JPS59163211A - Conveyor system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a power-driven conveyor, especially an endless belt of the type in which the upper and lower running paths of an endless belt are parallel in the vertical direction and transition in laterally curved paths. It concerns conveyors. The invention further includes rigid links pivotally connected to each other, the rigid links being connected by individual pins and having mutually connected ends, the rigid links being pivotally connected about mutually orthogonal axes. It concerns an endless belt with a carrier belt structure.

It is well known that conveyors employing rotating belts that are bendable in both horizontal and vertical directions are used to follow tortuous, curved paths that include horizontal, vertical, and spiral bends. This is where things are being done.

In the roller-type bendable conveyor known so far, this conveyor follows a path L formed by a pair of channel-shaped rails, and the pair of rails has rollers or wheels for holding and conveying the conveyor belt. is engaged. The belt itself is comprised of a plurality of molded flexible pan sections that are longitudinally connected to form an endless belt of the desired length. The belt pan is held on a carriage, which is connected to the belt at the connection of the pan sections. Each carriage supports two pairs of rollers, each pair of rollers engaging a respective rail and having two orthogonal axes to support the conveyor in both horizontal and vertical directions.

The carriages are connected by a conventional link chain 7 consisting of a series of generally oblong links, which is used to pull the conveyor belt and carriage along the path formed by the rails.

Such a roller-type conveyor is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2.70.
No. 1,050 and an improvement thereof is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4J 44,965.

Such roller-type conveyors are suitable for conveying heavy loads and for use in which curves follow paths with relatively large radii and rises within the capabilities of the chain. ing. The use of conventional link chains to drive a conveyor imposes limitations on conveyor construction, such as limits on allowable radius of curves and vertical rise. When the belt and chain are intentionally twisted to pass through a compound bend, or when the belt and chain are twisted accidentally due to an unbalanced load on the chain, the contact between the links is either a single point contact or Two-point or line contact results, resulting in high units of force at such contact points,
This causes chain wear and further shortens the chain's lifespan.

In order to obtain acceptable chain life, link chains have been surface hardened, but this hardening process is difficult. Additionally, the rails are widely spaced to prevent the pan from tipping excessively due to unbalanced loads. The carriage must therefore be large enough to bridge the wide spacing between the rails. The weight of such a large carriage limits the maximum lift the conveyor can raise. If this were the case, the total weight of the conveyor's moving parts plus the load would exceed the allowable empty weight of the chain.

The curvature of the path in roller type conveyors is also limited by the tension in the chain when a link chain is used. In particular, the pressing force of the rollers on the rail is directly proportional to the chain tension and the distance between the rollers, and inversely proportional to the radius of the curved part and the number of rollers in contact with the rail.
The pressure of the roller limits the allowable curvature. On the other hand, closer carriage spacing would reduce the pressure on the rollers but increase the overall weight of the conveyor and reduce the maximum lift of the runs. The benefits of reducing conveyor weight and keeping costs down outweigh the benefits of reducing carriage spacing and allowing small radius bends in the conveyor track, and therefore bendable belts in the form of rollers It has been recognized from construction experience that conveyors are appropriate for applications with large radius curvatures due to chain tension limitations.

In the example of what is known as a slide-type bendable conveyor, the conveyor path is defined by a central sliding groove that engages a conveyor chain, which chain has a special shape and has vertical bar links. are arranged alternately in double and single layers, and are connected by cross pins having a motion fit. Twisting this type of chain generates high units of force between the iron and bar links, and the chain is also case hardened to increase its life. Excessive tilting of the conveyor belt and excessive twisting of the chain are prevented by providing side flanges associated with the central groove and side skilads or rollers associated with the belt. The skid is positioned so that it abuts the flange when the bolt or chain twists beyond the maximum allowable value before its slope becomes large enough to drop the load.

Sliding type conveyors have a larger coefficient of friction than roller type conveyors, and the tension in the chain of a sliding type conveyor increases more rapidly than that of a roller type conveyor at bends. The pressing force of the conveyor against the central groove is distributed over a large surface area, resulting in very little wear on the sliding surface.Sliding style conveyors are capable of transporting light loads compared to the ability of roller style conveyors. However, the rise, curvature and length of the track must be set within the limits imposed by the chain.In both roller and slide type conveyors, many of these limits are overcome by the use of intermediate drive means. However, no practical and reliable intervening drive means are yet known that can be used with the chains conventionally used in conveyors.

Although both roller and slide type conveyors are capable of twisting along a tortuous path as described above, both conveyors are suited to different load ranges, and both conveyors have different lengths. , practical limits on elevation and curvature must be observed. Therefore, it has the ability to be intermediate between the load handling capacities of both the roller type and slide type conveyors, and is capable of passing through many curvature dusts and traveling long distances. It is desired to create a conveyor having a

A conveyor of the type in which a rectangular rail accommodates a chain, a gear lug, and rollers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,934.
, No. 708. The carriage of this construction is lightweight and the rollers are attached to every other link of the roller chain spaced equal to the length of each conveyor belt pan. However, this chain is formed of a conventional link chain consisting of alternating vertical and horizontal oval chain links.

In this structure, the roller axis is located between the pivot points of the links, and the links come into point or line contact when passing through a curved portion. Because the carriage is positioned on and around every other chain link, the carriage approaches the pivot point of the chain at the bend. The turning radius is therefore limited. In addition, the drive sprocket and the idler sprocket have teeth that engage between the sides of the horizontal links of the chain and apply a concentrated force against the load-bearing links. Another unsolved problem associated with this structure is that in those with horizontal and vertical rollers on the same carriage, one of these rollers is located inside the other; The vertical roller and the horizontal roller differ in size.

Although the details will be described later, the conyer chain used in this invention is used in an elevated mole rail system in which the chain supports a suspended hanger that conveys a load, and this chain is
CHANNICAL EQUIPMENT LTD.

This invention is a special application of this chain, in which it is used in conjunction with a conveyor belt that holds and conveys a load positioned above the chain, as described above. These conventional problems may be overcome by creating a belt or pan conveyor that can be followed along a tortuous serpentine path with large curvature dust and long distances, as described below.

Generally speaking, a conveyor system of the type that holds and conveys a load from below along a winding, serpentine path is an endless conveyor system having a series of longitudinally repeating belt sections. a belt and a track having an inner track surface arranged to form a longitudinal selective transition course of the belt, each belt segment having a load retention area and a lateral flexible area; , the track is provided with an upper runway supporting a belt over the top of the track for carrying and transporting the load from below. The track has a generally cross-shaped cross-section at the inner track surface and defines a slot extending longitudinally along the top of the track in the upper run of the conveyor. The belt moving means comprises a traction chain arranged to move along a transition course formed by the track. This type of chain, already known per se, has a series of alternating horizontal and vertical links running along the inside of the track, each horizontal link having a longitudinal a pair of link members elongated in a direction, the pair of link members being laterally spaced apart in a horizontal plane and having opposing ends configured to connect to a horizontal lateral pivot axis; Each of the vertical links is formed by a pair of longitudinally elongated link members spaced apart in a vertical plane and having opposite ends configured to connect to a vertical pivot axis. have. A plurality of roller carriages are connected to the traction chain with a selected predetermined spacing between adjacent horizontal and vertical links. This roller carriage is of a type already known per se and comprises a main body having four roller shafts arranged in coaxial pairwise relation, the pair of roller shafts being a main body. The main body projects outward in a horizontal direction from both opposing sides, and the other pair projects outward in a vertical direction from both opposing sides of the main body. The roller carriage has at least one support roller rotatably mounted on each roller shaft, all contained within the cruciform track and contacting the inner track surface as the support rollers move inside the track. do. The belt carriage means is connected to the traction chain at a selective suitable spacing between adjacent roller carriages;
The belt moving means includes one roller carriage for each successive belt section through longitudinal slots which support the belt from below the belt along the upper running surface of the track. The belt carriage means supports the belt relative to the chain such that each roller ridge is vertically aligned with one flexible belt region σ.

The main object of this invention is to provide a conveyor capable of having various curvatures in its transition course by causing a moderate exponential increase in chain tension as it passes through the curvatures in the conveyor transition course. It is in. This can be achieved by combining a belt that follows a tortuous, serpentine path and is capable of laterally supporting the belt in both the straight and curved sections of the track.

An important object of the invention is to provide a conveyor capable of traveling around curves in the conveyor's transition course and capable of holding and conveying light and semi-heavy loads over long distances.

The relatively lightweight chain and lightweight belt carriage help maintain acceptable chain tension for long conveyor runs, which is required for the desired conveyor run length. Intermediate power drive units may be incorporated so that many power drive units such as the above may be easily used.

Yet another object is to provide a track assembly for an enclosed traction chain that provides easy access to the chain. A rail that can be partially removed without affecting other rail sections allows the desired access and also simplifies the initial assembly of the track structure. The track and conveyor support legs allow the cover to be easily placed around the conveyor system and easily pivoted when access is needed.
(It can be made into an open structure that can be opened.

Next, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the illustrated conveyor system 20 is of the type that carries an endless bendable belt 22 on a belt carriage 24 that pulls the belt onto a conveyor chain 26. , and the conveyor chain 26 is supported by a single track 28 within the desired path of the conveyor. When the belt 22 is in a state of holding and conveying a load, it is located above the rail and moves on the upper running path of the conveyor. On the other hand, when the belt returns without holding a load, it is located below the rail in the lower running path of the conveyor. Although it is not necessary to position the upper and lower tracks closely together, the interposition of the support web 30 between the tracks allows the rails 28 of both tracks to be integrated into a rigid structure. . The support web 30 further forms an attachment point for support legs 32 that hold the conveyor rail in the desired path.

The endless belt 22 is divided into a series of connected load carrying pan areas and is constituted by a plurality of belt sections 34. The belt sections 34 are connected by bolting adjacent sections together through flanges 36 integrally molded into each section. The belt is therefore repairable, as individual segments can be replaced. Each belt section has a central transverse pleat or bend 38 of rubber forming a flexible area, which allows the belt to stretch and retract as it travels around bends. Adjacent on either side of the central pleat 38 in the longitudinal direction of the belt's travel are a pair of longitudinally flat rubber-coated steel belt sections 40, which are in contact with similar flat belt sections 40 of adjacent sections. When connected to the conveyor, they work together to form a pan for transporting the conveyor load. Flat portions 40 and pleats 38 slope upwardly and inwardly near each edge 42 to provide load retention. These types of belts are known to be capable of following tortuous and serpentine paths, including vertical, horizontal, and helical turns.

The belt carriage 24 serves as a means of attachment between the belt 22 and the chain 26, and the carriage 24 can be extremely lightweight compared to the carriages used in conventional conveyors using belts of the type described above. This is because it does not require belt support from widely spaced lateral positions as in the previous type. The carriage is formed by a T-strap 44 that connects the belt flanges 3 with bolts used to connect the flanges of adjacent belt sections.
Attached to 6. The top of the T-strap has approximately the same width as the central, laterally flat section of the belt, and its stem is connected to a suitably shaped mounting plate that connects to the chain. The shape of the two spaced mounting plates is determined by how each link of the chain is to be connected to the R-rut. For example, the gusset plate 48 is at right angles to the bottom edge of the stem of the T-strap.
Another example uses a pair of spaced apart vertical plates 50 at right angles to the side edges of the T-strap.

The vertical plate 50 may also include an integral gusset portion 52 on one or both sides of the stem of the T-strap.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the chain 26 is composed of vertical links 54 and horizontal links 56 arranged alternately, and these links form a cross having orthogonal axes on the same plane. They are connected to each other by a shaped roller carriage body 58. These perpendicular axes are four cylindrical shafts 6o protruding from the central roller carriage body 58.
It is materialized as. These axes lie substantially in a single plane, with two oppositely projecting axes lying along each of the orthogonal axes 2 (m). Each link 54 or 56 lies in the longitudinal direction ts −1tm long pair of link members 62
The link members may be straight or otherwise formed with rods 9, bars, plates or other connecting means. Each of the pair of link members 62 has a pair of axes a on one axis of the cross-shaped main body 58 at each end.
The other glue connected to o and in contact with @ should be mutually connected to a pair of shafts on the other axis. The link members 62 are pivotally mounted around the concentric shaft 60, and the circular hole 63 of each link member and the cylindrical surface of the concentric shaft 60 are in an interference fit engagement relationship. Each shaft carries a roller 64 near its outer free end concentrically with the shaft's longitudinal axis.

This roller may be mounted on a ball bearing or may consist of a bearing itself with an outer surface acting as a roller surface. These rollers 64 all have the same dimensions. It will therefore be apparent that the pivot point between the chain links as the chain 26 bends in either direction is a single point within the body 58 located on the longitudinal axis of the chain. . The interference fit between the hole 63 in the link member and the shaft prevents substantial rotation about the centerline of the chain.

The track 28 has a generally cruciform cross-section to accommodate the longitudinal movement of the cruciform body 58, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. This track or rail is divided into two connected halves 6
6, each division forming four running surfaces for the rollers 64. One running surface 68 of each segment defines one side of a slot in the rail through which the carriage 24 connects the rail to the link. - the running surface 68 also acts as half of the enclosure of the upper or outer roller on the vertical axis; A pair of running surfaces 70 connected by an intermediate wall 72 define a groove for one side roller on a horizontal axis, and a last running surface 74 defines a groove for a second or inner roller on a vertical axis. Forming one half of the enclosure, this running surface 74 is continuous with an articulating flange 76 for bolting the two opposing rail halves together. The rail segments 66 can be formed to any desired length, and they can be connected sequentially in the longitudinal direction by track abutment flanges 78 welded to both ends of each rail segment.

The two rail segments are connected to each other to form a complete cross-shaped rail and are further connected to the support web 30 to form the upper and lower running rails into a single assembly. Large diameter holes and small diameter holes are arranged alternately in the rail connecting flange 76 of each rail section, and the large diameter holes and the small diameter holes are arranged at equal intervals. The large diameter hole 80 has a larger diameter than the head 82 of the fastener 84, which also includes the bolt 86 and nut 88, and the small diameter hole 90 has a diameter larger than the head 82 of the fastener 84, which may include a bolt 86 and a nut 88, and the small diameter hole 90 has a diameter larger than the head 82 of the fastener 84, which may include a bolt 86 and a nut 88. has a smaller diameter than The support web 30 is similarly spaced apart with holes 91 having a smaller diameter than the head of the fastener. This arrangement of rail dividers and holes in the support web allows the rail assembly to be assembled and disassembled very easily. Two similarly manufactured linear rail segments are arranged such that when they are arranged in a mirror image relationship, the large-diameter hole 80 of one rail segment is in corresponding alignment with the small-diameter hole 90 of the other rail segment. The rail can be installed by aligning the holes 91 or vice versa, joining them so that all these holes are aligned with the holes 91 in the web, inserting bolts into all the holes, and tightening them firmly. Although in practice one of each segment would be bolted to the web 30 by every other bolt and the other opposing segment would be bolted to the web 30 by the bolt located between them, the two segments can effectively form a complete rail. If the track or chain requires maintenance or repair, it is possible to access the required area by removing a half section of the track. The remaining track half forms the support for the chain rollers and helps maintain the beam strength of the rail assembly. The divided portion to be removed is released from the rail assembly by unscrewing the pin 1 of the track attachment flange 78 and removing the bolt 86 inserted into the small diameter hole 9o of the connecting flange 76. In this way the chain is exposed for maintenance and one half of a rail section can be replaced by a new half in the reverse manner. Web division is hole 9
It further has a hole 92 closer to the centerline of the web than 1, through which the webs can be connected to each other by bolting the stacking plates.

The controller includes a power-driven main drive 9o, such as a specially made sprocket wheel, and any auxiliary drives required depending on the overall length of the rail assembly, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The auxiliary drive may be constructed in such a way that it can be used on as long a track as possible.The auxiliary drive may be a crawler drive, which is well known for this purpose. The cruciform chain roller carriage 58 can engage either type of drive, and a conventional motor can power either type of drive. , a link member 62 is pivotally connected to a shaft 60 proximate the central roller carriage body 58, and a roller 64 is connected to the shaft 60 with an intermediate axial length between the roller and the link member. A sleeve 94 is rotatably attached to the intermediate portion of the cylindrical shaft;
These sleeves 94 form durable contact points for the main drive 93 and intermediate drive units. Whether using sprocket drives or crawler drive means of known configuration, these are arranged so that they simultaneously engage two sleeves 94 of the shaft located, for example, on a different axis of the horizontal axis. A pair of fork-like members 96 are used. When the fork-like member contacts the sleeve, it causes the sleeve to rotate on its axis.

This spreads the force and prevents wear at one point on the shaft or sleeve. An important advantage of this drive means is that the contact between the drive and the chain is made on a relatively large area of the cylindrical surface, and that the contact between the chain links is also made on the cylindrical surface. Chains are not able to withstand forces acting on point, line or saddle contact surfaces such as occur in normal oblong chain links.

Will.

Particularly when long rails are used, the rails may be extended by providing an extension link as shown in FIG. Short track segments 98 include a plurality of longitudinal grooves 100 formed in running surface 70 proximate articulation flange 76 . A plurality of groove-complementary ribs 102 are supported on the bottom plate 104 and attached to the rail assembly by abutment flanges 106. The ribs and bottom plate are held in place by gusset plates 108. The track segments 98 are further attached to other track sections by the other abutment flange 110, but are mounted for longitudinal sliding movement relative to the flanges 106 as the rail is lengthened and shortened. Other shapes of extension coupling members could also be used, such as engagement teeth or forks.

Assembly of the conveyor along the desired tortuous serpentine path is first accomplished by the adjustable support legs 32 shown in FIGS. 1 and 7. Each of the legs includes a bottom member 112 supporting a vertical socket 114 held in place by a plurality of six gusset plates 116, the socket 114 telescopically receiving a vertical cylindrical stem 118, 118 supports a horizontal socket 120 on its top. A curved arm 122 telescopically received within the socket 120 extends transversely and upwardly to the longitudinal conveyor path and is generally arcuate at 90°. Conveyor support bar 124
is connected to the web 30 at the horizontal portion of the bar as shown in FIG. 1 and pivotally connected to the arm 122 at the vertical end defining a pivot point 126 of the bar. As shown in FIG. 7, the support bar may further form a pivot mount 128 in its horizontal portion. When assembling the conveyor, the various pivot points and sockets in the support legs 32 allow for the establishment of a serpentine path for the conveyor, while at the same time preventing the creation of extreme stresses in the rail assembly. . The change in slope slope can be adjusted by selecting the appropriate engagement relationship between the stem 118 and the socket 114, after which the stem 118 is welded and secured to the socket 114 in its predetermined position. Similarly, the horizontal lateral position of the rail assembly is socket) 120
After adjustment, the arm 122 is appropriately welded to the socket 120. The desired degree of rotation in the horizontal plane can be adjusted at the pivot point 126, and the tilt in the vertical plane can be adjusted at the pivot point 128 or between the horizontal bar 124 and the web 30.
can be adjusted at the intersections 130, and after adjustment these points are welded.

The conveyor described herein is substantially lighter than many conventional conveyors configured to follow a serpentine path, and the relatively open construction of the support legs contributes to the light weight of such conveyors. It is possible to create by
This further allows the cummy 132 to effectively surround the conveyor along its path. The cover 132 is formed with an upper lid 134 and a lower lid 136.

The free end 138 of the horizontal knee 124 extends across the width of the belt 22 as shown in FIG.

Each lid of the cover slides onto one of the hinges 142. On the opposite side of the conveyor, the horizontal bar 124 also extends across the width of the route and has upper and lower flanges.
A second mounting plate such as 44 is retained. The cummy should be secured to the flange by suitable fasteners such as bolts and lock nuts. A portion of either cover is hinged 142
The cover can be opened by rotating the cover part, or the cover part can be completely removed by removing the hinge pin. By properly arranging the cover, the conveyor belt is protected from many adverse effects, and the conveyed material falling from the belt is retained within the cover. Lightweight materials such as powder or ash can be transported through outdoor areas and further protected from the elements.

In an optimal construction of conveyor 20, belt 22 is
Individual belt sections 34 may also be formed of relatively short lengths, for example 8 inches (20 cm).

The articulating flanges 36 of each pair of mating sections are attached to a carriage 24, and each carriage has a respective link member 62.
The link member 62 is bolted to each link member 62 through one or more holes formed in the link member 62 . Horizontal link 56 has a carriage bolted to two parallel link members, and vertical link '54 has a carriage bolted to only the upper link member of the pair. The link is such that the length between the center lines of the pivot axes at its ends is also equal to the length of the root section, so that the cruciform pivot body 5
8 are spaced apart such that they are substantially vertically aligned with the center of the pleats 38 of the belt section. As mentioned above, the spacing between the cruciform bodies is equal to the length of each link member, and the body 5
The concentrated position of the pivot axes in the 8 prevents the chain links from parallel link movement in bends and provides good stability and further tilting of the belt pan even when the belt is in an unbalanced state. Very rarely. Curves with relatively small radii can be tolerated, allowing the vehicle to run with lower chain tension and lower roller pressure. The roller pressing force is sufficiently low that the roller and rail surfaces need only support very small forces. For example, if the roller spacing is 8 inches (20
, 32 rust) and the chain tension is 1000 bon l-' (4
5ro, 59 ky) conveyor is 108 inches (2
74,32ffi) with a roller pressing force of only 7 lbs. This pressing force was very low.
can be supported with unground ball bearings, which not only reduces cost, but also improves performance since ground ball bearings have a tendency to dent under shock. Furthermore, the infarction ring may loosely enclose the balls, for example - balls may be intentionally omitted.

As mentioned above, the conveyor described here consists of a belt installed to follow a meandering path and a lightweight chain, and the interaction between the pivot point of the chain and the pivot point of the belt minimizes tilting. To provide a durable structure capable of forming a stable belt pan surface capable of holding and conveying an unbalanced load without causing problems and traveling around curved parts. The sharpness of the swirl and the possible values of the degree of swirl in the conveyor path should be increased. Since the drive force is distributed over the durable rollers on the cylindrical shaft surface, the ease of attaching an intermediate drive to the chain allows the use of long conveyor runs and also allows the chain to be easily attached. And the light weight of the carriage helps with this. The rail assembly is also particularly suited for manufacturing, simplified assembly and maintenance.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the conveyor system of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the belt, belt carriage, and chain; and FIG. 3 is a partial cross-section of the track assembly. 4 is an end view of the track assembly of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing details of the track assembly and chain, and FIG. 7 is an end view of a portion of the conveyor system illustrating the drive unit; FIG. 8 is a drive sprocket; FIG. (Explanation of symbols) 20... Conveyor system 22... Endless belt 24... Belt carriage 26... Traction chain 28... ... Track 30 ... Support web 32 ... Support leg section 34 ... Belt section 38 ... Flexible pleat section 40 ... Belt Flat portion 44...T-shaped strap 54...Vertical ring 56...Horizontal ring 58...Cross-shaped opening to lacquer body 60...
...Cylindrical shaft 62...Link member 64...Roller 66...Divided portion 68.70.74...Running surface 76...Connection flange 80... Large diameter hole 84...Fixing tool 90...Small diameter hole 91...Web hole 94...Sleeve 98...Race segment 112 Bottom member] 18. ...Stem 122 ...Curved arm 124 ...Support chisel Patent applicant Ropart L. Oldledge (
11 people outside)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An endless conveyor consisting of a series of longitudinally repeating belt sections, each having a load holding area and a transversely flexible area, and a desired longitudinal direction of the belt. an inner track surface arranged to form a transition course for the load, and further including an upper runway, in combination with a track for supporting the belt above the track to retain the load from the lower side of the load. A conveyor system that holds and conveys a load from below along a winding meandering path,
(a) said track has a generally cruciform cross-section on its inner track surface, along the upper part of the track in the upper runway;
(b) the route moving means is (1) configured to move along a transition course defined by said track and extending along the inside of said track and extending alternately; A traction chain having a series of horizontal and vertical links arranged in a horizontal plane, each horizontal link having opposite ends configured to connect to a horizontal lateral pivot shaft. a pair of longitudinally elongated link members spaced apart in the direction, and each of the vertical links having opposite ends configured to connect to a vertical pivot axis and transversely in a vertical plane. (2) a traction chain formed of a pair of longitudinally elongated link members spaced apart from each other in the direction; A plurality of roller carriages comprising a main body having four roller shafts arranged in coaxial pairs,
The pair of roller shafts protrudes horizontally outward from opposite sides of the main body, and the other pair protrudes vertically outward from both sides of the main body, and each of these roller shafts has a rotatably mounted at least one support roller;
(3) a roller carriage that is entirely housed within the cross-shaped track and contacts the inner track surface as the support roller moves inside the track; (C) the belt moving means extends from the belt section through the longitudinal slot to support the belt from below the belt along an upper run of the track; one roller carriage for each of the belt carriage means (1) for supporting the belt relative to the chain such that each roller carriage is aligned perpendicularly with each of the flexible belt areas; A conveyor system characterized in that: 2. the vertical and horizontal link members have holes at their ends for receiving pivot shafts; connected to adjacent vertical and horizontal link members by engagement between the link member and the pair of vertical roller shafts and between the horizontal link member and the pair of horizontal roller shafts;
axes of said pair of concentric axes lie in a single plane;
2. A conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the pivot axes of the chain links and the axes of the roller shafts lie in a single transverse plane through the flexible belt region. 3. The traction chain has one link for each of said repeating successive belt sections, and the belt carriage means is attached to at least one elongated link member of each link and connected to at least one of said belt sections. 3. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the conveyor system comprises a carriage with a cylindrical shape. 4. The track has two divided parts each having a connecting flange that defines the edge of the longitudinal slot and has, on the opposite side thereof, large-diameter holes and small-diameter holes arranged alternately at a predetermined interval; The web has holes arranged at the same spacing as the holes of the connecting flange and smaller than the large diameter holes of the connecting flange, and the receiver is inserted between the small diameter holes of the connecting flange and the holes of the web. The fixing member has a hollow shaft portion, a small diameter hole in the connecting flange, and a head large enough to be held by the small diameter hole in the connecting flange and pass through the large diameter hole in the connecting flange. 2. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor system can be separately attached to the conveyor belt. 5 said web is substantially vertical and has a plurality of holes near its upper and lower edges, the upper runway of the track being attached to the upper edge of the web and the lower runway being attached to the lower edge of the web; A conveyor system according to claim 4, characterized in that it is attached to a conveyor system. 6. said track having an elongated coupling means comprising at least first and second longitudinally adjacent track segments, the first track segment having at least -f longitudinal grooves formed in its inner track surface; and the second track segment has a rib received in the groove in the groove for sliding in the groove, the rib being located on the outer side of the inner raceway surface of the first track segment. A conveyor system according to claim 1, characterized in that it is supported by a conveyor system. 7. said track is maintained along a selected transition course by a support leg structure comprising: (a) a hollow bottom supporting the conveyor against a foundation surface; and c) said bottom. having an end attached to and a free end;
(C) a conveyor support bar extending transversely to the longitudinal course of the conveyor and holding said track; (C) interposed between the bottom and the support bar to adjust the vertical height of the support bar relative to the bottom as appropriate; (2) means interposed between the bottom and the support bar for appropriately adjusting the horizontal position of the support bar with respect to the bottom; (e) means interposed between the bottom and the support bar; 2. A conveyor system according to claim 1, further comprising means for appropriately adjusting the relative rotation angle between the support bar and the bottom. 8. The conveyor support bar extends laterally across the width of the endless conveyor belt on both sides thereof, and has a first cover mounting plate attached to its free end and a width of the conveyor belt in the vicinity of its other end. a second cover mounting plate attached to the outside of the conveyor belt, and comprising upper and lower conveyor covers pivotally connected to the first mounting plate and removably connected to the second mounting plate. A conveyor system according to scope 7. 9. A conveyor belt made of a plurality of longitudinally continuous belt sections forming alternating load holding and conveying pan areas and flexible flap areas follows a predetermined meandering transition course and In a conveyor system of the type in which a load is supported from below the load, the conveyor track assembly includes: (a) an upper running rail and a lower running rail each connected to an intervening web, the upper running rail having a transverse having an inner raceway surface that is generally cruciform in face and is divided into two halves with a longitudinal slot formed in its upper surface and a suspended articulating flange at its bottom edge;
Each of the articulating flanges has a series of large diameter and small diameter mounting holes arranged in an alternating manner such that the large diameter holes of one rail segment are aligned with the small diameter holes of the other rail segment; The web has holes arranged in correspondence with the large-diameter holes and small-diameter holes of each rail division part and smaller than the large-diameter holes, and a head smaller than the large-diameter holes and larger than the small-diameter holes and the holes of the web. The conveyor is constructed by inserting fasteners having a diameter into correspondingly aligned holes, and each flange can be individually removed from the web without affecting the installation of other flanges by removing the fasteners inserted through the small diameter holes of the flange. (c) links consisting of pairs of horizontal and vertical long link members arranged alternately, and rollers pivotally attached to both link members of each adjacent link between successive links; a traction chain having a carriage, the carriage having two shafts protruding from opposite sides along a vertical axis and a core, each axis having one link of a pair of vertical link members; the members are pivotally connected on a vertical axis, the rollers are rotatably mounted on the vertical axis, and the carriage is further coupled from opposite sides along a horizontal axis perpendicular to the centerline of the chain. It has two protruding shafts, one link member of a pair of horizontal link members is pivotally connected to each horizontal shaft on the horizontal axis, and a roller is attached rotatably on the horizontal axis. , the horizontal and vertical axes are located on the same plane, and the traction is movably held within the rail to press the horizontal and vertical axis rollers against the cross-shaped inner track surface. Chain and (
C) a belt carriage connecting each link having a length approximately equal to the length of a belt section to a pan region of the belt. 10. The conveyor system according to claim 9, characterized in that the planes of the horizontal roller carriage axis and the vertical roller carriage axis, which are located on the same plane, pass through the flexible region of the belt. 11 The roller carriage shaft is cylindrical in shape, and the elongated link member has a circular hole at each end thereof, the circular hole being adapted to prevent substantial rotation about the longitudinal axis of the traction chain. 11. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that it is engaged in a tight fit with the surface of a cylindrical shaft.