The invention relates to an apparatus for separating from a stock one rollable product at a time, such as a cylindrical article, provided with a stock container for the products and a separating member which is substan- tially movable up and downward.

For particular production processes it is necessary to separate articles of for instance elongate cylindrical form from a stock of these products and transport them away for further processing. The stock of cylindrical products are normally stacked in a bin which may have an inclining bottom in order to move the cylindrical prod¬ ucts to one side of the bin. Arranged at this side is a means, for instance in the form of an outward sloping "pater noster" , in the cells of which one rollable prod- uct at a time can be received. The drawback to the appa¬ ratus is that the cells are sometimes not filled because the articles in the stock obstruct each other.

The invention has for its object to provide an apparatus for separating rollable products from their stock, wherein in certain manner each separating opera¬ tion separates a rollable product.

The apparatus according to the invention is distin¬ guished in that a standing guide with an inner wall surface inclining to one side is arranged and the sepa- rating body has a carrying surface which is movable upward along the inclining inner surface to the top edge thereof, which carrying surface has an incline directed toward the other side.

Due to the inward inclining wall surface of the guide, any excess product carried along with the rollable product which has to be separated will automatically fall back into the stock bin during upward movement along this wall. Feed is ensured in that the carrying surface is moved through the stock itself and will always carry along an article. Due to the outward inclining carrying

surface the lifted article or product is automatically rolled outward at the top edge of the wall and can be received there on a belt conveyor or the like.

Above mentioned and other _. features will be further elucidated in the figure description hereinbelow of a number of embodiments. In the drawing: fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodi¬ ment of the apparatus according to the invention, wherein parts are partly broken away for the purpose of elucidat- ing the operation of the apparatus; fig. 2 shows a standing side view of a part of the apparatus according to the invention in an embodiment variant thereof; fig. 3 is a standing side view corresponding with fig. 2 of a third embodiment variant; fig. 4 is a perspective view corresponding with fig. 1 of a fourth embodiment variant; fig. 5 is a side view corresponding with fig. 2 of a variant of the apparatus according to the invention operating in opposite sense together with a de-stacking device according to the invention; fig. 6 is a side view corresponding with fig. 2 of a fifth embodiment variant .

Designated in the figures with the numeral 1 is a stock container in which a supply of cylindrical articles V is stored. Stock container 1 can take any random form and in the embodiment shown has an inclining bottom surface 2. Standing walls are arranged on the bottom surface 2 along the periphery thereof, wherein the wall part 3 has an inward inclining disposition, that is, the inner surface thereof extends above the bottom surface 2. A bin-like container thus results. At the transition of the bottom surface 2 and the inclining wall 3 a gap-like opening 4 is left clear in which a sliding body 5 is movable up and downward according to arrow PI. The slid¬ ing body 5 has an upper surface 6 which functions as carrying surface for an article V. In the embodiment shown the carrying surface 6 has an outward oriented slope which lies flush with the inclination of the slop- ing bottom surface 2 of stock bin 1, see also fig. 2.

One of the characteristics of the invention is that the sloping carrying surface 6 has a free edge onto which connects the wall part of the sliding body 5 which faces toward the inside of the bin. This wall surface runs parallel to the wall surface 3 of bin 1.

The path of movement of sliding body 5 is such that the carrying surface 6 can reach the top edge 7 of the wall 3. This is brought about by a cylinder 8 on the underside of sliding body 5, which cylinder is fed by a power supply system 9 of random nature.

In the embodiment shown according to fig. 1 a pres¬ sure sensor 10 is arranged on carrying surface 6, which sensor forma part of the control system for the power supply 9. Arranged close to the top of wall 3 on the outside of stock bin 1 is a discharge conveyor 11 which consists of an endless flexible belt 12 trained round a reversing wheel 13. The upper part of the belt 12 is driven in the direction of arrow P2. The operation of the embodiment in fig. 1 is as follows:

The starting position of the sliding body 5 is shown with dashed lines 5' in fig. 1. In this position the carrying surface 6 lies in line with the bottom 2 and articles V will roll downward as far as possible into the acute angle between wall 3 and bottom 2. When sliding body 5 is moved upward by means of energizing the cylin¬ der 8 with the power supply 9 which is actuated by an article on pressure sensor 9, the row of articles there- above will be moved upward, wherein the topmost article

V will roll back into the stock. Eventually one article

V will be left on carrying surface 6 since this remains lying on the acute angle between carrying surface 6 and the sloping wall part 3. The other articles will always roll back into the stock due to the inclining wall part 3.

When it reaches the top edge 7 the carrying surface 6 will, on account of the outward sloping angle of incli¬ nation, lift the article V over the edge 7 and let it roll into the guiding on the conveyor 11, whereby the

article falls onto the upper part 12 of the belt 11 and is subsequently discharged in the direction of arrow P2. When the pressure sensor 10 is released the power supply 9 is stopped and under the influence of its own weight the slide 5 can drop back when the infeed gate of cylin¬ der 8 is released. Owing to the inward directed pressure surface of sliding body 5 the slide 5 can drop downward undisturbed without obstructing the articles V in the stock. As soon as an article V comes to lie once again on carrying surface 6 and the pressure sensor is actuated the power supply can be switched on and, without having arrived in the lowest position, the slide can be moved upward again.

It will be apparent that with the apparatus shown one article at a time can be separated from the stock. Fig. 2 shows an embodiment wherein two sliding bodies 5 are placed mutually adjacent. These sliding bodies 5 operate in tandem, that is, the left-hand slide covers at least half the height of the sloping wall 3 and the right-hand slide the upper half. The advantage of such a tandem arrangement is that the length of the pressure cylinders 8 can be halved, whereby the total height of the apparatus is reduced or no spaces have to be arranged in the supporting floor. The operation is the same as the embodiment accord¬ ing to fig. 1, with the understanding that one article V at a time is carried up on the left-hand slide and trans¬ ferred onto the right-hand slide as soon as the carrying surfaces 6 thereof lie mutually in line. The right-hand slide 5 will subsequently carry the article further up to the top edge 7 of the inclining wall 3.

Fig. 3 shows an embodiment wherein use is made of a flexible element 15 which is trained round two reversing rollers 16, 17. In this embodiment the inclining wall 3 of stock bin 1 is formed by the left-hand part 3' of the flexible wall 15, which thus forms the end boundary of stock bin 1. Mounted on the flexible wall 15 is a carry¬ ing surface 6, on the free end of which is fixed a flexi¬ ble wall element 18 which is trained round a second reversing element 19 connected to the first reversing

element 17. The free end 18' of the flexible wall 18 is received in a guide 20 which extends round the outside of element 18 and a guide 21 arranged parallel to the inside thereof. The operation of this embodiment is as follows. When the carrying surface 6 is moved upward, for instance by driving one of the reversing elements 16, 17, one article V at a time will be carried upward on the carrying surface as far as the top edge 7 of stock con¬ tainer 1. The article then drops onto a conveyor 11 on the outside of stock container 1. No articles can come to lie on the underside of the carrying surface 6 since these are held back by the flexible element 18 which forms a guard. When the carrying surface 6 is carried back by reversing the drive, an article V will immediate- ly fall onto carrying surface 6 as soon as carrying surface 6 has descended sufficiently deeply into the stock. As soon as this happens, the drive can be reversed by means of a pressure sensor (not shown) , whereby the carrying surface 6 moves upward once again. It will be apparent that in this embodiment the separating member can take a particularly compact form.

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment which, similarly to fig. 1, is embodied with a single sliding body. The same reference numerals are used in this figure. It is noted that, as distinct from the embodiment of fig. 1, no pressure sensor is used on carrying surface 6 but, close to the top edge 7 of the inclining wall 3, a presence sensor 25 is placed which has the form of a vane which is fixed on a rotatably mounted pin 26. This pin 26 reverses in each case a contact 27 which is connected into an electrical control circuit 28. A time switch 29 is placed in this control circuit. The electrical control circuit actuates a hydraulic valve 30 for feed to the double- action cylinder 8. The operation of this embodiment is as follows:

When a sliding body 5 moves upward an article V will be carried each time over the edge 7 of stock bin 1, which article then actuates the vane 25 at this position and reverses the switch 27. This generates a signal which, after the set time, causes the control circuit 28

to reverse the valve 30, whereby the cylinder 8 moves downward. The reversal of the movement takes place as soon as slide 5 has reached the lowest position of cylin¬ der 8, which is detected with an approach switch 31 which is likewise connected to the electrical control circuit 28.

It is also possible to reverse the drive halfway along the downward stroke of slide 5 with the time switch 29, whereby the slide moves upward with a new article V. Fig. 5 shows a variant of the embodiment of fig. 2, wherein the same reference numerals are used for the same components.

The stock bin is partly broken away to elucidate the addition to this apparatus which consists of the possi- bility of being able to empty a loading pallet L with a stock V arranged thereon.

For this purpose a lifting device 40 is arranged for the loading pallet L, which device is provided with forks 41 for raising loading pallet L. The latter is loaded with a stock V of rollable products which are stacked in layers one above another.

The separating device here takes a double form, that is, two separating bodies in accordance with fig. 2 for emptying products from a stock bin 1, in addition to two extra separating members 45 which are here deemed to be connected to the separating members 5 lying thereunder. These separating members 45 are guided along the inward sloping wall 43 which is an extension of the wall 3 and the bottom edge 47 of which lies at a distance from the top edge 7 of lower wall 3. The distance between bottom edge 47 and top edge 7 of wall 3 is such that one product can be fed therethrough at a time.

At a certain height above the bottom of the stock bin is placed a guide plate 44 which is directed sloping outward at an the angle of inclination corresponding with the carrying surfaces 46 on the separating members 45.

The separating members 45 are movable up and down¬ ward along the guide wall 3 respectively 43 by means of the cylinders 8.

The operation of the upper part of the separating device of fig. 5 is in fact the reverse of that of the lower part thereof.

When a product is carried upward each time in the lower part, a product is thus lifted each time out of the stock onto the plate 44 in the upper part, whereby this product drops onto the right-hand separating member 45, as shown in the position according to fig. 5. When the right-hand separating member 45 moves downward while the position of the left-hand separating member is maintained the product P will roll to the right via the opening on the bottom edge 47 of wall 43 and be discharged on the conveyor 11. When the right-hand separating member 45 is moved upward beyond the upper surface of the left-hand separating member 45 and this left-hand separating member is moved downward the cycle can be repeated. It will be apparent that during this movement the lower part dis¬ charges one product at a time through the opening. In this manner both a stock bin 1 and a stock on a loading pallet L can be emptied simultaneously.

The apparatus of fig. 5 is also provided with a winding device for a belt B arranged in a zigzag in the stack V. Such a belt or belts B is (are) arranged between the layers during stacking of the products, in particular the roll, in order to provide some rigidity for trans¬ porting. When the products are taken out of the stack V this belt or belts must be retrieved, for which purpose the outer end is fastened in the top of the stack onto a winding shaft or reel 48 which is mounted releasably in a sub-frame 49. The latter is movable up and downward in the direction of arrow P5 by means of a cylinder from the position in full lines into the position with dashed lines in fig. 5. Sub-frame 49 is provided with a top plate in addition to a bottom plate arranged parallel thereto which have an angle of inclination corresponding with the guide plate 44. In the two extreme positions of sub-frame 49 either the top or bottom plate lies flush with guide plate 44 so that the products can roll out of the stack V over the plates to the guide plate 44. When a layer is removed each time from the stack, a part of the

that is, the side facing toward separating member 5. This protrusion 50 ensures that the upper of two rolls lying one on the other is pushed back in the direction of the arrow to the stock bin, while the lower roll, which must also pass over the protrusion 50, is held back by the top surface of the separating member 5 which slopes toward the other side. Separating member 5 is moreover embodied with a continuous channel 51 for receiving the protrusion 50 on wall 3. In this embodiment variant more protrusions 50 can of course be arranged at the same height or at different heights which co-act with corresponding channel-like recesses 51 in separating member 5.

The invention is not limited to the above described embodiments.