Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The present invention relates to a system and appara-
tus for dispensing a continuous strip of strapping material
from a coil thereof.
Steel strapping material is shipped from the manu-
~acturer in tightly wound coils. The strapping material is
typically used with a strapping machine for wrapping the strap-
ping around objects to be strapped. For this purpose, the coil
is rotatably mounted on a suitable dispenser or coil unreeler
for facilitating withdrawing o~ the strapping material ~rom the
coil. Such coil unreelers are disclosed, ~or example, ln
United States Patent Nos. 3,717,313, 3,688,999, 3,162,394. In
each of these prior art unreelers, the coil is mounted on a hub
~truc~ure for ~otation by suitable drive means or by the with-
drawing ~orce exerted on the withdrawn portion of the strapping
material by the strapping machine or other strap-utilizing ap-
paratus.
These dispensers and coil unreelers are quite suit-
able ~or use with coils weighing up to a ~ew hundred pounds.
But in recent years steel strapping material is being prov~ded
by the manu~acturers wound in much larger coils, w~iæh~ng up
to one thousand pounds and more, and it may be expected that
still larger coils will be ~orthcoming in the future. The
handling o~ these extremely heavy coils is quite di~ficult and
in some cases virtually impossible~ since it has been found
that even forkli~t trucks have great dif~iculty ~ handling
one-thousand-pound coils. Thus, the prior art coil dispensers
and unreelers are unsuitablè ~or use with toda~'s heavier coils
because all o~ these prior dispensers require considerable
handling of the coil in order to place it on the unreeler,
particularly with vertical-type unreelers of the a~orementioned
U.S. Patent Nos~ 3,717,313 and 3,688,ggg.
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The object of the present invention is to provide an
improved apparatus and system for dispensing steel strapping
material from very heavy coils.
Accordingly, the present invention provides apparatus
for dispensing a continuous strip of strapping material from a
heavy coil thereof, comprising a pallet supporting said coil
thereon with the axis of said coil disposed substantially verti-
cally, coil positioning means carried by said pallet for engage-
ment with said coil to prevent horizontal movement thereof with
respect to said palle~, a substantially horizontal turntable
mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis and
adapted for receiving said pallet thereon in a dispensing
position with said coil disposed substantially coaxially with `
said turntable, pallet positioning means on said turntable for
holding said pallet in the dispensing position thereof, and
drive means for effecting rotation of said turntable in a coil-
unreeling direction, whereby strapping material may be dispensed
directly from said pallet by rotation of said turntable without
handling of said coil or removal thereof from said pallet.
One advantage of the invention is that strapping
material may be disposed from very heavy coils thereof by unreel-
ing the coils on their sides with the rotational axes thereof
disposed vextically, so that the coils do not have to be tipped ;`
up on end. The strap coils are preferably permanently mounted
on special pallets, the entire pallet being mounted on the dis-
pensin~ apparatus, thereby eliminating handling of the coil it-
self. The pallet is disposed and accurately held in position
on a ~urntable for unreeling of the coil. The turntable is pref-
erably provided with roller-type track assemblies for facilitat-
ing movement of the pallet onto the turntable. Control means
may be provided for controlling the rotation of the turntable
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and consequent unreeling of the strapping material from the
coil in accordance with the demands of associated strap utiliza-
tion equipment. Entry conveyor means may be provided for facil-
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itating movement of a pallet onto the turntable to minimize
changeover time. An entry conveyor assembly may be utilized
with the turntable assembly in a plurality of con*igurations
for adaptation of the system to varying space requirements.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a *ragmentary front perspective view of
a portion of the dispensing system constructed in accordance
with and embodying the features of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the coil
pallet of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the coil pallet of
Figure 2, with the position of the coil thereon illustrated in
ph~ntom; ` .
Figure 4 is a top plan ~iew of the dispensing system
of the present invention~ including the entry conveyor and ~1-
lustrating an associated accumulator tower, with the positions
of the strap coil in the system illustrated in phantom;
Figure 5 ls a fragmentary side elevatlonal view o*
the dispensing system of Figure 4, with the entry conveyor
shown uncoupled from the turntable and with the turntable shown
in exploded view;
Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in horîz~ntal section
taken along the line 6-6 in Figure 5 and showing the turntable
drlve mechanism;
Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to
Figure 4, with portions of the turntable bro~en away to show
the lubricating mechanism therefor;
Figure 8 is an enlarged *ragmentary top plan view of
the turntable of the dispensing system of Figure 4, illustrat-
ing the movement of the movable retaining bar;
Figure 9 is a fragmentary side elevational vlew o*
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the accumulator tower shown in Figure 4, as viewed from the
le~thand side thereo~, with a portion thereo~ broken away more
clearly to illustrate the control switches~
Flgure 10 is a schematic diagram o~ the pneumatic
control circuit o~ the present invention;
Figure 11 is a schematic d~agram of the electrical
control circuit of the present invention;
Figure 12 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the dis-
penæing system of the present invention, with the entry con-
veyor arranged at the rear of the turntable or at the sidethereof away ~rom the accumulator tower; and
Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 10, illustrat-
ing an alternative arrangement wherein the air motor is dis-
posed on the side of the turntable away ~rom the accumulator
tower.
Referring now to Figures 1 through 4 o~ the drawingsJ
there is illustrated a strap dispensi~g system, generally desig~
nated by the numeral 30~ ~or dispensing a continuous strip of
steel strapping material from a coil 31 thereo~, to associated
strap-utilizing equipment such as a strapping machine 36 or the
like (see Figures 12 and 13). Typically, the steel strapping
material is wound in twelve-inch-~ace coils weighing approxl-
mately one thousand pounds each. The strap dispensing system
30 includes a special pallet, generally designated by the numer-
al 40, for supporting the coil 31 thereon, a turntable assembly~
generally deslgnated by the numeral 50 for unreeling the coil
31, and an accumulator tower, generally designated by the nu-
meral 150, for feeding the withdrawn portion 35 of the steel
strapping material from the coil 31 to the strapping machine :
36, and controlling the operatlon o~ the turntable assembly 50.
The pallet 40 is preferabl~ ~ormed o~ wo~d and in-
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cludes a pair o~ laterally spaced-apart) elongated, parallel
feet 41 and ~2, interconnected at the upper surfaces thereof
by a pluralit~ of longitudinally spaced-apart, parallel cross
planks 43, the upper surfaces o~ which are substantially co-
planar and de~ine a plat~orm for supporting the coil 31 there-
on. Secured to the upper sur~aces o~ central ones of the
cross planks 43,~nd disposed centrally of the pallet 40~ are
two laterally spaced-apart hub bars 44 and 45, dimensioned and
arranged so that the outer side and ends thereo~ lie along a
common circumscribing square. The outer corners o~ the hub
bars 44 and 45 disposed ad,~acent to the corners of the circum-
scribing square are mitered as at ~6, so that the diagonal dls-
tance ~rom one of the mitered corners 46 to the opposite one is
substantially equal to the inner diamet~r o~ the c~il 31.
The coil 31 is placed on the cross planks 43 with
the axis of rotation of the coil 31 disposed substantially ver-
tically and with the hub bars 44 and 45 received within the
coil 31 so that the mitered corners 46 snugly engage the inner
cylindrical surface 33 o~ the coil 31~ thereby to position the
coil 31 centrally of the pallet 40 and prevent horizontal move-
ment o~ the coil 31 with respect to the pallet 40. Preferably,
the coil 31 is placed on the pallet 40 at the coil manu~acturer's
plant and is shipped on the pallet 40 to the location at which
the strapping material is to be used. During such shipment, it
will be appxeciated that the coil 31 itself need not be hand
led, the entire pallet 40 with the coil 31 thereon forming a
strapping material assembly which is moved b~ the use of ~ork-
lift trucks in standard fashion.
The turntable assembly 50 is located at the place
where the strapping material is to be used, and is mounted on a
~rame, generally designated by the numeral 51. Re~erring also
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to Figures 5 ~hrough 7 of the drawings9 the frame 51 includes
a pair of laterally spaced-apart elongated side rails 52 and
53 interconnected at the opposite ends thereo~ by end rails
54 and 55, and interconnected intermediate the ends thereo~ by
a cross rail 56, thereby to ~orm a rigid rectangular framework.
At the corners de~ined by the intersections o~ the side rails
52 and 53 with the end rail 55 and cross rail 56~ there are se-
cured to the upper sur~aces thereo~ ~our triangular gusset
plates 5~, each supporting a guide roller 58 mounted for rota-
tion with respect to a vertically disposed shaft 59. Respec-
tively ~ixedly secured to the end rail 55 and the cross rail 56
midway between the ends thereo~, and to side rails 52 and 53
midway between the end rail 55 and cross rail 56, are ~our sup-
port rollers 60. Each o~ the support rollers 60 is mounted for
rotation about a substantially horizontal sha~t 61 held in
place by a washer 62 and a nut 63, and being provided with a
grease ~itting 64 coupled to a lubrication line 65. The ~our
lubrication lines 65 are bundled together in a plastic tubing
66 and channeled through the cross rail 56 and along the side
rail 53 to a grease ~itting 67 ~ixedly secured to the side rail
53 ad~acent to the end rail 54. The support rollers 60 all ex-
tend slightly above the upper edges of the end rails 55 and 56
and side rails 52 and 53 ~d are all tangent to a co~mon
imaginar~ horizontal support plane. Pre~erably~ the ~rame 51
is anchored to the underl~ing ~loor or support surface b~ means
bolts or the like passed through suitable anchor brackets
68.
Interconnecting the side rails 52 and 53 along the up-
per edges thereof adjacent to the end rail 54 are two spaced-
apart support rails 69. Supported by the support rails 69 aretwo upstanding laterall~ spaced-apart support plates 70
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posed substantially parallel to the side rails 52 and 53, and
each provided at the inner end thereof with an upstanding pro
jection 71. Spanning the support plates 70 rearwardly of the
pro~ections 71 is a rectangular mounting plate 72 having an
aperture therein ~or receiving therethrough the shaft 74 of an
air motor 75, which is pxovided with a mounting ~lange 73 which
overlies the mounting plate 72 and is ~ixedly secured thereto
by suitable ~astening means. Fixedly secured to the lower end
o~ the motor shaft 74 beneath the mounting plate 72 is a sprock-
et 76 which engag~s one end of a continuous loop drive chain 77.Fixedly secured to the ~ront ends o~ the support plates 70 and
extending t,herebetween is a chain guard 78 in the ~orm of an
angle iron.
The drive chain 77 is disposed in a substantially
horizontal plane beneath the chain guard 78 and above the upper
edges of the side rails 52 and 53. The other end of the drive
chain 77 is disposed in engagement with a large sprocket 80
which is sandwiched between a circular guide plate 81 and a
circular spacer plate 82, the plates 81 and 82 and sprocket 80
all being ~ixedly secured together by threaded fasteners 83 in
apertures 84. The guide plate 81 is dimensioned to rest upon
the support roliers 60 with the peripheral cylindrical sur~ace
of the guide plate 81 disposed in rolling engagement with the
guide rollers 58, so that the guide plate 81 is ~reely rotat-
able and is centered in position by the guide rollers 58. A
lockpin 85 is also received in complementary aperture~ in the
center o~ the plates 81 and 82 and sprocket 80.
Overlying the spacer plate 82 coaxially therewith is
a circular turntable 90 having a radius only slightly less than
the distance between the chain guard 78 and the center o~ the
spacer plate 82. The turntable 90 is fixedly secured to the ~-
.; - . . . ~ :
spacer plate 82, sprocket 80 and guide plate 81 by means o~ a
plurality of bolts or screws 92 which cooperate with lock wash-
ers 91. Disposed centrally o~ the turntable 90 and projecting
upwardly therefrom coaxially therewith is a hollow rectangu-
lar hub 93, having right-angle slots 9~ formed in opposite side
walls thereo~. Formed in the turntable 90 ad~acent to the per-
iphery thereof is a pin aperture 95, ~or a purpose to be de-
scribed more flully below.
Referring now also to Figure 8 o~ the drawings, a pair
of elongated, laterally spaced-apart track assemblies, each
generally designated by the numeral 100~ is mounte~ on the turn-
table 90, the track assemblies 100 being arranged substantially
parallel to each other and equidistantly spaced from the center
o~ the turntable 90. Each track assembly 100 includes a bottom
outer rail 101 in the form of an angle iron having an attach-
ment flange 10~ fixedly secured to the upper surface o~ the
turntable 90, and an upstanding inner bearing ~lange 103, the
rail 101 being arranged substantially as a chord o~ the circu-
lar turntable 90. An outer top rail 104, also in the ~orm of
:.20 an angle iron~ has a vertically disposed attachment flange 105
arranged in parallel overlapping relationship with the bearing
flange 103 o~ the outer bottom rail 101 and fixedly secured
thereto as by welding, and also having a horizontally disposed
and ~wardly extending retaining flange 106, provided at one end
thereof with a tapered entr~ portion 107. Spaced radially in- :
~ardly ~rom the outer bottom rail 101 and dispcsed parallel
thereto is an elongated inner rail 108 which is ~ixedly secured : -
to the turntable 90 and is provided with an upstanding bearing
~lange 109.
Disposed between the outer bottom rail 101 and the -:
inner rail 108 is a plurality of laterally extending and longi-
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S
tudinally spaced-apart cylindrical rollers llo, each being
mounted for rotation about a substantially hori~ ntal shaft
111, the opposite ends of which are respectively received in
complementary openings in the bearing ~langes 103 and 109 o~
the rails 101 and 108. The rollers 110 are so arranged that
the upper sur~aces thereo~ are all disposed tangent to a com-
mon support plane which is substantially parallel to the upper
surface o~ the turntable 90 and is disposed a predetermined
distance below the upper edges o~ the bearing ~lange 103 and
the retaining ~lange 106. The width of each o~ the track as-
semblies 100, and the spacing therebetween is such that the
elongated ~eet 41 and 42 of a pallet 40 may be respectively
received in rolling engagement with the rollers 110 o~ the two
track assemblies 100 for free rolling transport therealong.
Extending between the retaining ~langes 106 o~ the
track assemblies 100 ad~acent to the rear ends thereo~ is a
fixed positioning bar 113 in the ~orm o~ an angle iron, one
~lange of which is disposed horizontally and has the opposite
ends thereof respectively fixedly secured to the retaining
flanges 106 by suitable ~astening members 112, with the up-
standing ~lange o~ the angle iron being disposed inwardly o~
the track assemblies 100. Respectively fixedly secured to the
attachment flanges 105 o~ the outer top rails 104 adjacent to .. :
the entry ends thereo~ are pivot blocks 114 and 117 which are :~
respectively provided with vertically disposed apertures there-
through ~or respectively receiving therein release pivot pins
116 and 118, which ara preferably tied to the outer bottom
rails 101 by sash chains 119 to prevent loss or m~splacement.
A movable positioning bar 115 in the form of an angle iron is .~. :
adapted to be disposed across the entry ends o~ the track as-
semblies 110, with the upstanding flange 115a disposed inwardly
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o~ the trark assemblies 100 in facing parallel relationship
with the upstanding ~lange 113a o~ the fixed positioning bar
113. The movable positioning bar 115 is provided at the oppo-
site ends thereo~ with complementary apertures respectively
disposed for alignment with the apertures in the pivot blocks
114 and 117 ~or receiving the pins 116 and 118 therethrough,
thereby to releasably secure the movable positioning bar 115
to the track assemblies 100. It will be appreciated that when
either one of the release pivot pins 116 or 118 is removed~
the movable positioning bar 115 may be pivoted about the other
release pivot pin, as indicated in broken line in Figure 8,
~rom a holding condition across the entry ends o~ the track
assemblles 100 to a retracted condition out o~ the way o~ the
entry ends o~ the track assemblies 100 to ~acilltate the mo~e-
ment of a pallet 40 onto the track assemblies 100.
Extending through a complementary opening in the up-
standing flange 115a of the movable positioning bar 115 adja-
cent to one end thereo~ is a substantially horizontally dis-
posed positioning plunger 120 pro~ided with a head 121 at the
lnner end thereo~ and surrounded b~ a helical compression
spring 122 which is trapped between the head 121 and the ~lange
115a, the plunger 120 being secured in place by a washer 123
and ad~ustment nut 124 threadedly engaged w.ith the plunger...l20
along the outer side of the ~lange 115a. The coil compressiRn
spring 120 urges the head 121 o~ the plunger 120 inwardly to
a point determined by the adjustment of the nut 124.
In operation, the movable positioning bar 115 is pivot
ed outwardly about one of the release pivot pins 116 or 118 un-
til it is substantially parallel to the track assemblies 100,
for loading o~ a coil 31 onto the turntable 90. The entire
pallet 40, with the coil 31 positioned thereon is loaded onto
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the turntable 90, with the ~eet 41 and 42 o~ the pallet l~o
being respectively received onto the rollers 110 of the track
assemblies 100 in rolling engagement therewith, with the taper-
ed entry ends 107 of the retaining flanges 106 serving to help
guide the pallet ~eet 41 and 42 onto the rollers 110. The
movement o~ the pallet 40 onto the track assemblies 100 may
be accomplished by a ~orklift truck, or the like ln a well-
known manner~ It is not necessary to either remove the coil
31 ~rom the pallet 40, or to move the coil 31 ~rom its horizon-
tal resting position with the axis o~ rotation thereo~ dis-
posed vertically.
The pallet 40 is rolled aiong the track assemblies
100 until it abuts the upstanding ~lange 113a o* the fixed po-
sitioning bar 113. Then the movable positioning bar 115 is ~ `
pivoted back into the solid line holding position illustrated
in Figure 8 and the release pivot pin 118 is replaced ln the
aligned apertures in the movable positioning bar 115 and pivot
block 117 ~or cooperation with the fixed positioning bar 113
to prevent the pallet 40 ~rom rolling back o~ the track as-
semblies 100. It will be noted that the pallet 40 has a length
somewhat less than the lengths o~ the track assemblies 100,
whereby the head 121 of the plunger 120 eng~es the ad~acent
end o~ the pallet 40 and resiliently urges it into engagement
with the upstanding ~lange 113a of the fixed positioning bar
113. The ad~ustability o~ the plunger 120 permits the accom-
modation on the track assemblies 100 of slightly di~erent
sized pallets 40, which pallets are normally not constructed to
precise dimensions. Furthermore, it will be noted that the
portions o~ the inner rails 108 and outer top rails 104 o~ the
track assemblies 100 which extend upwardly above the support
plane of the rollers 110 cooperate ~or engagement with the
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adjacent side surfaces of the pallet feet 41 and 42 to prevent
lateral movement o~ the pallet 40 o~ the track assemblies 100.
Thus, it can be seen that thepallet 40 is limited in both lon-
gitudinal and lateral horizontal movement and is held in a po~
sition centered on the turntable 90 substantially coaxially
therewith during rotation thereo~.
In order further to secure the pallet 40 and coil 31
on the turntable 90 and prevent relative vertical m~vement
thereo~, there is provided a hold-down assembly, generally des-
ignated by the numeral 130, which includes an elongated vertic-
ally-extending sha~t 131 provided at the upper end thereo~ with
a handle 132 and having a roll pin 133 extending diametrically
therethrough ad~acent to the lower end thereof and extending
radially outwardly there~rom a predetermined distance on either
side thereof. Surrounding the sha~t 131 adjacent ~o the upper
end thereof is a helical compression spring 134~ beneath which
is dis30sed a hold-down bracket, generally designated by the
numeral 135, which includes a cylindrical hub 136 freel~ slid-
able axially o~ the sha~t 131 and a plurallt~ o~ equiangularly
spaced-apart arms 137 fixedly secured to the hub 136 and ex-
tending radially outwardly therefrom a distance at least as
great as the maximum outer radius o~ the coil 31. In use, when
the pallet 40 with the coil 31 thereon is secured ~n position on
the track assemblies 100, the sha~t 131 is extended downwardly
through the coil 31 axially thereo~ and ~nto the hub 93 o~ the
turntable 90~ and the roll pin 133 is twisted into locking en
gagement in the right-angle slots 94 in the hub 93. The arms
137 of the hold-down brac~et 135 rest upon the upper side sur-
face 34 of the coil 31 and are resiliently urged thereagainst
by the compression spring 134.
When the pallet 40 and coil 31 have thus been secured
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in place on the track assemblies 100, the coil 31 is ready fordispensing of the steel strapping material therefrom by rota-
tion of the turntable 90 through the action o~ the air motor
75, the sprockets 76 and 80 and the drive chain 77, the turn-
table 90 being adapted ~or clockwise rotation, as viewed in
the drawings, ~or unreeling a withdrawn portion 35 of the steel
str~pping material ~rom the coil 31. Pre~erably, the withdrawn
portlon 35 of the steel strapping material is ~ed to the asso-
ciated strapping machine 36 through the accumulator tower 150,
which is of essentially standard construction and function to
take up the sl~k in the ~ithdrawn portion 35 o~ the steel
strapping material, and provide a constant drag on the strapping
material between the strapping machine 36 and the accumulator .
tower 150.
Re~erring in particular to Figures 1, and 9 of the
drawings, the accumulator tower 150 includes a pair of elon-
gated, spaced-apart, parallel base rails 151 which are inter-
connected at one end thereof by a connecting plate 152 which
is in turn fixedl~ secured to the side rail 52 of the turntable
assembly 50 by suitable ~astening means. The base rails 151
are also interconnected at the other end thereof and intermedi-
ate the ends thereof, respectivel~ by a pair of cross rails
153. Respectively fixedly secured to the opposite ends of the
intermediate cross rail 153 along the inner side thereoi are
two elongated upstanding support posts 154, and respectively
~ixedly secured to the opposlte ends o~ the end cross rail 153
along the inner side thereof are two elongated upstanding sup-
port posts 155. A pair of brace bars 156 respectively inter-
connect the posts 154 and the posts 155 intermediate the upper
and lower ends thereo~. Respectively connecting the upper ends
o~ the support posts 154 to the upper ends o~ the corresponding .
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support posts 155 are two top rails 157 which are disposed
substantially parallel to the base rails 151 inboard thereof.
Respectively extending vertically upwardly from the top rails
157 substantially midway between the ends thereof are two top
posts 158.
Disposed between the top posts 158 is a fixed upper
sheave assembly, genera~1~ designated by the ~umeral 160,
which includes ~our sheaves 161 coaxially mounted for rotation
on a shaft 159, the opposite ends of which are respectively re-
ceived in complementary openings in the top posts 158. Alsomounted on the top posts 158 and extending across the top of
the ~ixed upper sheave assembly 160 is a guide bar 162 having
guide fingers (not shown) which respectively extend into the
sheaves 161 for cooperation therewith to facilitate maintenance
of the strip of strapping material in place on the sheaves 161.
Carried by one of the support posts 154 just below the associ-
ated brace bar 156 is an entry sheave 163 mounted ~or rotation
about a substantially horizontal axis. In like manner, there
may be mounted on one oi the support posts 155, just below the
corresponding brace bar 156, an exit sheave 164, which is also
mounted ~or rotation about a substantially horizontal axis.
Disposed beneath the fixed upper sheave assembly 160 is a mov-
able lower sheave assembly, generall~ designated by the numeral :~
165, which includes three sheaves 167 coaxially mounted for ro-
tation about a sha~t 166, the axis of which is disposed at an
acute angle to the axis o~ the shaft 159 o~ the ~ixed upper
sheave assembly 160. The opposite ends of the shaft 166 are
respectively secured to verticall~-extending guide shoes 168
which are in tu m respectively disposed for vertical sliding
movement in upstanding guide track.~assemblies 169.
In operation, the withdrawn portion 35 of the steel
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strapping material is fed from the coil 31 into and beneath theentry sheave 163, then upwardly in front of, over and around
the right-hand one of the upper sheaves 161, as viewed in Fig-
ure 4, then downwardly behind and beneath the corresponding one
o~ the lower sheaves 167, then back up in front of and over the
next sheave 161, and so on, and finally beneath the exit sheave
164, it being understood that the use o~ the e~it sheave 164 is
optional. Thus, a length of steel strapping material is stored
between the fixed and movable sheave assemblies 160 and 165, it
being understood that the maximum length o~ strapping material
which may be so stored is variable with the height of the ac-
cumulator tower 150 and the number o~ sheaves in the sheave as-
semblies 160 and 165. As the strapping machine 36 demands
strapping material ~rom the accumulator tower 150, the movable
sheave assembl~ 165 is pulled upwardly and the amount of strap-
ping material stored in the accumulator tower 1~0 is reduced.
In like manner, as strapping material is fed to the accumula-
tor tower 150 from the turntable assembly 50 b~ rotation there-
of, the weight of the movable sheave assembly 165 permits it tb
drop to take the slack of the newly dispensed strapping materi-
al, thereby lncreasing the amount o~ strapping material stored
in the accumulator tower 150.
Thus, the withdrawn portion 35 of the strapping ma-
terial ~rom the coil 31 is always kept under a slight tension
and the buildup o~ slack is prevented. This is important be-
cause if the w~thdrawn portion 35 of the strapping material
goes slack, the loops on the coil 31 will be permitted to slip
down over each other, thus producing a jam condition. Fur~her-
more, the strapping material is o~ten quite resilient and is ~`
usually wound in coils havlng a radius of curvature substan-
tially less than that of the so-called "coil-setll or "bundle
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~ 8'~S 6 S
curve" (residual curvature), i~ any, of the strapping. As aresult, untensioned or slack lengths o~ such metal strapping
outside the con~ines o~ the coil tend quickly to get out o~
control, and buckling and tangles o~ten result.
Referring now also to Figures 10 and 11 of the draw-
ings, in order to coordinate the operation of the turntable as-
~embly 50 with the demands o~ the strapping machine 36~ there
is provided a control s~stem which include~ a pneumatic control
circuit, generally designated by the numeral170, and an elec-
trical control circuit, generally designated b~ the numeral190. The pneumatic control circuit 170 includes a suitable
source 171 o~ compressed air which is coupled through a manu-
ally-operated input valve 172, a filter 173, a regulator 174
and a lubricator 175 to the input port o~ a control valve 176,
the opening and closing o~ which is controlled by a solenoid
177. The input valve 172 is in the nature of a master valve
which is normally open but which may be manually closed in the
e.vent of emergency, or the like, to shut down the entire sys-
tem. The output port of the control valve 176 is coupled by
an input conduit 1~ to the ~nput port of the air motor 75,
the output port o~ which is coupled by an output conduit 179 to
a ~low control unit 180, which is in turn coupled to the input
port o~ a brake valve 181, which is provided with a pilot 182
coupled by a pilot conduit 183 to the input conduit 178 of the `
air motor 75. The output port o~ the brake valve 181 is
coupled to a muffler 184, through which the air is exhausted~
The lubricator 175 is ~or the purpose of lubricating the air
motor 75.
It will be understood that when the control valve 176
3 is open, compressed air is supplied to the air motor 75 ~or " ~`~
ef~ecting rotation thereof and driving the turntable 90, the
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air being supplied to the pilot 182 o~ the brake valve 181 ~or
maint&ining that valve open. When the control val~e 176 is
closed, the air motor 75 is de-energized. The cuto~f of the
air supply to the pilot 182 ef~ects closing of the brake valve
181, thereby shutting o~ the exhaust from the air motor 75,
thus serving to retard rotation o~ the air motor shaft to pro-
duce a braking e~ect on the turntable 90 and limit its tendency
to coast by reason of the considerable inertia developed by the
heavy coil 31.
The solenoid 177 of the control valve 176 is control-
led by the electrical control circuit 190, which is connected
across the conductors ~1 and L2 ~ a standard 115-volt, single-
phase, 60 ~z. electrical power source. More particularly, the `
conductor Ll is connected through a fuse 191 and a normal~-
open manually-operated master switch 192 to one terminal of a
normally-closed "stop" limit switch 193, the other terminal o~
which is connected to one terminal o~ a normallg-open "start"
limit switch 194. The other terminal o~ the "start" limit
switch 194 is connected to one terminal of the relay coil 195a
o~ a relay 195, the other terminal of which coil is connected
to the conductor L2. The relay 195 has normally-open contacts
195b which are connected in parallel with the "start" limlt
switch 194. Connected in parallel with the relay coil 195a
i9 the series combination of normally-closed time-delay relay
contacts 195c and the solenoid 177 o~ the control valve 176.
Also connected in parallel with the relay coil 195a is the
series combination of normally-open time-delay relay contacts
195d and an indicator lamp 196. The limit switch contacts 193
and 194 are phgsically located on one of the guide track as-
semblies 169 o~ the accumulator tower 150, for actuation bythe ~orresponding one of the guide shoes 168. More particu-
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s
larly, re~erring to Figure 99 the "stop" limit switch 193 is
disposed adjacent to the lower end of the guide track assembly
169, and the "start" limit switch 194 is located a predetermined
distance above the i'stop" limit switch 193.
In operation, when the master switch 192 is closed,
and i~ the guide shoe 168 is disposed below the "start" limit
switch 194, the relay co~l 195a and solenoid 177 and lamp 196
will all remain de-energized by reason o~ the normally-open
"start" limit switch 194 and relay contacts 195b. As strapping
material is used ~rom the accumulator tower 150 in response to
the demand o~ the associated strapping machine 36, the movable
sheave assembly 165 will move upwardly until, when the supply
o~ ~t~apping material in the accumulator tower 150 has been re-
duced to a predetermined quantity, the gulde shoe 168 will en-
gage and close the "start" limit switch 194, thereby energ~zing
the relay coil 195a and the control valve solenoid 177 ~or
starting the air motor 75 to rotate the turntable 90 and dis-
pense strapping material to the accumulator tower 150.
Upon energization of the relay coil 195a~ the con-
tacts 195b thereof are closed to provide a holding circuitaround the "start" limit switch 194 ~or maintaining the relay
coil 195a energized, but the time-delay relay contacts 195c
and 195d will remain in their normally closed and open condi-
tions, respectively~ until and unless the timer therefor times
out, normall~ a~ter several seconds. Preferably, the system is
set up so that when both the strapping machine 36 and the turn-
table 90 are operating, the quantity o~ strapping material
stored in the accumulator tower 150 will be maintained more or
less in equilibrium. When the strapping machine 36 stop~ or
slows down, however, the quantity o~ strapping material in the
accumulator tower 150 will be built up and the movable sheave
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~: , , . , , , . : .
assembly 165 will move downwardly out of contact with the"start" limit switch 194, which will re-open. But the control
valve solenoid 177 and relay coil 195a will remain energized
through the closed relay contacts 195b.
When the gu~de shoe 168 drops to the point where a
predetexmined desired maximum amount of strapping material ls
stored in the accumulator tower 150, it will engage and open
the "stop" limit switch 193~ thereby de-energizing the relay
coil 195a and the control valve solenoid 177, whereupon the air
motor 75 is deactuated and the relay contacts 195b are reopen-
ed. The "stop" limit switch 193 is set high enough so that
when the turntable 90 is shut off, the coast o~ the turntable
90 is not suf~lcient to allow the movable sheave assembly 165
to bottom out.
The time delay on the relay contacts 195c and 195d is
set long enough so that in normal operation it will note time
out. However, in the event o~ malfunction, such as jamming of
the movable sheave assembly 165, or malfunction o~ the "stop"
limit switch 193~ the delay timer will time out and the relay
contacts 195c will open to de-energize the control valve sole-
noid 177 and shut down the turntable 90, and the relay contacts
195d will close to energize the lamp 196 and give an indication
that the timer has timed out. In this event, the system may be
reset b~ opening the master switch 192, which will de-energize
the relay coil 195a and drop the relay contacts 195c and 195d
back to their original positions. It will be appreciated that
the positions o~ the limit switches 193 and 194 may be varied
as desir~d to meet the varying demands o~ speci~ic applica-
tions.
In order to facilitate loadlng o~ the pallet 40 onto
the turntable track assemblies 100, there may be provided an
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~ 6~ 5
entry conveyor assembly~ generally designated by the numeral
200, for use with the turntable assembly 50. Referxing to
Figures 4, 5 and 7 o~ the drawings, the entry conveyor assembly
200 includes a pair o~ elongated laterally spaced-apart parallel
base rails 201 and 202 each provided at one thereof with an
abutment plate 203. The base rails are interconnected adjacent
to the abutment plates 203 by a crossbar (not shown). Respec-
tively extending upwardly from the base rails 201 and 202 a
slight distance ~orwardly o~ the crossbar 204 are two stub
posts 205, one of which is provided at the upper end thereof
with a ~lat rectangular pin plate 206 having an aperture there- : :
in d~mens~oned ~or receiving either of the release pivot pins
1~6 or 118 o~ the turntable track assemblies 100. Fixedly se-
cured to the base rails 201 and 202 and extending vertically
upwardly therefrom are four support posts 207, ~0! of the posts `
207 being disposed adjacent to the front ends o~ the base rails
201 and 202 and being interconnected at the upper ends thereof .
by a horizontal ~ront support bar 208, the other two ~f the
support posts 207 being disposed intermediate the ends o~ the `~
base rails 201 and 202 and being interconnected at the upper
ends thereo~ by a horizontal rear support bar 209.
Supported upon the support bars 208 and 209 are two
elongated track assemblies, each being generally designated by
the numeral 210, and respectively overlying the base rails 201
and 202 substantially parallel thereto. The trac~ assemblies
210 are substantially identical to the track assemblies 100 o~
the turntable assembly 50. More particularl~, each track as-
sembly 210 includes a bottom outer rail 211 in the form o~ an
angle iron having an attachment ~lange 212 ~ixedly secured to
~0 the upper sur~aces of the support bars 208 and 209, and an up- : :
standing inner bearing flange 213. ~n outer top rail 21~, also .
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~ 5
in the form o~ an angle iron, has a vertically disposed attach-
ment flange 215 arranged in parallel overlapping relationship
with the bearing flange 213 of the outer bottom rail 211 and
fixedly secured thereto as by welding, and also having a hor-
izontally disposed and inwardly extending retaining ~lange 2~6,
provided at the ~ront end thereo~ with a tapered entry portion
217. Spaced radially inwardly from the outer bottom rail 211
and disposed parallel thereto is an elongated inner rail 218
which is ~ixedly secured to the support bars 208 and 209 and
is provided with an upstanding bearing flange 219.
Disposed between the o~ter bottom rail 211 and the
inner rail 218 is a plurality o~ laterally extending and lon~
gitudinally spaced-apart cylindrical rollers 220, each being
mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal shaft
221, the opposite ends of which are respectively received ln
complementary openings in the bearing ~langes 213 and 219 o~
~he rails 211 and 218. The rollers 220 are so arranged that
the upper surfaces thereof are all disposed tangent to a com-
mon support plane which, in use, is substantially coplanar with
the support plane defined by the rollers 110 of the track as-
semblies 100, and is disposed a predetermined distance below
the upper edges of the bearing flange 213 and the retaining
flange 216. The width o~ each of the track assemblies 210, and
the spacing therebetween is such that the elongated feet 41
and 42 of a pallet 40 may be respectively received in rolling
engagement with the rollers 220 of the two track assemblies
210 for free rolling transport therealong.
Respectively extending between the retaining flanges
216 of the track assemblies 210 adjacent to the opposite ends : :
thereof are two removable stop bars (not shown) having the op-
posite ends thereof respectively securable to the retaining
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.. . . .. .. - ... . . .. . .
flanges 216 by suitable pins 224 engageable in complementary
aligned openings in the stop bars and the retaining flanges
216. Pre~erably, the stop bars are disposed substantially
parallel to each other and are spaced apart a distance slight-
ly greater than the normal length of a pallet 40.
In operation, the entry conveyor assembly 200 is dis-
posed adjacent to the ~ront end o~ the turntable assembly 50,
- with the base rails 2Ql and 202 disposed parallel to the
turntable ~rame side rails 52 and 53~ and with the abutment
plates 203 disposed in abutting parallel relationship with the
end rail 55 o~ the turntable assembly 50, and fixedly secured
thereto by suitable *astening means passing through complement~
ary openings in the abutment plates 203 and the end rail 55.
When thus secured in this position (see Figure 4) the pin plate
206 will be disposed immediately beneath the peripheral edge o~
the turntable 90. The turntable 90 ls rotated until the p~n
aperture 95 thereof is disposed in alignment with the corre-
sponding pin aperture in the pin plate 206, and one o~ the re-
lease pivot pins 116 or 118 is removed *rom the movable posi-
tion~ng bar 115 and placed through the aligned pin apertures ~nthe turntable 90 and p~plate 206 for locking the turntable 90
against rotation with respect to the entry con~eyor assembly
: 200. When thus locked ln po~ition~ the track assemblies 100
o* the turntable assembly 50 will respectively be disposed in
allgnment with the track assemblies 210 o~ the entry conveyor
assembly 200, and will respectively be spaced lon~itudinally -
there*rom a slight distance only a ~raction of the length of a
pallet 40.
Pre~erably, the entry conveyor assembly 200 is util-
ized for storing a spare pallet 40 and coil 31 for ready avail-
ability ~or immediate use when the coil 31 on the turntable 90
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~82~ 5
is exhausted. The pallet 40 may be loaded onto the track as-
semblies 210 o~ the entry conveyor assembly 200 in the same
manner as was described above with respect to the turntable as-
sembly 50, by the use of a ~orkli~t truck or the like. For
this purpose the ~ront stop bar is pivoted about one o~ the
pins to a position substantiall~ parallel with the track assem-
blies 210, and the pallet 40 is rolled onto the track assemblies
210 ~rom the ~ront end thereo~, the tapered ends 217 o~ the re-
taining M anges 216 ~acilitating the guiding o~ the pallet
~eet 41 and 42 onto the track assembly rollers 220. The front
stop bar is then secured in place back across the ~ront end of
the entry conveyor assembly 200 and cooperates with the rear
stop bar to limit longitudinal movement o~ the pallet 40. The
portions of the inner rails 218 and the outer top rails 214 o~
the track assemblies 210 which extend upwardly above the sup-
port plane o~ the rollers 220 cooperate ~or engagement with the
ad~acent side surfaces o~ the pallet ~eet ~1 and 42 to prevent
lateral movement of the pallet 40 of~ the track assemblies 210.
When the coil 31 on the turntable 90 has become ex-
hausted, the hold-down assembly 130 is removed and the empty
pallet 40 is lifted of~ the turntable 90. The movable posi-
tioning bar 115 is then moved ~rom the holding condition there-
of to the retracted condition thereo~ by removal o~ one o~ the
release pivot pins 116 or 118, and the turntable 90 is rotated
to the position illustrated in Figure 4 with the track assem-
blies 100 thereof aligned with the track assemblies 210 o~ the
entry conveyor 200, and is locked in this position by the use
o~ one of the release pivot pins 116 or 118, as descrl~ed above.
The rear stop bar is then removed ~rom~the entry conveyor track
~0 assemblies 210 and the new pallet 40 ma~ simply be rolled by
hand from the entry conveyor track assemblies 210 onto the
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~ ~ ~ 2 ~ S
turntable track assemblies 100, a~ter which the removable po-
sitioning ba~ 115 is again locked in the holding condition
thereo~ and the hold-down assembly 130 is reapplied to the new
coil 31. In this manner, the pallet on the turntable assembly
50 may be replaced by hand literally in a matter o~ seconds or,
at most minutes, without having ~o wait for a new pallet and
coil to be brought from the storage area by forklift truck.
Thus, the downtime of the strapping machine 36 is minimized.
Referring now also to Figures 12 and 13 o~ the draw-
ings, there are illustrated several configurations in whichthe dispensing system 30 may be arranged. As illustrated in
Figure 12, the entry conveyor assembly 200 may be arranged as
~llustrated in Figure 4, with the base rails 201 and 202 re-
spectively disposed parallel to the turntable assembly frame
side rails 52 and 53, for loading the turntable 90 from ~he
side thereof away from the air motor 75. Alternatively, the
entry conveyor assembly may be positioned at the rear of the
turntable assembly 50, as indicated by the designation 200A.
In this latter arrangement~ the side rail 53 o~ the turntable
assembly 50 is provided with suitable openings for receiving
therethrough the fastening members ~or securing the abutment
plates 203 to the side rail 53.
In Figure 13 is illustrated an alternative arrange-
ment wherein the air motor end of the turntable assembly 50 is
di~posed at the side thereo~ away from the accumulator tower
150. In this arrangement the accumulator tow~r 150 may be in-
de~endently secured to the floor or underlying support sur~ace
by means of suitable hold-down brackets 151a rather than by
the base rails 151. In this arrangement of the turntable as-
sembly 50 the entry conveyor assembly may be positioned at theside thereof away from the air motor 75~ as has been described
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-. . . , ~,
s
above. Alternatively, the entry conveyor may be positioned at
the rear o~ t~e turntable assembly 50, on the opposite side
thereof from the accumulator tower 150, as indicated by the
numeral 200A. In this latter arrangement, the turntable as-
sembly frame side rail 52 is provided with suitable apertures
~or receiving the fastening means for ~ecuring thereto the
abutment plates 203 o~ the entry conveyor assembly 200.
Pre~erably, the structural members o~ the strap dis-
pensing system 30 are all formed o~ steel, and the structural
members 52-56, 68, 78, 101, 104, 108, 103, 105, 1375 151,
151a, 153-157, 201, 202, 211, 214 and 218 are all pre~erably
~ormed as angle irons. Pre~erably, the structural members o~
each o~ the turntable assembly 50, the accumulator tower 150
and the entry conveyor assembly 200 are secured together by
welding, but it will be understood that any other suitable
~astening means may be utilized.
