Progressive Tool and Industries Company

Patrick J Kenny

Michael R Dugas

Keith A Oldford

Robert O Alexander

Mark W Hazelton

An apparatus for conveying panels, such as vehicle body side panels to and from work stations located at spaced locations along a conveyor includes a panel support frame mounted on the conveyor for movement along the conveying path with the support frame in an elevated generally horizontal conveying position. The support frame carries a plurality of mechanically actuable releasable clamps adapted to retain a panel engaged against a group of locator pads fixedly mounted on one side of the support frame. A second group of locator pads movably mounted on the frame are normally biased into engagement with the panel at spaced locations around its periphery to hold the panel in a predetermined position laterally of the support frame. The support frame mounts an actuator member coupled to all of the clamps to position all clamps in a panel clamping position when the actuator member is in a first position and to position all clamps in a panel release position when the actuator is in a second position. A coupling member on the support frame normally locks the actuator member against movement from either of its positions. The conveyor includes a manipulator operable when the support frame is at a work station to pivot the support frame downwardly from its conveying position to a downwardly inclined transfer position. Actuating devices located on the fixed frame at the work station are operable when the support frame is in its transfer position to release the coupling member, disengage the movable locator pads and shift the clamp actuator member between its first and second positions.

Overhead transfer clamp actuator and linkage

A carrier is mounted for movement along a conveying path defined by a pair of conveying rails, one of which has a relatively short gap at a work station. A manipulator device is located at the work station and includes a relatively short conveying rail section which may selectively located to span the gap in the one rail or located in a position displaced from the rail. An article support frame is mounted upon the carrier for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the rails between conveying position and a transfer position. A rail gripping device fixed to the support frame slides along the one rail to support the support frame in its conveying position during movement of the carrier along the rails. When the carrier arrives at the work station, the gripping device engages the short rail section of the manipulator which is then actuated to displace the rail section from the rail to pivot the support frame to its transfer position in which an article supported on the support frame may be processed by tooling located at the work station.

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Detroit, MI, United States of America

Patrick J Kenny