GB1594080A

GB1594080A - Fall brake

Info

Publication number: GB1594080A
Application number: GB2522478A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: GRISNICH M
Current assignee: GRISNICH M
Priority date: 1977-12-22
Filing date: 1978-05-31
Publication date: 1981-07-30
Also published as: JPS5490754A; DE2851065C2; FR2412478A1; FR2412478B3; DE2851065A1; BE872749A; NL166665B; NL7714241A; JPS6135081B2; NL166665C

Description

(54) FALL BRAKE (71) I, MARIUS GRISNICH, a Dutch subject of No. 9, Punterstraat, Emmeloord, the Netherlands, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following state ment ::- The invention relates to a fall brake for material, comprising a series of frames arranged one beneath another and suspended from suspension means, each frame suspending a chute directed downwards at an angle to the frame in a sense opposite to that of the overlying chute, the frames being pivotally interconnected along a zig-zag line, the lowermost frame being attached by a flexible member to a lifting mechanism whereby the frame can be upwardly pivoted from its operative position into an inoperative positon in which it is substantially parallel to the overlying frame.

Such a fall brake is used for avoiding damage of the material when falling down.

This may be the case in loading potatoes into a container or forming a pile on a floor.

The falling speed is progressively reduced by means of this fall brake by changing the direction of the fall.

Such a fall brake is described in my Brit ish patent Specification 1 513 346 and is of small height position. In that fall brake the lifting mechanism comprises two shafts extending from a reduction drive gear which are each supported by a bearing and which each support a winding member for winding in and paying out one of two flexible members.

The invention has for its object to construct the fall brake of the kind set forth in a simpler way. To this end the lifting mechanism is provided with a winding member winding the or each flexible member and being directly mounted on the output shaft of a reduction drive gear driven by an electric motor, the output shaft being journalled solely within the reduction drive gear. This fall brake is simpler in that some parts have been dispensed with resulting in a fall brake with light weight construction, which is an important advantage for a fall brake being suspended from a conveying belt.

Preferably two flexible members extend from respective opposite sides of the winding member. Then the ouput shaft of the reduction drive gear suffers little or no bending stress.

The invention will now be described more fully, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fall brake in accordance with the invention for loading a container of a vehicle; Figures 2 and 5 show on an enlarged scale the fall brake of Figure 1 in two different positions Figure 3 shows on an enlarged scale an exploded view of a detail III in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a detail IV in Figure 2; Figure 6 is a plan view of the fall brake of Figure 1; Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view of a detail in Figure 5; and Figures 8 and 9 are each a vertical sectional view of another fall brake in accordance with the invention.

The fall brake 1, which is employed, by way of example, in loading a trough-like container 2 of a vehicle 3, comprises a support 4 to be fastened by bolts 5 to the frame 6 of a conveyor belt 7 feeding material from a bunker in the direction of the arrow 8. A funnel 9 is suspended from the support 4 by means of two hangers 10 formed by chains and being at an acute angle a to one another, so that the funnel 9 is flexibly suspended, but automatically occupies its central position beneath the end of the conveyor belt 7. The funnel 9 comprises a framework 12 to the underside of which a converging sheath 13 is fastened.

The falle brake 1 comprises furthermore suspension means consisting of two flexible members, formed by belts 11, preferably narrow textile belts having a width of 2 to 3 cm, said belts 11 being suspended from the framework 12. The fall brake 1 furthermore comprises a plurality of frames 14 pivoted to one another along a zig-zag line and con nected approximately at their centres to the two belts 11 by means of screw bolts 15 having eyelets 16. For this purpose the screw bolts 15 are passed through selected holes 17 of the belts 11 at positions such that the frames 14 and the chute 18 supported thereby will occupy an inclined position to suit the material to be loaded. Each chute 18 consists of a sheet of solid, flexible material suspended by two side edges 19 to the frame 14 and by a top edge 20 to a pivoted rod 21, which pivotally interconnects two frames 14.The topmost frame 14 is pivotally connected to the framework 12 of the funnel 9.

The framework 12 of the funnel 9 supports, in addition, at its front side 33 a winding member driven by an electric motor 23 and constituted by a flat drum 22 of a lifting mechanism 24. The lowermost frame 14 is suspended from the lifting mechanism 24 by means of two flexible members guided through the eyelets 16. The two flexible members are constituted by two belts 26 which are interconnected by means of a connection piece 34. The flat drum 22 comprises a central passage 35 for letting pass the connection piece 34 which is positioned between the two belts 26 extending from opposite sides of the drum 22. In fact the two belts 26 and the connection piece 34 form part of one uninterrupted narrow textile belt having a width of 2 to 3 cm.The drum 22 is mounted on the output shaft 36 of a reduction drive gear driven by the electric motor 23 and constituted by a worm casing 25, so that the bearings 43 of the worm casing 25 serve as bearings for the drum 22. This is possible without any risk, in that the shaft 36 is only torsion-loaded but not or hardly loaded by bending thanks to the fact that the belts 6 exert a same pulling force in opposite directions on the shaft 36 and thus compensate each other. In the wound off positon the connected piece 34 can move itself radially in its passage 35, so that a difference in elasticity of the belts 26 is corrected then automatically. In each position of the fall brake, that is to say at each winding degree of the belts 26, they are shortened in equal sense thanks to the winding up into each other in a spiral form.The belts 26 running from the drum 22 each go through two guide rollers 37 and 38 supported by the framework 12.

In that the lifting mechanism 24 is mounted at the front side of the framework 12, another conveyor belt 39 can also shed its material in the fall brake 1. Preferably the lifting mechanism 24 is covered then by a plate 40. It is also possible to place the lifting mechanism 24 beneath the conveyor belt 7. The fall brake 1 in accordance with the invention can be constructed with a low weight, so that the frame 6 of the conveyor belt 7 is loaded then by bending up to a small extent. The lifting mechanism 24 comprises a switch 41 fastened at the front side of the framework 12 for stopping the electric motor 23 in dependence upon the winding degree of the belts 26.In the completely developed situation of the belts 26 the pivoting feeler 42 comes into the position shown in Figure 6 with uninterrupted lines, so that the electric motor 23 is blocked into the direction of further winding off.

Thus, the switch 41 switches off the electric motor 23 at the position of the feeler 42 shown in Figure 6 with interrupted lines in order to block the further winding up of the belts 26.

Each chute 18 is directed downwards and (with the exception of the topmost chute) it extends in a sense opposite that of the overhanging chute 18.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate that material such as potatoes, fruit or other vulnerable produce can be conveyed to a great depth into a container 2. According as the level in the container 2 rises, the cables 26 are shortened, whilst a frame 14 each time joins the overlying frame 14. During this movement the angle of inclination b of the chute 18 to the horizontal c increases, which has the advantage that the material readily leaves the chute 18 drawn up last without the risk of being jammed. The chutes 18 connected with the lifted frames 14 extend in alternating positions closely and parallel to one another so that they will not hamper the passage of material (see Figure 5).For this purpose the chutes 18 are at an angle w to the associated frame 14 of 50" to 90 , preferably about 70 . In fact the material drops transversely through the frames 14.

In the lifted position shown in Figure 5 the fall brake 1 has a small height h and an unhindered passage for material. Damage of the fall brake 1 is avoided by the use of flexible suspension means such as chains 10 and belts 11 and by using U-shaped, pivotally interconnected frames 14.

The lifting mechanism 24 may be automatically and continuously controlled by means of a lever scanner (not shown).

For braking bags filled with material the fall brake 27 or 28 shown in Figure 8 and Figure 9 respectively may be employed. The fall brake 27 differs from the fall brake 1 only in that each chute 29 is formed by a pre-formed chute of stiff material, the dimensions being, of course, adapted to the size of the bags to be braked.

The fall brake 28 is distinguished from the fall brake 27 only in that each chute 30 is formed by a grating 31, in which rollers 32 are rotatably journalled.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A fall brake for material, comprising a series of frames arranged one beneath

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

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. nected approximately at their centres to the two belts 11 by means of screw bolts 15 having eyelets 16. For this purpose the screw bolts 15 are passed through selected holes 17 of the belts 11 at positions such that the frames 14 and the chute 18 supported thereby will occupy an inclined position to suit the material to be loaded. Each chute 18 consists of a sheet of solid, flexible material suspended by two side edges 19 to the frame 14 and by a top edge 20 to a pivoted rod 21, which pivotally interconnects two frames 14. The topmost frame 14 is pivotally connected to the framework 12 of the funnel 9. The framework 12 of the funnel 9 supports, in addition, at its front side 33 a winding member driven by an electric motor 23 and constituted by a flat drum 22 of a lifting mechanism 24. The lowermost frame 14 is suspended from the lifting mechanism 24 by means of two flexible members guided through the eyelets 16. The two flexible members are constituted by two belts 26 which are interconnected by means of a connection piece 34. The flat drum 22 comprises a central passage 35 for letting pass the connection piece 34 which is positioned between the two belts 26 extending from opposite sides of the drum 22. In fact the two belts 26 and the connection piece 34 form part of one uninterrupted narrow textile belt having a width of 2 to 3 cm.The drum 22 is mounted on the output shaft 36 of a reduction drive gear driven by the electric motor 23 and constituted by a worm casing 25, so that the bearings 43 of the worm casing 25 serve as bearings for the drum 22. This is possible without any risk, in that the shaft 36 is only torsion-loaded but not or hardly loaded by bending thanks to the fact that the belts 6 exert a same pulling force in opposite directions on the shaft 36 and thus compensate each other. In the wound off positon the connected piece 34 can move itself radially in its passage 35, so that a difference in elasticity of the belts 26 is corrected then automatically. In each position of the fall brake, that is to say at each winding degree of the belts 26, they are shortened in equal sense thanks to the winding up into each other in a spiral form.The belts 26 running from the drum 22 each go through two guide rollers 37 and 38 supported by the framework 12. In that the lifting mechanism 24 is mounted at the front side of the framework 12, another conveyor belt 39 can also shed its material in the fall brake 1. Preferably the lifting mechanism 24 is covered then by a plate 40. It is also possible to place the lifting mechanism 24 beneath the conveyor belt 7. The fall brake 1 in accordance with the invention can be constructed with a low weight, so that the frame 6 of the conveyor belt 7 is loaded then by bending up to a small extent. The lifting mechanism 24 comprises a switch 41 fastened at the front side of the framework 12 for stopping the electric motor 23 in dependence upon the winding degree of the belts 26.In the completely developed situation of the belts 26 the pivoting feeler 42 comes into the position shown in Figure 6 with uninterrupted lines, so that the electric motor 23 is blocked into the direction of further winding off. Thus, the switch 41 switches off the electric motor 23 at the position of the feeler 42 shown in Figure 6 with interrupted lines in order to block the further winding up of the belts 26. Each chute 18 is directed downwards and (with the exception of the topmost chute) it extends in a sense opposite that of the overhanging chute 18. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate that material such as potatoes, fruit or other vulnerable produce can be conveyed to a great depth into a container 2. According as the level in the container 2 rises, the cables 26 are shortened, whilst a frame 14 each time joins the overlying frame 14. During this movement the angle of inclination b of the chute 18 to the horizontal c increases, which has the advantage that the material readily leaves the chute 18 drawn up last without the risk of being jammed. The chutes 18 connected with the lifted frames 14 extend in alternating positions closely and parallel to one another so that they will not hamper the passage of material (see Figure 5).For this purpose the chutes 18 are at an angle w to the associated frame 14 of 50" to 90 , preferably about 70 . In fact the material drops transversely through the frames 14. In the lifted position shown in Figure 5 the fall brake 1 has a small height h and an unhindered passage for material. Damage of the fall brake 1 is avoided by the use of flexible suspension means such as chains 10 and belts 11 and by using U-shaped, pivotally interconnected frames 14. The lifting mechanism 24 may be automatically and continuously controlled by means of a lever scanner (not shown). For braking bags filled with material the fall brake 27 or 28 shown in Figure 8 and Figure 9 respectively may be employed. The fall brake 27 differs from the fall brake 1 only in that each chute 29 is formed by a pre-formed chute of stiff material, the dimensions being, of course, adapted to the size of the bags to be braked. The fall brake 28 is distinguished from the fall brake 27 only in that each chute 30 is formed by a grating 31, in which rollers 32 are rotatably journalled. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A fall brake for material, comprising a series of frames arranged one beneath

another and suspended from suspension means, each frame suspending a chute directed downwards at an angle to the frame in a sense opposite to that of the overlying chute, the frames being pivotally interconnected along a zig-zag line, the lowermost frame being attached by a flexible member to a lifting mechanism whereby the frame can be upwardly pivoted from its operative position into an inoperative position in which it is substantially parallel to the overlying frame, the lifting mechanism having a winding member which winds the flexible member and is directly mounted on the output shaft of a reduction drive gear driven by an electric motor, the output shaft being journalled solely within the reduction drive gear.

2. A fall brake as claimed in claim 1, in which the flexible member is constituted by a belt.

3. A fall brake as claimed in claim 2, in which the belt is guided through oblong eyes attached to frames.

4. A fall brake as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, including at least one switch for stopping the rotation of the winding member, the said switch being influenced by a feeler feeling the winding degree of the flexible member.

5. A fall brake as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, in which two said flexible members extend from respective opposite sides of the winding member.

6. A fall brake as claimed in claim 5, in which the winding member comprises a central passage letting pass a connection piece between the two flexible members.

7. A fall brake as claimed in claim 6, in which the two flexible members and the connection piece form part of one and the same belt.

8. A fall brake as claimed in any of claims 5 to 7, in which the winding member is constituted by a flat drum, on which the two flexible members are wound about each other in a spiral form.

9. A fall brake as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, in which the electric motor and the reduction drive gear are mounted on one side of the uppermost frame.

10. A fall brake for material, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.