GB720312A - Improvements in or relating to conveyor systems - Google Patents

Abstract

720,312. Overhead conveyer systems. KING, D. M. March 12, 1953 [March 12, 1952], No. 6469/52. Class 104 (2). In a conveyer system in which load-carrying trolleys are propelled along a track by pusher-dogs carried by a chain supported on a second track above the trolley track, stop means are located at a selected final station and include a pair of ramps operable to lift the chain and hence the pusher-dogs out of driving engagement with the trolleys at the final station and means are provided to lift a similar pair of ramps at a station preceding the final station, an initiating mechanism controls the operation of the stop means at the final station and such mechanism comprises means to maintain the ramps in the operative position, latch means to hold the ramps in the operative position and means on actuation to effect release of the latch means to allow the ramps to move into the inoperative position. A trolley 21 on being moved into a station engages a roller 20 to pivot a lever 18 which lever through a rod 17 and at a preceding station pivots another lever 12 to move through a roller 14 a ramp 10 into the path of the overhead chain track 11 in order to lift the pusher dogs out of driving engagement with the trolleys. The lever 12 returns, by means of an arm 15 weighted at 16, the mechanism to its inoperative position when the trolley 21 moves out of engagement with the roller 20. An arm 23 attached to the lever 12 is provided with an inturned lug 22 which is projected across the path of the trolley 21 to prevent forward movement thereof when the lever 12 is in the operative position. A counter-balanced lever 24 prevents rearward trolley movement. In a modification shown in Fig. 2 a control mechanism provided in front of the final holding station has a pivoted lever 26 which lever on being raised by a trolley engaging a roller 28 mounted on its end moves through a rod 27 the lever 12 of the preceding station to the operative position. The lever 26 is held in the raised position by a latch member 29, mounted thereon, engaging a tongue 30 on a pivoted latch member 25. The member 25 provided with a balance weight 33 at one end is attached to a solenoid 32 at the other, which solenoid, when energized tilts the lever 25 to disengage the tongue 30 and member 29 to allow the lever 26 and hence succeeding levers 12 to return to their inoperative positions as or after the trolley moves out of engagement with the roller 28. In a further modification shown in Fig. 3, a trolley engages a roller 39 to tilt a lever 38 and, through a rod 37, lever 35 and roller 36, to move a ramp 34 into the operative position in which position it is held by an arm of a bellcrank 42 co-operating with a balance weight 41 mounted on an arm 40 attached to the lever 35. The other arm of the bell-crank 42 is provided with a balance weight 45 and is attached to a solenoid 44 which solenoid when energized moves the bell-crank arm out of engagement with the weight 41 to allow the mechanism to return to its inoperative position. The balance weights on levers 12, 24 and 25 may be replaced by springs or the like. The solenoid 32 may be operated by a push-button or by an impulse from a master control system. Alternatively the member 25 may be operated. manually or by any other mechanical or electrical device. The rods 17 may be replaced by electrically, pneumatically or hydraulicallyoperated devices or limit switches, or the like being provided at each station wired to the next preceding station.