GB1119822A - Improvements in or relating to conveying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1,119,822. Endless conveyors. MITCHELL ENG. Ltd., P. C. HOLLAND and L. E. ROBINSON. 13 July, 1965 [14 July, 1964], No. 29011/64. Heading B8A. A conveyer for imparting rotation to article carriers thereon while moving along certain parts of the conveying path comprises a pair of spaced parallel chains rotatably mounting therebetween at intervals, spindles 10 on which are fixed the carriers. Each carrier comprises four article holding box structures 16 mounted between end plates 15, one of the latter having apertures 18 therein for loading and unloading articles whilst smaller apertures in the other plate allow ejecting dogs to be passed into the boxes 16. A sprocket secured to the end of the spindle 10 adjacent the other plate engages a chain, whereby when the spindle is moved relative thereto the carrier is rotated, the chain being disengaged from the sprocket at the loading and unloading station. At the latter the carrier is brought into the correct orientation by rollers on the said other plate engaging a narrow section of a pair of tracks. Similar tracks 22, 22a adjacent the other end of the carriers engage rollers 28 on arms 26, 26a which are pivoted to the spindle 10 and are spring biased into an outer position where they extend across the apertures 18 thereby locking articles in the carrier. In this outer position further rollers on the arms 26, 26a seat in recesses 25c at the corners of the plate 15. As the carrier approaches a loading and unloading station the tracks 22, 22a converge causing the arms 26, 26a to move into an inner position where they do not block the apertures 18. A gap in the tracks allows the apertures 18 to be obstruction free for the loading/unloading operation one pair of rollers 28 always engaging the tracks whilst the other pair pass the gap. The two pairs of tracks diverge remote from the loading/unloading station to such a spacing that the carriers can rotate.