GB987333A - Conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

987,333. Endless conveyers. J. H. W. SMITH, and D. T. R. BALDWIN. Dec. 12, 1963 [Dec. 19, 1962], No. 48013/62. Heading B8A. A conveyer system comprises a horizontal roller conveyer 10 having one or more gaps therein, at each of which an elevator 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, supplies articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, to the conveyer, each elevator being arranged and constructed to carry articles already on the conveyer 10, across the gap. Each elevator comprises a pair of parallel endless chains on belts 19 carrying therebetween cross-members 24 for pushing the articles up a slide surface 18, which may incorporate guide rails. The timing of the elevator chains are adjustable by movable idlers 22 and are driven around further idlers by a pair of drive sprockets 27. The article being pushed up the surface 18 passes over a freely rotating roller mounted on the drive-shaft between the sprockets 27 and on to the rollers 11 of the conveyer 10. Powered rollers 32, 33 on each side of the sprockets 27 assist in this transference. Further cross-members 34 are supported between the parallel chains 19, upstream of each pusher cross-member 24, and serve as a platform over the gap in the conveyer 10 after an article has been delivered. The platform is rendered horizontally in line with the rollers 11 due to the chains 19 passing over horizontally disposed sprockets 26, 27. The length of the elevator over which the crossmembers are provided is dependent upon the number of articles on the conveyer 10 following the delivered article, in any one cycle. In the example shown in Fig. 1, six elevators all feed articles to a common conveyer 10, the timing of the elevators being such that one article is delivered in front of the advancing line of articles on the conveyer 10. The platform cross-members 34 may either be in the form of rollers or non-rotational. In a further embodiment the slide surface 18 is replaced by an endless belt moving at the same speed as the chains 19.