GB2146965A - Elevating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The elevator comprises at least two endless bands (15, 21) each presenting an article conveying run (15a, 21a) said article conveying runs being spaced apart to receive an article (C) therebetween and to maintain frictional contact with the article, whereby the article (C) is conveyed along the length of said article conveying runs (15a, 21a) with minimal slip between the said article and said endless bands. Guides 27 may be provided for the sides of the articles. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Elevating apparatus This invention relates to elevating apparatus for conveying articles between two vertically spaced locations and has particular application to the conveyance of containers susceptible to surface damage.

In this specification the term "elevator" means apparatus having moving parts which, when displacing in one direction, are capable of conveying articles from a low location to a higher location and, when displaced in other direction, are capable of conveying aritcles from a higher location to a lower location.

It is well known in the art to convey articles between two vertically spaced apart locations via an inclined conveyor, comprising an endless band, but a difficulty arises with such prior art inclined conveyors when the articles are of relatively lightweight and have a relatively low angle of response on the conveyor whereupon, if any sliding occurs between the article and the conveyor the article may incur surface damage. Further disadvantages with such inclined conveyors reside in the horizontal space occupied by the conveyor and the relatively large power output required for the conveyance of lightweight containers.

Elevators including endless bands or chains with spaced apart platforms or buckets have been used to elevate articles along paths at or approaching the vertical but again, when the articles are of lightweight construction, the power required to displace the moving parts of such elevators is excessive.

In more recent years lightweight containers, such as cans, have been elevated by air pressure/vacum chutes but such elevators are noisy in operation and as the articles conveyed thereby can contact the static sides of the chute such chutes are unsuitable for articles susceptible to surface damage.

The present invention seeks to provide an elevator for "lightweight" articles such as thin walled plastics containers and wherein the power requirement for elevating the articles is relatively low and such surface damage as can occur is minimal.

According to the present invention there is provided an elevator comprising at leasttwo endless bands presenting each presenting an article conveying run, said article conveying runs being spaced apart to receive an article therebetween and to maintain frictional contact with the article, whereby the article is conveyed along the length of said article conveying runs with minimal slip between the said article and said endless bands.

In one embodiment in accordance with the invention the elevator comprises two endless bands, each presenting an article engaging run, and at least one "fixed" guide for the articles being conveyed. In one embodiment the fixed guide for the articles being conveyed. In one embodiment the fixed guide comprises a static guide with a low friction coating presented to an article being conveyed by the endless bands. In an alternative arrangaementthe guide comprises displaceable surfaces, such as the peripheries of wheels or rollers rotated to have a peripheral speed commensurate with the linear speed of the articles or mounted on low friction bearings the said wheels or rollers being spaced apart in the direction of the article conveying runs of the endless bands.

Preferably each article conveying run of an endless band is maintained by guide means individual thereto and each said guide means comprising a plurality of endless band engaging means spaced apart in the direction of displacement of the article conveying run.

In a preferred embodiment the said endless band engaging means are equally spread apart in the direction of the respective articles conveying runs and the said engaging means of one article conveying run are staggered with respect the said engaging means of the other article conveying run in the direction of displacement of the article conveying runs.

Preferably the surfaces of the two said endless band engaging means contacting the said article conveying runs of the endless bands lie in two planes spread apart a distance which is less than the width of the article being conveyed between the endless bands whereupon, as an article passes an endless band engaging means in contact with one endless band the other endless band is defleeted by the article from the place of the two endless bands engaging means supporting other endless band, whereupon, the direction of the axis of each container is changed each time the container passes an endless band engaging means.

The invention will now be described further by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Figure 1 shows, diagramatically a side view of an elevator in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 shows, diagramatically a cross section on the line 1111 of Figure 1 and; Figure 3 shows, diagramatically, an enlarged side view of a section of the article elevating run.

In the illustrated embodiment empty plastics bottle - like containers C to be elevated are conveyed to the elevator by a horizontal conveyor 11, the containers Care supported by side rails 12, and, being supplied in successive contacting relationship on conveyor C maintain their upright positions.

As each container C falls from the downstream end of conveyor 11, said container falls onto a short inclined conveyor 13, between side rails 14, the said conveyor 13 comprises two spaced apart conveyor bands and said container C is elevated by conveyor 13 until its loading end (the neck end is illustrated) contacts the lower end of the article elevating run 1 spa of a first elevating endless band 15, which, at its lower regions, passes between the two endless band forming conveyor 13.

The endless band 15 is trained to pass over rollers 16, 17, 18 and 19, and is driven clockwise through roller 18 via a motor 20 whereupon, between rollers 16 and 18, the run 1 5a of conveyor 15 is substantially vetical, between rollers 17 and 18, the run 1 5b of conveyor 15 is substantially horizontal, between rollers 18 and 19, the run 15c is substantially horizontal and between rollers 19 and 16 the run 15d is substantially vertical.

As a container C on conveyor 13 is engaged by run 15a of conveyor 15 the leading end of the container C is elevated by run 15a into engagement with the lower end of the article engaging run, 21a of an endless band 21.

The endless band 21 passes over rollers 22 and 23 and is driven anti-clockwise (as viewed in the drawings) through roller 23 via a motor 24, to have a peripheral speed identical with that of endless band 15, whereupon the run, 21a of conveyor band 21 adjacent run 1 5a of band 15, travels vertically upwardly and the run 21b of band 21 travels vertically downwardly.

The runs l5aand 2laaretherebysubstantially parallel and substantially vertical.

The run 15a is engaged by guide means comprising rollers 25a, 25b to 25n (not shown) mounted on low friction bearings, and the run, 21a is engaged by guide means, comprising rollers 26a to 26n, also mounted on low friction bearings. The rollers 25a to 25n are equally spaced apart in the vertical direction, the rollers 26a to 26n are spaced apart in the vertical direction at the same pitch as the rollers 25a to 25n, and the rollers 25a to 25n are staggered with respect to rollers 26a to 26n so that the horizontal planes passing through the axes of rollers 26 pass midway between the horizontal plane passing through the axes of the roller.

Containers C are guided, as they traverse the conveying runs 15a, 21a, by rollers 27, arranged in spaced apart relationship and in a common plane passing through the mean path for the containers and at right angles to the mean plane passing through the runs 15a 21a (see Figure 2). The rollers 27 serve as side guides to maintain the containers C between runs 15a 21a and, being mounted on low friction bearings, rotate as they guide a container C so as to avoid surface damage to the container C.

With the apparatus described each container C delivered by conveyor 11 to conveyor 13 is brought to an erect position by run 15a of endless band 15 and, thereby into contact with run 21 a of endless band 21, the container is elevated by endless bands 15 and 21, the rollers 27 serving to maintain the container C between hands 15 and 21, and at the upper reaches of run 1 5a the container C, released by run 15a blending into run 15b, falls into its side and is conveyed horizontally by run 15b As will be seen from Figure 3 the planes of contact P1 and P2 of rollers 25a to 25n with runs 15a and of rollers 26a to 26n with run 21a respectively are spaced apart a distance slightly less than the width of a container C between runs 15a and 21a and this factor has the following effect.

When the horizontal plane passing through the axis of a roller, for example the roller 256 shown in Figure 3, also passes through the body of a container between runs 15a and 21a, that part of the run, 21a between roller 26a and 26b is unsupported so that the said part of run 21a is deflected by the container out of the plane P1 in the direction away from roller 25b. This deflection ofthe run 21a causes said run to be wrapped around the side of the container C remote from roller 25b and this has the effect of loading the container towards the plane P2.

When the containers C have a relatively rigid construction as to resist radial collapse when the container is loaded against a run 15a or 21a immediately adjacent a roller 25a to 25n or 26a to 26n the deflection of the endless band remote from said roller will be maximum. When the container C is relatively collapsible, for example when the container is a thin-walled, blown plastics container, the wall of the container may be deflected (as shown in Figure 3) at the point of high loading against a roller (roller 25b in Figure 3), the deflection of the run, opposite to the roller may be minimal, but even with minimal objections the deflections produces a force urging the runs 15a and 21a against the container C, and a positive elevation of the containers C is obtained.

As the container C passes over roller 25a to 25n and 26a to 26n, the run 15a or 21a remote from the roller being pressed is deflected out of its respective plane P1 or P2 in identical manner two that described with respect to roller25b.

Thus, as each container C is upwardly displaced the axis of the container C is displaced slightly from the mid-plane between planes P1 and P2, first to one side of the said mid-plane and then to the other side of the mid-plane the change of inclination being effected each time the container passes a roller 25a to 25n or 26a to 26n and throughout the length of travel between runs 15a and 21a the runs 15a and 21a are continuously tensioned towards the container C so that a positive supporting force for each container is obtained and surfaces morring is avoided or minimal.

In a preferred embodiment the endless band 15 and 21 are resilient so as to be readily deflected in the regions of each container as that container is elevated.

In the forgoing example the elevation of containers C is effected by two endless bands engagable with diametrically opposite side regions of cylindral containers with two "fixed" guides. It will be appreciated that the elevator is not restricted to the elevation of cylindrical containers and would, for example, be equally effective on containers of rectangular cross section.

Further the invention is not restricted to two fixed guides, and it will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that the elevator can be effective with two endless bands and one "fixed" guide when conveying cylindrical containers and the endless bands and fixed guide contact the container at locations circumferentially spaced apart, for example at angles of 120'.

Further, it will be appreciated that the elevator may comprise three endless bands, without a fixed guide, when said endless bands engage a cylindrical container at circumferentially spaced apart locations, for example at 120 spacing about the periphery of the container, and the guides for the elevating runs of the conveyor bands urge the container to ascent a spiral path.

Other modifications and variations designed to accommodate different article forms will be appa rent to persons skilled in the art.

Claims (10)

1. An elevator comprising at leasttwo endless bands each presenting an article conveying run, said article conveying runs being spaced apart to receive an article therebetween and to maintain frictional contact with the article, whereby the article is conveyed along the length of said article conveying runs with minimal slip between the said article and said endless bands.

2. An elevator according to Claim 1, wherein the elevator comprises two endless bands, each presenting an article engaging run, and at least one guide for the articles being conveyed.

3. An elevator according to Claim 2, wherein the guide comprises a static guide with a low friction coating presented to an article being conveyed by the endless bands.

4. An elevator according to Claim 2, wherein the guide comprises displaceable surfaces.

5. An elevator according to Claim 4, wherein the displaceable surfaces are constituted by the peripheries of wheels or rollers rotated to have a peripheral speed commensurate with the linear speed of the articles or mounted on low friction bearings; the said wheels or rollers being spaced apart in the direction of the article conveying runs of the endless bands.

6. An elevator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each article conveying run of an endless band is maintained by guide means individual thereto.

7. An elevator according to Claim 6, wherein said guide means comprises a plurality of endless band engaging means spaced apart in the direction of displacement of the article conveying run.

8. An elevator according to Claim 7, wherein said endless band engaging means are equally spaced apart in the direction of the respective article conveying runs and the said engaging means of one article conveying run are staggered with respect the said engaging means of the other article conveying run in the direction of displacement of the article conveying runs.

9. An elevator according to Claim 7 or 8, wherein the surfaces of the two said endless band engaging means contacting the said article conveying runs of the endless bands lie in two planes spaced apart a distance which is less than the width of the article being conveyed between the endless bands whereby as an article passes an endless band engaging means in contact with one endless band, the other end band is deflected by the article or the respective side of the article is deflected by the other endless band from the plane of the other endless band so that the direction of the axis of each container is changed each time the container passes an endless band engaging means.

10. An elevator substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.