GB1194594A - Pneumatic Conveyer Transportation System - Google Patents

Abstract

1,194,594. Pneumatic conveyers. REJLERS INGENJÍRSBYRA A.B. 26 June, 1967 [28 June, 1966], No. 29439/67. Heading B8A. A pneumatic tube conveyer system is provided with carriers for transporting packed hot or cold meals from a kitchen to receiving stations 20b in a hospital in accordance with demands signalled from the stations, the carriers being loaded, unloaded and routed automatically. Each carrier. Fig. 2 comprises an outer tubular sleeve 31 in which an inner sleeve 32 is rotatably supported whereby openings in the walls of the two sleeves may be aligned for loading and unloading. At the loading station 20a, a rotating wheel 45 is brought into engagement with a guide ring 34 on the sleeve 32 whereby the sleeves 31, 32 are rotated until a stop 35 on the sleeve 31 engages a stop at the station. The inner sleeve then continues to rotate until the openings in the two sleeves are aligned, which is detected by a photo-electric cell and light beam passing through apertures 37 in the sleeve 31 and in a disc secured to the inner sleeve. The photo-electric cell actuates means to stop the wheel 45 or to disengage it from the guide ring 34. A selected packed meal is then transferred from a belt conveyer into the carrier by a transfer mechanism, Fig. 4 (not shown). The passage of the packed meal into the carrier is detected by a further photo-electric cell which causes the carrier to be closed and transported to its selected destination which is coded on the packed meal. After delivery of the meal, the empty carrier is routed back to the sending station 20a. In a modification. Fig. 5 (not shown), the carriers are loaded and unloaded from one end.