GB1346243A - Overhead conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

1346243 Conveyer systems; elevated railways PHILIPS ELECTRONIC & ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES Ltd 19 April 1971 [27 Jan 1970] 20258/71 Heading B7L An overhead conveyer comprises an endless driving chain 6 guided in a closed main guide track 1; double-trolleys 11 each consisting of a driving trolley 13 forming part of the chain 6 and a suspension or free trolley 15 which can be coupled to the trolley 13 by a detachable connection 16; a local lower guide track 3 for guiding the trolley 15 and automatically uncoupling it from the trolley 13, a rotary wheel switch N for transferring the trolley 15 to a lower side track 5 on which the trolley can move by gravity to another rotary wheel switch N for transferring the trolley to another local truck 3 which guides the trolley 13 and causes it to be automatically coupled to a driving trolley 15 on the main track 1. The invention is characterized in that the detachable connection 16 consists of a self-centring coupling in the form of a ball portion 29 on a onearmed claw 23 on the tolley 13 and a ball-socket portion 31 in a double-armed claw 25 on the trolley 15, and a locking pawl 33 pivoted to the trolley 13 for automatically locking and unlocking the connection 16. The pawl 33 has a locking finger 37 co-operating with an inclined surface 43 and a locking arm 41 both on the claw 25. A spherical supporting surface 35 on the pawl can pass between the two arms 27 of the claw 25 to engage with the ball portion 29 of the claw 23 when the double trolley 11 is ascending an incline of the main track 1 as described with reference to Fig. 3a (not shown). Similarly when a double-trolley 11 is descending an incline of the main track 1 the finger 37 engage the inclined portion 43 of the claw 25 as described with reference to Fig. 3b (not shown). Each suspension trolley 15 is provided with a plate 53 having coding pawls 51 which co-operate with automatically operating sensors whereby a suspension trolley 15 may be switched to a selected side track 5 by means of an associated track 3 and a switch pawl M of the associated rotary switch N engageing a notch in the plate as described with reference to Fig. 6 (not shown). The uncoupling of suspension trolley 15 is effected by the local lower track 3 raising the trolley 15 with respect to the main track 1 and thus relative to the driving trolley 13 as described with reference to Fig. 5 (not shown). Similarly a trolley 15 is switched from the side track 5 on to a lower local track 3 as described with reference to Fig. 7 (not shown) the trolley 15 being raised and then lowered relative to the track 1 and then relative to a trolley 13, to effect coupling with that trolley 13, as described with reference to Fig. 8 (not shown).