US1571284A - Elevating mechanism - Google Patents

Description

L. L. LUDWIG ELEVATING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 28

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Feb. 2, 1926. 1

UNITED. STATES LEONARD L. LUDWIG, vor :oELAvAN, KANSAS.

ELEVATING MECHANISM.

Application filed January 28, 1924. Serial No. 688,921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD L. LUDWIG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Delavan, in the county of Morris and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Elevating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in elevating mechanism and particularly to devices for handling coal and the like wherein the materials is first dumped into a hopper that is disposed in a pit and elevated therefrom and deposited in a bin or receptacle.

In the above installations it is desirable that the pit shall be as shallow as possible in order to avoid excessive excavation in its formation as well as to obviate the removal of excessive storm water fromit in use, it being obvious that the greater the depth of the pit the greater will be its cost of construction and the greater will be the accumulation of water in it;

The chief object of my invention is to provide a novel form of elevating member or bucket by which the above disadvantages are largely minimized.

Another object is to provide the bucket with novel means for automatically closing its feed opening and another object is to provide novel means for automaticaly operating the gate which controls the discharge opening of the hopper.

The invention is accomplished by the mechanisms hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment ofthe invention; Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the mechanism, the hopper being shown in section; Fig. 2 a front elevational view of the same and Fig. 8 a side elevational view of the bucket in dumping position.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a portion of the walls and 2 the bottom of a pit formed in the ground. The hopper 3 is suspended in the pit with each side inclined downwardly and inwardly toward the discharge opening a that is preferably formed in one of its sides adjacent the bottom thereof. Agate 5 is hinged upon oposite sides of the hopper adjacent the opening 4 and is adapted to be swung upwardly and downwardly to close and expose the opening 4. The gate is composed of two end plates 6 that are pivoted at their free ends to the hopper walls and a transside walls of the bucket.

versely curved or concaved plate 7 connected to the other ends of the end plates 6. A flange 8 extends along the upper edge of the curved plate 7 and projects forwardly therefrom to form the gate for preventing spilling of the material as it flows from the hopper when the opening 4 is exposed as shown in full lines in Fig. 1. At opposite ends of this apron are formed the fingers 9 which are below the apron and project forwardly from the gate at a suitable angle with respect to the apron. The hubs 10 of the gate and the pivots 11 therefor are constructed sothat the springs 12 coiled on the pivots exert a friction on the-gate in order that the gate will remainin any position to which it may be moved.

Guides 13 are suitably supported in front of the discharge opening 4 of the hopper and lead from the bottom of the pit to the point where the material in the hopper is tobe delivered.

The guides are turned toward the hopper as they aproach the bottom of the pit so that they will pass more or less under the inclined outer face of the hopper. The lower an apron on a cam 14 the function of which will be explained hereafter.

A bucket 15 is supported on theguides 13 by the rollers 16 which are revolubly mounted at the forward four corners ofthe bucket. The bucket is preferably a parallelogram in side outline so that itsinner inclined wall 17 will pass under the discharge opening 4 of the hopper. open and a cable 18 is secured to the bucket in suitable manner, as to a cross member 19, that is secured at its opposite ends to the The cable leads from a suitable hoisting mechanism by which the bucket is elevated and lowered on the guides. The wall 17 does not extend upwardly .to the top of the bucket but is shortthereof to form a feed opening 20 in said side of the bucket.

A gate 21 controls the feed opening 20. This gateis curved or concaved transversely and its end wings22 are pivoted to the inner face of the opposite sides of the bucket. The pivots 28 are secured to the wings and project through said sides and levers 24 are secured to the projecting ends of the pivots respectively. The levers extend in proper direc- The top of the bucket is l V :asce'nt and descent of the bucket.

tion so that the rollers 25 mounted in their outer ends will ride in the guides 13. the bucket ascends the rollers 25 follow the cam portions 14 of the guide-member's I3 and the levers 24 are depressed forwardly, thereby causing the gate to rise rapidly at first and then slowly. v The tilting .movement of the levers is continued by the cam until the gate is fully closed. The gate, then remains closed sincethe rollers continuously engagethe guide members13 during the p In the descent f the bucket when .therollers-25 reach the cams 14: the gate is released and gravity acts on the gatev to cause itto descend and expose the feed opening in the bucket. A I j At the,upper edgel of the gate 21 is rev'olubly mountedfa roller f 26 which is so disposed on the "gate. that as the. latter rises it 'willabut the lower-face.ofthe apron .8 of

the gate 51 and cause the: latter gate to rise and; c o lth l OW' ofiniaterial .from the hopper... Itis'apparent that the ends ofthe fingersQ, ,asfthej'gate 5 :is' closed, willtend to pass into the bucket, hence'notches 2'? are ,formedin the upper edge of the gate 21 to permitfof this movement of the fingers. Eventually the roller 26 will clear the apron 8 but by this time both-gates 5. and 21 are closed, and the fingers 9 are now in the path ,of the roller 26 when the bucketdescends and the gate 5 is thereby opened.

NVhen the gate 5, is open the end flanges 6 thereof cause the gate to be achute, and the apron..8 spans' the gap between theedge of the'ga'te and the bucket so. that none of the material-being fed from the hopper drops into the pit.

As the gate2l is caused to rise rapidly, the

gate 5 is closcdqrapidlyand the material cut off by the gate 5.. and exterior thereof is bound to fall into thebucket.

As the gate 21 rises theunaterial in the bucket will tend toslide into the triangular portion 28 thereof that is behind the gate when the latter is in open position.v Hence there is no spilling of the materialthrough the feed opening in the bucket as the gate 21 rises. I

The bottom 29 of the bucket is hinged at 30 to the wall 17 for outward .inovement. A bracket 31 is secured to the oppositeior front edge of the bottom and carries a roller 32 at its outeruendwhieh rides on a rail 33 suitably fixed between theugui des 1 3. The free ,end of the bracket isinclinedfupwardly sufiiciently to cause the bottom to be closed by the-.cooperating-roller and rail. At the point where the bucket is to be dumped therail 33 is curved outwardly ,or away from the bucket sothatthe roller will follow the. curvature of the .rail under the influence of the bottom which supports the material in "the bucket. The bottom therehopper is inclined; inwardly and the feed.

opening? is formed in that side, that the bucket requires much. lessspace beneath the discharge openin of I the hopper than wherezthe. entire buc et-is placed beneath said discharge opening as in other prior mechanism. Hence a large saving is made in the depth of thepit.

vAt the same time the, feed controlling gate of the hopper-being opened and closed by the feed controlling gate of the, bucket the. material in the hopper will not flow from it except when the bucket is in proper position and conditionto receive it." By causing the ,buckethoisting mechanism to be automatically timedin its operation the entire mechanism may be automatic in operatiorn p l/VhatI claim is: 1.. In fmechanism of the class described, a hopper having atdischarge opening in a wall thereof, pivotally mounted means forcon- Y inclined wall facing the hopper and having a feed opening. therein, the saidwall; being adapted tozpermit aportion of the bucket to pass under the discharge opening in the hopper, means in the bucket for controlling the feed opening and.,means responsive to the movements ofthe bucket for operating the controlling means in the bucket and cause the hopper controlling-means toopcrate simultaneously therewith. v

2.111 mechanism ofthe class described, a hopper having a discl1arge opening in a wall thereof, a pivotally mounted gate for controlling the said opening, a bucket adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly and having an inclined wall opposing the hopper and adapted to pass substantiallyunder the hopper, the, said wall having a. feed opening therein, a gate pivotally mounted on the bucketfor controlling the feed opening, and adaptedflo engaget-he controlling gateof the hopper for. opening and closing the latter, and means to: guide the bucket, in its movements and adapted to cause its controllingagate to be, opened and closed at selected times to .cause the wall thereof, means pivotally mounted to ex pose and close the said opening and when open forming a chute for the hopper, a bucket adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly in front of the hopper, the wall of the bucket opposing the hopper having a feed opening therein, said wall being in clined to permit a portion of the bucket to pass beneath the discharge opening, a gate pivotally mounted on the bucket for controlling the feed opening and adapted to open and close the chute, guides to control the movements of the bucket and means connected to the latter gate and engaging the guides for opening and closing said gate as the bucket is moved to cause the chute to automatically enter and pass from the feed opening.

4:. In mechanism of the class described, a hopper having a discharge opening in a wall thereof through which material in the hopper will flow by gravity, a chute pivotally mounted on the hopper for exposing and closing the discharge opening, fixed guides in front of the hopper, a bucket adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly on the guides and having an inclined wall opposing the hopper adapted to permit a portion of the bucket to pass under the hopper and its discharge opening, the said inclined wall having a feed opening therein, a gate pivotally mounted on the bucket for exposing and closing the feed opening and adapted to open and close the chute, for controlling the flow of material from the hopper into the bucket, cams on the guide members, and levers rigidly connected to the gate having movable engagement with the guides and adapted to be actuated by the cams for operating the gate at selected points of time.

5. In a mechanism of the class described, a hopper having a discharge opening, means for controlling said opening, a bucket adapted to be moved under said opening, a feed opening in said bucket, means for controlling said teed opening and means responsive to the movement of the bucket for operating the controlling means for the bucket feed opening and for causing the hopper discharge opening controlling means to opcrate simultaneously therewith.

6. In a mechanism of the class described, a hopper having a discharge opening, means for controlling said opening, a bucket adapted to be moved under said opening, a feed opening in said bucket, means for controlling said feed opening and means to guide the bucket in its movement and adapted to cause the controlling means for the bucket feed opening to operate and to cause the controlling means for the hopper discharge opening to operate simultaneously therewith.

7. In a mechanism of the class described, a hopper having a discharge opening, means for controlling said opening, a bucket adapted to be moved under said opening, a feed opening in said bucket, a gate for controlling said feed opening and adapted to engage the controlling means for the hopper discharge opening for simultaneously operating it, and means responsive to the move ment of the bucket for operating the gate.

8. In a mechanism of the class described, a hopper having a discharge opening, means to control said opening, a bucket adapted to be moved under said opening, a feed opening in the bucket, a gate to control the feed opening and adapted to simultaneously operate the controlling means for the hopper discharge opening, a guide to control the movement of the bucket and means having a connection to the gate and engaging the guide for operating the gate.

9. In a mechanism of the class described,

a hopper having a discharge opening, a .5

member pivoted to the hopper for controlling said opening, a bucket adapted to be moved under the said opening, a feed opening in the bucket, a gate to control said feed opening and adapted to engage the pivoted member for operating it simultaneously with the operation of said gate, a guide to control the movement of the bucket and means mounted on the bucket and connected to the gate and movably engaging the guide for operating the gate.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 21st day of January, 1924.

LEONARD L. LUDWIG.

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