the distance between the centers of adjacent pairs of said chucks; and b. means for supporting a pair of similar workpiece pushers adjacent the lower side of said conveyor with the workpiece-contacting ends of such pushers pointed towards said selected portion of said path of travel, the centers of such ends of the pushers being spaced apart a distance geNerally equal to the distance between the centers of adjacent ones of said chucks, said pushers being reciprocatively movable on said supporting means through a first path of travel including projected and retracted positions towards and away from the centers of a pair of said chucks when located at said loading station and in a direction normal to a centerline projected between such centers, said pushers also being reciprocatively movable on said supporting means through a second path of travel in which said ends of the pushers parallel said selected portion of said path of travel of said conveyor; B. a second apparatus associated with said second turret and including second components corresponding to the components set forth for said first apparatus; C. means for continuously driving the conveyors for said first and second apparatuses so that they move downwardly through the selected portions of their respective vertical loop paths of travel and past the loading station at a velocity equal to one third of the average velocity of one indexing cycle of said turrets, such driving means also driving said conveyors in a time relationship with the indexing cycles of said turrets such that, during the portion of each such indexing cycle that a pair of said associated chucks on each said turret are positioned at said loading station for receipt from the conveyors of a pair of workpieces, the pockets on the conveyors move past said loading station so that workpieces carried in odd and even-numbered ones of consecutively numbered ones of said pockets may be loaded by the workpiece pushers, prior to the start of the next indexing cycle of said turrets, into corresponding first and second chucks of the pairs of chucks positioned at the loading station; D. means for moving said workpiece pushers reciprocatively through their said first path of travel in a time relationship with the indexing cycles of said turrets such that workpieces carried in said odd and even-numbered ones of said pockets on said conveyors are loaded by the workpiece pushers into said corresponding first and second chucks of the pairs of chucks positioned at the loading station during each said indexing cycle of said turrets and such that said pushers are returned to their retracted positions prior to the start of each next indexing cycle of the turrets; and E. means for moving said workpiece pushers reciprocatively through their said second path of travel, such movement in the direction of movement of said conveyors being at a velocity substantially equal to that of such conveyors and such movement in the direction opposite to that of said conveyors being at a velocity approximately twice that of the conveyors.

Claim 4

In combination with first and second horizontally spaced apart, corresponding and vertically rotatable turrets each carrying about its outer periphery a corresponding plurality of pairs of associated and adjacent workpiece chucks which are equally spaced apart about the outer periphery of each respective turret and which are indexed in unison by said turrets through vertically circular corresponding paths of travel comprising a series of stations including a loading station located in a selected lower quadrant of said paths of travel and at which said associated pairs of chucks are successively positioned for receipt therein of opposite ends of pairs of a series of longitudinal workpieces such as similar lengths of rod or tubing, apparatuses associated with said turrets for loading of said pairs of chucks, such apparatuses comprising: A. a first apparatus associated with said first turret, such first apparatus including; a. an endless article conveyor movable through a vertical loop path of travel including a selected portion extending parallel with lines projected between the centers of each of said pairs of adjacent and associated chucks when each such pair is positioned at said loading station, such conveyor including about the outer periphery thereof an endless succession of workpiece conveying pockets which are closely adjacent to the outer limit of said circular path of travel of said chucks when such pockets are moved by the conveyor through said selected portion of said path of travel of the conveyor and past said loading station, each said pocket having a width greater than the diameter of said workpieces and the centers of adjacent ones of said pockets being spaced from each other a distance generally corresponding to one third of the distance between the centers of adjacent pairs of said chucks; and b. means for supporting a pair of similar workpiece pushers adjacent the lower side of said conveyor with the workpiece-contacting ends of such pushers pointed towards said selected portion of said path of travel, the centers of such ends of the pushers being spaced apart a distance geNerally equal to the distance between the centers of adjacent ones of said chucks, said pushers being reciprocatively movable on said supporting means through a first path of travel including projected and retracted positions towards and away from the centers of a pair of said chucks when located at said loading station and in a direction normal to a centerline projected between such centers, said pushers also being reciprocatively movable on said supporting means through a second path of travel in which said ends of the pushers parallel said selected portion of said path of travel of said conveyor; B. a second apparatus associated with said second turret and including second components corresponding to the components set forth for said first apparatus; C. means for continuously driving the conveyors for said first and second apparatuses so that they move downwardly through the selected portions of their respective vertical loop paths of travel and past the loading station at a velocity equal to one third of the average velocity of one indexing cycle of said turrets, such driving means also driving said conveyors in a time relationship with the indexing cycles of said turrets such that, during the portion of each such indexing cycle that a pair of said associated chucks on each said turret are positioned at said loading station for receipt from the conveyors of a pair of workpieces, the pockets on the conveyors move past said loading station so that workpieces carried in odd and even-numbered ones of consecutively numbered ones of said pockets may be loaded by the workpiece pushers, prior to the start of the next indexing cycle of said turrets, into corresponding first and second chucks of the pairs of chucks positioned at the loading station; D. means for moving said workpiece pushers reciprocatively through their said first path of travel in a time relationship with the indexing cycles of said turrets such that workpieces carried in said odd and even-numbered ones of said pockets on said conveyors are loaded by the workpiece pushers into said corresponding first and second chucks of the pairs of chucks positioned at the loading station during each said indexing cycle of said turrets and such that said pushers are returned to their retracted positions prior to the start of each next indexing cycle of the turrets; and E. means for moving said workpiece pushers reciprocatively through their said second path of travel, such movement in the direction of movement of said conveyors being at a velocity substantially equal to that of such conveyors and such movement in the direction opposite to that of said conveyors being at a velocity approximately twice that of the conveyors.

Claim 7

Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 and in which the velocity of said conveyors is approximately a third of the average velocity of one indexing cycle of said turrets.