Log adjusting and aligning device

Claim 2

Apparatus for aligning an elongate object, such as a log, to be sawn with a saw line at the input side of a sawmill having a plane of sawing containing said saw line, said object having an imaginary straight longitudinal center line extending through the centers of the opposite end surfaces thereof, said apparatus comprising: object-positioning means for orienting said object so that said center line extends parallel to said saw line, bow-sensing means for sensing the magnitude and direction of a bow in said object between said opposite end surfaces and in a direction normal to the plane of sawing, bow-indicating means operable in response to sensings of said bow-sensing means to indicate the magnitude or a proportion of the magnitude of bow sensed and the direction of bow from said center line, moving means for moving said object transversely toward said saw line while maintaining said center line parallel to said saw line, and movement limiting means cooperable with said indicating means to stop said moving means when said center line is in a predetermined transverse position relative to said saw line as determined by the bow magnitude and directional indications of said indicating means.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said bow-sensing means is movable longitudinally along an object to be sensed so as to be capable of sensing the magnitude and direction of bow in an object at various points along the length thereof.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said bow-sensing means and said object-positioning means are carried by said moving means.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said bow-indicating means is carried by said moving means and said limiting means is stationary relative to said moving means.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said indicating means and said limiting means cooperate in a manner such that said moving means is stopped with said center line coincident with said sawing plane when said sensing means senses zero bow.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said indicating means and said limiting means cooperate in a manner such that said moving means is stopped with said center line offset transversely of said sawing plane in a direction opposite the direction of bow when said sensing means senses a bow in said object.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said indicating means and said limiting means cooperate to stop said moving means with said center line offset transversely of said sawing plane an amount corresponding to said predetermined proportion of the magnitude of bow indicated by said indicating means.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said object-positioning means comprise first and second object-gripping devices mounted on said moVing means and spaced from one another in the direction of said sawing line in a manner so as to maintain the center line of an object gripped thereby parallel to said sawing line and so that they are fixed relative to said moving means in a direction normal to said plane of sawing.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein each of said first and second gripping devices includes two mutually and symmetrically movable gripping arms adapted to touch opposite sides of an object between them.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said moving means includes a carriage means movable transversely of said saw line and mounting said positioning means, and driving means for moving said carriage means, said carriage means being mounted so that said center line remains substantially parallel to said saw line during said transverse movement.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said moving means includes a carriage means movable transversely of said saw line and said bow-sensing means comprises an object-gripping device mounted on said carriage means so as to be displaceable relative to said carriage means in a direction normal to a plane through said center line parallel to the plane of sawing.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said object-gripping device includes two mutually and symmetrically movable gripping arms adapted to touch opposite sides of an object located between them and operable so that upon moving said arms into contact with opposite sides of said object at least a portion of said object-gripping device is displaced in a direction normal to said plane through said center line and in an amount corresponding to the magnitude of the bow at the point of contact.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said object-gripping device upon contacting an object is displaceable relative to said plane through said center line an amount corresponding to the magnitude of the bow in said object where said gripping device contacts said object, said bow-indicating means including a member coupled to said gripping device and movable from a neutral position indicative of zero bow upon displacement of said gripping device in the same direction as that of said displacement and in magnitude a predetermined proportion of the displacement of said gripping device.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said limiting means is stationarily mounted for coaction with said indicating member for stopping movement of said carriage means in a position determined by the position of said bow-indicating member relative to its neutral position, said limiting means being so located relative to said plane of sawing that said carriage means is stopped with said plane through said center line substantially coincident with said plane of sawing when said bow-indicating member is in its neutral position.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said bow-sensing means comprises a third gripping device mounted on said moving means between said first and second gripping devices and displaceable transversely relative to a plane through said center line parallel to said sawing plane, the magnitude of said displacement corresponding to the magnitude of the bow of an object where said third gripping device grips said object.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 15 wherein each of said three gripping devices includes two mutually symmetrically movable gripping arms adapted to touch opposite sides of an object located between them.

Claim 18

At a sawmill a device at the input side of the sawmill for adjusting an elongated item to be sawn, as for instance a log, relative to the sawing line through the sawmill with regard to any bow in said item, comprising: a first, a second and a third gripping device, carriage means carrying said gripping devices, each gripping device including two mutually symmetrically movable gripping arms adapted to touch opposite sides of an item located between them, said first and second gripping devices being mounted on said carriAge means spaced from each other in the direction of said sawing line so that the connecting line between them is parallel to said sawing line and so that they are unmovable relative to said carriage means in the direction perpendicular to the vertical plane through said connecting line, said third gripping device being located between said first and second gripping devices and being mounted on said carriage means in the direction perpendicular to said vertical plane, a bow-indicating member being mounted on said carriage means so as to be movable relative to a neutral position in a direction substantially perpendicular to said vertical plane and being coupled to said third gripping device so that its displacement from its neutral position is in a sense identical to and in magnitude a predetermined proportion of the displacement of said third gripping device from said vertical plane, said carriage means being movable so that said vertical plane through said connecting line between said first and second gripping devices remains substantially parallel to the vertical plane through said sawing line but is moved transversely in the direction perpendicular to said latter vertical plane, a driving means for moving said carriage means, and stationary limit means arranged to coact with said bow-indicating member for stopping said carriage means in a position determined by the position of said bow-indicating member relative to its neutral position, said limit means being so located relative to the vertical plane through the sawing line that said carriage means is stopped with the vertical plane through the connecting line between said first and said second gripping devices substantially coinciding with the vertical plane through the sawing line when said bow-indicating member is in its neutral position.

Claim 19

At a sawmill a device at the input side of the sawmill for adjusting an elongated item to be sawn, as for instance a log, relative to the sawing line through the sawmill with regard to any bow in said item, comprising: a first, a second and a third gripping device, carriage means carrying said gripping devices, each gripping device including two mutually symmetrically movable gripping arms adapted to touch opposite sides of an item located between them, said first and second gripping devices being mounted on said carriAge means spaced from each other in the direction of said sawing line so that the connecting line between them is parallel to said sawing line and so that they are unmovable relative to said carriage means in the direction perpendicular to the vertical plane through said connecting line, said third gripping device being located between said first and second gripping devices and being mounted on said carriage means in the direction perpendicular to said vertical plane, a bow-indicating member being mounted on said carriage means so as to be movable relative to a neutral position in a direction substantially perpendicular to said vertical plane and being coupled to said third gripping device so that its displacement from its neutral position is in a sense identical to and in magnitude a predetermined proportion of the displacement of said third gripping device from said vertical plane, said carriage means being movable so that said vertical plane through said connecting line between said first and second gripping devices remains substantially parallel to the vertical plane through said sawing line but is moved transversely in the direction perpendicular to said latter vertical plane, a driving means for moving said carriage means, and stationary limit means arranged to coact with said bow-indicating member for stopping said carriage means in a position determined by the position of said bow-indicating member relative to its neutral position, said limit means being so located relative to the vertical plane through the sawing line that said carriage means is stopped with the vertical plane through the connecting line between said first and said second gripping devices substantially coinciding with the vertical plane through the sawing line when said bow-indicating member is in its neutral position.

Claim 20

A device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said stationary limit means include an electric limit switch inserted in an electric control system for said driving means for said carriage means to stop said driving means and thus the movement of said carriage means when actuated by said bow-indicating member.

Claim 21

A device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said third gripping device is located substantially halfway between said first and said second gripping devices.

Claim 22

A device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said second and third gripping devices can be moved relative to said first gripping device in the direction parallel to said sawing line for adjustment of the position of the gripping devices to the length of the item to be sawn.

Claim 23

A device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said third gripping device is pivoted about a horizontal axis located in the vertical plane through said connecting line between said first and second gripping devices and said bow-indicating member consists of a lever, which is vertical in its said neutral position and is pivoted about a horizontal axis located in said vertical plane, the outer end of said lever being adapted to cooperate with said stationary limit means, which is located in the vertical plane containing said sawing line.

Claim 24

A device as claimed in claim 21, wherein said bow-indicating lever is coupled to said third gripping device so as to be pivoted about its pivot axis through an angle corresponding to the pivot angle of said third gripping device about its pivot axis, and the length of said bow-indicating lever between its pivot axis and its outer end corresponds substantially to one-half of the distance between the pivot axis of said third gripping device and the portions of the gripping arms of said gripping device touching an item to be sawn.

Claim 25

A device as claimed in claim 17, comprising substantially horizontal support means for supporting an item to be sawn when grasped by said gripping devices.

Claim 26

A device as claimed in claim 17, comprising stationary, substantially horizontal tracks extending above said sawing line and supporting said carriage means, said gripping devices being dependent From said carriage means.

Claim 27

A device as claimed in claim 17, wherein each gripping arm is provided with two striking members projecting from the arm for striking the peripheral surface of an item to be sawn, said striking members being spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of said item and resiliently impressable into the gripping arm, and interlocking means responsive to the impression of one of said striking members for locking the other striking member in its projecting position.