DESCRIPTION

A Method for Separating a Sheet of Connected Briquettes into Individual Briquettes and an Apparatus Therefor

Technical Field

[0001]

This invention relates to a method for separating a sheet of connected briquettes into individual briquettes and an apparatus therefor. More particularly, it relates to a method for separating a sheet of connected briquettes into individual briquettes, and an apparatus therefor, wherein the sheet has many briquettes tied in a row, and the briquettes are made by compacting and forming particulate metal, such as aluminum chips, by means of a briquetting machine.

Background of the Invention

[0002] There is a conventional briquetting machine comprising: two separating rolls having a plurality of equispaced longitudinal ribs that have rounded points, wherein the separating rolls have a shape like a chain pulley and a thick width, and wherein the space between adjacent points of the ribs is determined so that a briquette of a briquette sheet can be filled in the space, and wherein the two separating rolls are journaled on parallel axes and interconnected for synchronous rotation so that the rolls roll in opposite directions so that a point of one separating roll can fit within the space between the adjacent points of the other separating roll. The briquette of the briquette sheet is guided between the two

separating rolls, and then positioned in the space between the adjacent points of the other separating roll and pushed by the point of one separating roll.

Then, the briquettes of the sheet of connected briquettes can be separated into individual briquettes by bending the sheet at the webs, which are located between the briquettes, to connect them.

Patent Document l: U. S. Patent No. 4,462,526 (Fig. 4)

Disclosure of Invention [0003]

However, for the conventional apparatus for separating a sheet of connected briquettes into individual briquettes explained in the above paragraphs, a problem often occurs where the connected briquettes cannot be separated at the webs, and are broken.

This invention has been conceived based on this circumstance. The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for definitely separating a sheet of connected briquettes into individual briquettes at the webs, which are located between the briquettes to connect them, and an apparatus therefor.

[0004]

To achieve this purpose, the method for separating the briquettes of this invention is comprised of- a method for separating a sheet of connected briquettes into individual briquettes, wherein the sheet has many briquettes tied in a row, and the briquettes are made by compacting and forming particulate metal by means of a briquetting machine, the method comprising: a severing step to sever webs of a sheet of connected briquettes, which webs are located between the briquettes to connect them, by means of

cutting blades of a pair of cutting rolls having a cylindrical shape, wherein the cutting rolls have a plurality of equispaced longitudinal blades having a substantially triangular shape and disposed at the periphery of the cutting roll, wherein the edges of the blades of the pair of the cutting rolls move close to and apart from each other by the rolls rotating in opposite directions.

[0005]

For this invention, the particulate metal is defined as having a chip-like or a pellet-like shape, or is granular-shaped, and is a metal such as bronze, copper, stainless steel, lead, zinc, aluminum, and steel, or a mixture of aluminum and steel, in addition to aluminum chips. Further, it should be able to form briquettes by being compacted and formed it. For this invention, it is particularly preferable that the particulate metal having a chip-like, a pellet-like, or a fiber-like shape, or a granular shape, can easily form a continuous sheet of briquettes when it is compacted and formed.

[0006]

As explained in the above paragraphs, the present invention relates to a method for separating a sheet of connected briquettes into individual briquettes, wherein the sheet has many briquettes tied in a row, and the briquettes are made by compacting and forming particulate metal by means of a briquetting machine. The method is comprised of a severing step to sever webs of a sheet of connected briquettes, which webs are located between the briquettes to connect them, by means of cutting blades of a pair of cutting rolls having a cylindrical shape, wherein the cutting rolls have a plurality of equispaced longitudinal blades having a substantially triangular shape and disposed at a periphery of the cutting rolls, wherein the edges of the blades of the pair of the cutting rolls move close to and apart from each other by the rolls rotating in opposite directions. Thus, there is a significant and useful effect in this invention. It is

that the sheet of connected briquettes can be definitely separated at the webs, which are located between the briquettes, to connect them.

The basic Japanese Patent Applications, No. 2007-236324, filed September 12, 2007, and No. 2007-291522, filed November 9, 2007, are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference in the present application.

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given below. However, the detailed description and the specific embodiment are illustrations of desired embodiments of the present invention, and are described only as an explanation. Various possible changes and modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art on the basis of the detailed description.

The applicant has no intention to dedicate to the public any disclosed embodiment. Among the disclosed changes and modifications, those which may not literally fall within the scope of the present claims constitute, therefore, a part of the present invention in the sense of the doctrine of equivalents.

The use of the articles "a," "an," and "the" and similar referents in the specification and claims are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by the context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is merely intended to better illuminate the invention, and so does not limit the scope of the invention, unless otherwise claimed.

Brief Descriptions of the Drawings

Fig. 1 shows an elevational view of an embodiment of a facility for manufacturing briquettes of particulate metal, which facility incorporates this invention.

Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged view of the main part of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged and detailed view of the part "A" of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows the briquette sheet C that is separated into individual briquettes by the operations of the facility for manufacturing briquettes of particulate metal.

Fig. 6 shows a graph of the change of the strength of the received beam when the third photoelectric sensor emits a laser beam at the briquette sheet C.

Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

[0007]

Below, a preferred embodiment of a facility for manufacturing briquettes of particulate metal, which facility incorporates this invention, is explained based on Figs. 1~6. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the facility for manufacturing briquettes of particulate metal is comprised of a briquetting machine 3 to produce a briquette sheet C having many briquettes tied in a row by compacting and forming particulate metal by means of a pair of briquetting rolls 1, 2 having a cylindrical shape and rotating in opposite directions, an apparatus 6 for separating the web between the briquettes B, B of the briquette sheet C produced by the briquetting machine 3 by means of a pair of cutting rolls 4, 5 having a cylindrical shape and rotating in opposite directions, wherein the apparatus 6 is eccentrically disposed below the briquetting machine 3, a guiding means 7 to guide the briquette sheet C, which is discharged from and between the pair of the briquetting rolls 1, 2 of the briquetting machine 3, to and between the pair of the cutting rolls 4, 5 of the apparatus 6, and

a synchronized-rotating means 8 for synchronizing and rotating the pair of the briquetting rolls 1, 2 of the briquetting machine 3 and the pair of the cutting rolls 4, 5 of the apparatus 6, so that the two cutting blades

(explained below) of the apparatus 6 move close to each other at the webs which are located between the briquettes B, B of the briquette sheet C.

[0008]

The pair of the briquetting rolls 1, 2 of the briquetting machine 3 face each other so that the axes of the rolls are aligned perpendicularly to the paper of Fig. 1. The pair of the briquetting rolls 1, 2 are disposed on the base 11 so that they can continuously pinch and compact the particulate metal fed from an apparatus 10 for supplying particulate metal by rotating the rolls in opposite directions by means of a first electric motor 9. Further, a plurality of cavities 13, 13 are disposed at the peripheral surfaces of the pair of the briquetting rolls 1, 2 so that the cavities face each other.

[0009]

As shown in Figs. 1 — 3, the pair of the cutting rolls 4, 5 of the apparatus 6 for separating the web face each other so that the axes of the rolls are aligned perpendicularly to the paper of Fig. 1. The pair of the cutting rolls 4, 5 are disposed on the base 15 so that they can rotate in opposite directions by means of a second electric motor 14. Further, the cutting rolls 4, 5 have a plurality of equispaced longitudinal blades 16, 16, 17, 17 having a substantially triangular shape and disposed at the periphery of each cutting roll, wherein the edges of the blades 16, 16, 17, 17 of the pair of cutting rolls 4, 5 move close to and apart from each other. The edges of the blades 16, 16 of the cutting roll 4 have a flat and rectangular-shaped surface whose width extending in the direction of the rotation. The edges of the blades 17, 17 of the cutting roll 5 have a sharply acute shape extending in the radial direction. (See Fig. 3.) Further, the edges of the blades 16, 17

alternately move close to each other when they separate the web of the briquette sheet C.

[0010] As shown in Fig. 1, the guiding means 7 is comprised of a cylindrical member 18 having a funnel-shaped upper portion and a conduit 19 having a U-shape at its cross section, wherein the upper end of the conduit 19 is connected to the lower end of the cylindrical member 18. The portion of the conduit 19 that is lower than its center is inclined at a predetermined angle so that the briquette sheet C ₅ which is discharged from and between the pair of the briquetting rolls 1, 2, is caused not to be swung horizontally in the conduit 19. As shown in Fig. 4-A, which is an enlarged view to show a detailed "A" portion of Fig. 1, a guide mechanism 20 is disposed at the lower portion of the conduit 19 of the guiding means 7 to guide the briquette sheet C to the side of the lower wall of the conduit 19. As shown in Fig. 4-B, which depicts the section B-B of Fig. 4-A, the guide mechanism 20 is comprised of guiding members 21 made of a pair of wire rods, and supporting members 22 to support the guiding members 21.

[0011]

As shown in Fig. 2, the synchronized rotating means 8 is comprised of: a first rotary encoder 23 to detect the speed of each revolution of the first electric motor 9, a first inverter 24 to control the speed of each revolution of the first electric motor 9 based on the measurements of the first rotary encoder 23, a first photoelectric sensor 26 to detect a regular point 25 to observe the briquetting roll 2 to check each complete revolution of roll 2, a second rotary encoder 27 to detect the speed of each revolution of the second electric motor 14,

a second inverter 28 to control the speed of each revolution of the second electric motor 14 based on the measurements of the second rotary encoder 27, a second photoelectric sensor 30 to detect a regular point 29 to observe the cutting roll 5 to check each complete revolution of the roll 5, a third photoelectric sensor 31 to detect the webs of the briquettes B, and a controller 32 to send signals to the first and the second inverter 24, 28 to control the speed of each revolution of the first and the second electric motor 9, 14 based on the measurements of the first, the second, and the third photoelectric sensor 26, 30, 31.

[0012]

For the facility for manufacturing briquettes having the constitution explained in the above paragraph, first, particulate metal, such as aluminum chips, is supplied to the space between the pair of briquetting rolls 1, 2 of the briquetting machine 3 by means of the apparatus 10 for supplying particulate metal. Then the aluminum chips are compacted and formed into a briquette sheet C having many briquettes tied in a row by means of the briquetting rolls 1, 2. Next, the briquette sheet C is guided to the space between the cutting rolls 4, 5 of the apparatus 6 by means of the guiding means 7, and is separated into individual briquettes B, B as shown in Fig. 5.

[0013] In each series of the above operations of the facility for manufacturing briquettes, the first photoelectric sensor 26 senses one revolution of the briquetting roll 2 by detecting the regular point 25 to observe the briquetting roll 2. The first rotary encoder 23 detects the number of pulses per revolution of the first electric motor 9. Further, the controller 32 calculates the positions of the webs of the briquette sheet C,

which webs are located between the briquettes to connect them, based on the number of the cavities 13 of the briquetting roll 1 or 2.

[0014] The second photoelectric sensor 30 senses each complete revolution of the cutting roll 5 by detecting the regular point 29 to observe the cutting roll 5. The second rotary encoder 27 detects the number of pulses per revolution of the second electric motor 14. Further, the controller 32 calculates the positions of the blades 16, 17 of the cutting rolls 4, 5 based on the number of blades 16 or 17 of the cutting rolls 1, 2.

[0015]

Further, as shown in Fig. 6, the third photoelectric sensor 31 emits a laser beam to the briquette sheet C and detects a beam reflected from the webs of the briquette B. The controller 32 calculates the positions of the webs between the briquettes B, B, which webs are to be separated, by detecting the maximum value of the reflected beam.

[0016] Based on the result of the calculation, the briquetting rolls 1, 2 and the cutting rolls 4, 5 are synchronized and rotated so that the webs between the briquettes B, B, which webs are to be separated, correspond to the position where the blades 16, 17 of the cutting rolls 1, 2 reach their closest point. As the result of the movement explained above, the briquette sheet C is separated at the webs connecting the briquettes B, B by cutting the webs by means of the blades 16, 17, and then the briquettes B, B are produced from the briquette sheet C as shown in Fig. 5.

[0017] When the third photoelectric sensor 31 emits a laser beam at the

briquette sheet C and detects the beam reflected from it, the strength of the received beam varies over time, as shown in Fig. 6. Since when the third photoelectric sensor 31 emits a laser beam at the webs of the briquettes B, B the beam is vertically emitted at the surface of the webs, the strength of the received beam reflected from the surface of the webs of the briquettes B, B is at the maximum. Thus, the third photoelectric sensor 31 can detect the positions of the webs of the briquettes B, B by sensing the maximum strength of the received beam.

[0018]

For the embodiment explained in the above paragraphs, the third photoelectric sensor 31 is used to detect the positions of the webs of the briquettes B, B. However, when one briquette B is guided by the cavities between the blades of the cutting rolls 4, 5 and the webs between the briquettes B, B automatically correspond to the position where the blades 16,

17 of the cutting rolls 1, 2 reach their closest point, then the third photoelectric sensor 31 can be omitted.

Further, for the embodiment explained in the above paragraphs, the guide mechanism 20 is disposed at the lower portion of the conduit 19 of the guiding means 7. However, if the third photoelectric sensor 31 is omitted, the guide mechanism 20 may also be omitted.