GB2112336A

GB2112336A - Overhead accumulation conveyor

Info

Publication number: GB2112336A
Application number: GB08137881A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Allan Robert Folkes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-12-16
Filing date: 1981-12-16
Publication date: 1983-07-20
Also published as: GB2112336B

Abstract

The conveyor comprises a U- shaped track 1 provided with a series of drive wheels 5 driven by a longitudinally extending shaft 2. Carriers 7 are suspended from the drive wheels 5 and have guide rollers 9 engaging the track 1. To enable the drive to slip when an accumulation takes place without noise and wear, the transmission from drive shaft 2 to a drive wheel 5 includes a driving wheel (preferably a bevel gear 3) engaging a contact surface (preferably an annular gear 4) associated with the drive wheel 5. The contact surface 4 is provided with one or more gaps which enable the drive transmission to be regularly interrupted and restored, so that on accumulation, the transmission only needs to slip until the gap reaches the driving wheel 3 when the drive wheel 5 will stop. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Accumulation conveyor This invention relates to conveyors.

In my co-pending application 81 14374, to be published under No. 2078184, there is described and claimed an accumulation conveyor comprising a series of conveying elements at least some of which are driven by a longitudinal drive shaft, characterised in that drive is transmitted to a conveying element by a transmission system comprising a driving wheel rotatable with the drive shaft and one or more driven wheels rotatable about transverse axes and drivingly connected with the conveying elements, arranged and constructed so that the drive supplied to the conveying element is regularly interrupted and is restored by movement of the conveying element.

In that application emphasis is placed on the conveyor as being a driven roller conveyor, but it is realised that a similar type of mechanism may be used to drive an accumulation conveyor of the overhead type in which carriers are in rolling contact with upper surfaces of drive wheels and suspended from them.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an overhead conveyor comprising a series of drive wheels driven by a longitudinally extending shaft, a series of carriers each having a flat surface in rolling contact with an upper surface of adjacent drive wheels in which drive is transmitted from the drive shaft to a drive wheel by a transmission system comprising a driving wheel rotatable with the drive shaft and drivingly connected to drive wheels, the transmission for drive wheels where accumulation is desired being arranged and constructed so that the drive supplied to the drive wheel is regularly interrupted and is restored by rotation of the roller.

In general, the regular interruption is achieved by interrupting a contact surface on a drive wheel at one point or at two or more points spaced radially from each other so that when the deformed portion faces the contacting wheel, contact is, at that point, broken.

In one preferred embodiment, the driving wheel rotatable with the drive shaft is arranged so that its driving surface can contact a face of a drive wheel mounted with its axis perpendicular to that of the drive shaft, drive wheel being provided with a recess in the area contacted by the primary drive wheel, whereby driving contact with the primary drive wheel is interrupted at the point when the intermediate drive wheel is rotated so that the recess faces the drive wheel.

The above-mentioned embodiments generally relate to transmissions in which the drive is by friction, the wheels rotating against one another under a certain pressure which is either provided by the natural resilience of the material, or is alternatively supplied by the spring bias on the wheel mounting. In either situation the bias must be such that when the recess or flat on a driven wheel faces the contacting driving wheel, contact is indeed broken. Obviously too much resilience would mean that the driving wheel might contact the recessed part of the surface and so still transmit power.

In an alternative preferred system, the wheels may be toothed, e.g. in the manner of a bevel gear. In this case, the interruption can constitute one or more shorter teeth, or even a local absence of teeth.

The drive interruption is achieved as foliows.

Under normal running circumstances, with no accumulation of goods on the conveyor, the momentum of an article on a carrier and also the drive supplied to it by following carriers, ensures that a drive wheel at the front of the article is rotated into re-engagement of the driving wheels.

Thus, as soon as drive is disengaged by the recess rotating to face the driving wheel, the recessed or flattened wheel is urged passed this position by the article and drive is reconnected. As soon as there is an accumulation of goods on the conveyor, a carrier will stop and there will then be no momentum acting to reconnect the drive once it has been interrupted. Thus, as soon as the passage of an article along the conveyor is impeded, the power supplied to the rollers on which it stands is interrupted.

Once the accumulation on the conveyor has been cleared, drive can be connected simply by giving the stationary carriers a slight push sufficient to turn the rollers and re-engage the driven wheels. This push may be manual or may be supplied by following carriers.

Alternatively, a manually operated device may be provided to give an impulse to a driven wheel.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of part of an overhead conveyor in accordance with a preferred form of the present invention; Figure 2 is a section on the line Il-Il of Figure 1;and Figure 3 is a plan view with carriers omitted.

As shown in the drawings, a generally Ushaped conveyor track 1 of indefinite length has a longitudinal drive shaft 2 supported therein by bearings (not shown). At regular spaced intervals along the drive shaft are driving bevel gears 3a and 3b solid with the shaft 2. Each bevel gear 3a or 3b engages a matching interrupted bevel gear 4 mounted on the face of a drive wheel 5a or Sb respectively, rotatably mounted on a transverse shaft 6. The drive wheels 5a are mounted on one side of the track and the drive wheels 5b on the other side.Carriers 7, which do the actual conveying are suspended from drive wheels 5a and Sb and have flat surfaces 8 in rolling contact with the upper surface of the drive wheels 5a and 5b so as to be driven along the track by them. Each carrier 7 is shown as having a pair of guide rollers 9 mounted for rotation about vertical axes and in engagement with the outer surfaces of the stationary track 1.

As can be seen, the interrupted bevel gears 4 provide continuous interruption and reconnection with the transmission of drive from the shaft 2 to the drive wheels 5a and Sb via the gears 3a and 3b so that if a carrier is impeded by an accumulation of goods, the drive wheels 5a and 5b only have to slip against the carriers until the arrival of the interruption at coincidence with the bevel gear 3a and 3b. The drive is then interrupted and slippage ceases. When the carrier is once more free to move, it can be nudged forward to reconnect drive. Such nudging may either by manuai or from a succeeding carrier.

Alternatively, an impulse can be given to the wheel 4 by some other external device.

Various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For instance where accumulation is not expected at certain sections of a conveyor, then the drive transmission at these points may be without the interruption feature. Also, some parts of a conveyor system not requiring the accumulation feature may incorporate a drive by rack and pinion, e.g.

between a pinion formed on the rim of the wheels 5a and Sb and a rack provided on the carrier. This will provide a more positive, non-accumulative, drive for inclined sections.

Claims (Filed on 17/11/82) 1. An overhad accumulation conveyor comprising a series of drive wheels driven by a longitudinal extending shaft, a series of carriers each having a flat surface in rolling contact with an upper surface of adjacent drive wheels in which drive is transmitted from the drive shaft to a drive wheel by a transmission system comprising a driving wheel rotatable with the drive shaft and drivingly connected to drive wheels, the transmission for the drive wheels where accumulation is desired being arranged and constructed so that the drive supplied to the drive wheel is regularly interrupted and is restored by rotation of the roller.

2. A conveyor as claimed in claim 1, in which the drive wheel has an interrupted annular drivereceiving zone normally in driving contact with a drive-transmitting zone of the driving wheel.

3. A conveyor as claimed in claim 2, in which the drive between the drive and driving wheels is frictional.

4. A conveyor as claimed in claim 2, in which the drive-receiving zone is an annular gear with one or more gaps with no effective gear teeth, the drive transmitting zone of the driving wheel being a gear normally in mesh with the annular gear.

5. A conveyor as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4, comprising a manually operated device to impart a rotary impulse to the driven wheel.

6. An overhead accumulation conveyor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. provide continuous interruption and reconnection with the transmission of drive from the shaft 2 to the drive wheels 5a and Sb via the gears 3a and 3b so that if a carrier is impeded by an accumulation of goods, the drive wheels 5a and 5b only have to slip against the carriers until the arrival of the interruption at coincidence with the bevel gear 3a and 3b. The drive is then interrupted and slippage ceases. When the carrier is once more free to move, it can be nudged forward to reconnect drive. Such nudging may either by manuai or from a succeeding carrier. Alternatively, an impulse can be given to the wheel 4 by some other external device. Various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For instance where accumulation is not expected at certain sections of a conveyor, then the drive transmission at these points may be without the interruption feature. Also, some parts of a conveyor system not requiring the accumulation feature may incorporate a drive by rack and pinion, e.g. between a pinion formed on the rim of the wheels 5a and Sb and a rack provided on the carrier. This will provide a more positive, non-accumulative, drive for inclined sections. Claims (Filed on 17/11/82)

1. An overhad accumulation conveyor comprising a series of drive wheels driven by a longitudinal extending shaft, a series of carriers each having a flat surface in rolling contact with an upper surface of adjacent drive wheels in which drive is transmitted from the drive shaft to a drive wheel by a transmission system comprising a driving wheel rotatable with the drive shaft and drivingly connected to drive wheels, the transmission for the drive wheels where accumulation is desired being arranged and constructed so that the drive supplied to the drive wheel is regularly interrupted and is restored by rotation of the roller.