Coil and mandrel separating machinery

Claim 2

Apparatus for handling a plurality of coils or the like having central apertures comprising: a portable collecting mandrel comprising a base shaft and collar means slidably mounted on the shaft for supporting the coils in axially spaced relationship along the shaft; an adaptor of no greater diameter than said shaft; a coil-receiving probe of no greater diameter than the adaptor; said shaft and said probe having distal end portions and said adaptor having end portions arranged and constructed to receive the adaptor between the shaft and probe in coaxially interlocked relationship; support means for supporting the mandrel and the probe in coaxial and longitudinally separable relationship, said probe being supported cantilever fashion; said support means being operable to bring said shaft, adaptor, and probe together in end-to-end coaxial relationship as a load-supporting bridge, and said means for supporting the probe being constructed to provide through its own cantilever support of said probe the essential resistance to beam loading deflection if said bridge under conditions of coil-shifting over said bridge; and means for pushing said collar means and said coils in one body toward the distal end of the shaft.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: said adaptor is of slightly less diameter than the shaft and of a length substantially equal to that of that portion of said collar means disposed between adjacent coils.

Claim 4

Apparatus for handling a plurality of coils or the like having central apertures comprising: a portable collecting mandrel comprising a base shaft adapted to extend through the apertures of said plurality, and collar means slidably mounted on the shaft for supporting the coils in axially spaced relationship along the shaft; a mandrel stripping implement comprising support means interlocking with an end portion of the shaft to position the shaft with its length in generally horizontal alignment and a coil-supporting portion thereof in cantilever relation with the support means, a pusher in straddling relation with the shaft as positioned by the support means, means for reciprocating the pusher lengthwise of the positioned mandrel, and a vertically-reciprocal lift table centered under said positioned mandrel, the table being vertically movable into and out of a region of coil occupancy under said mandrel; a coil-gathering machine comprising an elongate probe having a coil-receiving portion of a diameter no greater than that of the shaft, said portion having a length adapting it to extend axially through said plurality of coils, traversing means for supporting the probe with its longitudinal axis generally coinciding with that of said positioned mandrel and with distal ends of the shaft and the probe toward each other, said traversing means being operable to move said probe along said axis toward or away from the shaft; and an adaptor having a diameter at least as large as that of said probe but no greater than that of said shaft, said adaptor having end portions shaped and arranged to complementarily interlock with said distal ends and maintain axial registry of the shaft of a positioned mandrel and the probe when said traversing means is actuated to confine said adaptor between said ends.

Claim 5

Apparatus for handling a plurality of coils or the like having central apertures comprising: a portable collecting mandrel comprising a base shaft adapted to extend through the apertures of said plurality, and collar means slidably mounted on the shaft for supporting the coils in axially spaced relationship along the shaft; a mandrel stripping implement comprising support means interlocking with an end portion of the shaft to position the shaft with its length in generally horizontal alignment and a coil-supporting portion thereof in cantilever relation with the support means, a pusher in straddling relation with the shaft as positioned by the support means, means for reciprocating the pusher lengthwise of the positioned mandrel, and a vertically-reciprocal lift table centered under said positioned mandrel, the table being vertically movable into and out of a region of coil occupancy under said mandrel; a coil-gathering machine comprising an elongate probe having a coil-receiving portion of a diameter no greater than that of the shaft, said portion having a length adapting it to extend axially through said plurality of coils, traversing means for supporting the probe with its longitudinal axis generally coinciding with that of said positioned mandrel and with distal ends of the shaft and the probe toward each other, said traversing means being operable to move said probe along said axis toward or away from the shaft; and an adaptor having a diameter at least as large as that of said probe but no greater than that of said shaft, said adaptor having end portions shaped and arranged to complementarily interlock with said distal ends and maintain axial registry of the shaft of a positioned mandrel and the probe when said traversing means is actuated to confine said adaptor between said ends.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein: said machine is of turnstile construction comprising as said traversing means a base carriage in guide relation with horizontally aligned guide means, power means for moving the carriage relatively to the guide means; and an upper head portion comprising said probe rotatable relative to the base about a vertical axis.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein: said machine comprises means for rotating said probe about a vertical axis, and a coil thruster straddling said probe; and said apparatus comprises vertically reciprocal platform means located at an angle about said vertical axis in the clear of said mandrel stripping mechanism, said platform means being movable to engage the undersurface of coils carried on said probe; and means for controlling the relative movement of said probe and said platform means to maintain said platform means in approximately fixed relation with said thruster during movement of the thruster toward the distal end of said probe.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein: said means for reciprocating the pusher supports the pusher in sliding engagement with the underside of the mandrel to provide auxiliary support for the mandrel.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein: said shaft has a substantially cylindrical coil-supporting surface terminating adjacent a distal end portion of the mandrel defining a cylindrical stud of smaller diameter than said surface; the distal end portion of said probe defines a tapered recess concentric with the axis of the probe; and said adaptor has an axial bore circumferentially complementary to said stud and at least a portion of its peripheral surface adjacent one end surface of tapered configuration complementary to at least a portion of said recess.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein: the end portion of said adaptor for receiving the stud has a shallow annular recess extending inwardly from the corresponding end to form a substantially cylindrical end flange on the adaptor; and said shaft has an annular shoulder located both axially and radially between said stud and the outer coil-supporting surface of the shaft, said flange fitting said shoulder in complementary relationship.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8 comprising: means for securing the adaptor with said flange against an axially facing surface of the shaft adjacent said shoulder.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein: the maximum diameters of said adaptor and a coil-supporting portion of said probe are approximately equal but slightly less than that of said coil-supporting surface of said shaft.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 3 comprising: means in said machine for supporting said probe for rotation about a vertical axis; an upender for receiving said plurality of coils from said probe, said upender being located in spaced relation with said implement, and being generally centered with respect to a vertical plane occupied by said vertical axis when said machine is positioned for transfer of coils therefrom to said upender; said upender comprising right-angle shaped platform means tiltable through at least a 90* angle about an axis extending perpendicularly to said vertical plane, one portion of said tiltable platform means being at right angle with another portion comprising a reciprocable table movable vertically at said one position of the platform means into and out of a coil-occupying region underneath said probe; said machine having a coil thruster in straddling relation with said probe and propulsion means for moving the thruster lengthwise of the probe operable in synchronously controlled relation with said traversing means for depositing said plurality of coils on said table.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein: said implement, said machine, and said upender are centered substantially along said vertical plane; and said machine is of turnstile construction comprising as said traversing means a base carriagE in guide relation with horizontally aligned guide means parallel to said vertical plane, and power means for moving the carriage relatively to the guide means toward and away from both the implement and the upender; and means for supporting said probe for rotation about a vertical axis contained in said vertical plane.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: said mandrel comprises a stripping ring normally supported on the base shaft adjacent said support means, said ring having an outer diameter greater than said collar means to provide a side surface accessible to said pushing means.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: said mandrel comprises a stripping ring normally supported on the base shaft adjacent said end portion received by the supporting means, said ring having an outer diameter greater than said collar means to provide a side surface accessible to said pusher.