JPS6329622B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for collecting and transporting plate fins such as those utilized in heat exchangers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Fins used as accessories for heat exchange pipes, such as those used in heating devices, air conditioners, and heat exchange devices, are typically formed in ribbon-like fin forming line equipment. The apparatus processes a sheet of suitable material, such as a sheet of metal, to collectively form a plurality of plate-like fins during each cycle of operation. In addition to cutting fins from sheet stock, the forming line equipment further:
Several holes are simultaneously formed through each fin for positioning in surrounding relation to the appropriate heat exchange pipes.

Although this fin forming line equipment is capable of producing fins at a relatively high speed, the handling of the fins, especially the accumulation of the fins and the transport of the fins to another work site, is difficult for the user of this equipment. It has been providing problems for a long time. Most heat exchanger manufacturers utilizing fin-forming equipment of the type described above deposit fins with spikes next to the forming equipment so that when the fins are released from the press, the fins are collected on a rack. Arrange racks. The fins are accumulated in a vertical stack until the rack is full, after which the fin-forming line apparatus must rest and the full rack is then removed.

In order to improve the efficiency of this operation, several turntables or carriages with multiple fin-receiving racks can be used to remove a rack when it becomes full and allow an empty rack to reach the fin-receiving position. The fin forming line equipment is equipped. However, this operation requires a considerable period of downtime of the device.

Another device has been devised for automatically collecting and transporting the fins; however, since the fins are moved in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fins, said another device is used during each cycle. It is customary to produce only one fin per process, or at most several fins per process.
This type of machine requires 32 cycles (e.g. 32
Limited production speed compared to multi-advance ribbon-like fin line forming equipment which can produce a large number of fins (such as fins). The machine with one fin per stroke is not preferred at all when efficient mass production and transportation of fins is desired.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks and to provide an improved method and apparatus for collecting and depositing as-formed fins on a fin-forming device and then transporting the fins to another work site. Our goal is to provide the following.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to extend between a fin forming device and a desired site, accumulate and deposit thereon, and then automatically transport the fin to the desired site for unloading. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved device as described above that utilizes an endless fin collector. The endless collector includes an endless conveyor member movable laterally of the ribbon fin forming device so that movement of the member beneath the device causes the newly formed fins to sequentially form the fins. Stacked vertically on members. When the conveyor member leaves the aforementioned area below the fin-forming device, the conveyor member has formed adjacent stacks thereon, each stack containing a predetermined number of fins. Thus, this endless collector allows efficient and automatic accumulation of fins in the form of vertical stacks, each stack containing a predetermined number of fins, said predetermined number being the number of fins produced in parallel relationship during each operation. The stack is automatically transported to a desired position and unloaded from the collector at the same position.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a fin transporting and processing apparatus 2 for forming fins, then collecting, transporting, and unloading the fins. The apparatus consists of a ribbon-shaped fin forming line 3 for simultaneously forming a large number of rectangular fins from sheet material, which fins are accumulated in a stack S in an endless fin collector 4. These fin stacks S are then conveyed to an unloading or transfer device 5, which removes the fin stacks from the collector and places them on a pair of opposing fin collecting rails 6, on which the following steps are taken:
The row of fins is slid towards the next work site.

Since the fin forming line 3 is of common and well-known construction, it is only schematically illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. This line 3 is fed with a sheet material 8, commonly called a ribbon, from a roll 9. The ribbon 8 is fed horizontally between opposing upper and lower platens 11 and 12 through a fin forming machine 10 that perforates the ribbon to form the desired holes or through holes. I am forced to enter. Both platens include suitable dies mounted on the platens to cut the ribbon along several parallel lines extending longitudinally of the ribbon when the upper platen is moved downwardly. The dies are such that they cooperate to form a number of parallel strips of equal width extending in the longitudinal direction of the ribbon.
These strips project outwardly above the lower platen 12 and are engaged with a reciprocating drive plate 13 having retractable projecting drive fingers that engage holes in the strips. This reciprocating drive plate 13 is caused to reciprocate by a crank 14 fixed to a drive shaft 15, and this drive shaft 15 is driven by the power source of the fin forming machine. This drive feeds the complete ribbon horizontally into the fin forming machine 10 intermittently, step by step. After passing over said drive plate 13 these protruding strips pass through a cutting device 16 and then project below the fin support structure 17.

The support structure 1, commonly called suction head
7 includes a lower support plate 18 defining an array of small openings or through holes 19. The row of apertures is positioned to extend generally along the longitudinal edge of the metal strip located directly below the support plate 18. These through holes 19 communicate with an internal suction chamber 21, which in turn communicates with a suction fan 22 driven by a motor 23. This device is a suction chamber 21
Air flows upwardly through the through holes, creating a negative pressure within, thereby holding the metal strip against the underside of the support plate 18. After the strip has been fed under the support plate 18, the cutting device 16 is then operated in a conventional manner to cut the free ends of the strip from the continuous ribbon extending through the forming machine 10, thereby cutting these cuts. The finished strip constitutes a complete fin F,
These fins are held in side-by-side relationship adjacent the lower surface of support plate 18.

Since the structure described above is well known, we believe that a more detailed explanation of it is unnecessary.

The fin support structure 17 also includes an improved fin ejection auxiliary device 24 coupled thereto, which will be described below.

Next, considering the endless fin collector 4, the collector includes a frame 31 on which a front sprocket shaft 32 and a rear sprocket shaft 33 are each rotatably supported. These shafts extend horizontally in parallel relationship and have a pair of forward sprockets 34 and a pair of rear sprockets 35 non-rotatably fixed to the shafts. These pairs of sprockets also support and drive an endless chain conveyor 36 to which outwardly projecting fin support devices 37 are longitudinally secured at regular intervals. This endless conveyor 36 has at least one upper straight section extending substantially horizontally, and is positioned so as to move at right angles to the horizontal direction of movement of the fins when they are discharged from the fin forming line 3. .

As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of forward sprockets 34 are comprised of identical axially spaced sprocket wheels 41 and 41', and similarly a pair of rear sprockets 35 are comprised of identical axially spaced sprocket wheels 41 and 41'. It consists of sprocket wheels 42 and 42' placed on each other. This endless conveyor 36 is
A pair of substantially identical endless chain members 43 and 43' extend between and supported on the two pairs of sprocket wheels 41 and 42, and 41' and 42', respectively. Contains.

Each endless member 43 and 43' is comprised of a plurality of substantially identical links 44 pivotally connected to each other, each link having a sprocket roller 45 projecting outwardly from both sides thereof. There is. A stacker block 46 is secured to each link 44, each block 46 having an elongated bar or spike 47 secured thereto and projecting vertically outwardly therefrom, the spike having a tapered or pointed end. It ends in The spikes 47 of the endless members 43 and 43' constitute a cooperating pair to firmly support the stack S of perforated fins F. The cooperating pair of spikes is the spike of the endless member 43 and the endless member 4.
3' and another spike 3', both of which are substantially laterally aligned with each other when viewed from the side of the endless chain. However, these cooperating pairs of spikes are slightly offset from each other in the direction of movement of the chain to accommodate the staggered relationship of the through holes formed in the fins F. These cooperating pairs of laterally arranged spikes form the fin support device 37 mentioned above.

The sprocket wheel may be adjustable to accommodate the desired relationship of the conveyor to the fin forming line as well as specific fin formations. For this purpose, sprocket wheel 4
1 and 41' are rotatably supported on adjusting blocks 48 and 48', and the blocks are rotatably and axially slidably supported on a guide rod 49 extending parallel to the front sprocket shaft 32. Similar adjustment blocks 51 and 51' are provided with sprocket wheels 42 and 42' rotatably supported relative thereto, and these adjustment blocks are connected to another guide rod 52 extending parallel to the rear sprocket axis 33. It is supported so as to be rotatable and slidable in the axial direction. The threaded adjusting screw 53 is rotatably supported by the adjusting block 48, and is also supported by the opposing adjusting block 48'.
It is screwably connected to the A similar threaded adjustment screw 53' is rotatably supported by block 51 and is threadably engaged with block 51'. These parallel adjusting screws 53 and 53' are provided with sprockets at their outer ends which are connected via an endless chain 54. Manually turning the adjusting screws 53 or 53' with a wrench causes these screws to rotate in the same direction, so that the adjusting blocks 48' and 51' and the sprocket wheel 41' attached thereto are rotated by hand. and 42' are slid together axially away from or towards opposing adjustment blocks 48 and 51. Thus, the spacing between the cooperating pairs of sprocket wheels, and thus the spacing between the endless members 43 and 43', is adjustable.

These four sprocket wheels can also be laterally adjusted as a unit relative to the fixed frame. This adjustment is made using adjustment block 4.
8 and 51, respectively, by means of parallel threaded adjustment screws 55 and 55' which threadably engage. The outer ends of the screws 55 and 55' are rotatably supported by bearings 56 and 56' fixed to the frame. Suitable sprockets are non-rotatably fixed to the outer free ends of the adjusting screws 55 and 55';
The sprockets are connected by an endless chain 57, so that screws 55 and 55' can rotate simultaneously in the same direction. By manually rotating one of these threaded shafts 55 and 55' using a wrench, all adjustments are made so that the endless members 43 and 43' can be positioned as desired relative to the fin support structure 17. The block, and therefore all chain sprocket wheels, are moved laterally as a unit.

Endless members 43 and 43' are driven by any suitable indexing drive unit such that the chain is moved intermittently step by step over a distance of a constant predetermined length, said length being determined by the fin support. Equal to the centerline spacing between adjacent fins held under structure 17. This indexing drive is normally connected to one of the sprocket shafts 32 and 33, and the drive itself is operated in a suitable manner to ensure indexing over the correct distance at the correct time intervals. Many different conventional configurations can be envisioned, including either rotary or linear motors coupled to a control structure.

The illustrated embodiment includes endless members 43 and 43' driven step by step intermittently by an indexing drive 61 shown in FIG. The drive includes a double acting hydraulic cylinder 62 with an upwardly projecting piston rod 63 fixed to a fixed frame 31 and to a vertically movable drive block 64. This block is slidably guided by a pin 65 and is provided with a drive pawl 66 projecting laterally from the block, which pawl is spring-loaded outwardly. Both sprocket wheels 41 and 4
a pin wheel 67 disposed in the axial direction between the sprocket shafts 1' and 1' and non-rotatably fixed to the sprocket shaft 32;
Said pawl 66 is arranged for drivingly engaging the.
When the cylinder 62 is energized to move the drive block 64 upwardly, the pawl 66 engages the pin 68 of the wheel 67 so that the pin wheel and therefore the sprocket wheel rotate through a predetermined angular amount. do. When the piston rod is lowered, the tapered underside of the pawls 66 causes them to cam inwardly, thereby passing over the pins, so that reverse rotation of the pin wheel does not occur.

A retaining or braking device 71 which can engage the endless members 43 and 43' and is connected to the indexing drive 61 is provided to ensure that the chain is stopped and held after it has advanced the desired stepped distance. The indexing drive device is provided. As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10,
The braking device 71 includes an elongated cross member 72 which extends horizontally below the horizontal upper straight section of the chains over a distance between the chains and is secured to the drive block 64. Directly below the horizontal straight section of each chain, a pair of parallel actuator pins 73 are attached to each end of the cross material 72, and the pins are vertically slidably supported on fixed guide rails 85, which will be described later. It extends through a longitudinally elongated slot 74 formed in a pair of cooperating brake pins 75. The upper end of the brake pin 75 is normally maintained at the lowest position as shown, in which position the upper end does not interfere with the forward movement of the chain. When the cylinder 62 is energized to move the drive block 64 upward, the initial upward stroke causes the pawl 66 to rotate the pin wheel 67.
and the actuator pin 73 is inserted into the slot 74.
It slides upward until it engages the upper end, and then a further upward stroke causes the brake pin 75 to
is raised, so that the upper end of the pin is
It projects upwardly a sufficient distance to be located directly in front of a sprocket roller 45 connected to one of the chain links 44, thereby ensuring that the chain is braked and further advancement of the chain due to inertia is prevented. Ru.

In order to ensure correct guidance of the endless members 43 and 43' and to prevent undesirable sagging of said upper and lower straight sections when they extend between the sprockets, the upper and lower straight sections of the chain are Suitable slide rails are provided that engage both straight sections. More specifically, as shown in FIG.
and 48' and 51', the guide rail having a downwardly open channel-shaped bracket 8.
2 to the block. These guide rails define longitudinally extending and downwardly open slots 83 through which the spikes 47 connected to the lower straight sections of the endless chain project.

Another pair of parallel elongate guide plates 84 extend between and are secured to the pairs of adjustment blocks 48 and 51 and 48' and 51'. These guide plates 84 are provided with upwardly open channel-shaped guide rails 85 fixed to the plates and extending along the length of the plates. These guide rails 85 slidably guide the links 44 of the endless members 43 and 43' to move longitudinally along the guide rails and further prevent lateral movement of the upper linear section of the endless members. . Also provided is a top hold-down rail 86 associated with the upper linear section of each conveyor chain, which hold-down rail includes a row of balls 87 tethered thereto. these balls 8
7 are spaced longitudinally along the upper straight section of the chain at intervals equal to the spacing of adjacent chain links 44, so that balls 87 are small detents such as those formed on the top surface of each chain link 44. That is, it can be positioned so as to fit into the recess 88. A hold-down rail 86 is horizontally pivoted at a point 89, the outer end of which is connected to the piston rod of a conventional double-acting hydraulic cylinder 91, which cylinder is adapted to move said piston rod upwardly. When forced,
This causes the rail 86 to pivot, so that the ball 87 reaches the detent recess 88, thereby holding the upper straight section of the chain firmly in place.

Considering now the fin transfer device 5, which device is substantially aligned with and disposed proximate to one end of the endless fin collector 4 for releasing the fin stack S from the endless fin collector 4. .

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 11-13, the fin transfer device 5 includes a fin removal device 9 for removing the fin stack S from the conveyor at a position where the spikes 47 protrude substantially horizontally.
7 includes a fixed frame 96. The removed stack S is then engaged with the propulsion device 98 and further advanced in the same direction over a predetermined distance, after which these fins are connected to the opposing L
They are supported by letter-shaped fin collecting rails 6 and held so as to be stacked in horizontally extending rows 7.

Considering first the fin removal device 97, it includes a plurality of L-shaped rakes 101 positioned in a spaced relationship across the width of the frame. Each rake 101 includes a substantially horizontal base plate 102 having an upwardly projecting pressure plate 103 secured to it at its free end. The other end of the base plate 102 extends horizontally across the frame and includes a pair of sliders 10.
5, and the slider is slidably supported by a pair of parallel guide rods 106. These rods 106 extend horizontally in parallel relation to the opening direction of the fin stack S. Said slider 1
05 is connected to an elongated connecting rod 107 which is connected at its other end to the outer end of a vibratory crank arm 108, which arm is also secured to a vibrating drive shaft 109.

The shaft 109 and therefore the arm 108
is angularly vibrated by the drive unit 111,
The unit includes, in the illustrated embodiment, a double-acting pressure cylinder 112 which is pivotally supported at a point 113 on the frame and whose piston rod is pivotally connected to the outer end of a lever 114. The lever 114 is fixed to the shaft 109.

The arm 108 is driven to vibrate over a small angular range, thereby causing the slider 10 to vibrate.
5 is reciprocated between the two positions shown in FIG. 6A. When the slider 105 is in the rearmost position shown by the solid line in FIG. 6A, the rake 101
project outwardly between the horizontally projecting spikes 47, so that the pressure plate 103 is arranged between the two endless members 43 and 43' near the base of the spikes. In this way, the pressing plate is arranged inside the lowest fin included in the stack Se. The slider 105 (in FIG. 6A)
By operating the fin removal device 97 so as to reach the dotted line position, the rake 101 is moved over a distance (towards the left in FIG. 12) such that the pressure plate 103 just passes over the tip of the spike 47. The stack Se is thereby completely removed from the spike and supported on the opposing fin collecting rail 6.

The unloaded stack S is engaged by a fin propulsion device 98 which includes a plurality of spaced apart coplanar pressure plates 115. These plates 115 constitute recesses 125 through which the pressing plate 103 can pass, and are movable cross members 116 extending laterally, with guide rollers 117 attached to both ends of the cross members. It is fixed to the material. These rollers 117 are rotatably supported in horizontally extending slots 118 defined between elongated guide rails 119 and 120, which are secured to stationary side frames 122. Another guide rail 121
extends parallel to said rail 119 and is spaced above said rail 119 to define another elongated guide slot 123 therebetween. This middle rail 119 is short and effectively terminates in a cam lever 124 which is pivoted at point 126 and forces the lower rail 120 downwardly under its own weight. This lever 124 forms an upper cam surface 127 along which the roller 117 can roll upwardly into the upper slot 123 as it retracts.

Both ends of the movable cross member 116 are provided with longitudinal guide rods 128 projecting upwardly therefrom and secured thereto. These rods are
It is slidably positioned relative to the ball slide guide 129 fixed to the slide block 131. These blocks are connected to the lower guide rod 1
06 and is slidably supported by a pair of horizontally extending fixed guide rods 132 spaced apart above.

Said upper sliding block 131 is connected to an elongated connecting rod 133, which rod is also pivotally mounted to the free end of a vibrating crank arm 134, which arm also connects to the vibrating drive shaft 1.
It is fixed to 09.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the crank arm 10
8 and 134 project radially outward in diametrically opposed directions from driveshaft 109 and arm 134 is longer than arm 108 so that the travel distance of upper slide block 131 is equal to the travel distance of lower slider 105. larger than
In the illustrated embodiment, the arms 108 and 1
34 is integrally formed as a single lever member, although separate arms may be utilized if desired.

Rake 101 causes stack to spike 47
In order to prevent the frontmost fins of the stack Se from flipping over when removed from the stack, these rakes are provided with a pair of fins protruding vertically upward from the cross member 104 and movably attached to the cross member. A fin support plate 136 is provided. These plates 136 are made of cloth material 104
It is connected to the upper end of a piston rod 137 associated with a small air control cylinder 138 which projects downwardly from and is secured to the cloth. These plates 136 are movable between a low position such that the fin stack can pass over the plates and a high position such that the plates project upwardly to engage the foremost fin of the stack. It is. The support plate 136 is spaced from the rake pressure plate 103 by a distance slightly greater than the height of the stack Se so that the stack Se can be positioned between the plate 136 and the rake pressure plate 103.

The fin stack, particularly supported on the fin collecting rail 6 at its inlet end (i.e. the right end in FIG. 12), is furthermore disposed between the rakes 101 and substantially coplanar with the base plate 102 of the rakes. It is supported by a central bottom rail 141 that is disposed. Furthermore, the vertical leg of the fin collection rail 6 includes a brush-like structure 142 that extends along the length of the leg and is fixed to the leg. These brush structures are sufficiently large to grip and hold the side edges of the individual fins to prevent them from flipping over, especially when the stack is being pushed forward along the rail. Deformable.

Next, considering FIG. 4 in detail and considering the auxiliary device 24 coupled to the fin support structure 17, the auxiliary device moves the fin from the suction plate 18 in order to insert the fin into the spike 47. It includes a structure that creates a downwardly flowing pneumatic blast to assist in pushing downwardly. The support plate 18 includes a pair of fixed guides 151 that are fixed to the plate and positioned inside the internal suction chamber 21 . These guides extend parallel to each other in perpendicular relation to the longitudinal direction of the fins. Each of these guides defines an elongated channel or passageway 152 formed in the guide, and
is connected to a source of pressurized air whose flow of air to said passageway is controlled by a suitable solenoid valve (not shown). Each of these passageways 152 extends downwardly through the support plate 18 and communicates with a plurality of narrow air outlets or holes 153 arranged in an elongated row. Each hole 153 is positioned to be effectively covered by one of the fins.

In addition to the air blast structure described above, the fin support structure 17 also has a mechanical connection to the head to ensure that the fins are properly aligned with the underlying spikes 47 when released from the support plate. It has an expression matching structure. The mechanical alignment structure includes a plurality of downwardly projecting pins 155 slidably supported in suitable holes formed in the guide 151 and the underlying support plate 18.
It is equipped with These pins 155 are arranged in two spaced apart, generally parallel rows extending across the suction head and are connected to guide 151.
It is fixed to a sturdy yoke 156 disposed above the yoke. Vertical reciprocation of the yoke 156 between a raised position (not shown) in which the lower tapered ends of the pins are retracted into the support plate and a lowered position in which the pins protrude downwardly below the support plate. A small double-acting pneumatic cylinder 157 is connected between the yoke 156 and the suction plate 18 so as to occur. These guide pins 155 are disposed substantially in alignment with and directly above the underlying spikes 47, and movement of these pins 155 to their lower position frees the pins 155. The end is positioned slightly above and in close proximity to the free end of the spike. pin 155
When the fins are moved downwardly, these pins pass through suitable openings present in the fins, allowing them to be properly guided as the fins fall downwardly towards the spines. Furthermore, in some cases these fins are not moved forward a sufficient length when the fins are transferred from the press to the fin support structure. In this case, the tapered lower end of pin 155 is designed to cause a slight forward camming movement of the fin substantially simultaneously with the release of the fin, thereby ensuring proper alignment and insertion of the fin relative to the spike. cooperates with the opening of the fin.

Operation First, consider the operation of the endless fin collector and its relationship to the fin forming line 3.

A ribbon or sheet material 8 is passed through a fin forming machine 1
0 or into the press machine and is moved between relatively movable platens which in operation form a plurality of identical perforated strips projecting forwardly from the press machine in parallel relation. The press machine, as disclosed, is capable of simultaneously forming 32 strips in parallel relationship. This strip is moved forward under the support plate 18 directly above the upper straight section of the endless conveyor, so that the cutting device 16 is operated to cut the fins F from this protruding strip,
These fins are then held on a support plate. The upper linear section of the conveyor comprises 32 support points arranged in the linear section in close parallel relationship along the length of the endless conveyor, these support points being connected to the support plate 18.
It is aligned with the 32 fins held by the fins and positioned directly below the fins. Each section is defined by a pair of upwardly projecting spikes 47, each of which is secured to each endless member 43 and 43'. The spike pair associated with each site has or may have a partial fin stack supported by the pair, the fin stack having the code number S ₁
or S ₃₂ . Once positioned as described above, the suction above the plate 18 is discontinued so that the fins move downwardly so as to be inserted into the pair of spikes 47 located directly below the upper support plate 18; The spike passes through a pair of holes in the fin, such as holes A and A' shown in FIG.

a valve controlling the supply of pressurized air to the passage 152 as well as the pressure cylinder 157 while terminating the suction above said support plate 18 carried out by opening a damper plate attached to the housing defining a suction chamber; will be held.
In this way, pressurized air is supplied to the cylinder 157,
As a result, the alignment pin 155 is projected downwardly under the support plate 18, thereby ensuring correct alignment of the fins for insertion into the spike. At substantially the same time, pressurized air supplied through passageway 152 is directed through holes 1 to impinge on the fins.
53 and is injected downwardly, thereby
The effect of gravity is assisted, and Finn rushes downward as if inserted into a spike.

After insertion of the fins into the spikes, the endless conveyor is energized and moved forward a distance that corresponds to the centerline spacing between adjacent fins, and the spacing is equal to the spacing between adjacent spike sections. . Prior to or substantially upon said movement, the fin forming machine 10 performs another punching operation to form another set of fins, the fins being propelled forward into the support plate 1.
It is held below 8. Thus, as the conveyor completes its incremental advancement, with the result that each set of spikes has advanced one part, another set of fins is then released from the support plate and inserted into the upwardly projecting spikes. . Therefore, the set of spikes that were originally in site S ₁ and contained a single plate at that site now resides in site S ₂
and a second plate is deposited on top of the single plate. The intermittent advancement of the conveyor in synchronization with the operation of the fin forming line 3
This continues until the spike set has been advanced through all 32 locations, so that when the spike set reaches location S ₃₂ , the last fin is inserted into the spike set and at this location the spike pair is inserted.
32 identical fins are stacked vertically. The next forward movement of the conveyor evicts these spike pairs from under the suction plate so that another fin cannot be inserted into these spike pairs. This stack of fins is further advanced intermittently by said conveyor until it reaches the unloading site Se. When the conveyor has brought the stack to the unloading site, where the spikes project outward in a generally horizontal direction, the stack is effectively positioned on the horizontal base of the rake 101 and also on the fixed It is positioned on the fin collecting rail 6 as well as the fixed central bottom rail 141. This stack is
It is held horizontally between the lifted support plate 136 and the press plate 103. Fin stack Se is thus positioned to be unloaded from the conveyor.

The operation of the transfer device 5 and its cooperation with the endless fin collector 4 will now be explained.

The unloading from the endless conveyor of said Finstack Se is carried out during the stationary part of the conveyor cycle, and said transfer device 5 is initially
It is in the state illustrated in FIG. In this state, the pressure plate 103 connected to the rake 101 is located at the rear behind the inner end of the fin stack Se, while the front pressure plate 115 is in its forward-most position.

When the pressure cylinder 112 is energized to rotate the clump arm 108 in a clockwise direction, it causes the slider 105 to move forward (i.e. to the left), thereby causing the fin stack of the spike 47 to move forward (i.e. to the left). Se from the spike to the adjacent fin collecting rail 6
The rake 101 is propelled to the left so as to press down. The pusher plate 103 propels the stack to a position where it is located just in front of the outer end of the spike. Upon reaching this forward-most position, the front fin support plate 136 is lowered so that the fins are attached to the brush-like structure 142.
Supported by.

Simultaneously with the above forward movement of the rake 101, another crank arm 134 moves the slider 131 rearward, thereby camming the roller 117 upwardly via the cam lever 124 to reach the upper slot 123 and thereby The pressing plate 115 is then lifted above the fin stack Se. The continuous rearward movement of the slide block 131 causes the pressure plate 115 to move rearwardly over the top of the fin stack until it reaches the end of the slot 123, at which point the central guide rail 119 ends and the roller 117 falls downwards and reaches the lower guide slot 118, which also causes the pressure plate 115 to fall downwards behind the fin stack Se. When reaching this rearmost position, the slide block 131 contacts the limit switch 143,
The switch signals that the pressure plate 115 has reached the correct rearmost position.

Pressure cylinder 1 is then rotated so that crank arms 108 and 134 are rotated counterclockwise.
12 is biased in the opposite direction, thereby causing the slider 105 to move rearward simultaneously with the forward movement of the upper slider 131. The forward movement of the slider 131 propels the pressing plate 115 forward, and as a result, the stacking by the rake 101
The stack Se is moved along the guide rail 6 over a distance slightly greater than the distance Se is moved. When the pressure plate 115 approaches the front end of its stroke, the roller 117 moves under the cam lever 124 so that the roller 117 can pass under the cam lever 124.
4, causing the lever to rotate upwards for a very short time, and then the cam lever pivots back to its lower position.

As soon as said pressure plate 115 begins to propel the stack Se, the rake 101 is moved backwards, where the pressure plate 103 passes through the recess 125 formed in the pressure plate 115. The rake 101 is slid rearward until the rake is repositioned so that the pressure plate 103 is located near the base of the spike 47, in which case the slider 105 is activated by the limit switch 144, which signals the completion of the unloading operation. as a result of which the fin support plate 136 is raised again to its upper position and the unloading device is left stationary until the new fin stack reaches the unloading position of the conveyor.

Thereafter, the drive unit coupled to the endless conveyor is energized so that the conveyor is once again propelled forward over a predetermined distance, so that the next set of pins loading the finstacks is placed in a horizontal unloading position. the unloading device is actuated and the above-described cycle repeats again.

Thus, by using a suitable control circuit, which may be of any conventional type, such as a limit switch or the like, the intermittent operation of the endless fin collector 4 and transfer device 5 can be synchronized with the operation of the fin type line 3, and Therefore, it becomes possible to form, accumulate, and transport a large amount of fins almost continuously and automatically at high speed.

The above explanation is based on Endless Fin Collector 4.
Although the conveyor is described as being propelled intermittently over a distance that corresponds to the centerline spacing between adjacent fins, in some cases the conveyor may be propelled intermittently over a distance that corresponds to the centerline spacing of adjacent fins; Alternatively, it may be desirable to intermittently propel the conveyor over a distance corresponding to a multiple of said centerline spacing, such that the conveyor is braked against movement under the lid fins. . This type of operation is particularly desirable when the press simultaneously forms several different types of fins during each operation and these different fins are arranged in a repeating pattern when held on the fin support structure.

In cases where the fins are manufactured from fairly heavy sheet material, the individual fins may inherently have sufficient stiffness that the fin support structure can be omitted entirely. In these cases, it is anticipated that the fins can be propelled forward from the press and then inserted directly into the spikes of the conveyor when the fins are cut by the cutting device 16. Also, if desired, the endless conveyor can be moved continuously rather than intermittently.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an improved apparatus according to the present invention which is used in connection with a conventional ribbon fin forming line. Figure 2 shows the fin formation line and
It is a side view which shows the relationship of this formation line with respect to an endless fin collector. FIG. 3 shows the parallel relationship of a plurality of fins formed in each work cycle of the ribbon-like fin forming line. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the improved fin support structure of the fin forming line. Figure 5 is the line of Figure 4.
FIG. FIG. 6A shows the unloading section of the endless fin collector in cooperation with the fin transfer device, and FIG. 6B shows the opposite section of said endless fin collector. FIG. 7 is a partially sectional plan view of the endless fin collector, with the fins omitted from the drawing. FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 7. Figure 9 is the line of Figure 7.
FIG. FIG. 10 is a partial view of line - in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a partial plan view of the fin unloading device along line XI--XI in FIG. 12. Figure 12 is the line of Figure 11
It is a side view of the fin unloading device about XII-XII. FIG. 13 is a partial sectional view taken along the line - in FIGS. 11 and 12. F...Fin, 2...Fin conveyance processing device, 3...Fin forming line, 4...Endless fin collector, 8...Sheet material, 37...Fin support device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A fin forming device 3 which is an apparatus for manufacturing, accumulating and conveying plate-like fins of a heat exchanger, and for forming a plurality of fins F in adjacent parallel relation from a sheet material 8. and a fin transport processing device 2 disposed adjacent to the fin forming device to collect and transport the formed fins discharged from the fin forming device, the fin transport processing device including: an endless conveyor 36 movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the conveyor and having a portion disposed adjacent to the forming means;
and a plurality of elongated spikes 47 fixed to and projecting outwardly from the endless conveyor; the plurality of spikes being spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the endless conveyor. , the predetermined distance is equal to the spacing between the center lines between the fins that are ejected from the fin forming device and whose sides are adjacent to each other; A fin accumulation and conveying device, wherein each of the spikes projects outwardly in a substantially perpendicular relationship to the endless conveyor. 2. A device for manufacturing, accumulating, and transporting plate-like fins of a heat exchanger, which includes a fin forming device 3 for simultaneously forming a plurality of fins F in adjacent parallel relation from a sheet material, and a fin support structure 17 that supports the plurality of formed fins in a parallel relationship; and a fin transport processing device 2 disposed under the fin support structure for accumulating and transporting the formed fins. and wherein the fin transport and processing device is: movable relative to the fin support structure in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the formed fins discharged from the fin forming device; an endless conveyor 36 having an upper straight section disposed adjacent to the body; a fixed frame 31 movably supporting said endless conveyor thereon; fixed to said endless conveyor and extending outwardly from said endless conveyor; a plurality of elongated spikes 47 protruding toward the fins; the plurality of spikes are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance along the entire length of the endless conveyor; and the predetermined distance is between the fins. Each of said spikes is equal to the spacing between the center lines of adjacent fins supported by support structure 17, and such that a plurality of fins can be stacked and transported on each of said spikes. projecting outwardly in a substantially perpendicular relationship to said endless conveyor; and said upper linear section is intermittently advanced by an amount equal to said predetermined distance or an integral multiple of said distance; A drive means 61 is connected to the endless conveyor to perform intermittent step-by-step unidirectional movement of the endless conveyor, and the fins discharged from the fin forming device 3 are supported by the fin support structure 17. and then stacked sequentially on the elongated spikes 47,
The driving means moves the fin forming device and the fin support structure so that the spikes are intermittently and sequentially disposed adjacent to different positions of the fin support structure each time the upper linear section is intermittently advanced. The fin accumulation and conveyance device is synchronized with the operation of the fins. 3 A fin support structure 17 for holding a plurality of parallel fins with holes delivered from the fin forming device on the lower side and for placing the fins on the spikes on the endless conveyor; a lower support plate 18 having a plurality of rows of holes 19 extending therethrough to communicate with an internal suction chamber 21 disposed in the fins; positionable adjacent the lower surface of the support plate; and a negative pressure within the chamber such that outside air flows upwardly past the fins and through the holes into the internal suction chamber. Means 2 for generating
2 and 23; and a spike 4 disposed under the fin support structure.
alignment means provided on the fin support structure 17 to guide the downward movement of the fins onto the fins 7 and cooperating with the fins during ejection;
The adjustment means includes a yoke 156 vertically movably disposed in the internal suction chamber 21 and a plurality of pins 155 fixed to the yoke so as to project downward from the yoke; slidably positioned within an aperture extending downwardly through the support plate 18, and the aperture being disposed in a position covered by the fins such that the lower protrusion of the pins A fin support structure characterized in that a pin projects through an opening in the fin; and a cylinder 157 is coupled to the yoke to cause vertical reciprocating movement of the yoke. 4. A method for forming, accumulating and conveying plate-shaped sheets such as perforated fins of a heat exchanger, comprising the step of feeding sheets of thin plate-shaped material to a fin-forming device 3, and the step of feeding the sheets of thin plate-shaped material to the fin forming device 3, which cutting the sheet-like material using the fin-forming device to form a plurality of similar plate-like fins F arranged adjacently; and in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fins. suctioning and holding the plurality of formed fins by a fin support structure 17 in a row extending to;
the fins in said row are arranged adjacently in parallel relationship; and an endless conveyor 36 having a plurality of outwardly projecting spikes 47 uniformly spaced along its length; positioning a horizontally extending linear section to be disposed below the column and extending in a direction substantially parallel to the column; and positioning a desired spike directly below the column. moving the endless conveyor in a timed relationship to the progress of the fin forming device to cause the upper linear section to move along the direction; and the plurality of fins are moved downwardly so that the plurality of ejecting the plurality of fins arranged in the row so as to be accumulated on the endless conveyor by means of spikes; continuing the forward motion of said endless conveyor to progressively accumulate a stack of fins on each of said spikes; and unloading the stack of fins from the endless conveyor when the stack of fins reaches the desired position.