GB1593617A - Conveyor turntables - Google Patents

Abstract

With the transfer unit, material to be conveyed, arriving on a conveyor track (11) and formed as single pieces with a flat underside, can be transferred laterally from the direction (12) of the conveyor track to a second conveyor track (13) arranged essentially at the same height and having a different conveying direction (14). The arrangement comprises transfer means (20) with rollers (10) on all sides which are arranged in a rectangular zone. The zone is subdivided diagonally into two triangles (16, 17) which each contain rollers on all sides of one and the same orientation. Several transfer means (20) of this type are joined together in one plane to form a transfer zone of larger base area. <IMAGE>

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN CONVEYOR TURNTABLES (71) We, KARL STUMPF K.G., of 4282 Velen, Hochmoorstrabe 111 Germany, (BRD), a Company organised under the Laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:: This invention relates to improvements in conveyor turntables which change the direction of conveying of articles having flat undersides arriving on a first conveyor track at an angle to the direction of conveying of a second conveyer track arranged substantially the same level as the first convey or track of the type comprising an approximately horizontal flat parallelogram shaped universal roller section arranged level with the conveyor tracks and is an improvement on or modification of the invention claimed in the specification of our Patent No.

1 478 757.

The specification of our prior Patent No.

1 478 757 claims a conveyor turntable which changes laterally the direction of travel of an article having a flat underside arriving on a first conveyor track at an angle to a second conveyor track, the two tracks lying substantially in the same plane and which comprises an approximately horizontal flat, parallelogram - shaped roller section arranged in the same plane as the conveyor tracks and corresponding in width and length to the widths of the conveyor tracks and comprising a plurality of universal rollers each universal roller consisting of a disc rotatable about its axle on the periphery of which discs are rotatably mounted a plurality of barrel shaped rollers with there axles at right angles to the axle of the discs and in which the outer peripheries of the barrel - shaped rollers lie in a common circular cylindrical surface and in which the cylindrical surface is contacted by the roller substantially over the whole periphery of the surface wherein some of the universal rollers of the roller section are arranged with axles of the discs at right angles to the direction of travel conveying of the second conveyor track characterised in that the roller section is divided diagonally so that a tram guider portion of the roller section adjoining the first conveyor track has a boundary inclined to the roller with disc axes at right angles to the direction of travel of the articles on the fast conveyor track whilst to other triangular position of the roller section has universal rollers with disc axles at right angles the direction of travel of the articles on the second conveyor track.

The object of the invention is to adapt the turntable arrangement described in the parent specification for dealing with articles of a larger base area than can be dealt with by the parent patent.

According to the invention an improvement in or modification of Patent No.

1 478 757 comprises a plurality of conveyor turntables as claimed therein mounted to form squares or rectangles to increase the area of the base, driven by common double chain wheels operating alternatively to drive each unit longitudinally and then transversely.

The universal rollers in each area are driven together in the same direction so that the driving expenditure for the unit can be reduced.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 shows a side view, of the universal rollers used; Fig. 2 shows a front view of the universal roller used; Fig. 3 shows a plan of a conversion unit according to the invention which comprises in width two and in length three conveyor turntables; Fig. 4 and 5 show diagrammatically further possible joining together of individual conveyors to form a larger conveyor unit.

The universal roller 10 shown in Figs 1 and 2 comprises a spider 2 arranged on a shaft 1 with spiders 2 on each side, arranged axially, three pairs of bearing arms 3, arranged parallel and opposite one another on which is rotatably mounted about its axis a shaft pin 4 providing a space between the shaft 1, and at right angles the shaft a barrel-shaped roller 5 is mounted rotatably about its axis. On each side are provided three barrel-shaped rollers 5 so that the rollers 5 lying opposite one another on each side of the spider 2 are arranged at an angle of 60 , and overlaps just at the ends. The shape of the rollers 25 in cross section through their axes are arcs of a circle. The arrangement and size is such that, as can be best seen from Fig. 2 the arcs of a circle representing the outer periphery merge into one another to form a circular periphery 6.The universal roller 10 therefore rolls around the shaft 1. At the same time however the universal roller 10 rolls in the direction of the shaft 1 in that the individual barrel-shaped rollers 5 rotate about their axes. The universal roller 10 can therefore be moved to roll in all directions.

Universal rollers of this form are shown in U.S. Specification No. 3 621 961.

The conveyor unit shown in Fig. 3 and designated as a whole by the arrow 100 comprises six individual conveyor turntables 20 each covering a square base area.

As an example the right hand lower conveyor 20, in Fig. 3 will be described. The direction of the conveyed material arriving on a first conveyor can change over from the path 11 in the direction of the arrows 12 to a conveyor path 13, branching at right angles thereform in the direction of the arrow 14.

The conveyor paths 11, 13 in the embodiment are formed as roller paths but may, for example, also be conveyor belts or the like.

The turntable 20 comprises a square frame 15 in which are mounted in shafts 1 several universal rollers 10. The whole universal roller area overlapping the basal area of the converter 20 is divided diagonally. The diagonal 25 runs according to Fig. 3 from the left downwards. The triangle 16 forming one side of the path 11, has shafts 1 which are parallel to the roller axles of the conveyor path 11. The triangle 16 tapers in the direction 12, from the second conveyor path 13, that is, the further it is advanced in the direction 12, the shorter are the rows of rollers located on the individual axles 1, 1' at right angles to the rollers of the conveyor path 13.

The rollers 1 and 1' respectively rotatably mounted on the diagonal 25 are carried in bearing stands 18.

The size of the known converter turntable is determined according to the base area of the conveyed material to be handled so that for different purposes different conveyors have to be made.

The present invention is a modification of the patent specification in which the conveyor turntable is formed with a wide base capable of being enclarged without having to reconstruct.

The problem presents itself in particular with the conveying of large plates such as, for example, chip boards having a long rectangular base travelling in a longitudinal direction in a straight line and having to be drawn off from this laterally onto a stack.

The solution comprises the use of several conveyors of the same construction are combined in one plane to form larger base.

Thus a standard size of individual conveyor turntables can be mass produced in order to provide a larger unit adapted to the basic surface area of the conveyed material.

The esential feature of the invention is therefore the enlarging of the change over base surface by the employment of individual conveyors acting in identical arrangements. This is different from the arrangement one behind the other of several conveyors in different arrangements in order to achieve inclined delving path several times. On the outside the shafts 1, 1' carry double chain wheels 19, which connect adjacent shafts 1, 1' by chains 21, alternately engaging an inner and outer wheel.

With an individual converter 20 the conveyed material runs in the direction of the arrow 12, and is conveyed further by the universal rollers 10 on the axles 1 until, it comes to the boundary of the conveyor 20, where a switch is actuated by the striking of the conveyed material and switches off the drive of the rollers 10 in the triangle 16 and switches on the rollers 10 of, the triangle 17. The conveyed material then moves in the direction of the arrow 14, by the driving of the universal rollers 10 located on the shafts 1'.

The conveyed material is thus not rotated but moved sideways from over conveyor turntable 16 to the conveyor turntable 17 at right angles that is, with the rotation of the rollers 5, effected substantially without resistance.

In Fig. 3 conveyors 20 of the same construction and arrangement are combined to form a conversion unit designated in its entirety by 100. The basic surface of the unit 100 corresponds to two conveyors 20 in width and three in length. There may be built up therefore, units of any number of basic conveyor turntables 20. Therefore, for example, a chip board which in its width corresponds to double the width of an individual conveyor turntable 20 covers all the conveyor turntables 20, up to an end switch provided in the upper edge housing 22 of the unit 100. Thus the universal rollers 10 of all the triangles 16 drive the chip board forwards.Upon meeting the edge housing 22 the end switch is actuated which switches off the drive of the universal rollers 10 of the triangles 16 and switches on the drive of the universal rollers 10 of the triangles 17, which then take over the conveying and withdraws the chip board transversely in the direction of the arrow 14, from the unit 100. In the embodiment shown there are provided for conveying in the direction 12 two conveyor paths 11 lying side by side, and for conveying in the direction 14 three conveyor paths 13, lying side by side. This is suitable for reasons of standardisation. There may therefore be used for example, rollers of a conveyor belt extending over the width of two conveyor paths 11.

The chain wheels 19 of different conveyor turntable 20 lying in one line 23 or 24 respectively are driven together so that the driving force is reduced and for every individual turntable 20 separate drives for the two directions are not necessary.

In Fig. 4 a further embodiment for particularly long conveyed material is produced which comprises four turntables 20 connected in tandem one behind the other and on which the conveyed material runs in the direction of the arrow 26 and from which it is drawn off in the direction of the arrow 27.

Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment in which four turntables 20 are provided in a square arrangement.

it is understood that the unit-s in so far as they have an oblong rectangular outline can also work inversely, that is take conveyed material on the longer side and deliver from the shorter side.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A conveyor turntable as an improvement in or modification of the invention claimed in our Patent No. 1 478 757 comprising a plurality of conveyor turntables as claimed therein mounted to form squares or rectangles to increase the area of the base driven by common double chain wheels operating alternately to drive each unit longitudinally and then transversely.

2. A conveyor table unit substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Dated this 23 day of May, 1978.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (2)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. drive of the universal rollers 10 of the triangles 17, which then take over the conveying and withdraws the chip board transversely in the direction of the arrow 14, from the unit 100. In the embodiment shown there are provided for conveying in the direction 12 two conveyor paths 11 lying side by side, and for conveying in the direction 14 three conveyor paths 13, lying side by side. This is suitable for reasons of standardisation. There may therefore be used for example, rollers of a conveyor belt extending over the width of two conveyor paths 11. The chain wheels 19 of different conveyor turntable 20 lying in one line 23 or 24 respectively are driven together so that the driving force is reduced and for every individual turntable 20 separate drives for the two directions are not necessary. In Fig. 4 a further embodiment for particularly long conveyed material is produced which comprises four turntables 20 connected in tandem one behind the other and on which the conveyed material runs in the direction of the arrow 26 and from which it is drawn off in the direction of the arrow 27. Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment in which four turntables 20 are provided in a square arrangement. it is understood that the unit-s in so far as they have an oblong rectangular outline can also work inversely, that is take conveyed material on the longer side and deliver from the shorter side. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A conveyor turntable as an improvement in or modification of the invention claimed in our Patent No. 1 478 757 comprising a plurality of conveyor turntables as claimed therein mounted to form squares or rectangles to increase the area of the base driven by common double chain wheels operating alternately to drive each unit longitudinally and then transversely.

2. A conveyor table unit substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Dated this 23 day of May, 1978.