GB816848A - Improvements in or relating to conveyor systems - Google Patents

Abstract

816,848. Overhead conveyers. KING, D. M. Dec. 13, 1957 [Dec. 27, 1956], No. 39319/56. Class 104 (2). In a conveyer system in which loadcarrying trolleys 20 are propelled along a fixed track by pusher dogs 19 carried by an endless chain 10, the dogs 19 are supported on the endless chain 10 so as to be capable of lateral displacement from an operative position in which they engage the loadcarrying trolleys 20 to an inoperative position in which they are clear of the trolleys 20. In the arrangement shown the dogs 19 are pivotal, in the direction of travel of the endless chain 10, about a pin 18 carried by a member 16 in turn pivotal, in the transverse direction of travel of the chain 10, about a pivot 17 mounted in a clevis 15 which supports the chain 10 on rollers 12 carried by a track 13. The dogs 19 are normally guided by angles 21 but at holding stations A, B along the track the dogs 19 are pushed transverse to the direction of travel of the chain by pivoted bars 22, 26 out of the trolley-engaging position (shown in full lines) to the inoperative position (shown in dotted lines). The pivoted bars 22, 26 can be manually or electrically pivoted from an inoperative position in which the dogs 19 engage the trolleys 20 to an operative position shown in Fig. 3 in which the dogs 19 are laterally pivoted out of engagement with the trolleys 20, thus allowing the continuous forward movement of the endless chain 10 but retaining the trolleys 20 in the holding station. When the trolley 20 is to be moved from the holding station A the bar 22 is moved to the inoperative position so as to enable a dog 19 to engage and propel the trolley 20. The limit of the pivotal movement of the dogs 19 is determined by a safety-bar 25 which may be fixed to the guides 21 or coupled to the bar 22. The bar 26 is generally similar to the bar 22 but is provided with a forwardly-extending portion 28 bent to form a cam-like part 30 which normally lies in the path of a trolley 20 at the forward station A so that the trolley 20 engages the cam 30 to tilt the bar 26 to the operative position in order to pivot the pusher dogs 19 out of engagement with the trolleys 20 occupying the preceding station B.