Full-automatic pipe cutting machine feeding and discharging equipment

Abstract

Full-automatic pipe cutting machine feeding and discharging equipment comprises a feeding device, a temporary storage device and a feeding device which are arranged in sequence. The feeding device comprises a U-shaped material frame and a hoisting mechanism. The U-shaped material frame is used for storing steel pipes, and the hoisting mechanism is used for lifting the steel pipes so that the steel pipes can roll into the temporary storage device in order. The temporary storage device comprises a temporary storage rack and a jacking mechanism; the buffering material frame is in a frame shape, a plurality of slope-shaped material frame rods which are low in front and high in rear are arranged above the buffering material frame, and a stopping block is arranged at the front end of each material frame rod. The feeding device comprises a long support, a pushing mechanism, a lifting roller mechanism, a lifting table, a lifter, a positioning mechanism and a tailing turnover mechanism. The side edge of the long support is provided with a rail, and the side edge of the pushing mechanism is provided with a sliding block in sliding fit with the rail of the long support. The pushing mechanism is driven by the driving motor to move back and forth along the track; the front end of the lifting table is further provided with a positioning mechanism used for clamping the steel pipe and a tailing turnover mechanism used for collecting tailings.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of industrial automated production technology, specifically relating to a fully automated pipe cutting machine loading and unloading device. Background Technology

[0002] Pipes are widely used, especially in industrial fields such as construction and machinery. For example, steel pipes are needed to manufacture idlers for belt conveyors, and pipe cutting machines, as common pipe cutting equipment, are widely used in industrial production.

[0003] Currently, pipe cutting machines use traditional manual feeding methods during the cutting process. Because the pipes themselves are heavy and long, manual feeding is very troublesome and inefficient. After cutting, the pipes need to be manually collected, which increases the labor intensity of the operators. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a fully automatic pipe cutting machine loading and unloading device.

[0005] This invention is implemented as follows: A fully automatic pipe cutting machine loading and unloading device includes: a loading device, a buffer device, and a feeding device arranged in sequence; The feeding device includes a U-shaped material rack and a hoisting mechanism; the U-shaped material rack is used to store steel pipes, and the hoisting mechanism is used to lift the steel pipes so that they roll into the buffer device in an orderly manner. The buffer device includes: a buffer rack and a lifting mechanism; the buffer rack is frame-shaped, with multiple sloping rack rods that are lower at the front and higher at the back, and each rack rod has a blocking block at its front end; the lifting mechanism includes: a lifting cylinder and multiple lifting rods connected to it; the lifting rods and the rack rods are arranged in parallel, and each lifting rod includes: a front end, a bent part, and a rear end, the tail end of the rear end is threaded onto a fixed rod, the fixed rod is fixedly connected to the buffer rack, the front end has a lifting hook at its foremost end, the height of the front end is higher than the rear end, the bent part is closer to the feeding device than the blocking block, and the longitudinal distance between the blocking block and the bent part is equivalent to the diameter of a steel pipe; The feeding device includes: a long support, a pushing mechanism, a lifting roller mechanism, a lifting platform, a lifting machine, a positioning mechanism, and a tail material turning mechanism; the long support has a track on its side, and the pushing mechanism has a slider on its side that slides in cooperation with the track of the long support; the pushing mechanism moves back and forth along the track under the drive of a drive motor; the front end of the pushing mechanism is provided with an automatically opening and closing gripper; a row of multiple lifting roller mechanisms is provided below the central axis of the gripper, the lifting platform is provided below the multiple lifting roller mechanisms, and multiple lifting machines connected in series are provided below the lifting platform, the lifting machines being controlled by a drive unit to raise and lower the lifting platform; each lifting roller mechanism includes: a V-shaped roller and a first lifting cylinder, the V-shaped roller being located above the first lifting cylinder, the first lifting cylinder controlling the raising and lowering of the V-shaped roller; the V-shaped roller is connected to the top hook of the buffer device; the front end of the lifting platform is also provided with the positioning mechanism for clamping steel pipes and the tail material turning mechanism for collecting tail material.

[0006] Furthermore, the U-shaped material rack includes an outer support section and an inner support section; the hoisting mechanism includes: a plurality of hoisting ropes, a deflector wheel and a reel arranged at intervals, as well as a drive mechanism and a transmission shaft; The outer support portion is higher than the inner support portion; a fixed shaft is provided at the top of the inner support portion, and multiple directional wheels are provided on the fixed shaft; multiple winding wheels are provided at the bottom of the inner support portion, and the winding wheels are provided on the transmission shaft, which is connected to the drive mechanism. One end of each of the suspension ropes is fixed to the high point of the outer support, and the other end is wrapped around a reel and fixedly connected to a spool. Multiple blocking hooks are spaced apart on the fixed shaft. The tail end of each blocking hook is movably inserted through the fixed shaft. The front hook of each blocking hook is located below the buffer device. A blocking cylinder is connected to the bottom of the blocking hook. The side of the material rack above the blocking hook is provided with a first sensor for sensing whether there is material on the blocking hook. When material is sensed, the hoisting rope is triggered to descend. A second sensor is provided on the side of the middle part of the buffer rack to sense whether there is material in the buffer rack. When no material is sensed, the hoisting rope is triggered to rise.

[0007] Furthermore, an extreme limiting mechanism is connected to the end of the drive shaft. The extreme limiting mechanism includes a pinion, a large gear, a sensing wheel, and a fixed plate. The pinion is mounted on the drive shaft, and the large gear meshes with the pinion. The large gear is connected to the sensing wheel. The fixed plate is fixedly mounted on the frame of the hoisting mechanism on one side of the sensing wheel. The fixed plate is provided with an upward limit block and a downward limit block. When the sensing block on the sensing wheel touches the upward limit block, the hoisting rope descends; when it touches the downward limit block, the hoisting rope stops or ascends. The speed ratio determined by the large gear and the pinion ensures that the large gear rotates no more than one revolution.

[0008] Furthermore, a counterweight is provided at the bottom of the suspension rope.

[0009] Furthermore, the positioning mechanism includes a positioning block and a positioning cylinder. The positioning cylinder is located on the lifting platform, and the positioning block is located above the positioning cylinder. The steel pipe moves forward under the push of the pushing mechanism and is blocked by the positioning block. The pushing mechanism presses against the rear end of the steel pipe, the gripper clamps the steel pipe, and the positioning cylinder drives the positioning block to descend. The steel pipe continues to move forward and is fed into the pipe cutting machine.

[0010] Furthermore, the tail material turning mechanism includes: a second lifting cylinder, a lifting plate, a rotating shaft, a turning cylinder, and a V-shaped turning plate; the second lifting cylinder is arranged on the lifting platform, the lifting plate is arranged above the second lifting cylinder, the two ends of the rotating shaft are arranged above the lifting plate through bearings, the turning cylinder is arranged below the middle of the rotating shaft, and the V-shaped turning plate is connected above it.

[0011] The advantages of this invention are: 1. The steel pipes in the feeding device are not initially positioned, but are lifted by multiple lifting ropes. There is no concern about the steel pipes rolling off course during the rolling process.

[0012] 2. The feeding device is equipped with a blocking hook to prevent the steel pipes from rolling forward disorderly during lifting; when the first sensor on the buffer rack next to the blocking hook senses the presence of material, the hoisting rope will descend to ensure the number of steel pipes blocked by the blocking hook is maintained.

[0013] 3. The suspension rope is equipped with a limit switch mechanism, which automatically senses the highest and lowest points, ensuring fully automatic operation without manual intervention.

[0014] 4. A positioning mechanism is provided on the feeding device. When the pipe is fed, the front end touches the positioning mechanism, and the grippers of the pushing mechanism will clamp the pipe to achieve positioning. 5. Equipped with a tail material turning mechanism, the cut residue will be placed on the tail material turning mechanism by the grippers and turned over to roll out.

[0015] 6. A counterweight is provided at the bottom of the hoisting rope to keep the rope hanging when it is not being lifted.

[0016] 7. This invention enables automatic feeding of the pipe cutting machine and automatic unloading of the cut end, achieving full automation of the process. Simply place the bundled steel pipes into the feeding rack, saving labor. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The left view.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding device in this invention.

[0021] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Another structural diagram from another angle.

[0022] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A magnified view of a portion of the image.

[0023] Figure 6 yes Figure 3 The left view.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the cache device in this invention.

[0025] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 The left view.

[0026] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding device in this invention.

[0027] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 The left view.

[0028] Figure label: 100 - Feeding device, 200 - Buffer device, 300 - Feeding device, 400 - Steel pipe 101-U-shaped material rack, 1011-Outer support section, 1012-Inner support section, fixed shaft 1013, 102-Hoisting mechanism, 1021-Lifting rope, 1022-Directional wheel, 1023-Winding reel, drive mechanism 1024, transmission shaft 1025, 103-Blocking hook, 104-Blocking cylinder, 105-Counterweight block, 106-Limit control mechanism, 1061-Pinary gear, 1062-Large gear, 1063-Induction wheel, 10631-Induction block, 1064-Fixed plate, 10641-Rising limit block, 10642-Lower limit block 201-Material rack rod, 202-Blocking block, 203-Lifting cylinder, 204-Pushing rod, 2041-Front end, 20411-Pushing hook, 2042-Bending part, 2043-Rear end, 205-Fixing rod, 206-First sensor, 207-Second sensor 301-Long support, 302-Pushing mechanism, 3021-Gripper, 303-Lifting roller mechanism, 3031-V-shaped roller, 3032-First lifting cylinder, 304-Lifting platform, 305-Lifting machine, 306-Positioning mechanism, 3061-Positioning block, 3062-Positioning cylinder, 307-Tail material turning mechanism, 3071-Second lifting cylinder, 3072-Lifting plate, 3073-Rotating shaft, 3074-Tilting cylinder, 3075-V-shaped turning plate. Detailed Implementation

[0029] like Figures 1 to 10 As shown, a fully automatic pipe cutting machine loading and unloading device includes: a loading device 100, a buffer device 200, and a feeding device 300 connected in sequence. The feeding device 100 includes: a U-shaped material rack 101 and a hoisting mechanism 102; the U-shaped material rack 101 is used to store steel pipes 400, and the hoisting mechanism 102 is used to lift steel pipes 400 so that steel pipes 400 roll orderly into the buffer device 200. The U-shaped material rack 101 includes an outer support part 1011 and an inner support part 1012; the hoisting mechanism 102 includes: a plurality of hoisting ropes 1021 arranged at intervals and side by side, a reversing wheel 1022 and a winding wheel 1023, as well as a drive mechanism 1024 and a transmission shaft 1025. The outer support portion 1011 is higher than the inner support portion 1012; a fixed shaft 1013 is provided at the top of the inner support portion 1012, and multiple directional wheels 1022 are provided on the fixed shaft 1013; multiple corresponding winding wheels 1023 are provided at the bottom of the inner support portion 1012, and the winding wheels 1023 are provided on the drive shaft 1024, which is connected to the drive mechanism 1025. One end of each suspension rope 1021 is fixed to the height of the outer support 1011, and the other end is wrapped around a reel 1022 and fixedly connected to a reel 1023. A plurality of blocking hooks 103 are spaced apart on the fixed shaft 1013. The tail end of each blocking hook 103 is movably inserted through the fixed shaft 1013. The front hook of each blocking hook 103 is located below the buffer device 200. The bottom of each blocking hook 103 is connected to a blocking cylinder 104.

[0030] The bottom of the hoisting rope 1021 is equipped with a counterweight 105, which keeps the hoisting rope 1021 hanging down when it is not being lifted.

[0031] A limit limiting mechanism 106 is also connected to the end of the drive shaft 1024. The limit limiting mechanism 106 includes: a pinion 1061, a large gear 1062, a sensing wheel 1063, and a fixing plate 1064. The pinion 1061 is mounted on the drive shaft 1024, and the large gear 1062 meshes with the pinion 1061. The large gear 1062 is connected to the sensing wheel 1063. The fixing plate 1064 is mounted on the frame of the hoisting mechanism on one side of the sensing wheel 1063. The 064 is equipped with an upward limit block 10641 and a downward limit block 10642; when the sensing block 10631 on the sensing wheel 1063 touches the upward limit block 10641, the suspension rope 1021 descends, and when it touches the downward limit block 10642, it stops or rises; the small gear 1061 rotates synchronously with the transmission shaft 1024, driving the large gear 1062 to rotate, and the speed ratio determined by the large gear 1062 and the small gear 1061 ensures that the large gear 1062 rotates no more than one revolution.

[0032] The buffer device 200 includes a buffer rack and a lifting mechanism. The buffer rack is frame-shaped, with multiple sloping rack rods 201 on top, each rack rod 201 having a stop block 202 at its front end. The lifting mechanism includes a lifting cylinder 203 and multiple lifting rods 204 connected to it. The lifting rods 204 and the rack rods 201 are arranged parallel to each other. Each lifting rod 204 includes a front end 2041, a bent portion 2042, and a rear end 2042. 043, the tail end of the rear end 2043 is threaded through a fixed rod 205, the fixed rod 205 is fixedly connected to the buffer rack, the front end 2041 is provided with a top hook 20411, the height of the front end 2041 is higher than that of the rear end 2043, the bent part 2042 is closer to the feeding device 100 than the blocking block 202, the distance between the blocking block 202 and the bent part 2042 in the longitudinal direction (the forward direction of the steel pipe) is equivalent to the diameter of one steel pipe 400; The buffer rack is provided with a first sensor 206 on the side near the blocking hook 103 to sense whether there is material in the blocking hook 103. When material is sensed, the lifting rope 1021 is triggered to descend. A second sensor 207 is provided on the side of the middle part of the buffer rack to sense whether there is material in the buffer rack. When the sensor detects that there is no material, it triggers the lifting rope 1021 to rise.

[0033] The feeding device 300 includes: a long support 301, a pushing mechanism 302, a lifting roller mechanism 303, a lifting platform 304, a lifting machine 305, a positioning mechanism 306, and a tail material tilting mechanism 307. The long support 301 has a track on its side, and the pushing mechanism 302 has a slider on its side that slides along the track of the long support 301. The pushing mechanism 302 moves back and forth along the track under the drive of a drive motor. The front end of the pushing mechanism 302 has an automatically opening and closing gripper 3021. Multiple lifting roller mechanisms 303 are located below the central axis of the gripper 3021. A lifting platform 304 is provided below multiple lifting roller mechanisms 303, and multiple series-connected lifting machines 305 are provided below the lifting platform 304. The lifting machines 305 are controlled by a drive unit to control the lifting of the lifting platform 304. Each lifting roller mechanism 303 includes: a V-shaped roller 3031 and a first lifting cylinder 3032. The V-shaped roller 3031 is located above the first lifting cylinder 3032, and the first lifting cylinder 3032 controls the lifting of the V-shaped roller 3031. The V-shaped roller 3031 is connected to the top hook 20411 of the buffer device 200.

[0034] The front end of the lifting platform 304 is equipped with a positioning mechanism 306 and a tail material turning mechanism 307.

[0035] The positioning mechanism 306 includes a positioning block 3061 and a positioning cylinder 3062. The positioning cylinder 3062 is located on the lifting platform 304, and the positioning block 3061 is located above the positioning cylinder 3062. The steel pipe 400 moves forward under the push of the pushing mechanism 302 and is blocked by the positioning block 3061. The pushing mechanism 302 presses against the rear end of the steel pipe 400, the gripper 3021 clamps the steel pipe 400, the positioning cylinder 3062 drives the positioning block 3061 to descend, and the steel pipe 400 continues to move forward and is fed into the pipe cutter.

[0036] The tail material turning mechanism 307 includes: a second lifting cylinder 3071, a lifting plate 3072, a rotating shaft 3073, a turning cylinder 3074, and a V-shaped turning plate 3075; the second lifting cylinder 3071 is installed on the lifting platform 304, the lifting plate 3072 is installed above the second lifting cylinder 3071, the two ends of the rotating shaft 3073 are installed above the lifting plate 3072 through bearings, the turning cylinder 3074 is installed below the middle of the rotating shaft 3073, and the V-shaped turning plate 3075 is connected above it.

[0037] Work process: The drive mechanism 1024 (motor and reducer) provides rotational power. When the drive mechanism 1024 rotates forward and backward, the hoisting rope 1021 will be raised or lowered, and the steel pipe 400 will also be raised or lowered accordingly.

[0038] When the machine is turned on, the hoisting rope 1021 rises and lifts the steel pipe 400. The blocking cylinder 104 below the blocking hook 103 drives the blocking hook 103 to lift. The steel pipe 400, which has been raised to the highest point, rolls into the buffer rack first and is blocked by the blocking hook 103. The first sensor 206 on the buffer rack next to the blocking hook 103 senses that there is material, and then the hoisting rope 1021 descends. The blocking cylinder 104 below the blocking hook 103 drives the blocking hook 103 to fall down. The steel pipes 400 (only two or three) blocked by the blocking hook 103 roll forward along the slope of the buffer rack. The top of the buffer rack is sloping. After the blocking hook 103 is lowered, the steel pipes 400 will roll forward and be blocked by the blocking block 202. The steel pipes 400 behind will be arranged in an orderly manner. When the lifting cylinder 203 drives the lifting hook 204 to rise, the foremost steel pipe 400 will be lifted and rolled to the front end of the lifting hook 204. When the top hook 204 is lowered, the steel pipe 400 on the top hook 204 falls onto the V-shaped roller 3031, and at the same time the steel pipe 400 behind will roll forward and be blocked by the blocking block 202. When the steel pipe 400 falls onto the V-shaped roller 3031, the V-shaped roller 3031 is in the raised state and the steel pipe 400 and the gripper 3021 are on the same center line (the lifting mechanism 305 adjusts the center position of the steel pipe 400 according to the pipe diameter); the rear pushing mechanism 302 pushes the steel pipe 400 forward, and after contacting the positioning mechanism 306, the gripper 3021 clamps the steel pipe 400, the positioning mechanism 306 descends, and the pushing mechanism 302 sends the steel pipe 400 into the pipe cutter. When the gripper 3021 approaches the V-shaped roller 3031, the V-shaped roller 3031 will descend to avoid interference between the gripper 3021 and the V-shaped roller 3031. Other V-shaped rollers 3031 that are not close remain in the raised state. After the steel pipe 400 is cut, the pushing mechanism 302 retracts, and the gripper 3021 moves to the top of the V-shaped flipping plate 3075 of the tail material flipping mechanism 307. The gripper 3021 is released and the tail material of the steel pipe 400 is placed on the V-shaped flipping plate 3075. The pushing mechanism 302 continues to retract, and the tail material flipping mechanism 307 flips to turn the tail material out.

[0039] If the second sensor 207 in the middle of the buffer rack detects that there is no material above it, it will trigger the hoisting rope 1021 to rise and continue feeding.

[0040] This invention enables automatic feeding of the pipe cutting machine and automatic unloading of the cut end, achieving full automation of the process. Simply place the bundled steel pipes into the feeding rack, saving labor.

[0041] The above embodiments and figures are not intended to limit the product form and style of the present invention. Any appropriate changes or modifications made by those skilled in the art should be considered as not departing from the patent scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fully automatic pipe cutting machine loading and unloading device, characterized in that: include: The feeding device, buffer device, and conveying device are arranged in sequence. The feeding device includes a U-shaped material rack and a hoisting mechanism; the U-shaped material rack is used to store steel pipes, and the hoisting mechanism is used to lift the steel pipes so that they roll into the buffer device in an orderly manner. The buffer device includes: a buffer rack and a lifting mechanism; the buffer rack is frame-shaped, with multiple sloping rack rods that are lower at the front and higher at the back, and each rack rod has a blocking block at its front end; the lifting mechanism includes: a lifting cylinder and multiple lifting rods connected to it; the lifting rods and the rack rods are arranged in parallel, and each lifting rod includes: a front end, a bent part, and a rear end, the tail end of the rear end is threaded onto a fixed rod, the fixed rod is fixedly connected to the buffer rack, the front end has a lifting hook at its foremost end, the height of the front end is higher than the rear end, the bent part is closer to the feeding device than the blocking block, and the longitudinal distance between the blocking block and the bent part is equivalent to the diameter of a steel pipe; The feeding device includes: a long support, a pushing mechanism, a lifting roller mechanism, a lifting platform, a lifting machine, a positioning mechanism, and a tail material turning mechanism; the long support has a track on its side, and the pushing mechanism has a slider on its side that slides in cooperation with the track of the long support; the pushing mechanism moves back and forth along the track under the drive of a drive motor; the front end of the pushing mechanism is provided with an automatically opening and closing gripper; a row of multiple lifting roller mechanisms is provided below the central axis of the gripper, the lifting platform is provided below the multiple lifting roller mechanisms, and multiple lifting machines connected in series are provided below the lifting platform, the lifting machines being controlled by a drive unit to raise and lower the lifting platform; each lifting roller mechanism includes: a V-shaped roller and a first lifting cylinder, the V-shaped roller being located above the first lifting cylinder, the first lifting cylinder controlling the raising and lowering of the V-shaped roller; the V-shaped roller is connected to the top hook of the buffer device; the front end of the lifting platform is also provided with the positioning mechanism for clamping steel pipes and the tail material turning mechanism for collecting tail material.

2. The fully automatic pipe cutting machine loading and unloading equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The U-shaped material rack includes an outer support section and an inner support section; the hoisting mechanism includes: multiple hoisting ropes, directional pulleys and reels arranged at intervals, as well as a drive mechanism and a transmission shaft; The outer support portion is higher than the inner support portion; a fixed shaft is provided at the top of the inner support portion, and multiple directional wheels are provided on the fixed shaft; multiple winding wheels are provided at the bottom of the inner support portion, and the winding wheels are provided on the transmission shaft, which is connected to the drive mechanism. One end of each of the suspension ropes is fixed to the high point of the outer support, and the other end is wrapped around a reel and fixedly connected to a spool. Multiple blocking hooks are spaced apart on the fixed shaft. The tail end of each blocking hook is movably inserted through the fixed shaft. The front hook of each blocking hook is located below the buffer device. A blocking cylinder is connected to the bottom of the blocking hook. The side of the material rack above the blocking hook is provided with a first sensor for sensing whether there is material on the blocking hook. When material is sensed, the hoisting rope is triggered to descend. A second sensor is provided on the side of the middle part of the buffer rack to sense whether there is material in the buffer rack. When no material is sensed, the hoisting rope is triggered to rise.

3. The fully automatic pipe cutting machine loading and unloading equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The end of the drive shaft is also connected to a limit mechanism, which includes a pinion, a large gear, a sensing wheel, and a fixed plate. The pinion is mounted on the drive shaft, and the large gear meshes with the pinion. The large gear is connected to the sensing wheel. The fixed plate is fixedly mounted on the frame of the hoisting mechanism on one side of the sensing wheel. The fixed plate is provided with an upward limit block and a downward limit block. When the sensing block on the sensing wheel touches the upward limit block, the hoisting rope descends; when it touches the downward limit block, the hoisting rope stops or ascends. The speed ratio determined by the large gear and the pinion ensures that the large gear rotates no more than one revolution.

4. The fully automatic pipe cutting machine loading and unloading equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom of the suspension rope is equipped with a counterweight.

5. The fully automatic pipe cutting machine loading and unloading equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning mechanism includes a positioning block and a positioning cylinder. The positioning cylinder is located on the lifting platform, and the positioning block is located above the positioning cylinder. The steel pipe moves forward under the push of the pushing mechanism and is blocked by the positioning block. The pushing mechanism presses against the rear end of the steel pipe, the gripper clamps the steel pipe, and the positioning cylinder drives the positioning block to descend. The steel pipe continues to move forward and is fed into the pipe cutting machine.

6. The fully automatic pipe cutting machine loading and unloading equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The tail material turning mechanism includes: a second lifting cylinder, a lifting plate, a rotating shaft, a turning cylinder, and a V-shaped turning plate; the second lifting cylinder is arranged on the lifting platform, the lifting plate is arranged above the second lifting cylinder, the two ends of the rotating shaft are arranged above the lifting plate through bearings, the turning cylinder is arranged below the middle of the rotating shaft, and the V-shaped turning plate is connected above it.

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