GB758655A - Improvements in or relating to conveyor systems - Google Patents

Abstract

758,655. Endless conveyers; rope railways. FISHER & LUDLOW, Ltd. July 23, 1954 [July 23, 1953], No. 20425/53. Classes 78 (1) and 104 (2). Each of a number of load carriers in a conveying system wherein the load carriers are attached to, or propelled by, an endless driven member, is provided with a selector device for determining a particular destination at which an operation of the conveyer system, e.g. the discharge of an article, feeding an article to the carrier, or stopping the endless driven member, the selector device comprising a base member provided with a plurality of rows of openings for the receipt of control members, the arrangement being that one control member in each row is operable to engage a corresponding operating member at the selected station, these operating members actuating switches arranged in series with one another and with a device for effecting the operation of the conveyer system. As shown, the conveyer consists of an endless chain 10 of the kind described in Specification 639,244 to certain of the load links 12 of which are secured pairs of plates 27 each having three vertical rows of five holes 35. A peg 37 is inserted in one of the five holes in each row, being yieldingly held in place by a leaf spring (not shown), and a peg 45 facing the opposite way is permanently fixed below the middle row. Alternatively all of the holes may have retractable pegs, one peg in each row being projected. Each pair of plates 27 is arranged in advance of a load carrier consisting of a platform (not shown) carried at the lower end of a stem 15 which is pivoted at 14 to a bracket 13 secured to another load link 12. A lever arm 16 formed by an upward extension of the stem 15 of each carrier is arranged for contact with a retractable stop 17 provided at each of a number of discharge stations whereby the platform is tilted by a projected stop to discharge its load. The plates 27 traverse three series-connected micro-switches 32a, 32b, 32c in advance of each station, each switch being carried by a vertical rod 31 having five recesses 43 by which it can be secured at any one of the five levels corresponding to the holes 35 in each row. When the selected station is reached the projecting ends of the pegs 37 simultaneously engage the operating tongues 33 of the microswitches so that a circuit is completed to a solenoid 22 at the associated discharge station. Upon energization, solenoid 22 raises a link 21 to turn a sector plate 20 associated with the stop 17 whereby the latter is moved from its retracted chain-line position to the projected full-line position to tilt the platform of the associated load carrier. The stop is held in projected position by a peg 25 on a freely pivoted lever 23 engaging in a recess in the sector plate, until the peg 45 on a following pair of plates 27 lifts the end 7 of lever 23 allowing the parts to return to inoperative position by gravity. Instead of load carriers in the form of pivoted platforms, independent load-carriers running on a separate rail track and having shoes frictionally engaging plates carried by the chain 10 may be used, the shoes being arranged to be retracted to stop the carriers at the selected stations. Such a conveyer is preferably of the form described in Specification 737,265.