MXPA06005291A - Conveyor with movable grippers, and related conveyor link - Google Patents

Abstract

A conveyor (810) suitable for conveying objects (c) along a transport direction, and related links (182), are disclosed. The conveyor includes a plurality of connected links, each link having a length extending across the direction of transport and a width extending along the direction of transport. Each link also has a body (810), a cam follower member (852), and at least one gripping member . A gear drive mechanism may be used to interconnect the cam follower member and the gripping member (832). The cam follower member is movable to selectively move the gripping member between a first position and a second position. The gripping member when in first position is disposed in an open position, and the gripping member when in the second position is disposed in a gripping position for contacting one of the objects (c) to hold the object during transport. Gear - drive machanisms of various desings may be used to interconnect the cam follower member and gripping member. A relaesable holding member, such as a spring - loaded ratchet member , may be used to secure the gripping member in the second position. Multiple opposed gripping members may be used.

Description

CONVEYOR WITH MOVABLE HANDLES AND RELATED CONVEYOR LINK FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a conveyor and to a link for such a conveyor including the members of movable lugs on a given link for grasping objects such as containers. More particularly, it relates to gripper conveyors and links that include gripping members that slide, pivot, or otherwise move to a gripping position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Several types of conveyors have been used to carry the objects in the industrial production lines. The objects can be brought from the work station to the work station individually or in groups, depending on the object and the task to be carried out. It may or may not be important to maintain some control spacing of the objects during some or all of the displacement. For example; the apples that are transported by simply being stacked randomly on a conveyor, while the bottles that are being filled can be held rigidly by a filling machine that has received the bottles from a conveyor.

Certain conveyor belts (sometimes called chains) are made of a plurality of interconnected links, driven by motors that engage the conveyor belt. Such transport systems are commonly used in the transport of manufactured goods and for containers with these typical systems, the motor drives a toothed drive gear which engages the complementary drive recesses or "dogs" formed on the conveyor belt. These drive units can be placed at any number along the length of the conveyor belt. Such a transport and drive unit system is described in U.S. Patent No. 6,119,848 which has been assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Link type conveyor belts are sometimes designed having a knuckle joint / receptacle arrangement wherein a part of the link has a rounded knuckle on the opposite side has a receptacle formed by two extending edges. The knuckle of the link fits inside the receptacle of a neighboring link. The knuckle is able to move in various directions within the receptacle which allows even your conveyor system to curve and move.

The interconnected links typically have a platform member connected or formed integral with the top (conveyor) surface of the link. The platform member is generally shaped to equalize the neighboring platform members on other links so that the links can flip in a plane or twist while moving around arched sections of the transport system, but which are also shaped so that the cracks and spaces formed between the links are minimized. The platform members can be connected to the links in several different ways. For example, the platforms may have spikes extending therefrom which match the corresponding slots on the links. Alternatively or additionally, the platforms may have automatic springs which are fixed in place on the corresponding sections of the links. Such a knuckle link with a platform surface member is described in U.S. Patent No. 6,209,716 which is owned by the assignee of the present invention when incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Frequently, it is the case that objects move or change locations on the conveyor belt during transport. This may be due to vibrations in the operation of the conveyor system at centrifugal or tangential forces on the object when the conveyor belt enters a curved section or simply to glue with other objects placed on the conveyor belt. One way to prevent objects from moving on the surface of a conveyor belt is to apply a high friction surface element which keeps the objects in place. Such a technique is taught in the Patent of the United States of America 4, 925,013 and which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Even though the application of a friction surface element will minimize the aforementioned problems associated with the transportation of goods, this can also create collateral effects problems. For example, an object placed on a high friction surface element will not move to a desired point on the conveyor belt unless some other mechanical forces are provided on which the object moves. It is often desired to specifically locate the object on a conveyor belt, and this can not be achieved if the object on a high friction surface is not initially placed in the desired location.

In addition, it may also be the case that in a particular application that a high frictional or frictional surface is not favored. This will be true if the heavy objects were to be removed from the conveyor belt by the use of the bar or other means to slide the objects out of the belt.

Having a heavy object on a high friction surface will require the need to generate increased amounts of force to move the object from the conveyor belt or at least prevent the movement of the object from the belt. Additionally, it could be the case that a particular application requires the object to be placed in a particular location on the conveyor belt surface. Having a frictional surface will prevent or impede the movement of the object from one location on the surface platform of the conveyor belt to another location.

Another problem associated with conveyor systems is vibration which causes objects to be rotated from one orientation to another. The forms used in the prior art to avoid this include adding guide rails on either side of the conveyor rail to keep the object in place. These guide rails are stationary with respect to the moving conveyor track. Even when this is effective, this solution may not be practical in certain parts of the conveyor system where space restrictions do not allow the installation of the guide rails.

A solution for safely carrying the objects in a conveyor system where the transport surface is inclined and the fixed rail is provided at the bottom of the inclination on the platform member, as described in the United States of America Patent Number 6,601,697, which is owned by the assignee of the present invention and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. This arrangement works well to keep certain types of objects transported in a given position for their intended applications, but the fixed rail and the tilt can inherently prevent the loading and unloading of the conveyor in certain orientations. Therefore, additional machinery may be required to load and / or unload the conveyor. In addition, the conveyor platform members are configured in a given size so that the ability to use the conveyor for a different sized container may be required using a different sized platform member.

The United States of America Series Patent Applications Nos. 10 / 712,405, 10 / 712,406 and 10 / 712,407 all filed on November 13, 2003, all describe and claim several different linkers and link designs where the transported objects such as as containers they can be grabbed by the conveyors. The present application describes claims certain variations and improvements in such conveyors and grab links.

SYNTHESIS OF THE INVENTION According to certain aspects of the invention, a conveyor suitable for carrying objects along a transport direction is described. The conveyor includes a probability of connected links, each link having a length extending through the transport direction and a width extending along the transport direction. Each link has a body, a cam follower member comprises at least two opposing grip members, and a gear drive mechanism interconnecting the cam follower member and the grip members. The lift follower member is moved to selectively move the gripper members between a first position and a second position through the gear drive mechanism. The grasping members when in a first position are placed in an open position. The gripping members when in the second position are placed in a gripping position to make contact with one of the objects to hold the object during transport.

If desired the riser member can be a slider that can slide along the length of the body, and the gear drive mechanism can be a rack and pinion double arrangement with two pinion parts and two rack parts , each of the pinion parts being located on a respective one of the gripper members and both of the rack parts being located on the slider, each pinion part being operatively interconnected with a given one of the rack parts. Each of the links may include a spring member for pushing the slider in a direction such as to move the gripper members to the second position. Also, each of the two rack portions on the slider may be positioned on opposite sides of the slider so that the corresponding pinion portions rotate in the opposite directions as the slider slides.

Alternatively, the gear drive mechanism can be a rack-and-pinion double arrangement with a pinion part and two rack parts, each link includes two sliders that slide along the length of the body, the follower member of the lift it extends from one of the sliders, each rail part being located on a given slider, and the pinion part being rotationally mounted on the body operatively interconnected with the rack portions and which can rotate through the elevator follower member. Each link may include at least one spring member for pushing the sliders in one direction so as to move the grippers toward the second position. The pinion can rotate about an axis perpendicular to the direction of transport.

The gripper members may include an adapter for contacting the object. In the second position it can be auto-adjustable depending on the size of the object. Each link may include a transport surface, and the lift follower member may be positioned to be spaced from the transport surface. Each link may include a spring member for pushing the grip members to one of the first or second grip positions.

Each grip member can pivot in relation to its corresponding link when it moves from the first position to the second position. In addition each gripper member can pivot about an axis essentially parallel to the transport direction when moving from the first position to the second position. Alternatively, each gripper member may slide relative to its corresponding link when it moves from the first position to the second position.

Each link may include a releasable support member for holding the grip members in the second position. The releasable support member may be a spring-loaded gear tooth configured to hold the follower member in a given position so that the grip members are in the second position. The link may also include a mobile release member for liberalizing the releasable support member. The movable release member may be slid along the link and may include a follower portion of lift for activation.

The gripping members can each have a laterally offset arm grasping the gear drive mechanism in the transport direction. The conveyor can be configured so that the transported objects can be removed from the gripping members when the gripping members are in the second gripping position.

Each link may include two sliders that slide along the length of the link, each grip member includes an arm attached to a bottom portion of a respective slider. The riser can make contact with a cam to thereby push the gripper to one of the first or second positions.

The elevator follower member may include a first elevator follower and a second elevator follower, the first elevator follower is being connected to move the gripper members to the first position when the releasable support member is released, and the second follower Elevator can be contacted to move the gripper members to the second position. The conveyor can further include at least one guide for contacting at least one gripper member of each link to push the grip member towards the second position so as to grip the transported object more tightly.

The link body can define a transport surface, and the grip members can be configured to grip the object so that the object is spaced from the transport surface. The gripper members may be configured to grip and carry an object in an inverted position with the object located essentially below the links. The gripper members may be configured to grip a container neck According to these aspects of the invention, a link is described for a conveyor suitable for carrying objects along the transport direction, the link includes a body having length extending through the transport direction and a width which extends along the conveying direction, a follower member raises, at least two opposing grabbing members, and a gear drive mechanism between which interconnects the follower member of eleva and the grip members. The riser member can be moved to selectively move the grippers between the first position and the second position through the gear drive mechanism. The gripping members when in a first position are placed in an open position and when in the second position they are placed in a gripping position to make contact with one of the objects to hold the object during transport. Several options and modifications as indicated above are possible with the link.

According to other certain aspects of the invention, a link for a conveyor suitable for carrying objects along a transport direction is described, the link includes a body having a length extending through the transport direction and a width extending along the conveying direction, a follower member elevates at least two opposing grabbing members, a spring member, and a gear drive mechanism interconnecting the follower member of eleva and members grippers. The lift follower member is moved to selectively move the gripper members between a first position and a second position through the gear drive mechanism. The gripping members when in a first position are placed in an open position, and the gripping members when in a second position are placed in a gripping position to make contact with one of the objects to hold the object during transport. The levator follower member is a slidable glider that can slide along the length of the body. The gear drive mechanism is a double rack and pinion arrangement with two pinion parts and two rack portions, each of the pinion parts being located on a respective one of the gripper members and the rack portions being located on the rear parts. opposite sides of the slider. Each pinion part is operatively interconnected with a given of the rack portions so that the corresponding pinion parts rotate in opposite directions as the slider slides, the spring member pushes the slider in a direction such as to move the grippers towards the second position. As indicated above, several options and modifications are possible with the link.

According to another aspect of the invention, a link for a conveyor suitable for carrying objects along the transport direction is described, the link includes a body having a length extending through the transport direction and a width extending along the conveying direction, a cam follower member comprises at least two opposing gripper members, at least one spring member, and a gear drive mechanism interconnecting the cam follower member and the grasping members. The cam follower member is moved to selectively move the gripper members between a first position and a second position through the gear drive mechanism. The gripping members when in a first position are placed in an open position and the gripping members when in the second position are placed in a gripping position to make contact with one of the objects to hold the object during transport. The gear drive mechanism is a double rack and pinion arrangement with a pinion part rotating about an axis perpendicular to the transport direction and two rack parts. The link includes two sliders that slide along the length of the body, the cam follower member extends from one of the sliders, each rack part being located on a given slider, and the pinion part being rotationally mounted. the body operatively interconnected with the rack portions and which can rotate through the cam follower member. The spring member pushes the sliders in one direction to move the same grippers to the second position. Again, several options and modifications are possible with this link.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a link for a conveyor suitable for carrying objects along the transport direction is described, the link includes a body having a length extending through the transport direction and a width extending through the transport direction, a member followed by cam and at least one mobile gripper member. The cam follower member is moved to selectively move the grip member between a first position and a second position. The gripping member when in a first position is placed in an open position, and the gripping member when in the second position is placed in a gripping position for contact with one of the objects to hold the object during transport. Each link includes a spring loaded gear tooth to hold the gripper member in the second position. As indicated above, several options and modifications are possible with this link.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention is giving us a conveyor having links with gripping members attached to the knuckle platform and drive members; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a single link of the conveyor of Fig. 1 with the gripping members placed in a gripping position; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a link as in Figure 2, with the grip members placed in an open position; Figure 4 is a view in partial section of the link of Figure 2; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the conveyor of Fig. 1 showing an orientation wherein the objects can be slid laterally on or off the conveyor to an adjacent pallet or conveyor; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the movement of the individual links within the conveyor from a grip position to an open position through a cam member.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic top view showing a movement of the individual links within the conveyor from an open position to a grip position through a cam member; Fig. 8 is a top diagrammatic view showing the movement of the individual links within the conveyor from an open position to a gripping position through an alternating cam member.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of an alternate incorporation of a conveyor link having a fixed wall fence member; Figure 10 is a perspective view of an alternate incorporation of a conveyor link having flat plates attached to the grip members; Figure 11 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a conveyor link having arcuate plates attached to the grip members.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a conveyor link having a fixed wall member and flat plates attached to the grip members.

Figure 13 is a perspective view of an alternate incorporation of a link member as in Figure 12; Figure 14 is a perspective view of the conveyor link of Figure 13 and with the grip members moved to the open position.

Fig. 15 is an embodiment of a conveyor link according to the present invention in a gripping position; Figure 16 is a perspective view of the link of Figure 15 in the open position.

Fig. 17 is a diagrammatic representation of another embodiment of a conveyor link with a grip member in the open position; Figure 18 is a diagrammatic representation of the conveyor link of Figure 17 with the gripping member in the grip position.

Figure 19 is a partial sectional view of another embodiment of the conveyor link according to the present invention and including a rack and pinion drive for the gripper member in a gripping position; Figure 20 is a partial cut view of the conveyor link of Figure 19 in an open position.

Fig. 21 is a perspective view of a modified version of a conveyor link of Fig. 19 with two gripper arms offset on the gripping member in a gripping position; Figure 22 is a partial sectional view of the conveyor link of Figure 21 in an open position; Figure 23 is a perspective view of three links of a link conveyor according to another embodiment of the invention including a rotatable and slidable gripper member; Figure 24 is an enlarged perspective view of a link as shown in Figure 23 showing the movement of a gripper member from an open position to a grip position; Fig. 25 is a top diagrammatic view of another embodiment of a conveyor link according to the present invention including a pivot grip member driven by a cam member; Figure 26 is a conveyor link diagrammatic view taken along line 26-26 of Figure 25; Figure 27 is a diagrammatic top view of an alternate conveyor link as in Figure 25, except that the conveyor link includes two opposing grip members; Figure 28 is a perspective view of a conveyor including a plurality of links having slidable and opposite gripper members with a flexible fence member attached to the grip members; Fig. 29 is a sectional view through the device of Fig. 28 taken along lines 29-29; Figure 30 is a perspective view of a conveyor including a plurality of links having the gripper members slidable and opposed as in Figure 28 but without the flexible wax member; Figure 31 is a bottom perspective view of another embodiment of a conveyor according to the present invention; Figure 32 is an enlarged view of a link of the conveyor of figure 31 in a gripping position; Figure 33 is a partial cut-away view of the link of Figure 32 in a gripping position; Figure 34 is a partial sectional view of the link of figure 32 in a partially open position; Figure 35 is a partial sectional view of the link of Figure 32 in a fully open position; Figure 36 is a top perspective view of the conveyor of Figure 31 showing the loading or unloading of the conveyor.

Figure 37 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the conveyor according to the present invention in an open position.

Figure 38 is a perspective view of the conveyor of Figure 37 in a gripping position.

Figure 39 is a perspective view, partially schematic of a link of the conveyor of Figure 37.

Figure 40 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a conveyor according to the present invention.

Figure 41 is a perspective view of a link of the conveyor of Figure 40 in the open position.

Figure 42 is a perspective view of the link of Figure 41 in the gripping position with a gripped ct.

Figure 43 is a partial cutaway perspective view of the link of Figure 41 in the gripping position.

Figure 44 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a link for a conveyor according to the present invention, shown in gripping position with the ct grasped.

Figure 45 is a partial perspective sectional view of the embodiment of Figure 44.

Figure 46 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 44 showing the link in the gripping position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED INCORPORATIONS Reference will be made in detail to the embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and is not intended as a limitation of said invention. For example, the features illustrated or described as part of an embodiment may be used with another embodiment to give a third embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations. In the discussion of several incorporations, the same or similar reference numbers are used below with equal or similar parts of several incorporations.

As shown in the figures, numerous embodiments of a gripper conveyor and a conveyor link with a gripper member are described. It will be understood that the present invention encompasses both a gripper chain type structure, and the individual links for such a chain. It will also be understood that several different methods are possible to hold such links together in a conveyor belt or chain. The examples shown herein are for the purpose of explanation only, and are not intended to limit the invention only that shown and described.

With particular reference to Figures 1-8, a first embodiment of a gripper conveyor and a conveyor link are shown. According to the embodiment of the invention, a conveyor 10 includes a plurality of links 12 and a drive mechanism 14. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the drive mechanism 14 includes a knuckle conveyor with 16 attached to a valve member. platform 18, which may be constructed as set forth in United States of America Patent Number 6,601,697 or in various other forms. It should also be understood that the drive mechanism 14 can take many forms and forms according to the present invention. For example, instead of a knuckle conveyor 16, other types of conveyors, belts, or chains such as roller chains or roller chains with accessories can be used to drive the mechanism 14.

In the example shown, the knuckle conveyor 16 is driven with rails 22 and is guided by the flanges 24 that extend from the roller conveyor 16 to the channels 26 defined by the walls 28 of the rails 22. As is known in the art, the mechanism drive can traverse a straight or curved line from one production end to another or from a station to station within a production line. There will be no limitation placed on the type of drive mechanism arrangement 14 according to the present invention.

As shown, the links 12 can be fastened to the platform members 18 through the intermediate fastening members 20, which can include what it is, screws, trims, etc. Therefore, there will be no limitation involved as to the method of fastening the links 12 to the drive mechanism 14. In addition the links 12 can be formed integrally with parts of the drive mechanism 14, rather than being attached to it as shown in Fig. 1 The links 12 can be tapered slightly to make their ends narrower, as shown, to facilitate movement of the conveyor around the arcuate paths.

As shown in Figure 1, each of the links 12 is identical to the others. Although such an arrangement is a preferred embodiment, such an arrangement is not required in accordance with the scope of the present invention. Therefore, a conveyor according to the present invention may include a plurality of connected links, but the links do not need to be identical, and there may be spacers, pivots, connection members, etc. located between certain of the links to suit various applications . All the specific matter must therefore be considered within the scope of the present invention.

Turning now to the individual links, with particular reference to Figs. 2-4, each link 12 includes a body 30. For the purposes of reference here the links 12 can be said to be arranged at the elongate of a transport direction T and each link has a length of L that extends through the direction of transport and a width that extends along the direction of transport (see figure 1). Therefore according to this embodiment of the invention, the link 12 has at least one gripper member 32 which is moved along at least a portion of the length of the twelve link from a first position 34 (as shown in FIG. Figure 3) to a second position 36 as shown in Figure 2). When the gripping members 32 are located in a first position 34, the gripping members 32 can be placed below a transport surface 38 of the twelve link. When the gripper members 32 are located in a second position 36, the gripper members are located above the transport surface 38 in a position suitable for contacting an object, such as a container C during transport.

"Up" * and "down" are used to describe the relative position of the linkage members and the transport surface with the link in the orientation shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3. If the link was flipped from top down, with the link in the position shown in figure 3, the grip members 32 would still be considered to be relatively below the transport surface 32 for the purposes of the present description even when in relation to the floor members grabs may be located above the transport surface, Therefore, the terms "above" and "below" used here are relative and are not absolute terms.

The link 12 includes body 31 and a slider 40 configured to be slid along the body . As shown the slider 40 may include a main body part 42 and the beams 44 extending into the slots 46 in the body 30. The conveyor surface 38 may include portions 38a placed on the body 30 and part 38 positioned on the body. the slider 40. Preferably, the conveyor surface 38 is essentially continuous through the upper part of the link 12 in the transport direction T. As discussed below with reference to subsequent incorporations, the slider 40 may be housed within the body 30. so that the conveyor surface 38 is located completely on the body 30. Alternatively the conveyor surface can be configured to lie on the slider 40.

If desired, the bolt 48 extending from the body 30 (see Figure 4) can slide within a slot 50 in the slider 40 to align and / or restrict the movement of the slider 40. As shown, a cam follower 52 is mounted on the slider 40 at one end, and a second cam follower 54 has been mounted on the slider 40 at another end. Harvesters of eleva 52 54 and their locations are optional, and can undergo various configurations and operations as will be described below.

The slider 40 functions to position the gripper member 32 in various ways. As shown in Figure 4, each gripper member 32 includes a extending gripper arm 56 and a setter arm 58. The gripper member 32 can slide and / or pivot relative to the body 30 within slots 60 defined in the body. 30. The slots 60 are particularly shaped to allow the gripper member 32 to slide, pivot or remain fixed relative to the body 30 in various situations. The gripper member 32 includes a shaft 62 extending therethrough, which fits within the opposed channels 64 of the slots 60. The spring members 66 are attached to the shaft 62 of the gripper member 32 at one end and to the body. 30 at the other end so as to push the grip members 32 into the second position 36 as shown in Figures 2 and 4. The spring members 66 may comprise the tension spiral springs.

Each side member 32 may also include a spigot 68 that extends into the channels 64 to assist in guiding the gripper member while sliding through the body 30. The pin 68 and the shaft 62 hold the gripper member in its orientation essentially vertical (as well as the transported objects themselves, are all possible depending on the desired applications.) It will also be possible in different locations along a line to use different combinations of such elements to open and close the gripper members 32. It should be understood that several Possible lifting sealers on or connected to the slider 40 or gripping members 32 are possible.For example, the lift followers may be placed on a bottom surface of the slider, thus avoiding the fence 76. All these alternatives are within the scope of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 5, one of the benefits of having the gripping members 32 placed below the transport surface 38 when the gripping members 32 are in a first position 34 is that the conveyor 10 can be loaded or unloaded by Partially in lateral form in a simple sliding motion. Therefore, an adjacent platform or conveyor, generally designated T in Figure 5, can be provided on one side of the conveyor 10, and the objects being carried can simply be slid sideways (or diagonally taking into account the movement of the conveyor). the conveyors) on or off the conveyor 10 without the use of complicated equipment. Containers do not need to be grabbed and placed, put on rubber discs or otherwise handled as done in the past in order to achieve an orderly row and continue with objects along conveyor 10. It is also simpler to achieve a row of objects, such as the containers with the centers aligned using such a conveyor 10. In addition, some times grabbed by the conveyor 10, objects such as containers can be moved through a length of production line, can be inverted to a high speed rate, while the containers are surely held with the centers aligned. Also, objects such as containers held in such a manner along a conveyor 10 may inherently be much quieter than devices in the prior art where the transported containers are loosely transported or are transported between fixed rails that do not. they move along with the conveyor or between the side walls without grip of a conveyor. Therefore, several potential advantages are provided by the structure described.

It should be understood that even other modifications are possible. For example it is possible that the objects can be removed horizontally or vertically from the links without retracting the gripper members 32 at all. Thus the gripper members 32 may be in the second grip position 36 of Figure 2 when the objects are lifted. A lifting force will have to overcome the force of any spring member 66 or cam that holds the gripping members 32 against the object to remove the object in such a situation. Several transport benefits seized will still be achieved in such an operation.

Also, it may be possible to vertically or horizontally load the links while the gripper members are in the second grip position 36. Such loading or unloading may require an additional machine to place or remove the objects, to reliably locate the objects and overcome the spring forces, but such operations are a possibility with the present invention.

The spring force of the spring members 66 and the design of the links 12 in general can be such that the conveyor can be used to carry the inverted objects (for example) the objects can "hang" from the conveyor below the surface of transport). The conveyor can achieve such an inversion by twisting it in an uncapping way or by rotating around a similar tumbling wheel. In such a case, the transport surface will be placed on top of the objects while the conveyor is inverted, and the discussion is precedent of the retraction of the grip member to a "down" position of the transport surface will be inverted as to place the grasping member "above" the transport surface. Additionally, it will be possible to load and unload the conveyors according to the present invention in such an "inverted" orientation using the embodiments described with the grippers partially or fully retracted.

The links 12 can be made of various types of different materials within the scope of the invention, and depending on the intended application. For example the body , slider 40 and grip members 32 can be made from a plastic such as Super Tough nylon available from Dupont, Delrin, Acetel, Norel ™, available from General Electric, pins 78 can be made of a metal such as stainless steel or of any other suitable metal, or of a plastic as indicated above, even when other materials may be used within the scope of the invention depending on the application, duration, cost etc. If desired, the links 12 may be designed so that different parts are individually replaceable if they are in some way damaged or worn out. Therefore, the body 30 can be removed or irreplaceable from the drive mechanism 14. Also, a conveyor can be created by retro-fitting an existing drive mechanism of some kind with some plurality of links 12. Thus, the present invention includes the individual links, as well as a conveyor that includes such links for some or all of the conveyors both of original manufacture of retro-fitting or for replacement.

Variations in certain of the described elements are shown in Figures 9-12 as demonstrated in Figure 9, the fence 76 includes the bolts 78, as well as an optional adapter 90 mounted on the bolts 78. As shown, the adapter 90 may have a light flat trough shape, for guiding a transported object such as a container to be centered on the upper link 12. Such an adapter 90, as well as such a design of the link 12 may be useful in situations where it is desired to have one link per object with an even spacing of objects on each link. In such an application the width and spacing of the adjacent links can be selected so as to achieve a reliable orientation of the spacing of the transported objects. The adapter 90 must be channel high enough to reliably secure the transported object when the gripper members 32 grasp the object. It should be noted that with the design of Figure 9, the cam follower 52 can not pass further than the location of the adapter 90.

As shown in Figure 10, the grip members 32 have been augmented with flat plates 92. The plates 92 are wider than the gripper arms 56, thereby providing a wider surface for contact or potential contact depending on the spacing of the plates. the objects that are being transported.

As shown in Figure 11, the arched plates 94 can also be used on the gripping arms 56 of the gripping members 32. The arched plates 94 allow a more secure location of the object being transported in the center of the body 30. Alternatively, the adapter 90 as shown in Figure 9 may have such an arcuate surface shape, or the plates 94 may have an inclined rather than rounded shape. As a further alternative, both the contoured adapter 90 and the contoured plates, such as the plates 94 may be used if desired - again depending on the application.

Another example of a link is shown in Figure 12, in which the flat plates 92 are used on the grip members 32, and the fence 76 comprises a flat plate 96. The use of the flat plates does not necessarily cause centering of the plate. upper articulation of transported object 12. If desired, the flat plate 96 can be formed integrally or fastened to the body 30 or it can be formed as an adapter fastened to the bolts 78, as discussed above. In addition, several of the different options for fastening the gripper members 32, and the various different options for the fence 76 can be mixed and matched in a different way depending on the desired application.

Figures 13 and 14 show a further alternating incorporation in which a link 112 includes a body 130, a slider 140 and the gripping members 132. The gripping members 132 include the integrally formed plates 192, and the fences 176 comprise a flat plate 196 .

An additional positioning slot 131 is positioned above the body 130 and receives a rib 141 extending from the slider 140. A single cam follower 152 is positioned on the slider 140. The operation of this embodiment is essentially similar to the operation of the previous incorporations. As shown in Fig. 14, the use of the flat plate 192 on the gripper member 132 provides an additional platform through which the objects can be slid over the link 112, as will be possible with the embodiments shown in Figs. and 12.

Another alternate embodiment is shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. In this embodiment, the links 212 include a body 230, a fence 276, and a single slideable gripper member 232. The gripper member is movable between a first position 234 (shown in FIG. figure 16) to a second position 236 shown in figure 15. When in a second position 234, the gripper member 232 is placed below a transport surface 238 of the link 12, as with the embodiment indicated above. Gripping member 232 includes a grasping portion 256 mounted through an axis 262 to body 230. Gripping member 232 is urged toward the second position 236 through a spring member (not shown) and can move toward the second position shown in figure 16 by direct contact with a cam (not shown).

Figures 17 and 18 show another alternate embodiment of a link 312 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the link 312 includes a body 330 with a clamped gripping member 332. The gripping member 332 pivots relative to the body 330 from a first position 334 (as shown in Figure 17) to a second position 336 (as shown in FIG. shown in Figure 18) through a slot (not shown) in the body 330. The spring member 366 pushes the gripper member 332 to the second position 336 when the gripper member 332 in a first position 334, the gripping member is below the transport surface 338 and the body 330. A gripping arm 356 of the gripping member 332 makes contact with the object to be transported, such as the container C and a positioning arm 358 is attached to the member. spring 366. A cam member (not shown) can contact and push the gripper member 332, such as, through the positioning arm or a cam follower mounted thereon (not shown) back to the position shown. in Figure 17. In this embodiment, gripper member 332 pivots about an axis essentially parallel to transport direction T (shown in Figure 1).

Another alternate embodiment is shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. In this embodiment, a gear mechanism is provided to move a collet gripper member 32 and the slider 440 relative to the body 430 of a link 412. As shown, a member of spring 466 pushes slider 440 to the left, and a cam follower 452 is positioned at one end of slider 440. The cam (not shown) can move the slider from the position shown in figure 19 to the right, and finally to the position shown in Figure 20, thereby rotating the gripper member 432 downwardly below the transport surface 438. The gripper member 432 may be mounted on a shaft 462 within the body 430 so as to be capable of extending from a slot 460. As shown, the gear mechanism comprises a "rack" 441 provided on the slider 440 and a "pinion" 433 is provided on the gripper member 432. If desired, others at Gear arrangements may be possible, including intermediate gears. A fixed fence 476 is shown with this embodiment, but as indicated above, other fence designs may also be used. Also, only one gripper member 432 is shown on link 412, but multiple gripper members can of course also be used. Also, rack and pinion arrangements on multiple sliders and multiple grippers can be used over a single link. As shown, the slider 440 is positioned below a transport surface 438 of the body 430.

Depending on factors such as the number and arrangement of teeth on the rack 441 and the pinion 433, as well as the length of the slider 440, and the dimensions of the cam (not shown) used with the cam follower, the positioning of the member of grip 432 in relation to body 430 when contacted by the cam can be selected. Therefore, grasping members 432 do not need to be driven at all to the position shown in Figure 20 to open the gripper member, if desired for certain applications. This is true for the briefly mentioned additions as well. Therefore, as it may be desirable to open the gripper members of the various embodiments to the point where they are "under" the respective transport surfaces (when the links are vertical) this is not a requirement all aspects of the present invention .

Figures 21 and 22 show variations of the embodiment show variations of the rack and pinion embodiment shown in Figures 19 and 20. In Figures 21 and 22, the link 412a includes a body 430a, a slider 440a, a spring member 466a and a grip member 432a. The grip member 432a is then off-center from the rack 441a and the pinion 433a. Optionally, a second side member 432b 'may also be used extending from a side portion 412b of the body 412a. The slots 460a and 460b, if used, are spaced from the rack 441a and a pinion 433a so as to prevent any deviated materials from entering the body 430a in the slots and potentially interfering with the operation of the rack and pinion or the pinion member. 466a spring Such groove and centering can also be used with a single grip hugging embodiment of Figures 19 and 20, or with several of the foregoing embodiments as well. The fences 476a and 476b as well as the grip members 432a and 432b have flexible material 493 on their contact surfaces to securely grip the transported objects.

Figures 23 and 24 show yet another alternate embodiment. In this embodiment, the links 512 include an integral slider and the grip member mechanism. The links 512 include a body 530, a fence 576 that comprises the bolts 578, and a slider / gripper 513 that includes a slide portion 540 and a gripper arm 556. A spring member 566 pushes the slider / gripper 513 in the direction shown in Figure 24. A bolt 552 extending from one end of the slider / gripper 513 serves as both a cam follower and a shoulder for the spring member 566. When the slider / gripper 513 is in the position shown in the figure 2. 3, the gripper arm 556 is placed below the transport surface 538 of the link 512. Therefore, as indicated above the objects to be transported such as the containers can be laterally slid on the links 512 even when the slider / gripper 513 does not need to be moved to the position shown in figure 23 to allow loading or unloading for all applications.

The slider / gripper 513 is held in place (as shown in Figure 23) by friction between the gripper arm 556 and a shoulder 531 on the body 530 due to the spring member 566. When contacting a cam surface (shown) the cam follower 552 pivots, as indicated in FIG. 24. Such pivoting rotates the slider / gripper 513 until the gripper arm 556 is released from the shoulder 531. At that point, under the influence of the spring member 566, the slider / gripper 513 slides along link 512 until gripper arm 556 reaches end 533 of slot 535, hits a stop, or until it contacts a transported target. In order to move the slider / gripper 513 from the position shown in Fig. 24 back to the position shown in Fig. 23, several different cam options are possible. For example it is possible to subject cam action to gripper arm 556, to slide and then turn it back into place. Alternatively, the cam elbow 552 or simply the adjacent end of the slider / gripper 513 can be cam-operated and rotated to the location.

As shown in Figure 24, the gripper / slider 513 can rotate about an axis essentially perpendicular to the transport direction T when moving from the first position (shown in figure 23) to the second position (shown in figure 24). ). The gripper / slider 513 also slides when moving between these two positions.

Each of the incorporations discussed above in Figures 1-24 includes certain common elements and concepts. First, each includes a plurality of links with gripping members that can be placed in an orientation below the transport surface of the links. Such orientation allows (but is not required) the sliding loading and unloading of the conveyor laterally. The links can be inverted without a grasped object, and the links can still be loaded or unloaded in an inverted position. Also, the links provide a reasonably secure and optionally self-adjusting positioning of the grasping members to hold the objects being carried during transport. As indicated above, many of the features of the different embodiments can be altered or combined in various ways depending on the particular desired application the gripper members can be opened, such as to move them down the conveyor surface, partially open, and / or closed by several different cam type functions or one by transporting the objects themselves. The present invention is therefore limited to any of the particular incorporations established in terms of each of the specific characteristics for any given incorporation, by the common description all must be considered as determining the various potions that are possible.

Also, even when the above embodiments provide beneficial orientations by which the gripper members can be "opened" so as to place the gripper member below a conveyor surface of a link. Such orientation is required according to the invention. Such orientation does not provide benefits such as sliding side loading, but such loading is not required, and simply opening the gripper members will be sufficient for many applications. Therefore, any gripping member that opens or flexes enough to allow the loading and unloading of the link by virtue of a slight function or contact with the transported object is within the scope of the invention.

It will also be possible to fix certain of the incorporations so that any fixed fence movable would still be replaced by duplicated moving gripper members 32. Although this may add some complexity to the links, such design is considered well within the reach of an expert of the art. art to carry it out. In such a case the link will include two gripping members, supposedly positioned as to allow the gripping of the container between them. The grasping members will then move towards each other when they move from the first position to the second position.

The remaining embodiments of the invention described below include alternating incorporations of a gripper conveyor. In the immediately following incorporations the various gripping members described can not, however, move to a position below a conveyor surface of the individual links. Instead of this, the gripping members are linearly or slidably arched in relation to the link bodies. As discussed above, such placement provides certain benefits which may not be required in all applications.

As shown in Figures 25-27 a conveyor 610 includes a plurality of links 612. The individual links 612 include a body 630 and a grip member 632 that is movable from a first open position 634 to a second grip position 636. The member gripper 632 includes a grip arm 656, a positioning arm 658, and a cam follower 652. Gripping member 632 is pivotally mounted in body 630 around pivot points 633. Gripping member 632 extends from under the body 630 through an arched slot 660.

It should be understood, as in the above embodiments, that the first open position 634 and the second grip position 636 need not be defined by the displacement limits of the gripper arm 656 within the slot 660. Thus, the grip position 636 can be defined by the size / orientation of the object being transported, or by some other stop, and the open position 634 may be any position wide enough to release the gripper member 632.

A cam 684 is shown in FIG. 25 to influence the position of the gripper member 632. If the conveyor 610 were to move to the right, the cam 684 would open the gripper member 632, and if the conveyor 612 were to move to the left, the cam 684 would allow the gripper member 632 to close to grip the conveyor object, when pushed in this direction by the spring members 666. As shown, the carrier objects can be sideboard between the grip members 632 of the grip members 632 of the adjacent links 612 and the fence 676. The fences 676 may have several different shapes, other than the flat plate as shown and different joints and shapes are possible for use at one end of the gripper arm 656 if desired. The conveyor of Figures 25 and 26 therefore shows an alternate way of safely transporting the objects while they are held on a conveyor.

Fig. 27 shows a variation of the conveyor of Figs. 25 and 26, in which opposingly placed grip members and related parts are shown on link 612a. Thus, Figure 27, the fence 676 is replaced by another grip member 632 and the related elements. Such guidance may be desirable in some extensions.

Figures 28-30 show another embodiment including a link 712 that includes the sliding gripper members 132. As in the figure, the gripper members 132 are positioned at opposite poles, even as a single set of grippers and a fixed fence can be used alternatively it can be used alternatively. Gripping members 172 include gripper arms 756 that extend from slider parts 740. Spring members 766 push gripping members 132 toward the center of link 712. Gripping members 732 that slide in slot 760 of all the gripping members 732. bodies 130 of links 712. Sliders 740 (see FIG. 29) are essentially positioned within link 712 to contact spring members 766. Sliders 740 slide in a wide portion 761 of slots 760 for thereby placing the gripper members 732. As with the previous embodiments, the second gripper position 736 is self-adjusting, either at the boundary of the slot 760 or depending on the size and orientation of the transported object. A cam 784 can make contact with a cam follower 752 fastened to the bottom of the grip members 132 to move the window members between a first extended position 734 and a second grip position 736.

As shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, an optional flexible fence 776 extending between a plurality of grip members 732 may be provided. Such a flexible fence 776 may provide a safer grip of the containers in certain applications. However, as shown in Figure 30, such a flexible fence 776 does not need to be used within the scope of the invention.

Therefore, the additional embodiments described above include conveyors having gripping members which are slidable relative to the respective conveyor sections. Some of these incorporations include grip members that slide along an arch while fastening to a pivotable member, and others slide along a straight line. The additions also provide a self-adjusting mechanism to make contact and grasp the objects to be transported. The facing members of the adjacent links can be brought into contact with the individual conveyor objects and can be moved to different positions to make contact with different parts of these objects and hold them securely. The transported objects can therefore be transported safely in an aligned manner, if desired, for various types of procedures.

Still another embodiment of a conveyor 810 is shown in Figures 31-36. The conveyor 810 includes several elements of certain embodiments previously described but also includes certain different features. For example, conveyor 810 includes a plurality of links 812 connected to a drive mechanism (not shown). Each link 812 includes a body 830, a gripper member 832 and a slider 840. A cam follower 852 is positioned at one end of the slider 840, and a spring member 866 is positioned within the body 830. An adapter 892 is positioned in one end of the gripper member 832 and a fence 876 is attached to the body 830.

Gripping member 832 can move between a first open position, shown either in Figure 34 (a partially open position) or Figure 35 (a fully open position), and a second gripping position as shown in Figures 31- 33 When in the grip position, the grip members 832 can grip an object, such as a container C. As shown, the conveyor 810 can be used to grip the object held and spaced from the surface 838 of the body 830. , if desired, the conveyor 810 can be used as a top conveyor, holding the bottles by their collars during transport. The conveyor 810 can load or unload the containers from above while the containers move along an additional conveyor platform P as shown in figure 36. The cam 884 can influence the slider 840 to move in or out of the body 830 , opening or closing the gripper member 832 around the neck of the container C. In figure 36, if the conveyor 810 were moving to the right, the conveyor would be releasing the containers; if the conveyor 810 were moving to the left, the conveyor would be grabbing the containers.

As with the previous incorporations, several modifications are possible, and with the incorporation of figures 31-36. First, the configuration of gripper member 832 can be modified in several ways discussed above, or multiple gripper members can be provided by each body etc. It will also be possible to invert the objects using the embodiment of Figures 31-36 so that the containers are placed on top of the conveyor during the displacement, or the conveyor can be loaded as discussed above with the containers making contact with the surface 838. of the body 830. It should also be understood that, with the embodiments of Figures 31-36, the first open position can be any of the positions shown in Figures 34-35, depending on the desired application of the loading method. Also, it should be understood that any of the previously written incorporations can potentially be used in such top loading, unloading or transport application, or with the transported object spaced from the surface of the link body, as shown in Figures 31-36.

Figures 37-39 show another embodiment of the conveyor 910 according to certain other aspects of the invention. As shown in Figures 37-39, conveyor 910 includes a plurality of connected links 912 for carrying objects such as containers C along a transport direction T. Each link 912 has a length of L extending to through the transport direction T and a width W extending along the direction of transport T. Each link 912 has a body 930, a cam follower member 952, at least two opposing grip members 932, and A gear drive mechanism (discussed below) interconnects the cam follower member and the grip members The cam follower member 952 is moved to selectively move the gripper members 932 between a first open position (as shown in Figure 37). ) and a second grabbing position (as shown in Figure 38) Gripping members 932 therefore make contact with one of the transported objects to hold the object during t ransport when it is in the second position.

The mobile gripper members can be fastened in several ways. For example as shown each link 912 can include two sliders 940 that can slide along the length of the body 930. Each of the sliders 940 has a respective sideboard member 932 fastened thereto. Thus in the embodiments having dual sliders such as those shown in Figures 37-39, the opposing grip members 932 can slide back and forth for the grip and release of an object.

As shown best in Figure 39, an example of a gear drive mechanism useful with the conveyor link is shown. As illustrated, each slider 940 includes a rack portion 941. A central pinion portion 933, rotationally mounted on the body 930 is also provided. A cam follower member 952 is attached to at least one of the sliders 940, and is selectively moved by a "typical cam member 984 to slide its slider 940 and to rotate the pinion portion 933, thereby driving the other slider 940 through the zippers 941. The spring members 966 are provided for each slider 940 to push the sliders and the respective side members 932 toward the second grip position An arm 939 of the slider 940 makes contact with the spring member 966 and compresses the spring member between it and a link body 930. Alternatively, a tension spring can be used, reversing the positions on the other side of the arm 939, or the spring can push the grip members in the opposite direction ( opening.) The posts 968 extend from the body 930 through the slots 960 in the sliders 940 and can define a direction and / or length of displacement. of the sliders 940 in relation to the body 930. The screws 969 can be screwed into the posts 968 to hold the sliders 940 in the body 930.

One or both of the gripping members 932 may include an adapter 994 for holding the gripped objects at a particular location relative to the link 912. Thus, the adjacent containers C may be gripped "over the centers" with a predetermined spacing for the Interaction with other machinery if desired. The size and shape of the 994 adapters can be altered to suit the application and / or the transported objects. The links 912 and / or the adapters 994 can also be modified, as discussed above, to allow the gripper members 932 to grip the bottlenecks, or to grip objects spaced from the links or with the inverted links. As shown, the gripping arms 956 of the gripping members 932 are laterally centered from the center of the bodies 930, and the gripping arms are fastened to a bottom portion of the sliders 940. Also as shown by a cam follower 952 is located on each slider 940. The use of two 952 trackers may be useful to maintain the load even through the mirror. But it is not necessary to move both 940 sliders already although these are commonly driven through a gear drive mechanism.Figures 40-43 show a conveyor 1010 according to other aspects of the invention. As shown in these figures, the conveyor 1010 includes a plurality of links 1012 each having a body 1030. A cam follower member 1052 is provided, along with at least two opposed gripper members 1032 and a gear drive mechanism that interconnects the first cam follower member and the grip members. As shown, the cam follower member 1052 is moved to selectively move the gripper members 1032 between a first opposing position and a second grip position through the drive mechanism.

In this embodiment, the cam follower member 1052 comprises a slider 1040 that can slide along the length of L of the body 1030. The gear drive mechanism comprises a double rack and pinion arrangement with two pinion parts 1033 and two rack parts 1041. Each of the pinion parts 1032 is located on a respective one of the gripper members 1032. Both of the rack portions are located on the slider 1040. Each pinion part 1033 is operatively interconnected with a given part. of the zipper portions 1041. A spring member 1066 is provided for pushing the slider 1040 in a direction such as to move the gripper members 1032 toward the second grip position.

As shown each of the rack portions 1041 is * placed on the opposite side of the slider 1040 so that the pinion portions 1033 rotate in the opposite directions as the slider slides.

Gripping members 1032 may include flexible adapters 1092, which may be made of a material such as plastic, rubber or the like. Gripping members 1032 include grasping arms 1056 that are preferably centered on slider 1040. As discussed with the above embodiment, such centering prevents debris from potentially falling into the gear drive mechanism.

The spring member 1066 contacts an arm 1039 of the slider 1040 to push the gripper members 1032 toward the second closed position. A cam follower 1084 can make contact with the cam follower member 1052 to move the gripper members 1032 in the opposite direction. Of course, the position of the spring member and / or the cam member can be reversed so as to push the grip members 1032 in opposite directions. As with the above embodiments, the links 1012 may be modified in various other ways, such as by including multiple gripper arms 1056 on the gripper member 1032, thereby providing multiple sliders 1040 within each link 1012, modifying the adapter 1092 etc.

Figure 44-46 shows a link 11-12 of an alternate embodiment of the conveyor 1010 according to certain other aspects of the invention. The conveyor 1110 is somewhat similar to the conveyor 1010 given above. However, the link 1112 includes a body 1130, the gripper members 1132 and a cam follower member 1152 (slider 1140) and the rack and pinion parts 1141 and 1133 respectively. The conveyor 1110 differs in that it does not have a spring member, such as the spring member 1066 will be the conveyor 1010, for directly pushing the slider 1140 in a given direction. Instead, the cam followers 1152 A and 1152 B are used to drive the cam follower member 1152 and a releasable support member 1161 is included to hold the spring members 1132 in the second grip position. The releasable support member 1161 may comprise a spring loaded gear assembly. In the example shown, the spring loaded gear assembly includes a spring member 1143, a pivot member 1145 and a pivotal gear 1147 mounted on the pivot member. The gear 1147 has an increased radius relative to the pivot member 1145 in the direction of the arrow 1149, as shown in Figure 1146. A movable release member in the form of an actuator 1151 having a cam follower part 1151 a is slidably located in the body 1130 so as to be able to make contact with an arm 1153 of the gear 1147. The teeth 1155 on the gear 1147 can make contact with a shoulder 1157 on the slider 1140, under the influence of the spring member 1143. The first and second cam followers 1152 by 1152 a are provided on the slider 1140 preferably at opposite ends. The mobile release member may have shapes other than that of the actuator 1151 if desired.

The link 1112 can be operated as follows. Starting with the first open position the objects are placed on the link. A cam follower 1184 contacts the cam follower 1152 a on one end of the slider 1140 and pushes this inside the body 1130 of the link 1112. A contact part 1159 of the gear 1147 is in contact with a side part 1140 of the slider 1140 at this point (see Figure 46). As the slider 1140 continues to move, the grip members 1132 move toward the second grip position. Eventually, the shoulder 1157 on the slider 1140 reaches a point where it passes the contact portion 1159 of the gear 1147. The spring member 1143 will then cause the gear 1147 to pivot and the shoulder 1157 will be engaged in series by the various teeth 1155 about the gear. At some point after the shoulder 1157 begins to engage the teeth 1155, the grasping members 1132 make contact with the object to be grasped.

The conveyor 1110 may be designed with a cam member 1184"that pushes the slider 1140 to a predetermined tidal position that the gripper members 1132 securely grasp the object, based on knowledge of the size of the object to be grasped. flexible adapters 1192 can be used to ensure a reliable grip if desired Once an object is grasped between the grip members 1132, contact between the gear 1147 and the shoulder 1157 prevents the slider 1140 from moving in one direction to allow the gripper members 1132 move and separate, therefore, the transported object can be gripped rather tightly, potentially tighter than if held in place by a spring member such as a compression spring 1066 of the embodiment. In some applications, such a tight grip will be beneficial.

To release the gripper members 1132, the actuator 1151 is contacted by the cam member 1186 and urged in a direction so as to contact the arm 1153 of the gear 1147, thereby pivoting the gear in a direction such as to disengage shoulder 1157 and the teeth 1155. Once the gear 1147 pivots far enough so that the side portion 1140a of the slider 1140 passes the contact portion 1159 of the gear, another cam member 1188 can make contact with the cam follower 1152 b to slide the slider 1140 in one direction to move the gripper members 1132 back to the first open position. The link 1112 is therefore ready to reload, re-grip etc.

As an alternate incorporation of one or both of the cams 1152 a and 1152 b, the optional guide rails 1185 and 1187 (see Figure 44) can be used to make contact with the gripping members 1132 directly. For example, the guide rails 1185 can be used to move the gripper members 1132 from the first open position to the second grip position or simply to tighten the grip of the grippers in the grip position. The guide rails 1185 can be especially useful if the size and / or orientation of the transported objects are unknown or vary, or if a particularly tight grip is desired. Using the guide rails 1185 the shoulder 1157 can be allowed to move forward one or more teeth 1155 on the gear 1147 to more tightly grip the object. Similarly, other guide rails may be enlarged to reopen the gripper members 1132, either in conjunction with the cam follower 1152 b or alone.

As before, the transporters and links in Figures 37-46 can be modified in various ways to incorporate the teachings of the incorporations of the figures 1-36 if desired. It should be understood that various other modifications and combinations of the above embodiments are contemplated and are awithin the scope of the present invention. For example, the spring members shown as compression springs can be replaced with tension springs, and vice versa, with corresponding modifications of other related elements. In such cases, the movement of the cam followers and the cams from one side of the link to the other may be required, among other changes. Also, each link may include only one or multiple grasping members. Each gripper member may include only one or multiple grasping arms. The multiple gripper arms can be actuated by a single slider on a link, or each of the gripper arms can be actuated by a single slider on a link, or each gripper arm can have its own slider. The shape of the link body, the method of attachment to the drive mechanism, the type of drive mechanism and the described uses of those transported here are also examples only and limitations of that description should not be drawn. Therefore, the present invention contemplates that any and all subject matter is included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (36)

1. A link for a conveyor suitable for transporting objects along a transport direction, the link comprises: a link body having a length extending through the transport direction and a width extending along the transport direction; a slider that can slide along the length of the link body; at least one gripping member that can be moved relative to the slider and a link body; Y a gear drive mechanism interconnecting the slider and the gripper member, the slider selectively moves the gripper member between a first position and a second position through the gear drive mechanism, the gripper member when in the first position is placed in an open position, and the gripper member when in the second position is placed in a grip position to contact one of the objects to hold the object during transport.

2. The link as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that the gear drive mechanism is a rack and pinion arrangement with a pinion part being located on the gripper member and a rack part being located on the slider.

3. The link as claimed in any of the preceding clauses, characterized in that it also includes a spring member for pushing the gripper member towards one of the first or second positions.

4. The link as claimed in any of the preceding clauses, characterized in that each link includes a cam follower.

5. The link as claimed in clause 4, characterized in that the cam follower makes contact with a cam to thereby push the grip member towards one of the first or second positions.

6. The link as claimed in any of the preceding clauses, further characterized in that it includes a fencing member, the grip member grasps the object between the fencing member and the gripper member when the gripper member is in the second position.

7. The link as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that the link body defines a transport surface and the gripper member and the fence member are configured to grip the object so that the object is spaced from the transport surface .

8. The link as claimed in clauses 6 or 7, characterized in that the gripper member and the fence member are configured to grip and carry the object in an inverted position with the object located essentially below the links.

9. The link as claimed in clauses 6 to 8, characterized in that the gripper member and the fence member are configured to grip a container neck.

10. The link as claimed in clauses 6 to 9, characterized in that the gripper member includes an adapter sized to adjust the object.

11. The link as claimed in any of the preceding clauses characterized in that the second position is self-adjustable depending on the size of the object.

12. The link as claimed in any of the preceding clauses, characterized in that each gripper member pivots in relation to the link body when it moves from the first position to the second position.

13. The link as claimed in clause 12, characterized in that each gripper member pivots about an axis essentially parallel to the transport direction when moving from the first position to the second position.

14. The link as claimed in any of the preceding clauses, characterized in that the gripper member • has at least one laterally decentered gripper arm of the gear drive mechanism in the transport direction.

15. The link as claimed in any of the preceding clauses, characterized in that the link is configured so that the transported objects can be removed from the gripper members when the gripper members are in the second grip position.

16. The link as claimed in any of the preceding clauses, characterized in that the link includes two of the gripping members independently movable in relation to the link.

17. The link as claimed in clause 16, characterized in that the link includes two of the sliders and two of the gear drive mechanisms, each gripper member being operatively associated with a respective one of the sliders and a respective one of the slide mechanisms. gear drive.

18. The link as claimed in clause 17, characterized in that each gear drive mechanism includes a rack part positioned on a respective one of the sliders and a gear part positioned on a respective one of the grip members.

19. The link as claimed in any of the preceding clauses, characterized in that the link includes at least two of the grip members oriented to oppose each other, and a gear drive mechanism interconnecting the slider and the grip members , the slider being movable to selectively move the gripper members between a first position and a second position through the gear drive mechanism.

20. The link as claimed in clause 19, characterized in that the gear drive mechanism is a double rack and pinion arrangement with the two pinion parts and the two rack parts, each of the pinion parts being located on a respective one of the gripping members and both of the rack parts being located on the slider, each pinion part is operatively interconnected with a given one of the rack parts.

21. The link as claimed in clauses 19 or 20, characterized in that the link includes a spring member for pushing the slider in a direction such as to move the grip members towards the second position.

22. The link as claimed in clauses 19 to 21, characterized in that each of the two rack portions on the slider are positioned on opposite sides of the slider so that the corresponding pinion parts rotate in opposite directions as the slider slides .

23. The link as claimed in clauses 19 to 22, characterized in that the link includes a transport surface and the slider is positioned to be spaced from the transport surface.

24. The link as claimed in clause 19, characterized in that the gear drive mechanism is a rack-and-pinion double arrangement with a pinion part and two rack parts, the link further includes two of the slides that can be slid along the length of the body, each rack part is located on a given slider, and the pinion part is rotationally mounted to the body operatively interconnected with the rack portions and which can be rotated through the cam follower member.

25. The link as claimed in clause 24, characterized in that the link includes at least one spring member for pushing the sliders in a direction such as to move the gripper members to the second position.

26. The link as claimed in any of the preceding clauses, characterized in that the link includes a releasable support member for holding the gripper members in the second position.

27. The link as claimed in clause 26, characterized in that the releasable support member is a spring loaded gear configured to hold the slider in a given position.

28. The link as claimed in clauses 26 or 27, preceding clauses characterized in that each link includes a movable release member for releasing the releasable support member.

29. The link as claimed in clause 28, characterized in that the movable release member is slid along the link and includes a follower cam portion for activation.

30. The link as claimed in clauses 26 to 29, characterized in that the cam follower member includes a first cam follower and a second cam follower, the first cam follower being contactable to move the grip members towards the first position when the releasable support member is released, and the second cam follower is contactable to move the gripper members to the second position.

31. The link as claimed in clauses 26 to 30, characterized in that at least one gripper member is configured to be contacted by a guide to push the gripper member toward the second position so as to grip the transported object more tightly.

32. The link as claimed in clauses 19 to 31, characterized in that the gripping members each have a laterally decentered gripper arm of the gear drive mechanism of the transport direction.

33. The link as claimed in clauses 19 to 32, characterized in that the link includes two sliders slidable along the length of the link, each gripper member includes an arm attached to a bottom part of a respective slider.

34. A conveyor including a plurality of links of any of clauses 1-33, connected together.

35. The conveyor as claimed in clause 34, characterized in that the conveyor includes a first cam member for pushing the gripper members towards the second position.

36. The conveyor as claimed in one of clauses 34 or 35, characterized in that the conveyor includes a second cam member for pushing the gripper members towards the first position.