Abstract: A linear actuator divert switch, a limited angle motor driven divert switch and a limited angle motor driven cross-over switch are provided for sortation conveyors. In addition conveying members of inverted substantially "U" shaped having spaced relatively hollow legs spanned by a bridge that is either hollow or not are also provided for sortation conveyors. A package diverter is formed with a cavity extending therethrough to surround the conveying member and so as to carry a divert/guide pin and cam follower part of which is disposed in the space between the conveying member legs to provide a relatively high positioning for divert/guide pin and cam follower with respect to the conveying members. Special lands extend out from the walls of the cavity to cock each package diverter on its conveying members in the direction of conveyor movement. The divert/guide pins are formed with a generally football shaped cross-sectional configuration to facilitate passage thereof through the various switches.

Abstract: A radial locator is carried by the bed of a cam lobe grinding machine proximate the workpiece chuck. An initial locating pin is carried by the chuck to sense a rough locating hole in a sprocket carried by a cam shaft to be disposed in the chuck to have its cam lobes ground. A timing tooth is provided on the sprocket in proper proximity to the rough locating hole and for coaction with complimentary locating teeth carried by a rockable locating arm of the radial locator. An actuating arm carries the locating arm for movement between an at rest disposition and a rocked disposition wherein the locator teeth coact with the timing tooth to rotate the sprocket, cam shaft and cam lobes to a final position for proper grinding of the cam lobes. A rotary actuator moves the actuating arm an locating arm between their respective dispositions.

Abstract: A conveyor and method for preventing stick-slip friction conditions from exciting the conveyor into surging and for preventing surging vibration from adversely affecting operation of the conveyor. The conveyor has a pair of endless, flexible roller chains that are laterally spaced apart and carried on sprockets keyed to a drive shaft that is in communication with a drive at one end of the frame and sprockets keyed to a take-up shaft at the opposite end of the frame. Preferably, the take-up shaft is split into two shaft sections rotatively secured adjacent their ends by a pair of bearings on a mounting block to permit each conveyor chain to move on its idle sprocket independently of the other chain. The conveyor components are selected to provide a combination of chain stiffness and conveyor mass moment of inertia at maximum payload that produces a conveyor having a high enough natural frequency to prevent stick-slip friction conditions from exciting the conveyor chains into surging.

Abstract: A counterbalance actuator is disclosed for reducing the energy required in weight lifting operations. The counterbalance actuator includes a piston and a flexible bellows attached to the piston. A bellows extension is attached to the top of the bellows with a gas impervious seal. The bellows extension permits the counterbalance actuator to achieve an extended stroke while allowing the counterbalance actuator to be collapsed to a reduced size.

Abstract: A zero-pressure accumulating conveyor including a bed defined by rotatable rollers mounted in parallel sidewalls and powered by an endless drive chain. Pneumatic actuators lift the drive chain into engagement with the rollers to empower same. Sensor rollers divide the bed into distinct zones. Sensor rollers are retained in operative position relative to the conveyor bed by unique sensor brackets. A primary sensor roller bracket includes a bore with a piston movable there within; the cooperating secondary sensor roller bracket is spring biased in a first direction. Valves, and pneumatic circuitry controlled by such valves, extend along the length of the conveyor. Such valves are operated by the primary sensor roller brackets to regulate the flow of air pressure into the bores of the brackets and into the actuators. The actuators, when the pressure therein is bled-off, allow the chain in a particular zone to drop out of contact with the rotatable rollers.

Abstract: A cylinder head flow test apparatus and method for testing cylinder heads for blockages in water passages wherein blockages in the water passages contained in the cylinder head can be detected by blowing low pressure air at a high velocity into the water passages and measuring the resulting back pressure produced by restrictions within the water passages. The disclosed method and apparatus include means for selectively testing the water passages in a cylinder head and for comparing the back pressure readings obtained from the test to back pressure readings previously obtained from a cylinder head whose water passages are known to have no blockages. An apparatus and method also disclosed for simultaneously testing all water passages in a cylinder head for blockages.

Abstract: A plurality of work stations are provided each with a plurality of containers, each containing sliver rope, disposed in first and second arrays in proximity to a spinning machine to alternately provide sliver rope to respective spinning positions so that yarn or thread may be spun by each spinning machine. A container support platform supports each array of sliver rope containers in proximity to their respective spinning machine; as well as a container transport assembly which extends the length of the support platform. A number of container moving fingers are pivotally carried in spaced relationship along the length of an elongated, substantially "U" shaped transport beam and for coaction with cams also carried by the transport beam and disposed for coaction with a stationary beam also carried by the container support.

Abstract: A method, machine tool and boring bar for machining bores in a series of concentric journals for a camshaft in a cylinder head or block of an engine. The boring bar has an elongate and cylindrical body with a single cutting insert at one end for machining all of the journals one at a time and a plurality of circumferentially spaced and longitudinally extending bearing pads on the body which, when the insert is machining one journal, are received in the previously machined journals to radially constrain and support the boring bar. The other end of the bar is received in a chuck or drive spindle of the machine tool which rotates and advances the boring bar through the journals to machine them. Each workpiece is located and clamped in the machine tool with its series of journals to be machined substantially concentric with the axis of rotation of the insert of the boring bar.

Abstract: A device with a pivoting work arm for carrying and positioning a tool which is moved by a modified Watts linkage powered by a linear actuator having a true straight line motion. The modified Watts linkage has relatively short links resulting in the center of the middle link following an arcuate path. The center of the middle link is drivingly connected to the linear actuator by a pivoting link or a cam. To provide shock absorption for the work arm as it reaches its fully extended position, the modified Watts linkage is coupled to a follower arm yieldably biased by a spring.

Abstract: A method and multiple station flexible boring machine for transferring and locating a pallet carrying a workpiece to be machined. The machine has at least two machining stations and a part loading and unloading station adjacent a transfer table carried by a base for carrying, generally locating and transferring a pallet and a workpiece to each station. The pallet has a curvic coupling locator ring with a plurality of circumferentially spaced and generally radially extending teeth for complementary mating engagement with a locator ring on an independent base of each station to accurately radially, axially and circumferentially locate the pallet on the station base. At the load station, the locator ring on the pallet is received in complementary mating engagement with the locator ring on the load base accurately locating the pallet with respect to the base and a workpiece is loaded, accurately located with respect to the load base and clamped to the pallet.

Abstract: Diversion-type switches and cross-type switches are provided for inclusion in suspended rail conveyor arrangements to form a rail conveyor system. Each of said switches includes at least one shiftable rail section movable between a first position of cooperation with spaced rails of one conveyor pathway and a second position of cooperation with spaced rails of another conveyor pathway. Rail alignment and load transmitting elements, in the configuration of coacting fingers and seats, are disposed at the respective end of the shiftable rail section and fixed rail section and coact therewith so that load forces acting on the shiftable rail section act to align the shiftable rail section with the spaced rails of the respective conveyor pathways and so that load forces applied to the shiftable rail section are transmitted directly to the fixed rail section.

Abstract: A synchronized drive for a slide with a slip clutch which dissipates excess energy in an overload or crash situation to prevent damage to the mechanism. The slip clutch is coupled between a servo motor and a gear reducer to dissipate excessive force during a crash or an overload condition. A position feedback transducer is coupled to the gear reduced downstream of the clutch to maintain synchronization, even after a crash or overload condition, without requiring any re-homing sequence.

Abstract: A cylinder having a radially movable or pivoting rod slidably received in a floating gland disposed in a cavity or recess in an end cap of the cylinder. Preferably, seals are provided between the rod, gland and recess. Hence, the rod and gland can move radially while a fluid tight seal is maintained between the atmosphere and the interior of the cylinder to retain pressurized fluid therein. Preferably, to facilitate radial movement of the rod and hence the gland in the recess, the forces on opposed faces of the gland are equalized by an appropriate arrangement of seals to define equal surface areas on the opposed faces both of which communicate with the interior of the cylinder.

Abstract: Apparatus for machining a valve seat and valve stem guide all from the valve seat side of a head or block. The valve seat is machined in one pass by a single point cutting tool which is moved on two axes and, the valve guide bore is machined by a reamer. The movements of the single point cutting tool and reamer are numerically controlled.

Abstract: A system for electronically storing revisions or modifications to documents which are already electronically stored in unrevised or unmodified form. The system compares, at the pixel-by-pixel level, a modified document bit map with a stored document bit map and determines from the differences between the two bit maps, at the pixel-by-pixel level, which differences are significant and which are insignificant. A revised document bit map is then formed from the portions of the stored-document bit map exhibiting no significant bit map differences and the significant differences bit map. The result is a revised document bit map in which no unnecessary changes have been introduced into the initial stored-document bit map. The system also includes steps for defining, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, a significant region bit map from the significant difference bit map and for forming the revised document bit map using the significant region bit map.

Abstract: An endless accumulating conveyor of the under/over type adapted to slidably support pallets and to frictionally transport them over both the upper and lower conveyor runs. The pallets may be held stationary and accumulated while the conveyor continues to advance. If the pallets are allowed to advance, without accumulating, they will be positively propelled around the curved section at each end of the conveyor from one run to the other by a drive mechanism which is adapted to engage a part on each pallet.

Abstract: Diversion-type switches and cross-type switches are provided for inclusion in suspended rail conveyor arrangements to form a rail conveyor system. Each of the switches includes at least one shiftable rail section movable between a first position of cooperation with spaced rails of one conveyor pathway and a second position of cooperation with spaced rails of another conveyor pathway. Rail alignment and load transmitting elements, in the configuration of coating fingers and seats, are disposed at the respective ends of the shiftable rail section and fixed rail section and coact therewith so that load forces acting on the shiftable rail section act to align the shiftable rail section with the spaced rails of the respective conveyor pathways and so that load forces applied to the shiftable rail section are transmitted directly to the fixed rail section.

Abstract: Diversion-type switches and cross-type switches are provided for inclusion in suspended rail conveyor arrangements to form a rail conveyor system. Each of said switches includes at least one shiftable rail section movable between a first position of cooperation with spaced rails of one conveyor pathway and a second position of cooperation with a spaced rails of another conveyor pathway. Rail alignment and load transmitting means, in the configuration of coacting fingers and seats, are disposed at the respective ends of the shiftable rail section and fixed rail section and coact therewith so that load forces acting on the shiftable rail section act to align the shiftable rail section with the spaced rails of the respective conveyor pathways and so that load forces applied to the shiftable rail section are transmitted directly to the fixed rail section.

Abstract: An abrasive disc comprising a bonded abrasive body having a substantially flat mounting surface, a plurality of anchors each including a cup-shaped metallic washer having a flat top surface portion substantially flush with the flat mounting face and an annular outwardly inclined skirt portion embedded within the abrasive body, each washer including a first plurality of apertures in the skirt portion whereby integral portions of the bonded abrasive body extending therethrough lock the washer in position within the bonded abrasive, and a second plurality of apertures in the flat top surface portion filled with abrasives for decreasing the metallic surface area of the washer.

Abstract: A machining center for machining a variety of different workpieces. Tool heads with a wide variety of tools are transferred from a storage area and oriented and presented one at a time by a turret to a machine tool in which they are received, accurately located, securely clamped and driven to machine a workpiece. A transfer device moves tool heads from a tool head circulating mechanism to the turret.