US2253367A - Boosting mechanism for bread slicing machines - Google Patents

Description

A. Dl PRIMA Aug. 19; 1941.

BOOSTING MECHANISM FOR BREAD SLICING MACHINES Filed Sept. 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ANTHONY DI PRIMA B Q JW ATTORNEY Aug. 19,1941. I D] pR I 2,253,367

BOOSTING MECHANISM FOR BREAD SLICING MACHINES Filed Sept. 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IQ f "f v 7 ,6 i? 2' Q P 3 I Z6 74 /a i i 1-2 n: I L 1 27 F 4 I I 5 l 1 9 g I INVENTOR V ANTHONY DIPRIMA' BY Patented Aug. 19, 1941 BOOSTING MECHANISM FOR BREAD SLICING MACHINES Anthony Di Prima, Brooklyn, N.

Y., assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of N ew lersey Application September 17, 1938, Serial No. 230,464

This invention relates to a driving mechanism, especially to mechanism for feeding articles in series to a station at which such an operation as slicing loaves of bread is to be performed, and more particularly to such a mechanism in which the operating parts move in a predetermined cycle occupying a given time andwhich will hereinafter be termed the machine cycle.

The general object of the invention is to pro-, vide in such a machine means for effecting an intra-cycle acceleration-deceleration of the conveyor by which the loaves are fed seriatim to the slicing knives, in order to speed-up or boost the feed preliminary to the slicing operation, the selection of a breadaslicing machine being, however, merely illustrative, as certain features of. the invention are intended for utilization in a wide range of applications. I

In a machine for slicing loaves, of the type selected for illustration, the loaves are supplied to a conveyor usually havingendless chains with flights or pushers by which the loaves-are advanced toward the slicer knives.

As a loaf approaches the slicing station, its pusher retires automatically from behind the loaf, thus leaving the loaf stationary and without means of ad-' machine cycle to set the pushers permanently far enough apart to accommodate the widest loaves in course of production at abakery, and as the machine may be needed for operation on several narrower sizes, for the reason that each such narrower loaf has to be advanced for an appreciable time'before it contacts with the preceding stationary loaf, the space being equal to the difference in distance between the pusher blades and the width of the loaf, or in other words, the distance between the front face of the loaf being advanced and the rear face of the leading loaf.

Under suchconditions, it is an object of the present invention to absorb the time waste above described and use it to advantage by speeding up or boosting the conveyor drive for a period equal to the difference'in distance between the pusher blades and the width of the loaves, and

' of gearing have been shown,

sizes of loaves, such a practice results in the waste- 4 of considerable time whenieeding loaves of the.

on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

6 Claims. (Cl. -155) thus save the time, very considerable in the aggregate, which has heretofore been'lost while the narrow loaves have been idling successively brought up, ahead. v

In carrying the invention into effect, while the me fo'f completing the cycle has not been reduced, as the loaves are fed through the knives at reduced speed, it is to be noted that a distinct advantage is gained by such reductionof .the speed of the loaf as it passes,through the slicing knives, resulting in a smoother and better cut for the narrower loaves.

Another object of the'invention is to provide for carrying the invention into effect in such a each against the .loaf

manner that when wider leaves are to be cut.

the feed of these wider loaves through the knives will be automatically sped up, while the machine cycle remains constant, so that the product of the machine remains reliably constant without special attention other than theadjustment for width of loaf during a given run.

A cognate object of the invention is to provide means by which the operator need only concern himself with the width of loaves he is handling, and for that purpose the invention provides a direct reading scale, and a cooperating setting lever 1 which indicates the widths of loaves ininches, and can be set with a minimum of attention, without any calculation by the operator.

For the sake of convenience in describing the operation of the device, certain sizes and ratios but all are naturally subject to readjustments according to the requirements of particular installations.

Other objectsandfeatures of the invention will-appear, as the descriptionjof the particular physical embodiment .of the invention selected for illustration proceeds.

' In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference have been applied to corresponding .parts throughout the several views which make up the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in sectional-side elevation of a bread slicing machine in' the construction of which the invention has been embodied;

Fig. 2 is a view in sectional end elevation, taken Fig. 3 isa schematic view of the drive as illus-' trated in Figs. 1 and 2, showing the ratios of gears and. sprockets appropriate for an assumed ing the operation of the invention.

In Fig. 1 are shown several loaves of bread La, Lb, Lc, Ld and Le in process of being pushed width of load adopted for convenience in describuntil they were conveyor chains sprocket wheel sprocket type of conveyor. Loaf La has been partly sliced while being pushed into thisqposi-.

tion by pusher Pa which has just dropped away from its dotted line position Pa back of loaf Lc, thus bringing the forward motion of loaves Ia, Lb and L to a temporary halt, and these loaves will remain in that position until pusher Pb has advanced into position Pb carrying loaf m forward to position Ld where it contacts loaf Lc. As pusher Pb continues on its way it pushes loaves Ld', Le, b and La. ahead until it drops away from behind loaf Ld, which has now taken the position previously held by loaf Lc.

It will thus be seen that intermittent advance of the loaves is caused by the time required for each loaf to traverse the gap between it and the loaf ahead.

The booster device reduces this delay by speeding up the conveyor drive during this period.

The pushers position onrods are carried in a free swinging H which are attached to the i2, Figs. 1 and 2,'driven by sprockets 13 on shaft 14. A roller IS on each pusher, as P, travels on a cam bar l6 and supports the loaves to a point near the slicer knives K, where the cam bar [8 is cut away, causing roller I! to lose its support and pusher Pa to drop away from behind loaf Lc, thereby halting the advance of loaves Lc, Lb and La.

At this point thespeed-up" or boosterf ture is brought into action.

Its mechanism consists of the following parts:

A spur gear H on shaft it engages an idler gear i8 on shaft IS. A crank 20, secured to shaft l8, carries at its outer end a pin 2| on which is rotatably mounted a spur pinion 22 which meshes .with idler gear iii. A sprocket wheel 23 secured to spur pinion 22, is connected by chain 24 to 25, to the hub of which is adjustably attached a sprocket wheel 28 (see Fig. 2). A chain 21 connects sprocket wheel 28 with one of twin sprocket wheels 28 on cam shaft 29. Twin sprocket wheels 28 are connected by chain 38 to'sprocket wheel 3| on drive shaft 32.

fea- I at a uniform speed.

the pusher in a correct position for advancing All sprocket wheels throughout this drive are of same pitch diameter.

A cam disk 88 secured to cam shaft 28 has a cam groove in which of cam lever 86, operates to impart an oscillating motion to slotted sector 31; lever 88 and sector 31 being of bell-crank construction and pivoted on shaft 42. v

In the slot of sector 81 is adiustably secured a pivot block 40 of a rod 38 which connects with a crank 38 secured to shaft i9.

It will thus be clear that the power for driving the conveyor l2 as delivered from drive shaft 82 must pass through this entire mechanism.

The only means for varying the speed from that delivered by shaft 32 comprises adjustments of the block 40 of rod 88 in the curved slot of sector 81. The pivot-block 40 on the end of rod 88 can be secured in the curved, slotted sector 31 by means of a T-bolt as at N, and a graduated scale "is attached for convenience tween loaf pushers, the length of crank 89 and the gear ratio in the drive train. 7

If the end of rod 88 is locked in a position cora roller 38, on theend.

responding to the center 42 of cam lever 38 the power delivered at drive "shaft 82 will run through the sprockets and gear train and drive the conveyor I! at a constant speed. If however the rod 88 be locked to the slotted sector 81 in any position removed from the center 42, it will operate to intermittently increase and reduce the speed, such intracycle acceleration-deceleration recurring once in each cycleor revolution of the cam disk 33, which as already indicated, represents the machine cycle.

The groove 84 in cam disk 88 is designed to eifect the speed-up or "boost" during one-sixth of a revolution, and during the remaining fivesixths of the cycle the speed is moderated to allow the loaves to pass through the slicer knives In Fig. 3 is shown a diagram of the conveyor drive in which the conveyor i2 is driven by a sprocket wheel 98, the pitch circumference of which is equal to twice the distance between loaf pushers P. Consequently it requires onehalf of a revolution of sprocket i8 and the shaft M to which it is attached to advance conveyor i2 a distance equal to the space .between pushers P.

Assuming that the space between pusherblades P on conveyor chain i2 is 8% inches, and

that loaves 3 /2 inches wide are being fed into the slicer, there will-remain a space 5% inches wide between the loaves.

As before stated, it would normally require one-half of a rotation of shaft H to advance the conveyor a distance equal to the space between pushers, or 8% inches, and as gear I! on shaft it has 60 teeth, 8% inches on the conveyor corresponds to 30 teeth on gear l1. To advance the conveyor 5% inches would therefore involve the action of 18 teeth on gear ll 5i I X30 18) and as this space is to be covered in one-sixth of the cycle, the main drive actuates 5 teeth (BO/(i=5), of the required 18, during this period, leaving 13 teeth on gear" to be advanced by the oscillation of crank 28, imparted by sector 31 of the device and acting to impart a planetary movement to gear 22 bodily from its fullline position to its dotted line position.

With the loaves on the conveyor and the position of cam groove 34 as indicated in Figs. 1 and 8, when the drive is started the roller 35 on cam lever 38 will start swinging sector 31, and through rod 38 which is connected to crank 38, crank 20 will be oscillated in the direction indicated by the arrow, thus bringing the -booster feature into action. I

As before mentioned, the booster period lasts during one-sixth oi the cycle and the extent of the boost depends on the setting of rod 88 in sector 31. During the remaining flve-sixths of the cycle the drive continues through chains and sprockets to pinion 22 which would rotate idler gear i825 teeth 30=25) were it not that cam groove 34 during this period oscillates crank 20. and brings it back to the position it occupied at the start of the cycle, thus retracing the 13 I8 during the "booster period and leaving 12 teeth of rotation (25-1 3=12), of gear It to be transmitted to gear l1 on shaft H which causes sprocket l3 to be rotated 72 degrees X360=72). 72 degrees of rotation of sprocket l3 advances conveyor l2 ('%soX8.'l5=3.5) 3% inches, which is lation to the direction, the article the space necessary to cover after a boost of The graduations on the back of sector 31' inches in order to advance the conveyor 8% 5 which, for the convenience of the operator, areal preferably marked to indicate the width of a". in

loaf, arederived from two constant values-the length of crank 39 and the angular displacement-- of sector 3'!and one variable value, that of the distance between loaves. The operator therefore hasto concern himself only with the width of the loaf he ishandling and he may place the end of rod 38 in any position on curved sector 3'! where the width of the loaf is indicated on the graduated scale 41 (3 inches in this case).

- When operating upon wider loaves, the boost period necessarily is reduced'and, as theslicing period remains unchanged, a higher cutting speed will be maintained while passing a wider loaf through the slicer knives than would be maintained with a narrower width of loaf.

This condition is favorable to the loaf slicing operation as it has been found by experience that .a smaller loaf lacks stand up to a hard the necessary resistance to push against the slicer knives whereas the bulk of a larger loaf can take a harder push.

What is claimed is:

1. In an article feed of the type which includes an operator device, such as a slicer unit, and a conveyor for advancing a series oi? articles, such as loaves, along an article-way toward said slicer unit at a relatively high speed, and for advancing them through said slicer unit at a relatively lower speed, whilemaintaining a machine cycle of substantially constant predetermined duration,

move said planet gear bodily in its orbit comprising a crank centered freely upon the axis of said sun gear, a rotatable cam coordinated for co-rotation with said means by which said planet gear isrotated, and a bell-crank lever connected for oscillation by said cam and having an adjustable linkage with said crank adapted to impart thereto intracycle phases of acceleration-deceh eration of desired amplitude.

4. An article feed having the features claimed claim 1, wherein said means to move said planet gear bodily in its orbit comprises a crank centered freely upon the axis of said sun gear, a rotatable cam coordinated for co-rotation with said means by which said planet gear is rotated, and a link-motion adapted tobe oscillated by said cam and having adjustable connections with said crank adapted to impart thereto intracycle phases of acceleration-deceleration of desired amplitude,

said link-motion including a lever having an arm provided with a cam follower engaged with said cam, and an arm formed with a slot, a connecting rod having a slidable connection with said slotted arm and a connection with the hub of said crank.

5. In an article feed of the type which includesan operator device, such as a slicer unit, and a conveyor for advancing a series of articles, such as loaves, along an article-way toward said slicer unit at a relatively high speed, and for advancing them through said slicer unit at a relatively lower speed, while maintaining a machine cycle of substantially constant predetermined duration, mechanism for actuating said conveyor to eifect intracycle acceleration-deceleraand mechanism for actuating said conveyor to effect intracycle acceleration-deceleration thereof to produce said variations in speed; said mechanism including a sun gear and a planet gear dis- Posed in planetary driving relationship, means to drive one of said last-named gears, driving connections by which the other of said last-named ears is adapted to drive said conveyor, and means to cause betweensaid sun gear and planet gear, whereby when either of them is displaced bodily with reothergear in the direction of rotation of said other gear, the latter will be decelerated, and the article feed will be driven at its lower speed, by virtue of said displacement, and when relative orbital displacement as said displaced gear is 'displaced in the opposite feed will be driven at its higher speed, and a control device readily operabl 'e manually for effecting said displacements at will.

2. An article-feed having the features claimed in claim 1, wherein said the free end of a crank movable rotatabiy upon the axis of said sun gear, sprocket wheels disposed on said axis, a sprocket chain running between a sprocket wheel connected with said planet gear and one of the sprocket wheels disposed co-axially with relation. to said sun gear, and another sprocket chain running from a sprocket wheel disposed on said sun gear axis and a driving sprocket wheel connected with a source of power for the machine.

planet gear is carried at.

tion thereof to produce said variations in speed, said mechanism comprising a shaft, a spur gear fast on said shaft, a counter-shaft, an idler gear on said counter-shaft, in mesh with said spur gear,- a crank fixed on said counter-shaft and carrying at its free end a stud, a spur pinion rotatable on said studin mesh with said idler gear, a sprocket wheel mounted to rotate with said spur pinion on the stud, a sprocket wheel rotatable around the axis of said countershaft, a sprocket chain connecting said sprocket wheels 'on the stud and counter-shaft, a, second sprocket wheel connected coaxially with said sprocket wheel on the counter-shaft and adapted to rotate the same when driven itself, a sprocket chain to'drive said second sprocket wheel, means to actuate said last-named sprocket chain, means to oscillate said crank to advance and alternately to reverse said gearing at alternatively diflferent speeds, and adjusting means for varying the amplitude of the oscillatory motion.

6. In an article feed of the type which includesv 'er speed, while maintaining a machine cycle of substantially constant predetermined-duration,

mechanism for actuating said conveyor to eifect intra-cycle acceleration and deceleration thereof to produce said variations in speed, said mechanism comprising'a driven gear connected to drive said conveyor, a driving gear in constant mesh with said driven gear, and means to actuate said driving gear rotatively in a forward direction while varying the output speed of said gearing.

ANTHONY DI PRIMA.

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