Workpiece handling and conveyor apparatus

Claim 2

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus for transporting workpieces from one station to another and for maneuvering workpieces through individual stations, said apparatus comprising opposed conveyor devices arranged in spaced and parallel relationship, articulated work holders affixed to and arranged in opposed and cooperating paired relationship on said conveyor devices for alternately engaging workpieces therebetween and then releasing the workpieces therefrom during operation of said conveyor devices, each of said work holders including a pivotally and resiliently mounted gripper and a roller means, means for activating said conveyor devices and at least a pair of opposed work holders in unison, and track means engageable with the roller means on the pair of work holders for selectively and in unison lowering and raising the pair of work holders and the workpiece engaged by the pair of work holder grippers as the pair of work holders move from station to station and through a given station.

Claim 3

An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including a common drive means for said conveyor devices.

Claim 4

An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which at least one of the grippers on a work holder in the pair of work holders includes a resiliently biased shoe means for directly engaging a workpiece upon insertion of the workpiece in the pocket formed between said pair of work holders during the selective advancement of said pair of work holders by the conveyor devices.

Claim 5

An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which one of the work holders of said pair of work holders includes a ledge means for engaging a side portion of a workpiece when the workpiece is inserted in the pocket formed by said pair of work holders during selective advancement of said pair of work holders.

Claim 6

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus comprising opposed conveyor devices arranged in spaced parallel relation and defining a multistation production line passageway therebetween, articulated work holders affixed to and arranged in opposed and cooperating paired relationship on said conveyor devices for alternately engaging workpieces therebetween and then releasing workpieces therefrom during operation of said conveyor devices, means on each of said work holders including a carriage and a gripper pivotally mounted on said carriage for engaging a workpiece, common drive means connected to said conveyor devices for advancing pairs of opposed work holders and the workpieces engaged therebetween in unison through the passageway and cam means connected to each work holder and engageable with a track means disposed in said passageway for selectively and in unison raising and lowering given pairs of work holders and the workpieces gripped by said pairs of work holders relative to workpiece treating equipment in a given station in said passageway.

Claim 7

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus comprising opposed conveyor devices arranged in spaced parallel relation and defining a multistation production line passageway therebetween, articulated work holders affixed to and arranged in opposed and cooperating paired relationship on said conveyor devices for alternately engaging workpieces therebetween and then releasing workpieces therefrom during operation of said conveyor devices, means on each of said work holders including a carriage and a gripper pivotally mounted on said carriage for engaging a workpiece, common drive means connected to said conveyor devices for advancing pairs of opposed work holders and the workpieces engaged therebetween in unison through the passageway and cam means connected to each work holder and engageable with a track means disposed in said passageway for selectively and in unison raising and lowering given pairs of work holders and the workpieces gripped by said pairs of work holders relative to workpiece treating equipment in a given station in said passageway.

Claim 8

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which said common drive means is comprised of a motor connected to each of said conveyor devices.

Claim 9

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus as set forth in claim 5 including spring means connected to a gripper and normally urging the gripper to an expanded open pocket position relative to the opposed and cooperating gripper of another work holder.

Claim 10

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which the gripper of one work holder of said pair of work holders includes Inner and outer plates and spring means interconnecting the pair of plates so as to urge the inner plate of said pair of plates into resilient clamping engagement with a workpiece upon insertion of the workpiece in the pocket formed between said pair of work holders.

Claim 11

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which the gripper of one of the work holders of said pair of work holders includes a ledge means for engaging an opposed side of a workpiece when the workpiece is inserted in the pocket formed between said pair of work holders.

Claim 12

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus comprising opposed conveyor devices arranged in spaced parallel relation and defining a multistation production line passageway therebetween, articulated work holders affixed to and arranged in opposed and cooperating paired relationship on said conveyor devices, each work holder in a pair of cooperating work holders being provided with means for selectively engaging and releasing a workpiece during movement of said work holders along said passageway, said means including a carriage and a gripper pivotally mounted on a carriage, a spring means for normally biasing said gripper to a selected expanded and open position on said carriage and a further spring means for biasing a portion of said gripper directly against a workpiece engaged by the gripper as the workpiece tends to force a retraction of said portion of the gripper upon contacting said gripper portion.

Claim 13

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus comprising opposed conveyor devices arranged in spaced parallel relation and defining a multistation production line passageway therebetween, articulated work holders affixed to and arranged in opposed and cooperating paired relationship on said conveyor devices, each work holder in a pair of cooperating work holders being provided with means for selectively engaging and releasing a workpiece during movement of said work holders along said passageway, said means including a carriage and a gripper pivotally mounted on a carriage, a spring means for normally biasing said gripper to a selected expanded and open position on said carriage and a further spring means for biasing a portion of said gripper directly against a workpiece engaged by the gripper as the workpiece tends to force a retraction of said portion of the gripper upon contacting said gripper portion.

Claim 14

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said opposed conveyor devices are operated by a common drive means.

Claim 15

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus as set forth in claim 10 including cam and follower means for selectively and in unison raising and lowering a given pair of cooperating work holders along with the workpiece engaged by the said pair of work holders at various stations of the production line.

Claim 16

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus as set forth in claim 10 in which at least one of said grippers for a work holder includes a pair of plates one of which is adapted to directly contact workpieces and resilient means for interconnecting said pair of plates.

Claim 17

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus as set forth in claim 10 including a ledge means disposed on the gripper of at least one of the work holders for engaging an opposed side of a workpiece.

Claim 18

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus as set forth in claim 10 in which one workpiece treating station of the production line is a workpiece flux-coating station.

Claim 19

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus as set forth in claim 10 in which one workpiece treating station of the production line is a workpiece preheat station.

Claim 20

A workpiece handling and transporting apparatus as set forth in claim 10 in which one workpiece treating station of the production line is a workpiece dip-soldering station.