AUTOMATIC DIVIDING APPARATUS

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to an automatic distributing apparatus; and more par¬ ticularly, to an automatic distributing apparatus for supplying rolls to a conveyor of a processing machinery. Background Art

[2] An automatic distributing apparatus is an apparatus for supplying paper rolls to a printing machine or a packing paper manufacturing machine. For example, the automatic distributing apparatus supplies paper rolls in order by picking up one of the paper rolls loaded in a storage place, conveying the picked-up paper rolls toward the printing machine or the packing paper manufacturing machine and loading the paper rolls on a conveyor of the printing machine or the packing paper manufacturing machine.

[3] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a conventional automatic distributing apparatus for supplying a roll.

[4] Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional automatic distributing apparatus 10 includes a holder 11 for picking up a roll 20, a conveying unit 12 for moving the holder 11 in a left direction or a right direction and a conveying guide 13 for guiding the conveying unit 12 along a conveying path.

[5] The holder 11 includes a pair of pincers each having one end to be inserted in a hole formed at a center of the roll 20.

[6] The conveying unit 12 travels in a left direction and a right direction along the conveying guide 13. The conveying unit 12 also lifts up or down the holder 11.

[7] The conveying guide 13 is installed to be elevated from a ground level at a pre¬ determined height and provides a conveying path of the conveying unit 12 in the left direction or the right direction.

[8] The conventional automatic distributing apparatus 10 picks up the roll 20, lifts up the picked-up roll 20, conveys the roll 20 toward the processing machinery and lifts down the roll 20 on a conveyor of the printing machine or the package paper manu¬ facturing machine. That is, the conveying unit 12 travels along the conveying guide 13 to a storage place of the roll 20 and the conveying unit 12 lowers the holder 11 to the roll 20. Then, the holder 11 picks the roll 20 up and the conveying unit 12 raises the holder 11. The conveying unit 12 travels along the conveying guide 13 toward the conveyor of the processing machinery and lifts down the roll 20 on the conveyor of the processing machinery. Such a conventional automatic distributing apparatus is proper

to continuously supply a same size of rolls. However, it is not proper to supply various sizes of rolls. For example, if a small size roll 2OB is located under a large size roll 2OA as shown in FIG. 2, the conventional automatic distributing apparatus must push the large size roll 2OA in a side direction while lifting up the small size roll 2OB. Therefore, more driving power is required to lift up the roll. Also, the conventional automatic distributing apparatus occupies a large space and costs a high expense to install.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[9] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an automatic dis¬ tributing apparatus having an improved structure for supplying various sizes of rolls with a less power and a less installation cost. Technical Solution

[10] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic distributing apparatus including: a slope way for rolling a roll to a target place; and a stopping unit for selectively stopping the roll rolled along the slope way.

[11] The slope way may include: a plate having one end rotatably connected to a main frame and a receiving hole; and a slop control member connected to the plate for controlling a slop angle of the plate based on the main frame, and the stopping unit formed in a shape of V 'includes: a stopper rotatably connected to the main frame; and an rotating control unit for rotating the stopper so that one end of the stopper is projected through the receiving hole.

[12] The stopper may include a fixing groove and an absorbing member disposed at the fixing groove to absorb shock made by the roll rolled down along the slope way.

[13] A roll blocking member may be connected to the main frame by a hinge. The roll blocking member may cover the receiving hole of the main frame and the roll blocking member may be elevated when the one end having the absorbing member of the stopper is elevated and forms a roll blocking wall to stop the roll.

[14] The automatic distributing apparatus may further include a derail preventing member connected to one end of the roll blocking member by hinge. The derail preventing member may be elevated with the roll blocking member when the roll blocking member is elevated to form the roll blocking wall so as to prevent the absorbing member from being off from the fixing groove.

[15] The slop control member and the rotating control unit may be an air cylinder.

Advantageous Effects

[16] An automatic distributing apparatus according to the present invention selectively stops a roll naturally rolled down by rotating a stopper. Therefore, the automatic dis-

tributing apparatus is capable of supplying various sizes of rolls on a conveyor of processing machinery with less power. Also, the automatic distributing apparatus according to the present invention requires a less manufacturing cost and a less in¬ stallation cost.

Brief Description of the Drawings [17] The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[18] FIG. 1 is a view of a conventional automatic distributing apparatus;

[19] FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the conventional automatic distributing apparatus lifting up of different sizes of rolls; [20] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an automatic distributing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [21] FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the automatic distributing apparatus shown in FIG. 3; and

[22] FIGS. 5 through 7 show operations of a stopping member in the automatic dis¬ tributing apparatus shown in FIG. 3.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention [23] Other objects and aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, which is set forth hereinafter. [24] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an automatic distributing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of FIG.

3. [25] Referring to FIG. 3, the automatic distributing apparatus 100 includes a slope way

110 rotatably connected to a main frame for rolling down a roll (not shown) and a stopping unit 120 for selectively stopping the roll rolled down along the slope way

110. [26] The slope way 110 includes a plate 111 that is a traveling path of a roll and a slop control member 114 connected to the plate 111 for controlling the plate 111 to be inclined at a predetermined angle. [27] The plate 111 has a one end connected to the main frame 160 by a hinge, and a receiving hole 112 is formed on a predetermined portion of the plate 111 which is an opposite side of the one end connected to the main frame 160. [28] The slop control member 114 is connected to the other end of the plate 111. That is, the slop control member 114 is connected to the other end opposite to the one end connected to the main frame 160 by the hinge. The slop control member 114 elevates

the other end of the plate 111 to control the inclination angle of the plate 111. An air cylinder may be used to control.

[29] The stopping unit 120 includes a stopper 121 for selectively stopping a roll by being rotated at a predetermined angle and a rotating control unit 122 for controlling a rotatory motion of the stopper 121.

[30] The stopper 121 is formed in a shape of V 'and rotatably disposed at the main frame 160. The rotating control unit 122 rotates the stopper 121 at a predetermined angle. After rotating, one of ends of the stopper 121 is projected through the receiving hole 112 formed on the plate 111 with a bending portion of the stopper 121 having the shape of ' V 'as a center. If the one end of the stopper 121 is projected through the receiving hole 112, the other end of the stopper 121 falls under the receiving hole 112. The one end of the stopper 121 has a fixing groove 123 as shown in FIG. 5. An absorbing member 150 is inserted in the fixing groove 123. The absorbing member 150 absorbs a shock made by a roll rolled down along the slope way 110. The absorbing member 150 may be a circular ball shape.

[31] The rotating control unit 122 is connected to the one end of the stopper 121 and controls the rotatory motion of the stopper 121 to project the one end of the stopper

121 through the receiving hole 112 with the bending portion of the stopper 121 as a center. In more specific, the rotating control unit 122 rotates the stopper 121 to externally project the one end having the absorbing member 150 through the receiving hole 112 to stop the roll 200 rolled down along the slope way 110. Then, the rolled down roll 200 is stopped by the one end of the stopper 121. The rotating control units

122 rotates the stopper 121 to lower the one end having the absorbing member 150 internally through the receiving hole 112 to move the roll 200 in a forward direction. Then, the roll 200 is stopped by the other end of the stopper 121 to be ready to discharge from the stopping unit 120. Such a rotating control unit 122 may be an air cylinder.

[32] A roll blocking member 130 is disposed at the main frame 160 around the receiving hole 112 of the plate 111 in order to help the stopper 121 to stop the roll 200. One side of the roll blocking member 130 is connected to the main frame 160 by a hinge to block the forward movement of the roll 200 as a blocking wall or to support the roll 200 by covering the receiving hole 112 when the roll 200 is moved in the forward direction. The roll blocking member 130 is configure of a coupling plate 131 and a pair of side plates 132 formed in a shape of 'D'. The pair of side plates 132 facing each other supports the coupling plate 131 to cover the receiving hole 112. The coupling plate 131 has a one end connected to a derail preventing member 140. As shown in FIG. 5, when the stopper 121 is rotated, the stopper 121 pushes up the absorbing member 150 and the absorbing member 150 is externally projected through the receiving hole 112.

When the absorbing member 150 is externally projected, the absorbing member 150 pushes up the roll blocking member 130 and the roll blocking member 130 is also elevated. That is, the absorbing member 150 pushes up the roll blocking member 130 externally through the receiving hole 112 to form the roll blocking wall. The roll blocking member 130 stops the roll 200 rolled down along the slope way 110 by forming the roll blocking wall.

[33] A guide rail 161 is formed on both sides of the top surface of the main frame 160.

The derail preventing member 140 is disposed on the guide rail 161. The derail preventing member 140 is moved by a roller 141 and connected to the roll blocking member 130 through a hinge. The derail preventing member 140 prevents the absorbing member 150 from being off from the fixing groove 123 when the absorbing member 150 receives the shock made by the roll 200. The derail preventing member 140 is elevated with the roll blocking member 130 and is folded over the side plate 132 of the roll blocking member 130 when the roll blocking member 130 is elevated and forms the roll blocking wall by the absorbing member 150.

[34] Hereinafter, operations of the automatic distributing apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

[35] At first, the slop control member 114 controls the plate 111 to be inclined to naturally roll down a plurality of rolls 200. Then, the plurality of rolls 200 is se¬ quentially rolled down along the plate 111. The roll 200A is stopped by a one end of the stopper 121 projected through the receiving hole 112 of the plate 111 as shown in FIG. 5. In order to pass the stopped roll 200A to a target distribution place and to stop a next roll 200B, the projected end of the stopper 121 is lowered and the lowered end of the stopper 121 is raised as shown in FIG. 6. Accordingly, the rotating control unit 122 rotates the stopper 121 to raise the absorbing member 150 to be projected through the receiving hole 112. If the absorbing member 150 is elevated, the roll blocking member 130 connected to the receiving hole 112 through a hinge is also elevated and forms the roll blocking wall. The roll blocking member 130 forming the roll blocking wall stops the next roll 200B not to be moved in forward direction. If the rotating control unit 122 rotates the stopper 121 to lower the absorbing member 150 through the receiving hole 112 in order to supply the next roll 200B to the target distribution place such as a conveyor, the roll blocking member 130 covers the receiving hole 112 to roll the next roll 200B in the forward direction. The next roll 200B rolls at a pre¬ determined distance in the forward direction and then, the next roll 200B is stopped by other end of the stopper 121. Then, the stopper 121 is rotated to pass the stopped roll 200B to the target distributing place, and a roll 200C following the next roll 200B is stopped again by the roll blocking wall formed by the roll blocking member 130.

[36] As described above, the automatic distributing apparatus can supply various sizes of

rolls to a conveyor with less power. Also, the automatic distributing apparatus occupies a small space. Furthermore, the automatic distributing apparatus requires a less in¬ stallation cost.

[37] While the present invention has been described with respect to certain preferred em¬ bodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modi¬ fications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.