JPH0251804B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to rib roller conveyors used to convey articles along a predetermined path, and more particularly to pressureless accumulation conveyors and trigger assemblies for conveyors. It is related to the body.

Ri-roller conveyors, particularly accumulation conveyors, are well known in the art. Such conventional accumulation conveyors have used various mechanisms to control the rotation of the conveyor rollers so that the conveyor rollers can be selectively rotated or stopped in order to accumulate the articles being conveyed by the conveyor. The rollers are rotated to transport the articles to the accumulation point and stopped to accumulate the articles when one or more of the articles reach the accumulation point.

One such conveyor and control mechanism is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,912. This patent describes a rib roller conveyor having a rake assembly that is mechanically actuated by a trigger assembly that senses when articles are at their desired storage location. The trigger assembly is mechanically connected to the brake assembly by a cable or chain to engage the brake assembly to a key provided on the driven shaft, and the driven shaft is connected to a conveyor roller to lock it against rotation. to drive. The trigger assembly of this patent includes a pivoted arm having a roller at the top that extends into the path of the article, and when the article reaches the roller, the roller is pushed down by the article.

Although the trigger assembly of the aforementioned U.S. patent is generally well suited for use in conveying almost any article, the trigger assembly is provided by removing at least one of the ribbed rollers in each roller section on which it is positioned. It has the disadvantage of having to accommodate the trigger assembly. This is disadvantageous when the length of the article to be conveyed is short, that is, short in the direction of the conveyance path of the article, or when the bottom surface of the article riding on the rib rollers has a weak frictional force. That is, removing the rib roller to accommodate the trigger assembly will result in a corresponding loss of drive force, so if the article is short or has low friction, it will not be enough to get it moving again if it stops. It becomes impossible to apply a strong frictional force.
Therefore, in such cases it would be advantageous to be able to install the trigger assembly without removing the rib roller.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,110 describes a trigger assembly for a rib roller accumulation conveyor that does not require removal of any of the rib rollers. However, the trigger assembly of this patent has the disadvantage that the articles can only move in one direction on the conveyor because it interferes with the movement of the articles in a direction opposite to the direction of conveyance of the articles. In some conveyor systems, it may be desirable to move articles in two directions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The pressureless accumulation conveyor and trigger assembly of the present invention overcomes several of the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art. The pressureless accumulation conveyor and trigger assembly of the present invention eliminates the need to remove the rib rollers of the conveyor, thus providing maximum driving contact between the rib rollers and the conveyed articles at all times. In a pressureless accumulation conveyor and trigger assembly embodying the principles of the present invention, conveyed articles can be easily moved in either direction on the conveyor without interference from the trigger assembly. A pressureless accumulation conveyor and trigger assembly in accordance with the principles of the present invention is safe, quiet, and simple in construction, thus significantly reducing conveyor maintenance requirements and conveyor assembly time, as well as having a large inventory of spare parts. The amount needed to do so is also reduced.

The present invention provides a trigger assembly for sensing the presence or absence of articles on a conveyor having a plurality of rotating conveyor rollers arranged in a plane and spaced apart from each other in the direction of movement of the conveyed articles.
The trigger assembly includes an elongated cam means and means for supporting the cam means on the conveyor for pivoting about an axis at or above the axis of rotation of the conveyor rollers. The cam means is spaced apart from the support means and is adapted to be directed toward one end of the cam means such that when the cam means is supported on the conveyor by the support means it is directed upwardly between a pair of spaced conveyor rollers. first extending
Includes leg means. The upper end of the leg means has a first upper position extending above the plane of the conveyor roller in the absence of an article, and a first upper position in which the upper end of the leg means is defined by the plane of the conveyor roller when pressed by an article moving on the conveyor. and a second position substantially in a plane in which the second position is located. Sensing means are also included for controlling movement of the conveyor in response to movement of the leg means and cam means about the support means.

The trigger assembly described above may include roller means rotatably supported near the upper end of the leg means and extending between the conveyor rollers. The roller means rotates about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the conveyor roller, the axis of rotation of the roller means remaining below the plane of the conveyor roller when the roller means is in its highest position.

The brake assembly described above also includes a plurality of rib conveyor rollers, a drive means for rotating the rollers, and a trigger assembly responsive to the trigger assembly for driving the conveyor rollers when the leg means of the trigger assembly is in its first position. The rotating trigger assembly is adapted for use in conjunction with control means for stopping rotation of the conveyor roller when the leg means is in its second position.

The control means described above interconnects a plurality of trigger assemblies and drive means for operating separate sections of the conveyor rollers in either a single mode or a collective mode.

The above objects, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiments of the invention Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. With particular reference to FIGS. 1-3, one preferred embodiment of a ribbed roller pressureless accumulation conveyor embodying the principles of the present invention is shown.

The conveyor generally includes a frame having a pair of spaced parallel side channels 10, 12 which rotatably support a plurality of individually moved lateral rollers 14. There is.
The upper surfaces of the individual rollers 14 are positioned in a common plane to form a path as indicated by the arrows along which the articles being conveyed are propelled in the direction indicated by the arrows. Additionally, the components of the preferred embodiment pressureless accumulation conveyor shown in FIGS. 1-3 generally include a trigger assembly 16 that senses the presence of an article at a predetermined location on the conveyor. , a brake assembly 18 for controlling the movement of roller 14 , and a drive mechanism, generally designated 20 , for powering roller 14 to drive it.

Drive Assembly: A preferred embodiment of drive assembly 20 will now be described in detail.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 1-4, drive assembly 20 includes a preferably cylindrical linear shaft 22 that extends continuously the length of the conveyor. Drive shaft 22 is preferably constructed from a hard metal such as cold rolled steel.

A plurality of individual torque tubes, generally designated 24 in FIGS. 5 and 6, are positioned on drive shaft 22 concentrically therewith and extend the length of the conveyor as shown in FIGS. 1-4. One torque tube 24a, 24 in each of the sections a-c spaced apart in the direction
b, 24c are positioned. Torque tubes for each of conveyor sections a-c are shown at 24a, 24b, and 24c, respectively, in FIGS. 1-4.
It is shown. Each torque tube is preferably made of an organic polymer, with the preferred organic polymer being nylon. A suitable nylon is, for example, nylon 6/6LNPRL-4540, although one skilled in the art will appreciate that other nylons and other organic polymers may be selected for the manufacture of torque tubes once the present invention is fully understood. Good morning. The inner diameter of torque tube 24 and the outer diameter of drive shaft 22 as well as the materials of drive shaft 22 and torque tube and the surface characteristics of these components are:
When drive shaft 22 is rotated, it selects to drive a respective torque tube by frictionally engaging its cylindrical surface with the inner surface of torque tube 24.

Torque tubes 24a-24c each rotate independently of each other. This is accomplished by providing separate and independent torque tubes 24 for each conveyor section as shown in FIGS. 1-4. Torque tubes 24 at the boundaries of each conveyor section
The ends of the conveyor are preferably supported by suitable bearings 26 attached to the frame of the conveyor by suitable means (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, a sliding pulley 28 is mounted on each of the torque tubes 24a-24c.
is supported. The pulleys 28 are axially slidable back and forth along their respective torque tubes 24;
When in one axial position, it engages to rotate with its respective torque tube, and when displaced from this axial position, it slides relative to that torque tube and does not rotate therewith. Such action is described in US Pat. No. 3,650,375. Pulley 28 is also preferably made of an organic polymer such as an acetal resin, one preferred type of acetal resin being Delrin.

Preferably, an elastic belt 30 made of an elastomeric material is shown in FIGS. 1-4.
each of the pulleys 28 and each roller 1 of the conveyor
It is wound around the circumferential groove 31 provided in 4.
Preferably, the belts 30 each have an O-shaped cross section.

The drawing shows a plurality of pulleys 28 on the torque tube 24.
Although shown, it will be appreciated that these pulleys could be replaced by recesses integrally formed in each torque tube, as is well known in the art.

If pulley 28 is used, spaced collars 32 as shown in FIGS. 2-4 are used.
It is also desirable to provide collars that are attached to the outer surface of the torque tube 24 at spaced locations to limit axial movement of the pulley 28;
Prevent interference between adjacent pulleys.

The above description of drive assembly 20 shows that drive belt 30 and rollers 14, drive belt 3
0 and pulley 28, pulley 28 and torque tube 24
Since the outer surfaces of a-24c, the inner surfaces of torque tubes 24a-24c, and the surface of drive shaft 22 are each in frictional engagement with each other, some of these components may be able to resist each other under certain restraining conditions, as will be described in detail below. It is understandable that it can be relatively slippery.

Brake Assembly: The brake assembly 18 is shown in detail in FIGS. 5 and 6. Brake assembly 18 includes an L-shaped bracket 34 whose vertical leg is preferably T-shaped and bolted to one of the side channels 12. An air cylinder 38, which receives air from one of the trigger assemblies 16 via conduit 40, is supported on the horizontal leg of bracket 34, with a piston rod 42 shown in FIGS.
It extends downwardly from cylinder 38 as shown.

The horizontal legs of the bracket 34 include a pair of downwardly extending flanges 44 supporting a fastening means 46 therebetween. The fastening means 46 can be made of an organic polymer or other suitable material.
It consists of a pair of shoes 48 and 50. Shu48,5
0 is preferably made of durable nylon. Shoes 48, 50 are connected to each other by a pivot pin 52 on one side. Shoes 48 and 50 each include a generally semi-cylindrical portion having a curved clamping surface 54 as shown in FIG. It is adapted to pivot about a pivot pin 52 into and out of contact with a cylindrical sleeve 56 . A cylindrical sleeve 56 is attached to the torque tube 24 and is preferably made of metal such as aluminum. The sleeve 56 is, for example,
Activated by LOCTITE707 activator
Preferably, it is bonded to the associated torque tube by a suitable adhesive such as LOCTITE 326 adhesive. Therefore, sleeve 56 always rotates with torque tube 24.

The shoes 48, 50 extend from their respective cylindrical members to pivot pins 52, as shown in FIG.
It includes arms 58, 60 extending in opposite directions. The end of the arm 60 of the lower shoe 50 is pivoted between the flanges near the bottom of the downwardly extending flange 44 by a pin 62, and the arm 58 of the upper shoe 48 is fixed to the piston rod 42 and is connected to the flange 44 by the piston rod. It is movable vertically between the two.

Thus, depending on the presence or absence of air in the conduit 40 from the associated trigger assembly 16, the upper shoe 48 will be forced by the piston rod 42 into the clamping surface 54.
is out of contact with the outer surface of the sleeve 56 and the sleeve and its torque tube 24 are rotated by the drive shaft 22, or the clamping surface 54 engages the sleeve 56 to prevent rotation of the sleeve by the drive shaft. the second position.

Trigger Assembly: The trigger assembly 16 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, in which the trigger assembly is shown with the conveyor in its condition for the mass action mode described below. .

The trigger assembly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 includes an E-shaped cam 64 disposed horizontally adjacent each of the side channels 10,12. cam 64
includes three upwardly extending legs 66, 68, 70 which then decrease in height. The longest leg 66 includes a cam roller 72 that extends the width of the conveyor and is rotatably supported between the upper ends of the leg 66 on opposite sides of the conveyor as shown in FIG. When no article is on roller 72, the upper surface of the roller extends slightly above the plane of the top of roller 14, as shown in FIG. Pressed. The roller 72 extends above the upper surface of the roller 14.
A rise of 9.5 mm is preferred.

The middle leg 68 of the E-shaped cam 64 is the pivot support for the cam. A rod 74 extends laterally of the conveyor and is supported by the side channels 10, 12, as shown in FIG. , allowing its roller 72 to pivot between the position shown in FIG. 8 and a lower position in which the top surface of roller 72 is flush with the top surface of roller 14.

The shortest leg 70 of the trigger assembly 16 includes a counterweight 76 of the rod or tube type which also extends across the conveyor and connects the legs 70 of the cams 64 on either side. The weight of counterweight 76 and the spacing of this weight from cam pivot rod 74 are such that in the absence of other forces, roller 72 will be pushed to its upper position as shown in FIG.

Preferably, the rotational axes of pivot rod 74, conveyor roller 14, and cam roller 72 are positioned in a predetermined relationship to each other. The axis of rotation of the pivot rod 74 is preferably positioned in a plane formed by the axis y of the roller 14 or in a plane above it, and the axis of the conveying surface of the cam roller 72 is such that when the roller 72 is in its uppermost position, 14 is preferably below the plane of the upper surface. When the cam roller 72 is in its uppermost position, the cam roller 72 is approximately 9.5 mm above the plane of the top surface of the roller 14.
It is preferable not to extend more than that. Such positioning, in conjunction with the shape of the E-shaped cam 64, allows the trigger to be supported on the conveyor regardless of the particular flow direction of the articles. Such positioning and configuration may prevent the articles from moving on the conveyor, for example, if it is desired to hand-hold some of the already accumulated articles or to run the conveyor in the opposite direction. Allows movement in any direction.

Due to the shape of the E-shaped cam 64 and the location and shape of its legs 66 as described above, it is not necessary to remove any of the rib rollers to attach the trigger assembly to a conveyor; the legs 66 are adjacent to each other. It fits into the space between the rollers 14 and can move between the upper and lower positions without interference from the rollers 14. This is particularly advantageous if the articles to be conveyed have short dimensions in the direction of the conveying path.

The trigger combination shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 also includes an L-shaped bracket 78 supported on the side channel 2 by bolts 80. The bracket 78 and the active parts of the trigger assembly are preferably supported on the side channel 12 rather than on the side channel 10 on which the bracket assembly 18 is supported; Both bodies can also be supported on the same side channel. However, it is preferred to support these two combinations in separate side channels for ease of assembly and maintenance. The L-shaped bracket 78 also includes horizontal legs supporting an air valve assembly, generally designated 82, and an adjustable limit stop 84.

Air valve assembly 82 includes a valve body 86 having a T-shaped attachment line 88 to which two lines 40, 90 are connected. As previously mentioned, conduit 40 is connected to air cylinder 38 of brake assembly 18 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Conduit 90 is connected to the bottom of the valve body, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, which is the valve body of the adjacent trigger of the conveyor. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, conduit 90 connected to the bottom of the valve body can be connected to the next downstream trigger assembly T-mounted conduit or to an air supply as shown in FIG. Conduit 90 extending horizontally to the left of T-shaped conduit 88 is the next upstream trigger assembly conduit. Cam roller 98 as shown in FIG.
The plunger rod 100 is preferably spring-biased to press the plunger rod 100 against the underside of the cam 64.

Preferably, limit stop 84 includes a bolt 102, which bolt is attached to bracket 7.
The horizontal leg of 8 is screwed upwardly to act as an adjustable limit stop for the pivoting movement of cam 64. Bolt 102 is adjusted to contact the underside of cam 64 as shown in FIG. 8 so that cam roller 72 projects a desired distance above the plane of the top of roller 14 as described above. bolt 102
When moved to the adjusted position, the locking nut 104 locks the bolt in this position.

As previously mentioned, the trigger assembly 16 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is preferably used for the collective action mode of the conveyor. A trigger assembly 16' for use in a single mode of operation of the conveyor is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The components of this trigger assembly 16' are similar to those described above with respect to the trigger assembly 16 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Accordingly, components of this trigger assembly 16' that are substantially the same as described above are given the same reference numerals as described above, and the configuration of the trigger assembly 16' that differs in some respects from that for the collective mode. Elements will be explained below with a ``' added to the reference numeral.

The main differences between the collective action mode trigger assembly 16 and the single action mode trigger assembly 16' are:
Trigger assembly 16' has a somewhat different air line connection and an additional pilot valve assembly 106.

The valve body 86' of the trigger assembly 16' includes a downwardly depending T-shaped attachment conduit 88' that connects the valve body 86' of the trigger assembly 16' in an adjacent section of the conveyor. A pair of conduits 10
It has 8.

As shown in FIG. 9, the third conduit 110
from the valve body 86' to each pilot valve assembly 10.
6 to a T-shaped attachment line 112 connected to a pilot actuator 114 of No. 6. The other conduit 116 extending from the T-shaped attachment conduit 112 as shown in FIG.
Air is directed to the bottom of the valve body 118 of the pilot valve assembly 106 in the next downstream trigger assembly 16' as shown in FIGS. 10 and 14.

Having described the mechanical components of the preferred embodiment of the pressureless accumulation conveyor and brake assembly of the present invention, the operation of the collective action mode and single action mode conveyor and its control circuitry will now be described.

Collective Action Mode: The collective action mode refers primarily to FIGS. 11 through 13, although at times reference is made to other figures, and to some extent the operation of the trigger assembly 16 is shown in FIGS.
This will be explained with reference to the figure and FIG. Brake assembly 18 and drive means 20 are substantially identical to each other for collective action and single action modes.

Before explaining the order of action of the collective action mode,
Note that the general operation in this mode is that each time an article is removed from the conveyor, all articles upstream of it are simultaneously advanced one position.

11-13, it is assumed that one article A is positioned in each of storage zones ad as shown. i.e. article Aa
is positioned on cam roller 72 of trigger assembly 16 in section a, article Ab is positioned on cam roller 72 of trigger assembly 16 in section b, and so on.

When these cam rollers 72 are pushed down by article A, the cam follower arm 96 of each valve body 86 is also pushed down, and the valve of the valve body 86 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is opened and the valve shown in FIG. the valve body 86 in section a via the conduit 90 from the air supply source
Then, a T-shaped attachment conduit 88 passes through this valve body.
and conduit 40, and then through these conduits to section a.
Air is allowed to flow into the cylinder 38 of the brake assembly 18 at. Therefore, the cylinder 38 of the brake assembly 18 is actuated to force the piston rod 4
2 (Figures 5 and 6) downward and
The sleeve 56 and the torque tube 24a in the section a are both restrained from being tightened by the clamping surfaces 54 of the belts 8 and 50, thereby restraining the rotation of the torque tube 24a and transferring the driving force applied by the continuously rotating drive shaft 22 from the conveyor roller 14. Insulate.

In this condition, air also flows from T-shaped attachment line 88 in section a via line 90 to valve body 86 of trigger assembly 16 in section b. The cam follower 96 is also pushed down by the article Ab located on the roller 72 of the cam, so that the section b
The valve of the valve body 86 in section b is also opened, directing air into the T-shaped attachment line 88 to energize the brake assembly 18 in section b and the roller 14 in this section.
apply power to. Air is also sent via line 90 to the next upstream valve body 86 in section C. Therefore, all the valves of the valve body 86 in each section are opened and air is sent to the brake assembly 18 in each section to stop all the rollers 14, and the article Aa-
All Ads will be accumulated.

When article Aa is removed, the force exerted by counterweight 76 shown in FIG. 8 causes roller 72 of trigger assembly 16 in section a to rise. As the roller 72 rises, the cam follower 96 in section a also rises and the plunger 100 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 moves upwardly due to the spring force to close the valve of the valve body in section a. When this valve closes, since all the valve bodies 86 are connected in series, the supply of air to the entire system is cut off. Therefore, the line 40 connected to the cylinder 38 of the brake assembly 18 in section a is no longer supplied with air, and the piston rod 46 rises as shown in FIGS. 54 and pivoted away from each other and out of contact with sleeve 54. The sleeve 54 is then no longer restrained by the brake assembly and the drive action of the rotating drive shaft 22 acts on the interior of the torque tube 24a, forcing the torque tube to move around its pulley in section a, the O-belt and Rotate together with the roller 14.

As mentioned before, the valve body 86 in section a
When the air supply to the trigger assembly 16 is cut off, air no longer flows through the T-shaped mounting line 88 and line 90 of this valve body to the next upstream valve body of the trigger assembly 16 in section b. Therefore, even though the cam follower 96 is still pushed down by the article Ab in section b, there is no air in the line 40 because the valve of the valve body 86 in section a is closed. In the absence of such air, the cylinder 38 of the brake assembly 18 in section b would cause the piston 42 of this brake assembly to move upwardly, similar to the piston rod 42 in section a, exerting a restraining force on the torque tube 24b in section b. remove. Thus, in this collective mode, the respective trigger assemblies are effectively connected in series with each other, so that when the air is cut off at the valve body 86 in section a, it is cut off across the system. Once this air is cut off, all brake assemblies are deenergized until the leading article Ab enters section a and contacts roller 72 of trigger assembly 16 in this section. Advance all of the articles Aa-ad at the same time.

When the article Ab contacts the roller 72 in section a, the valve in the valve body 86 in this section opens again and directs air through the T-shaped attachment line 88 to the line 40 and the cylinder 38 to the brake assembly 18 in section a. and sends this air via line 90 to valve body 86 in section b. If article Ac has not yet reached cam roller 72 in section b, valve body 86 in section b remains closed, leaving brake assembly 18 in section b deenergized and roller 14 in section b.
continues to operate until the article Ac contacts the roller 72 in section b.

Single mode operation: To explain the single mode operation, reference is primarily made to FIGS. 14 to 16, but also to FIGS. 9 and 10. In single mode, only one article A is advanced at a time. When one article leaves its previous stationary position and is on its way to a predetermined storage location, the next article begins to move forward to replace the previous article. The articles do not advance simultaneously as in the collective mode described above.

In this case as well, first there are articles Aa-Ab, and as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the area a
Assume that each item occupies each storage location in each of -d. That is, interval a
Article Aa in is on cam roller 72 of trigger assembly 16' in section a, article Ab is on cam roller 72 of trigger assembly 16' in section b, and so on.

In the single mode, air is supplied to all of the trigger valves simultaneously and in parallel via line 108 from the air supply shown in FIG. Therefore, unlike the collective mode, all of the valve bodies 86' are energized and the article A
is ready to send air depending on whether it is present or not in each conveyor section. A conduit 116 extending from the air supply to the valve body 118 of the pilot valve assembly 106 in section a is also adapted to supply air to the valve body and open the valve.

Since article Aa is pushing down on cam roller 72 in section a, cam follower 96 is also pushed down. Therefore, the plunger rod 100 shown in FIG. 9 and FIG.
The valve of the valve body 86' in section a is opened to allow air to flow through line 110 to a T-shaped attachment line 112 connected to the pilot actuator 114 of the pilot valve assembly 106 in section a. When air is supplied to the pilot operator 114, the pilot operator 114 closes the valve body 11 of the pilot valve assembly 106.
The valve at 8 is actuated to open the valve to allow air to flow from line 116 extending from the air supply through line 40 to the cylinders of brake assembly 18 in section a.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cylinder 38
The air supplied moves the piston rod 42 downwardly and moves the shoes 48, 50 together, tightening the sleeve 56 and torque tube 24a in section a. This tightening force suppresses the movement of the torque tube 24a and stops the rotating drive shaft 22.
is slid relative to the torque tube to deenergize the conveyor roller in section a.

In this fully loaded state, i.e. with articles Aa-Ad in sections a-d, respectively, then section a
T-shaped attachment conduit 112 to conduit 116 at
and the pilot valve assembly 10 in section b.
Air is also sent to the valve body 118 of No. 6. As mentioned before, the T-shaped attachment conduit 8 in section a
Air is continuously fed from 8' via line 108 to T-shaped attachment line 88' in section b.

Similarly, since article Ab in section b is riding on cam roller 72 in section b, cam roller 96 of trigger assembly 16' in section b is depressed to open the valve in valve body 86' in section b and allow article Ab to pass through conduit 110. Air is allowed to flow through the T-shaped attachment line 112 connected to the pilot actuator 114 of the pilot valve assembly 106 in section a. The air flowing into this T-shaped attachment pipe 112 actuates the pilot actuator 114 and the valve body 11
8 is opened to allow air to flow through line 40 to cylinder 38 of brake assembly 18 in section b. Therefore, this air causes the piston rod 42 of the cylinder 38 to move downward in section b, tightens the sleeve 56 and the torque tube 24b, suppresses the movement of the torque tube 24b, and causes the drive shaft 22 to tighten.
is slid relative to the torque tube to deenergize the roller 14 in section b.

This same procedure continues upstream, thus section a
Since the articles are accumulated in sections a-d, all rollers 14 in each section a-b are stopped.

Assume that article Aa is removed from conveyor section a. When the article Aa is removed, the cam roller 72 in roller section a is raised, causing the cam follower 96 of the valve body 86' in section a to also be raised. In this case, the valve body 8 in section a
6' valve extends to a T-shaped attachment line 112 connected to the pilot actuator 114 of the pilot valve assembly 106 in the closed section a.
Shut off air to 10. When this occurs, the valve at valve body 118 of pilot valve assembly 106 will also close and disconnect line 40 from the source and line 116.
and shut off air to cylinder 38 of brake assembly 18 in section a. Brake assembly 1
8 is deenergized, the piston rod 42 of the brake assembly as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 moves upwardly to force the shoes 48, 50 apart from each other and to separate the sleeve 56 and torque tube 24a. release the
These sleeves and torque tubes form the drive shaft 22.
The roller 14 is rotated again by the roller 14 in the section a.

When the valve of the valve body 86' in section a is closed,
Air not only enters the T-shaped attachment line 112 of the pilot valve 114 in section a, but also the valve body 118 of the pilot valve assembly 106 in section b.
Air is also cut off to the conduit 116 which extends up to . In the absence of such air, cylinder 3 of brake assembly 18 in section 6 from valve body 118
The line 40 extending up to 8 is also free of air. This causes cylinder 38 of brake assembly 18 to also be deenergized, thereby causing torque tube 24b
The restraining force is removed from the drive shaft 22 and the section b
The torque tube 24b in section b is rotated to energize the roller 14 in section b. Therefore, the following items
Ab is advanced from section b to replace article Aa removed in section a.

However, it will be appreciated that in this case none of the remaining articles in sections c and d are moved. The articles do not move until article Ab leaves cam follower roller 72 in section b. As long as article Ab is still present and presses down cam roller 72 and its cam follower 96 in segment b, the valve in valve body 86' is open and conduit 10
8 to the valve body 118 in section c via the valve 86' in section b, line 110, T-mounted line 112 connected to the pilot actuator 114 of the pilot valve assembly 106 in section b, and line 116. send. Since the pilot valve assembly 106 in section c is open, this air continues to flow through the valve body 118 and line 40 to the cylinder 38 of the brake assembly 18 in section c to actuate the brake assembly in section c. The rotation of the torque tube 24c at c is suppressed.

When the article Ab leaves the cam roller 72 in section b, the cam roller moves upwardly causing the valve in the valve body 86' in section b to close. When this valve is closed, air is shut off to line 110, T-attached line 112, and line 116 connected to valve body 118 of pilot valve assembly 106 in section c. This valve body 118 is the valve body 8 in section c.
Conduit 40 extending to cylinder 38 of brake assembly 18 in section c, even if open to receive air from conduit 110 extending from depressed cam follower 96 of section c. There is no longer any air present, thus deenergizing this brake assembly and torque tube 2 in segment c.
Roller 1 in segment c by starting rotation at 4c
4 and begins to move article Ac toward section b to replace article Ab, which was moved to section a.

It can therefore be seen that in this single mode each of the articles is moved individually, one at a time.

Furthermore, even if the article is classified as category a, for example,
It will be appreciated that the articles Ac, Ad continue to move to the upstream section until the rollers 14 in this section are stopped and all of the sections are filled with articles. This is because, as shown in FIG. 14, the conduits 108 extending from the air supply source are connected in parallel to each of the valve bodies 86' so that the valve bodies can act when the respective cam followers 96 are not depressed. This is because they have become so popular.

Therefore, if it is determined that the articles Aa and Ab are in the accumulated position in the sections a and b, but the article Ac has not reached the section c, the cam roller 72 in the section c is not pushed down. In this condition, the cam follower 96 in section c has been raised, closing the valve of the valve body 86' in section c, thereby closing the T-shaped attachment line 112 of the pilot actuator 114 of the pilot valve assembly 112 in section c. The air to the conduit 110 connected to is shut off. In the absence of such air, the pilot actuator 114 closes the valve of the valve body 118 and the cylinder 3 of the brake assembly 18 in line 40 and section c.
8 to de-energize the brake, torque tube 24c in section c is rotated by drive shaft 22 to energize roller 14 in section c. Thereby, the article Ac is fed until it pushes down the cam roller 72 in section c, and when this article pushes down the cam roller 72, the roller 14 in section c is deenergized.

Although only four sections of the conveyor are shown in FIGS. 11-14, it will be appreciated that the number of sections may be increased or decreased as desired without departing from the principles of the invention. Additionally, although the control circuit of the present invention has been described with respect to pneumatic systems only, one skilled in the art will appreciate that hydraulic, electrical, and mechanical control arrangements will be readily available to those skilled in the art once the present invention is fully understood.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the pressureless accumulation conveyor and trigger assembly described above ensure that the articles being accumulated come into contact with each other by ensuring that the ribbed rollers are decelerated as the articles arrive at their respective accumulation points. This gives rise to a clear advantage in preventing Furthermore, a trigger assembly can be installed on a conveyor without having to remove any of the rollers on the conveyor, and articles being conveyed by the conveyor can be moved in either direction on the conveyor without being obstructed by the trigger assembly. Be able to move.

It will be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above are merely illustrative of some applications of the principles of the invention. Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principle and scope of the invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective partial view of a rib-roller accumulation conveyor embodying the principles of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the accumulation conveyor with some components shown generally along line 2--2 in FIG. 1 cut away. , FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of the storage conveyor as viewed generally along line 3--3 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a drive and driven shaft of the storage conveyor according to a preferred embodiment of the invention and a partially cut-away plan view showing one section of the pulley completely and two additional sections, FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway side view of the brake assembly taken generally along line 6--6 of FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is a collective action view of the conveyor of the present invention; FIG. A partially cut away end view of one preferred embodiment of a trigger assembly for use in the mode taken generally along line 2--2 in FIG. 2; FIG. Partially cutaway side view of the trigger assembly;
9 is a partially cut away end view of another preferred embodiment of the trigger assembly of the present invention for use in a single mode of operation of the conveyor of the present invention; FIG. 10 is taken approximately at line 10-10 of FIG. 9; 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the preferred pneumatic control system for the four accumulation sections controlling the conveyor in the collective mode; FIG. FIG. 13 is a partially sectional side view of the conveyor taken generally along line 13--13 of FIG. 12; FIG. Schematic diagram illustrating a preferred pneumatic control system for four accumulation sections of a conveyor controlling the conveyor in one mode, first
5 is a partial plan view of the preferred embodiment of the conveyor of the present invention showing the location of the control elements shown in FIG. 14 for a single mode of operation; FIG.
6-16 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the conveyor taken along line 6-16; FIG. A... Article, 14... Roller, 16... Trigger assembly, 18... Brake assembly, 22...
Drive shaft, 24a, 24b, 24c...torque tube, 28...pulley, 30...belt, 64...
... cam, 66 ... first leg, 68 ... second leg, 72 ... article engaging member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A plurality of independently rotatable rollers defining a substantially flat transport surface; a drive shaft spaced from the transport surface and set to extend substantially perpendicular to the axis of the rollers; a hollow torque tube set around the drive shaft and frictionally engaged with the shaft for rotation therewith; and a hollow torque tube mounted coaxially on the outer surface of the torque tube for rotation therewith. an elastomeric belt placed between the pulley and the roller to drive the roller; a brake assembly for applying a braking force to the circumferential surface of the torque tube; a trigger assembly for selectively actuating a brake assembly upon sensing the presence of an article being conveyed in a predetermined position, the trigger assembly having a pair of cams spaced apart in a direction transverse to the conveying surface; and each cam has a base portion, a first leg extending upwardly from near one end of the base portion;
A first pair of adjacent rollers is spaced from the base portion between said one end and the other end of the base portion by a distance from the first leg substantially equal to the spacing between the adjacent rollers. a second pair of rollers whose first leg defines the predetermined position by being pivotally connected to the frame of the conveyor at a position below the conveying surface; a second leg shorter than the first leg, the second leg being positioned between the first leg and a second pair of rollers; The article engaging member can be positioned above the conveyance surface so as to protrude above the conveyance surface when there is no article at the predetermined position, and the article engagement member protrudes above the conveyance surface when there is an article. a trigger assembly having a weight attached to the other end of the base portion and biasing the cam in a rotational direction so that the cam is pushed down to the conveying surface by the article; and the article engaging member is in the predetermined position. means for generating a conveyor control signal in response to movement of the trigger assembly when engaged by an article; and a height of the article engaging member above the conveying surface when there is no article in the predetermined position. a pressureless accumulation conveyor having means for regulating; 2. A pressureless accumulation conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the cam has a third leg extending upwardly from said other end of the base portion. 3. A pressureless accumulation conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the weight is an elongated member set between the third legs of the cams. 4. A pressureless accumulation conveyor according to claim 3, wherein said cam is pivotally connected to the frame by an elongate member set between the second legs of both cams. 5. The pressureless storage conveyor of claim 1, wherein the article engaging member is an elongated member set between the first legs of the cams. 6. The pressureless accumulation conveyor according to claim 5, wherein the axis of rotation of the article engaging member is located below the conveyance surface when there is no article in the predetermined position. 7. A pressureless accumulation conveyor according to claim 1, wherein said cam is rotatably mounted about an axis that is above the axis of rotation of the rollers.