MOVABLE AUXILIARY PLATEN FOR BUNDLE BREAKER AND KIT FOR RETROFITTING BUNDLE BREAKER WITH MOVABLE AUXILIARY PLATEN

Abstract

An auxiliary platen assembly configured to be mounted to a primary platen assembly of a bundle breaker includes an auxiliary platen having an upper surface configured to be frictionally engaged by a contact surface of a primary platen and having a lower surface configured to press against a top of a bundle when the auxiliary platen assembly is mounted to the primary platen assembly. First and second walls overlie first and second upper edge regions of the auxiliary platen. At least one first connector connects the first wall to the first edge region of the auxiliary platen in a manner that allows movement of the auxiliary platen toward and away from the first wall, and at least one second connector connects the second wall to the second edge region of the auxiliary platen in a manner that allows movement of the auxiliary platen toward and away from the second wall.

Claims

1. An auxiliary platen assembly configured to be mounted to a primary platen assembly of a bundle breaker, the primary platen assembly including a primary platen and a support for the primary platen, the primary platen assembly having a first side spaced from a second side in a first direction, and the primary platen having a contact surface configured to press against a top of a bundle on the bundle breaker, the auxiliary platen assembly comprising: an auxiliary platen having an upper surface configured to be frictionally engaged by the contact surface of the primary platen and having a lower surface configured to press against the top of the bundle on the bundle breaker and a first edge region configured to extend along the first side of the primary platen assembly and a second edge region configured to extend along the second side of the primary platen assembly when the auxiliary platen assembly is mounted to the primary platen assembly; a first wall overlying the upper surface of the auxiliary platen along the first edge region of the auxiliary platen and a second wall overlying the upper surface of the auxiliary platen along the second edge region of the auxiliary platen, the first wall having a first surface facing the second wall and a top surface and a bottom surface, and the second wall having a first surface facing the first wall and a top surface and a bottom surface, at least one first connector connecting the first wall to the first edge region of the auxiliary platen, the at least one first connector being configured to allow movement of the auxiliary platen toward and away from the first wall, and at least one second connector connecting the second wall to the second edge region of the auxiliary platen, the at least one second connector being configured to allow movement of the auxiliary platen toward and away from the second wall.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the auxiliary platen includes a layer or coating of friction enhancing material.

3. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein the friction enhancing material comprises rubber.

4. The assembly according to claim 1, including a first linear bearing on the first wall configured to support the first wall for movement relative to the primary platen assembly and a second linear bearing on the second wall configured to support the second wall for movement relative to the primary platen assembly.

5. The assembly according to claim 4, wherein the first linear bearing comprises a first bearing element on the first surface of the first wall configured to connect to a second bearing element on the primary platen assembly and the second linear bearing comprises a first bearing element on the first surface of the second wall configured to connect to a second bearing element on the primary platen assembly, and wherein the first linear bearing and the second linear bearing are configured to support the auxiliary platen assembly for movement relative to the primary platen assembly in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

6. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein the lower surface of the auxiliary platen includes a layer or coating of friction enhancing material.

7. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first connector comprises at least one first shaft extending through at least one opening in the first edge region of the auxiliary platen, the first shaft having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion of the at least one first shaft being configured to be too large to pass through the at least one opening in the first edge region of the auxiliary platen and the second end portion of the at least one first shaft being fixed to the first wall, and wherein the at least one second connector comprises at least one second shaft extending through at least one opening in the second edge region of the auxiliary platen and having a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion of the at least one second shaft being configured to be too large to pass through the at least one opening in the second edge region of the auxiliary platen and the second end portion of the at least one second shaft being fixed to the second wall.

8. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein a length of the at least one first shaft is selected such that when the auxiliary platen assembly is mounted to the primary platen assembly, a minimum distance between the contact surface of the primary platen assembly and the upper surface of the auxiliary platen is less than a distance between the upper surface of the auxiliary platen and the bottom of the first wall.

9. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein the at least one first shaft comprises a first first shaft and a second first shaft extending through a first opening and a second opening in the first edge region of the auxiliary platen, and wherein the at least one second shaft comprises a first second shaft and a second second shaft extending through a first opening and a second opening in the second edge region of the auxiliary platen.

10. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein a length of each of the first first shaft, the second first shaft, the first second shaft and second second shaft is greater than a thickness of the auxiliary platen such that a portion of each of the first first shaft and the second second first shaft is exposed between the upper surface of the auxiliary platen and the bottom of the first wall and a portion of each of the first second shaft and the second second shaft is exposed between the upper surface of the auxiliary platen and the bottom of the second wall when the auxiliary platen rests on the first end portions of the first first shaft, the second first shaft, the first second shaft and the second second shaft.

11. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein a width of the auxiliary platen assembly in the first direction is greater than a width of the primary platen in the first direction.

12. A kit comprising: an auxiliary platen assembly according to claim 10, a first linear bearing configured to be connected to the first surface of the first wall, a first gear rack configured to be connected to the top surface of the first wall, a second linear bearing configured to be connected to the second wall, a second gear rack configured to be connected to the top surface of the second wall, a motor mountable on the primary platen assembly, a drive shaft operably connected to the motor, a first gear mounted on the drive shaft for rotation with the drive shaft, the first gear being configured to engage the first gear rack, and a second gear mounted on the drive shaft for rotation with the drive shaft, the second gear being configured to engage the second gear rack.

13. A kit comprising: an auxiliary platen assembly according to claim 1, a first linear bearing configured to be connected to the first surface of the first wall, a first gear rack configured to be connected to the top surface of the first wall, a second linear bearing configured to be connected to the second wall, a second gear rack configured to be connected to the top surface of the second wall, a motor mountable on the primary platen assembly, a drive shaft operably connected to the motor, a first gear mounted on the drive shaft for rotation with the drive shaft, the first gear being configured to engage the first gear rack, and a second gear mounted on the drive shaft for rotation with the drive shaft, the second gear being configured to engage the second gear rack.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] These and other aspects and features of the invention will be better understood after a reading of the following detailed description in connection with the attached drawings wherein:

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional bundle breaker.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the bundle breaker of FIG. 1 showing a log supported by the bundle breaker with a first bundle of the log positioned between an upstream breaking conveyor and a first platen and a second bundle of the log positioned between a downstream breaking conveyor and a second platen.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the bundle breaker of FIG. 2 showing the first platen pressing the first bundle against the upstream breaking conveyor and the second platen pressing the second bundle against the downstream breaking conveyor.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the bundle breaker of FIG. 2 showing the downstream breaking conveyor shifted relative to the upstream breaking conveyor and the downstream bundle broken off the log.

[0023] FIG. 5 is side elevational view of the bundle breaker of FIG. 2 showing the downstream breaking conveyor returned to a starting position with its top surface substantially coplanar with the top surface of the upstream breaking conveyor and the first bundle moved away from the log.

[0024] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a platen assembly for a bundle breaker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure having an upper platen and a lower platen.

[0025] FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the platen assembly of FIG. 6 with a portion of a side wall removed to show a linear bearing by which the lower platen is supported on the upper platen.

[0026] FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the platen assembly of FIG. 6.

[0027] FIG. 9 is a detail view of region A in FIG. 8 showing the top of the lower platen separated from the bottom of the upper platen by a gap.

[0028] FIG. 10 shows the platen assembly of FIG. 9 with the top surface of the lower platen in contact with the bottom surface of the upper platen.

[0029] FIG. 11 schematically shows a log including four bundles connected at differently configured breaking regions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] FIG. 6 shows a first platen assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure that can be used on the bundle breaker 10 in place of the first platen assembly 18 and the second platen assembly 20 of FIGS. 1-5. In addition, as discussed below, an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a kit to allow the first platen assembly 18 of a conventional bundle breaker 10 to be converted into the first platen assembly 100 of the present disclosure. In the following discussion of a first embodiment of the disclosure, to avoid confusion, elements of the first platen assembly 100 are identified with unique reference numeral even when similar elements are found in the first platen assembly 18 of FIGS. 1-5.

[0031] The first platen assembly 100 includes an upper platen assembly 102 and a lower platen assembly 104. The upper platen assembly includes first and second side supports 106 connected by frame elements 108, and an upper platen 110 is fixedly connected to the frame elements 108 such that it is located between the bottom portions of the first and second side supports 106. The upper platen 110 has a bottom surface 112 that may be provided with a rubber or other friction-enhancing covering or coating 114.

[0032] A first drive shaft 116 extends between the side supports 106, and a first drive 118 supported by the frame elements 108 is operatively connected to the first drive shaft 116 to rotate the first drive shaft 116. First and second gears 120 are mounted at opposite ends of the first drive shaft 116 on the outer sides of the first and second side supports 106. The first drive 118 turns the first drive shaft 116 to rotate the first and second gears 120 to move the gears along the vertical racks 68 (FIG. 1) to raise and lower the first platen assembly 100 in the same manner described above in connection with the first platen assembly 18 of the bundle breaker 10 shown in FIGS. 1-5.

[0033] A second drive shaft 122 extends between the first and second side supports 106, and a second drive 124 supported by the frame elements 108 is operatively connected to the second drive shaft 122. First and second gears 126 are mounted at opposite ends of the second drive shaft 122 on the outer sides of the first and second side supports 106. The second drive 124 turns the second drive shaft 122 to rotate the first and second gears 126.

[0034] The bundle breaker 10 can also be provided with a second platen assembly (not illustrated) that is identical to the first platen assembly 100 and that is located above the downstream breaking support 16 and controlled like the second platen assembly 20 of the bundle breaker of FIGS. 1-5.

[0035] The lower platen assembly 104 includes first and second side walls 130 that extend in the longitudinal direction and are spaced apart in the transverse direction. The first and second side walls 130 each include a gear rack 132 on their top edge and a linear bearing 134 on mutually facing side surfaces 136. The linear bearing 134 is configured to cooperate with bearing rails 138 mounted on the outer surfaces of the side supports 106 of the upper platen assembly 102 to allow the first and second side walls 130 to slide in the longitudinal direction relative to the side supports 106 of the upper platen support 100. The first and second gears 126 of the second drive shaft 122 engage the gear racks 132 when the linear bearings 134 are mounted on the bearing rails 138. FIG. 7 shows the first platen assembly 100 with one of the first and second side walls 130 removed to allow the linear bearing 134 and the bearing rail 138 to be seen.

[0036] The second drive shaft 122, the second drive 124, the first and second gears 126 and the gear rack 132 could be replaced with one or more linear actuators (not shown) mounted to the upper platen assembly 102 and connected to the lower platen assembly 104 or mounted to the lower platen assembly 104 and connected to the upper platen assembly 102 to move the lower platen assembly 104 longitudinally relative to the upper platen assembly 102.

[0037] Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, two vertical shafts 140 having end stops 142 (which shafts 140 may comprise shoulder bolts) depend from the bottom edge 144 of each of the first and second side walls 130. The vertical shafts 140 extend through four openings 148 at each of the four corners of a lower platen 146, and the diameter of the end stops 142 is greater than the diameters of the openings 148 so that the lower platen 146 cannot be removed from the vertical shafts 140 in the downward direction. The lower platen 146 is freely supported on the vertical shafts 140; that is, the lower platen 146 can be moved upward along the vertical shafts 140 by applying pressure to a bottom surface 150 of the lower platen 146 and moved downwardly along the vertical shafts 140 by the force of gravity by removing the applied pressure. Optionally, springs (not illustrated) can be provided to bias the lower platen 146 away from the upper platen. Upward movement of the lower platen 146 is limited by the contact with the bottom surface 112 of the upper platen 110.

[0038] The bottom surface 150 of the lower platen 146 includes a rubber sheet or similar coating or covering for increasing friction between the lower platen 146 and bundles of material on the upstream breaking support 14. A top surface 152 of the lower platen 146 may also be provided with a rubber or other friction enhancing coating, or, in the alternative, may be roughened with ridges or other projections (not shown). The material on the bottom surface 112 of the upper platen 110 and the bottom surface 150 of the lower platen 146 may comprise (but is not limited to) portions of a flexible conveyor belt that is conventionally used to transport paperboard sheets.

[0039] In operation, the first drive 118 is controlled to rotate the first and second gears 120 to move the first and second gears 120 along the vertical racks 68 to lift the first platen assembly 100 to a starting position. In the starting position, the lower platen 146 is located at a distance from the top of the upstream breaking conveyor 14 greater than a height of the logs to be processed. In this position, the lower platen 146 rests on and is supported by the end stops 142 of the two vertical shafts 140 that depend from each of the first and second side walls 130. The lower platen 146 is held in position by gravity and its own weight; however, springs (not illustrated) could be provided if desired to ensure the lower platen 146 moves down to the end stops 142 when no upward force is being applied to the bottom surface 150 of the lower platen 146. The second platen assembly (not illustrated but mounted in the location of the second platen assembly 20 in FIG. 1) is controlled in the same manner as the first platen assembly 100 and will not be further described.

[0040] With the first platen assembly 100 in this raised position, the upstream breaking conveyor 14 is operated to bring one or more logs (illustrated in FIGS. 1-5) beneath the first platen assembly 100 and the second platen assembly until a breaking region between bundles of the logs lies at a junction of the upstream breaking conveyor 14 and the downstream breaking conveyor 16.

[0041] The second drive 124 is then operated to rotate the first and second gears 126 to slide the lower platen 146 longitudinally relative to the upper platen 110 until a downstream end of the lower platen 146 is located in a desired position relative to the breaking region. For example, if logs of the bundle are joined along a straight line, the downstream end of the lower platen 146 will be placed close to (for example, within about 1-3 centimeters of) the linear junction, On the other hand, if the bundles in the log are joined at a non-linear junction, for example, if they include interleaved flaps in the breaking region, the lower platen 146 will be positioned further upstream (e.g., 3-6 centimeters) from the breaking region such that the lower platen 146 does not overlap the flaps. The linear bearings 134 on the first and second side walls 130, which support the lower platen 146, slide freely along the bearing rails 138 because the bottom surface 112 of the upper platen 110 is spaced from the top surface 152 of the lower platen 146 during this movement.

[0042] This longitudinal positioning of the lower platen 146 can be performed by an operator observing the relationship of the lower platen 146 to the location of the breaking region and stopping the second drive 124 when the lower platen 146 reaches a desired position. The positioning can also be performed automatically by storing longitudinal positions for the lower platen 146 in a memory of a controller (not illustrated but including e.g., a microprocessor, PLC, etc.) and recalling the appropriate positions for the lower platen 146 based on the known configuration of the breaking regions of the logs to be processed.

[0043] With the lower platen 146 in the desired position relative to the breaking region, the first drive 118 lowers the first platen assembly 100 until the bottom surface 150 of the lower platen 146 contacts the top surface of the log beneath the first platen assembly 100. At this time, the lower platen assembly 104 is spaced from the upper platen assembly 102 as shown in FIG. 9.

[0044] After this contact, the lower platen 146 is prevented by the log from moving significantly lower, and as the first platen assembly 100 continues to descend, the lower platen 146 remains in contact with the bundle and slides along the four vertical shafts 140 until the top surface 152 of the lower platen 146 comes into contact with the bottom surface 112 of the upper platen 110. This is shown in FIG. 10. Continued downward movement of the first platen assembly 100 presses the lower platen 146 more firmly against the log and may compress the log somewhat until a desired clamping force is obtained.

[0045] At this time, the pressure of the upper platen 110 against the lower platen 146, together with the friction-increasing coverings or features on the bottom surface 112 of the upper platen 110 and on the top surface 152 of the lower platen 146 prevent the lower platen 146 from sliding, longitudinally or otherwise, relative to the upper platen 112. Significantly, no further locking mechanism is required to hold the lower platen 146 in position during the remainder of the breaking operation. Furthermore, as can be seen in FIG. 10, even when no gap is present between the upper platen 112 and the lower platen 146, a gap 154 does exist between the top surface 152 of the lower platen 146 and the bottom edges 144 of the first and second side walls 130. Due to this arrangement, the pressing force of the first platen assembly 100 against the log is not transmitted to the gear rack 132 and the first and second gears 126 of the second drive shaft even when significant pressure is being applied to the log.

[0046] With two adjacent bundles of the log securely clamped, the breaking operation described above in connection with FIGS. 1-5 is performed, and, at the end of the breaking operation, the first platen assembly 100 is raised to first move the upper platen 112 away from the lower platen 146 and then, after the lower platen 146 slides downwardly along the vertical shafts 140 and comes to be supported by the end stops 142, the lower platen 146 is also lifted from the log by the end stops 142. The log is then shifted downstream until the next two bundles are positioned appropriately relative to the junction between the upstream breaking conveyor 14 and the downstream breaking conveyor 16 and the cycle repeats.

[0047] It should be noted that the position of the lower platen 146 can be changed after each breaking operation if the breaking junctions of a given log are not identical. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 11, bundles having tabs may be oriented on a log such that the tabs are interleaved and such that the ends of the bundles that do not include tabs are linear and are adjacent to each other in bundle. Thus, for the illustrated four bundle log, the breaking junctions between bundles 1 and 2 and between bundles 3 and 4 of the log may be non-linear, while the breaking junction between bundles 2 and 3 is linear. In this case, the controller would control the lower platen 146 so that it is located further from the breaking junction when bundle 1 is broken from bundle 2 and when bundle 3 is broken from bundle 4 and closer to the linear breaking junction when the bundle 2 is broken from the bundle 3.

[0048] In a second embodiment, the disclosure is related to a kit for converting a platen assemblies of a conventional bundle breaker, e.g., the bundle breaker 10 shown in FIGS. 1-5, into the first platen assembly 100 of the first embodiment discussed above. The kit includes the lower platen assembly 104 discussed above, bearing rails 138, the second drive 124, the second drive shaft 122 and the first and second gears 126. The lower platen 146 may be referred to as an auxiliary platen when is provided as part of a kit. To install the kit, the bearing rails 138 are connected to the first and second side supports 52 of the first platen assembly 18 of FIG. 1, and the linear bearings 134 of the lower platen assembly 104 are installed on the rails 138. The second drive 124, second drive shaft 122 and the first and second gears 126 are also installed between the first and second side supports 52 of the first platen assembly 18 with the first and second gears 126 engaging the gear racks 132. With the kit thus installed, the first platen assembly 18 of FIGS. 1-5 is converted into the first platen assembly 100 of FIGS. 6-10. Notably, the material used to form the bottom of the first platen 19, which makes contact with logs before the conversion kit is installed, is suitable to be pressed against the top surface 152 of the lower platen 146 to prevent the lower platen 146 from sliding relative to the upper platen 110 (formerly the first platen 19) when pressure is applied against a log.

[0049] The present invention has been described above in terms of presently preferred embodiments. Modifications and additions to these embodiments will become apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. It is intended that all such modifications and additions form a part of the present invention to the extent they fall within the scope of the several claims appended hereto.