GB1137312A - Package sorting system and transfer mechanism therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

1,137,312. Endless conveyers. F. MINICHELLO and V. MINICHELLO. 3 May, 1966, No. 19375/66. Heading B8A. Apparatus for transferring articles from a plurality of parallel spaced endless conveyers to one of a series of slotted pallets 4 attached to an endless chain 5 comprises a platform 3 having a plurality of parallel extending fingers and means to raise the platform in interdigitating fashion with the parallel conveyers, to rotate the platform through 180 degrees about a vertical axis and to lower the platform in interdigitating fashion with the respective slotted pallet. The platform may be reversed to transfer articles from the slotted pallets to the. parallel conveyers. The parallel conveyers comprise a plurality of spaced parallel channels (2b), Fig. 10 (not shown), in each of which runs a short pitch endless chain (2a) driven by a common conventional drive 43, 44, 45. Interspaced between the channels and parallel thereto are slide bars having an upturned end to act as a stop and hold articles thereon while waiting for the movement of a platform. The platform is mounted on a shaft 13 having cam following means 16 at its lower end whereby to raise and lower the platform. The cam is driven in synchronism with a bell housing keyed to and surrounding the cam mechanism and the shaft by an electric motor 27 driving a gearwheel 24 connected by linkage 25 to a segment gear to rock the same about its pivot, which in turn provides the necessary 180 degrees rotation to a gear wheel 23 keyed to the bell housing. Also driven from the gear wheel 23 are gear trains 21, 20 to rotate the cam 18. The slotted pallets are each mounted on a shaft 30 connected to a link of the endless chain 5. The links also carry wheels 33, 33a, 34 to support and guide the slotted pallet in guide channels 36. The endless chain is driven by a conventional chain having upstanding lugs to engage the links of said chain 5. The fingers 4 of the pallets 4 extend transverse of the direction of travel and on each pallet are arranged a series of depressable buttons 12 each having attached at their lower end a rod magnet 12a. A depressed rod magnet actuates a corresponding reed switch 51 on the housing 41 of a platform 3 to energize the motor 27 to move the respective platform. Thus the movement of the pallets and the endless chain 5 are synchronized with the movement of the platform. By means of the above arrangement an operator can control by depressing the appropriate buttons 12 on a pallet the movement of an article around a system having input A, output B and stores C, D.