GB1046954A - Feeding and timing mechanisms for handling cylindrical containers - Google Patents

Abstract

1,046,954. Endless conveyers. FMC CORPORATION. April 20, 1964 [June 19, 1963], No. 16387/64. Heading B8A. A container feeding and timing mechanism 10 comprises guide tracks provided by base members 43 and upright flanges 45, Figs. 1 and 3, for guiding cylindrical containers C along a predetermined path, and endless chains 86 carrying a plurality of freely rotatable rollers 92, the rollers in the lower chain flight being moved in a path descending from a point above the incoming containers to a point intersecting the container path at a subsequent downstream location along that path. The mechanism 10 feeds the containers to an elevator 11 having endless, driven chains 20 carrying a plurality of bars 22 defining the ends of container-receiving pockets 24, the bottoms of which are formed by a plate 26; the elevator 11 subsequently feeds other machinery. The mechanism 10 includes side plates 32, 34 supported by the frame of the elevator 11 and by legs 36, cross-members 40 being provided for supporting the guides 43, 45 which receives the containers from a gravity shoot 50. The plates 32, 34 carry aligned, adjustably mounted bearings 56 rotatably supporting a shaft 58 having keyed thereto spaced idler sprockets 62 for the chains 86, a corresponding pair of drive sprockets 64 being secured to a shaft 66 carrying a sprocket 68 which is driven from the elevator 11; a sprocket 70 meshing with one of the chains 20 is mounted on a shaft 72 having secured thereto a sprocket 80 which drives the sprocket 68 by means of a roller chain 82. Each roller 92 comprises a tube 93 having bearings which are rotatably mounted on pins 96 secured to the chains 86. The rollers 92 of the mechanism 10 and the bars 22 of the elevator 11 are driven at the same linear speed. The top and bottom flights of the chains 86 are slack, the lower flight rollers contacting the flanges 45 of the guide tracks which at the delivery end of the mechanism 10 curve upward so reducing jarring of the containers. The rollers 92 may have covers of rubber. In a second embodiment, Figs. 4 and 5 (not shown), the bearings 56 for the idler sprockets 62 are mounted on an inverted U- shaped bracket one end of which is pivoted to the side plates 32, 34 and the other end being connected to a stationary end plate by adjustable tension springs, for tensioning the chains 86.