阅读说明：本技术 用于袋装弹簧股的馈送机构 (Feeding mechanism for pocketed spring strands ) 是由 L·阿马多利 C·比朔夫 于 2019-03-14 设计创作，主要内容包括：用于袋装弹簧股(10)的馈送机构(100),该馈送机构设置有至少一个分度轮(111、112),该分度轮具有用于接合在袋装弹簧股(10)的袋装弹簧之间的多个叶片。进一步地,馈送机构(100)设置有用于驱动至少一个分度轮(110)的旋转的马达(120)。至少一个分度轮(111、112)包括第一支撑构件(150),该第一支撑构件围绕第一旋转轴线(Z1、Z2)可旋转,并且对于多个叶片中的每个叶片承载第一支撑元件,该第一支撑元件支撑叶片的轴元件以围绕平行于第一旋转轴线(Z1、Z2)延伸的倾斜轴线可倾斜。进一步地,至少一个分度轮(111、112)包括第二支撑构件,该第二支撑构件围绕平行于第一旋转轴线(Z1、Z2)延伸的第二旋转轴线(Z1′、Z2′)可旋转,并且对于多个叶片中的每个叶片承载第二支撑元件,该第二支撑元件沿叶片的轴元件可滑动并且支撑轴元件以围绕倾斜轴线可倾斜。第一支撑构件和第二支撑构件相对于彼此可移动,以设定第一旋转轴线(Z1、Z2)和第二旋转轴线(Z1′、Z2′)的平行移位(Y1、Y2)。(A feeding mechanism (100) for pocketed spring strands (10) provided with at least one indexing wheel (111, 112) having a plurality of blades for engaging between the pocketed springs of the pocketed spring strands (10). Further, the feeding mechanism (100) is provided with a motor (120) for driving the rotation of the at least one indexing wheel (110). At least one indexing wheel (111, 112) comprises a first support member (150) rotatable about a first axis of rotation (Z1, Z2) and carrying, for each of the plurality of blades, a first support element supporting the shaft element of the blade so as to be tiltable about a tilt axis extending parallel to the first axis of rotation (Z1, Z2). Further, the at least one indexing wheel (111, 112) comprises a second support member rotatable about a second axis of rotation (Z1 ', Z2') extending parallel to the first axis of rotation (Z1, Z2) and carrying, for each of the plurality of blades, a second support element slidable along the shaft element of the blade and supporting the shaft element so as to be tiltable about the tilt axis. The first and second support members are movable relative to each other to set a parallel displacement (Y1, Y2) of the first (Z1, Z2) and second (Z1 ', Z2') axes of rotation.)

1. A feeding mechanism (100) for pocketed spring strands (10), the feeding mechanism comprising:

an indexing wheel (111, 112) having a plurality of vanes (301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312) for engaging between pocketed springs of a pocketed spring strand (10); and

a motor (120) for driving rotation of the index wheel (110),

wherein the indexing wheel (111, 112) comprises:

-a first support member (150) rotatable about a first axis of rotation (Z1, Z2) and comprising, for each blade of the plurality of blades (301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312), a first support element (402, 412) supporting a shaft element (401, 411) of the blade (301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312) to be tiltable about a tilt axis extending parallel to the first axis of rotation (Z1, Z2),

-a second support member (170) rotatable about a second axis of rotation (Z1 ', Z2') extending parallel to the first axis of rotation (Z1, Z2) and comprising, for each blade of the plurality of blades (301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312), a second support element (403, 413) slidable along the shaft element (401, 411) of the blade (301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312) and supporting the shaft element (401, 411) to be tiltable about the tilt axis,

wherein the first support member (150) and the second support member (170) are movable relative to each other to set a parallel displacement (Y1, Y2) of the first rotation axis (Z1, Z2) and the second rotation axis (Z1 ', Z2').

2. The feeding mechanism (100) according to claim 1,

wherein the indexing wheel (111, 112) further comprises a gimbal mechanism (161, 162) coupling the first support member (150) and the second support member (170).

3. The feeding mechanism (100) according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the indexing wheel comprises a sleeve (171) arranged coaxially with one of the first (Z1, Z2) and second (Z1 ', Z2') rotation axes, receiving a portion of the other of the first (Z1, Z2) and second (Z1 ', Z2') rotation axes and limiting the parallel displacement (Y1, Y2) of the first (Z1, Z2) and second (Z1 ', Z2') rotation axes.

4. The feeding mechanism (100) according to claims 2 and 3,

wherein the sleeve (171) houses the gimbal mechanism (161, 162).

5. The feeding mechanism (100) according to any one of the preceding claims,

wherein the first support elements (402, 412) are distributed at equal angular intervals around the first axis of rotation (Z1, Z2), and

wherein the second support elements (403, 413) are distributed at the same equal angular spacing around the second rotation axis (Z1 ', Z2').

6. The feed mechanism of any preceding claim, comprising:

a belt drive mechanism (125) for coupling the motor (120) to the indexing wheels (111, 112).

7. The feeding mechanism (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising:

a further motor (130) for moving the first support member (150) and the second support member (170) relative to each other to set the parallel displacement (Y1, Y2) of the first rotation axis (Z1, Z2) and the second rotation axis (Z1 ', Z2').

8. The feeding mechanism (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising:

a further indexing wheel (111, 112) having a plurality of vanes (301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312) for engaging between the pocketed springs of the pocketed spring strand (10),

wherein the further index wheel (111, 112) comprises:

-a third support member (150) rotatable about a third axis of rotation (Z1, Z2) and comprising, for each of the plurality of blades (301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312) of the other indexing wheel (111, 112), a first support element (402, 412) supporting a shaft element (401, 411) of the blade (301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312) to be tiltable about a tilting axis extending parallel to the third axis of rotation (Z1, Z2),

-a fourth support member (170) rotatable about a fourth axis of rotation (Z1 ', Z2') extending parallel to the third axis of rotation (Z1, Z2) and comprising, for each of the plurality of blades (301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312) of the other indexing wheel (111, 112), a second support element (403, 413) slidable along the shaft element (401, 411) of the blade (301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312) and supporting the shaft element (401, 411) so as to be tiltable about the tilting axis,

wherein the third support member (150) and the fourth support member (170) are movable relative to each other to set a parallel displacement (Y1, Y2) of the third rotation axis (Z1, Z2) and the fourth rotation axis (Z1 ', Z2').

9. The feed mechanism as set forth in claim 8,

wherein the rotation of the index wheel (111, 112) and the rotation of the further index wheel (111, 112) are driven by the same motor (120).

10. The feed mechanism as set forth in claim 8,

a belt drive mechanism (125) for coupling the motor (120) to the index wheel (111, 112) and the further index wheel (111, 112).

11. The feeding mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 8 to 10,

wherein the indexing wheel (111, 112) and the further indexing wheel (111, 112) are arranged on opposite sides of the pocketed spring strand (10), and rotation of the further indexing wheel (111, 112) is driven by the motor (120) in a direction opposite to rotation of the first indexing wheel (111, 112).

12. The feeding mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 8 to 11, comprising:

a further motor (130) for moving the first (150) and second (170) support members relative to each other to set the parallel displacement (Y1, Y2) of the first (Z1, Z2) and second (Z1 ', Z2') axes of rotation, and for moving the third (150) and fourth (170) support members relative to each other to set the parallel displacement (Y1, Y2) of the third (Z1, Z2) and fourth (Z1 ', Z2') axes of rotation.

13. The feeding mechanism (100) according to claim 12, comprising:

a spindle drive (135) coupling the further motor (130) to the index wheel (111, 112) and the further index wheel (111, 112).

14. The feeding mechanism (100) according to claim 13,

wherein the spindle drive (135) is configured to set the parallel displacement (Y1, Y2) of the first rotation axis (Z1, Z2) and the second rotation axis (Z1 ', Z2') and the parallel displacement (Y1, Y2) of the third rotation axis (Z1, Z2) and the fourth rotation axis (Z1 ', Z2') in a symmetrical manner.

15. A bagged string assembly machine (200) comprising at least one feeding mechanism (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a feeding mechanism for pocketed spring strands (pocketed spring strands), and to a pocketed spring assembly machine comprising one or more such feeding mechanisms.

Background

Mattresses, sofas or other bedding or seating furniture may be provided with internal spring units formed of pocketed springs. Pocketed springs may include, for example, springs formed from wire coils and pockets formed from non-woven fabric surrounding the springs. In a typical internal spring unit, pocketed springs are provided in the form of a strand comprising a plurality of pocketed springs surrounded by pockets formed from the same sheet of fabric. The inner spring unit may then be formed by joining a plurality of pocketed spring strands to each other, for example by welding, gluing or the like. Preferably, this is done in an automated manner by using a pocketed spring assembly machine that receives a plurality of pocketed spring strands, aligns the pocketed spring strands, and joins the pocketed spring strands to form an internal spring unit. For this reason, it is often necessary to feed pocketed spring strands in a well-defined manner into a pocketed spring assembly machine

Accordingly, there is a need for a technique that allows for efficient and accurate feeding of pocketed spring strands into a pocketed spring assembly machine.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a feed mechanism according to claim 1 and a pocketed spring assembly machine according to claim 15. Further embodiments are defined by the dependent claims.

Accordingly, one embodiment provides a feed mechanism for pocketed spring strands. The feed mechanism comprises an index wheel (index wheel) having a plurality of blades for engaging between pocketed springs of a pocketed spring strand. Further, the indexing wheel comprises a motor for driving the rotation of at least one indexing wheel. The pocketed spring strands can thus be conveyed by rotation of the indexing wheel, while ensuring accurate positioning of the individual pocketed springs of the pocketed spring strands. The index wheel includes a first support member rotatable about a first axis of rotation. For each blade of the plurality of blades, the first support member comprises a first support element supporting the shaft element of the blade to be tiltable about a tilt axis extending parallel to the first rotation axis. Further, the index wheel comprises a second support member rotatable about a second axis of rotation extending parallel to the first axis of rotation. For each blade of the plurality of blades, the second support member comprises a second support element slidable along the shaft element and supporting the shaft element of the blade so as to be tiltable about said tilt axis. The first support member and the second support member are movable relative to each other to set a parallel shift (parallel shift) of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis.

In the feeding mechanism, the parallel displacement of the first and second axes of rotation may be used to effectively set the pitch (spacing) of the blades when engaging the pocketed spring strands. If the first and second axes of rotation are aligned, the pitch of the blades may be defined by the angular pitch of the first support elements on the first support member and the angular pitch of the second support elements on the second support member. If the parallel displacement is increased, for some blades the second support member will slide along the shaft element towards or away from the first support member while tilting the shaft element about the tilt axis. For a given vane, this effect will vary with the rotation of the indexing wheel. Thus, the spacing between two adjacent index wheels can be adjusted by varying the parallel displacement of the first and second support members. This may be used, for example, to set the spacing between adjacent leaves to correspond to the diameter of the springs of the pocketed spring strand.

According to one embodiment, the index wheel may further comprise a gimbal mechanism coupling the first support member and the second support member. By means of the gimbal mechanism, it is effectively ensured that the first and second support members rotate synchronously, while still allowing the above-mentioned set parallel displacement of the first and second axes of rotation.

According to one embodiment, the indexing wheel comprises a sleeve arranged coaxially with one of the first and second axes of rotation, receiving a portion of the other of the first and second axes of rotation and limiting the parallel displacement of the first and second axes of rotation. In this way, the adjustment and movement of the index wheel can be controlled in an efficient manner.

According to one embodiment, the sleeve houses a gimbal mechanism.

In this way, the indexing wheel can have a compact construction.

According to one embodiment, the first support elements are distributed at equal angular intervals around the first axis of rotation and the second support elements are distributed at equal angular intervals around the second axis of rotation.

It should be noted, however, that other arrangements are possible. For example, by using an angular pitch that varies within a cycle about the first and second axes of rotation, the pitch of the blades may be varied for different spring diameters used in the pocketed spring strands.

According to one embodiment, the feeding mechanism comprises a belt drive mechanism for coupling the motor to the indexing wheel. By using a belt drive mechanism, the coupling of the motor to the index wheel can be arranged in an efficient manner while allowing a displacement of the first and/or second axis of rotation. Further, the belt drive mechanism may be used to efficiently drive the rotation of the plurality of index wheels of the feed mechanism.

According to one embodiment, the feeding mechanism comprises a further motor for moving the first and second support members of the index wheel relative to each other to set the parallel displacement of the first and second rotation axes. In this way, the parallel displacement can be set precisely and in an automatically controlled manner.

As mentioned above, the feed mechanism may comprise a plurality of indexing wheels. These multiple index wheels may each have a configuration as described above. Thus, in one embodiment, the feeding mechanism comprises a further indexing wheel having a plurality of vanes for engaging between the pocketed springs of the pocketed spring strand. The further indexing wheel comprises a third support member rotatable about a third axis of rotation and comprising, for each of the plurality of blades of the further indexing wheel, a first support element supporting the shaft element of the blade so as to be tiltable about a tilting axis extending parallel to the third axis of rotation. Further, the further indexing wheel comprises a fourth support member rotatable about a fourth axis of rotation extending parallel to the third axis of rotation, and for each of the plurality of blades of the further indexing wheel, a second support element slidable along the shaft element of the blade and supporting the shaft element so as to be tiltable about the tilting axis. The third support member and the fourth support member are movable relative to each other to set a parallel displacement of the third rotation axis and the fourth rotation axis. Thus, the further indexing wheel may also allow adjustment of the pitch of the blades when engaging the pocketed spring strands by setting a parallel displacement of the third and fourth axes of rotation.

According to one embodiment, the rotation of the index wheel and the rotation of the other index wheel are driven by the same motor. In this way, the complexity of the feed mechanism can be reduced. Further, using the same motor to drive rotation of the index wheel and rotation of the other index wheel may be advantageous to provide synchronous rotation of the index wheel and the other index wheel.

According to one embodiment, the feeding mechanism comprises a belt drive mechanism for coupling the motor to the index wheel and the further index wheel. In this way, the coupling of the motor to the index wheel and the further index wheel may be provided in an efficient manner while allowing a displacement of the first, second, third and/or third axis of rotation.

According to one embodiment, the indexing wheel and the further indexing wheel are arranged on opposite sides of the pocketed spring strand, and rotation of the further indexing wheel is driven by the motor in a direction opposite to the rotation of the first indexing wheel. Thus, the pocketed spring strand can be conveyed in a precisely controlled manner between the index wheel and the further index wheel.

According to one embodiment, the feeding mechanism comprises a further motor for moving the first and second support members relative to each other for setting the parallel displacement of the first and second axes of rotation, and for moving the third and fourth support members relative to each other for setting the parallel displacement of the third and fourth axes of rotation. Thus, the same motor can be used for both indexing wheels, so that the parallel displacement is set accurately and in an automatically controlled manner.

According to one embodiment, the feeding mechanism comprises a spindle drive coupling a further motor to the index wheel and to the further index wheel. A spindle drive can be used to efficiently convert the rotational motion of the motor into a parallel displacement. Still further, the spindle drive may be used to ensure that the setting of the parallel displacement of the first and second rotation axes and the parallel displacement of the third and fourth rotation axes occurs in a symmetrical manner.

According to another embodiment, a bagged cord assembly machine is provided. The pocket spring assembly machine comprises at least one feeding mechanism according to any of the above embodiments.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a feed mechanism of a pocketed spring assembly machine according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2A shows a perspective view of the feed mechanism.

Fig. 2B shows a top view of the feeding mechanism.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the index wheel of the feed mechanism.

Fig. 4 shows a top view of the index wheel of the feed mechanism.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as explained below, relate to a feed mechanism for a pocketed spring assembly machine. In the example shown, it is assumed that the feed mechanism is based on two counter-rotating indexing wheels which transport the pocketed spring strands to be fed into the pocketed spring assembly machine between them. It should be noted, however, that in other embodiments other arrangements of one or more indexing wheels may be used, for example a single indexing wheel placed beside the guide surface so that the pocketed spring strands to be fed into the pocketed spring assembly machine are conveyed between the indexing wheel and the guide surface, or described with reference to the figures. Although some embodiments will be described in the context of a particular field of application, for example, in the context of a vehicle seat, embodiments are not limited to this field of application. Features of the various embodiments may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a feeding mechanism 100 according to an embodiment. The purpose of the feeding mechanism 100 is to feed the pocketed spring strand 10 into the pocketed spring assembly machine 200. In the illustrated example, the pocketed spring assembly machine 200 comprises a pair of conveyor belts 201, 202 that convey the pocketed spring strands 10 fed by the feeding mechanism 100 in the x-direction. It should be noted, however, that the pocketed spring assembly machine 200 also includes other components for conveying, positioning and joining the pocketed spring strands fed into the pocketed spring assembly machine 200, which are not shown for better overview.

The feeding mechanism 100 is provided with a first indexing wheel 111 which is rotatable about the z-direction, i.e. perpendicular to the direction of feeding the pocketed spring strands into the pocketed spring assembly machine 200. Further, a second indexing wheel is provided, which is arranged on the opposite side of the pocketed spring strand 10 and is not visible in the view of fig. 1. Similar to the first index wheel 111, the second index wheel is also rotatable about the z-direction. As explained further below, each of the indexing wheels is provided with a plurality of outwardly extending (extending away) blades which engage between two adjacent pocketed springs of the pocketed spring strand 10 during rotation of the indexing wheel and push the pocketed springs towards the conveyor belts 201, 202. The rotational speed of the index wheel may be adjusted to match the conveying speed of the conveyor belts 201, 202. However, in some cases, the rotational speed of the index wheel may also be set to deviate from the conveying speed of the conveyor belts 201, 202. For example, the rotational speed of the indexing wheel can be adjusted to achieve a higher feeding speed of the pocketed spring strand 10 than the conveying speed of the conveyor belts 201, 202, thereby achieving a compression of the pocketed spring strand 10 in the conveying direction.

Fig. 2A shows a perspective view and fig. 2B is a top view illustrating further details of the feeding mechanism 100. As shown, the first indexing wheel 111 and the second indexing wheel 112 are offset from each other in a y-direction perpendicular to the x-direction and the z-direction and face each other on opposite sides of the feed channel 101 for the bagged strand 10. Some of the vanes of each indexing wheel 111, 112 extend into the feed channel 101 and form compartments which receive the individual pocketed springs of the pocketed spring strand 10. When the indexing wheel is rotated in the opposite direction, the first indexing wheel 111 is rotated counter clockwise and the second indexing wheel 111 is rotated clockwise in the perspective view of fig. 2B, the compartments are moved in the x-direction, pushing the pocketed springs of the pocketed strand 10 one by one between the conveyor belts 201, 202.

As further illustrated, the feed mechanism 100 further comprises a motor for driving the rotation of the first and second indexing wheels 111, 112. In the example shown, the belt drive mechanism 125 couples the motor 122 to both the first indexing wheel 111 and the second indexing wheel 112 and also ensures that the direction of rotation of the second indexing wheel 112 is opposite to the direction of rotation of the first indexing wheel 111.

Fig. 2A also illustrates the rotational axes of the first and second index wheels 111, 112. As explained further below, each of the indexing wheels 111, 112 is provided with a two-piece construction with two axes of rotation. The first axis of rotation of the first indexing wheel 111 is denoted by Z1 and the second axis of rotation of the first indexing wheel 111 is denoted by Z1'. The first axis of rotation of the second index wheel 112 is represented by Z2, and the second axis of rotation of the second index wheel 112 is represented by Z2'. The first and second rotational axes Z1, Z1' of the first indexing wheel 111 can be displaced relative to each other in the Y-direction to set the parallel displacement Y1. Similarly, the second axis of rotation Z2 and the second axis of rotation Z2' of the second degree wheel 112 may be displaced relative to each other in the Y-direction to set the parallel displacement Y2.

For controlling the parallel displacements Y1, Y2, the feed mechanism is provided with a further motor 130 and a spindle drive 135 which couples the motor 132 to the first and second index wheels 111, 112. In the example shown, the spindle drive 135 converts the rotary motion of the motor 130 into a displacement of the first axis of rotation Z1 of the first index wheel 111 in the y direction. The same rotational movement of the motor 130 translates into a same magnitude of opposite direction displacement of the first rotational axis Z2' of the second index wheel 112. The positions of the second rotation axis Z1 'of the first index wheel 111 and the second rotation axis Z2' of the second index wheel 112 do not move under the action of the motor 130. However, the parallel displacement Y1, Y2 may also be obtained by moving only the second rotation axes Z1 ', Z2' without moving the first rotation axes Z1, Z2, or the parallel displacement Y1, Y2 by moving both the first rotation axes Z1, Z2 and the second rotation axes Z1 ', Z2'.

Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of a two-piece construction for further illustrating the first indexing wheel 111. However, it should be understood that the second indexing wheel 112 has a similar two-piece construction.

As shown in fig. 3, the index wheel 111 is provided with a main shaft 140 rotatable about a first rotation axis Z1. The spindle 140 is coupled to a belt drive, i.e., driven by the motor 120. The main shaft 140 carries a first support member 150, which in the example shown has a flange-like configuration. The first support member 150 is provided at its periphery with first support elements 402, 412, the first support elements 402, 412 each supporting a first end of a respective shaft element 401, 411, such that the shaft elements 401, 411 are tiltable about a tilting axis, which extends parallel to the first rotation axis Z1. In the example shown, the first support element 402, 412 is provided in the form of a hole in the first support element and a pin inserted through the shaft element 401, 411 into the hole. However, other embodiments of the inclined support may also be used, for example based on similar protrusions extending from the first support element 150, the shaft elements 401, 411 being coupled to the first support element 150 through holes provided in the shaft elements 401, 411.

As further shown, the index wheel 111 is also provided with a second support member 170, which is rotatable about a second axis of rotation Z1'. Second support member 170 is coupled to both first support member 150 and spindle 140 by gimbal mechanism 160. Thus, the second support member 170 rotates in synchronism with the first support member 150, while the gimbal mechanism 160 enables variable parallel displacement of the first rotation axis Z1 and the second rotation axis Z1'. In the example shown, gimbal mechanism 160 includes a first gimbal 161 and a second gimbal 162. The gimbal mechanism 160 is housed in the conical sleeve 171 of the second support member 170. As shown, the conical sleeve 171 limits the parallel displacement Y1 of the first and second axes of rotation Z1, Z1' because the first gimbal 161, i.e. the end of the first axis of rotation Z1, is also surrounded by the conical sleeve 171.

The second support member 170 is provided with second support elements 403, 413 each supporting a respective one of the shaft elements 401, 411 such that the support element 403 is slidable along the shaft elements 401, 411 while ensuring that the shaft elements remain tilted about the above-mentioned tilt axis. In the example shown, this is achieved by: holes are provided in the support elements 403, 413 through which the shafts 401, 411 extend, and the support elements 403, 413 are supported so as to be tiltable about tilt axes extending parallel to the first and second axes of rotation Z1, Z1'. In the example shown, the second support elements 403, 413 are provided on a flange-like extension of the conical sleeve 171.

The vanes 301, 307 of the indexing wheel 111 are each attached to a second end of a respective shaft element 401, 411. In the example shown, the blades 301, 307 are provided by bracket-like wire loops. However, other shapes or configurations of blades may be used. As shown, for a given one of the vanes 301, 307, the second support element 403, 413 is arranged radially outward with respect to the first support element 402, 412, and the vane 301, 307 is arranged radially outward of the second support element 403, 413. The second support element 403, 413 is slidable along the shaft element 401, 411.

The sliding displacement of the second support element 403, 413 depends on the parallel displacement Y1 of the first rotation axis Z1 and the second rotation axis Z1'. In the illustration of fig. 3, the sliding displacement of the second support element 403 is denoted by YA and the sliding displacement of the second support element 413 is denoted by YB. It can be seen that the second support element 403 is located closer to the first end of the shaft element 401 than the second end of the shaft element 401. In contrast, the second support member 413 is located closer to the second end of the shaft member 401 than the first end of the shaft member 401. As the index wheel 111 rotates, the sliding displacement of the second support elements 403, 413 along the shaft elements 401, 411 varies for each of the vanes 301, 307. For example, when the shaft is rotated by 180 ° with respect to the situation shown in fig. 3, the blades 301 and 307 will change their position and the sliding displacement of the second support element 403 will be YB, while the sliding displacement of the second support element 413 will be YA. This variation in sliding displacement with rotation of the index wheel 111 causes the shaft members 401, 411 to tilt, thereby causing the pitch of adjacent blades to vary, as further illustrated in figure 4.

Fig. 4 shows a top view of the first index wheel 111 with the blades 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312. The dashed line represents a circumference of rotation about the first axis of rotation Z1, which is eccentrically arranged with respect to the second axis of rotation Z1' due to the parallel displacement Y1. It can be seen that this has the effect that the spacing between two adjacent vanes 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312 is greater on one side of the index wheel 111 than on the opposite side of the index wheel 111. If the first axis of rotation Z1 and the second axis of rotation Z1' were set to be aligned, the spacing between two adjacent blades 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312 would be the same over the entire circumference of the index wheel.

It can be seen that a parallel displacement of the two axes of rotation of the indexing wheels 111, 112 can be used to adjust the spacing between two adjacent blades of the indexing wheels 111, 112. This allows adapting the feeding mechanism to different spring diameters used in the pocketed spring strand 10. Furthermore, the inclination of the shaft element also allows to provide a reduced inclination angle between adjacent leaves engaging the pocketed spring strands, e.g. as shown for leaves 306, 307 and 308 in fig. 4, whereby the leaves forming the compartments for pushing the pocketed springs forward are arranged almost perpendicular to the conveying direction.

In this way, the feeding accuracy of the pocketed spring strand 10 can be further improved.

It should be noted that the above examples are susceptible to various modifications. For example, instead of using a completely regular angular spacing of the support elements for the blades, the support elements for the blades may also be arranged at variable angular spacings. For example, for pocketed spring strands having a small diameter and a large diameter, the pocketed springs are arranged in an alternating sequence of small and large diameters, and the support elements for the blades may also be arranged according to an alternating sequence of larger and smaller angular spacings.

Still further, it should be noted that the illustrated concept is not limited to a feed mechanism that uses a pair of opposing index wheels. Rather, the indexing wheel may be arranged in various ways, for example by using two or more indexing wheels that rotate in the same direction on the same side of the feed path for the pocketed spring strands. Further, the one or more indexing wheels may be arranged only on one side of the feed channel for the pocketed spring strands, while the guide surface is provided on the other side of the feed channel. Further, the parallel displacement may also be manually adjustable, instead of using a motor to set the parallel displacement between the first and second rotational axis of the index wheel(s). Still further, the synchronous rotation of the first support member about the first axis of rotation and the second support member about the second axis of rotation may also be achieved by using separate but simultaneous drives for the first support member and the second support member. Further, although the illustrated example assumes 12 vanes per index wheel, a greater or lesser number of guides (leads) per index wheel may be used. Further, various types of vanes may be provided on the index wheel(s) without being limited to the above-described bracket-shaped type. Furthermore, it should be noted that the indexing wheel and mechanism shown herein may also be used in various types of delivery mechanisms, including other purposes than for delivering bagged strands.