US2052597A - Tubular conveyer system - Google Patents

Description

,Sept. 1, 1936. c. BECKMANN 2,052,597

I TUBULAR CONVEYER SYSTEM Filed Feb. 18, 1933 Carl Bee/rm mm Affornqy Patented Sept. 1, 1936 TUBULAR? CONVEYER SYSTEMf Carl Beckmann, Berlin-Zehlendorf, Germany, assignor to Mix .& Genest Aktienge sellschaft;: Berlin-Schoneberg, Germany Application February 18, 1933,:Serial No. 557,403

a In Germany February 24,1932. 7

Claims.

This: invention-relates to tubular conveyer systems and more particularly :tothe exchange stations: thereof', -i.. e. the...stat,ions-where the carriers,';i. .e.. the iconveyinggcontainers moved along thentubes, are-deliveredirom one tube into an-- other iinrnrdertcbe. brought to. the desired receiving point. .Inknown arrangementsmhe carriers are so constructedcthat; sthey tare led by: their. own action from pnetubeainto a predetermined-other V-tube,

Fonexample, they ,may ,have rings for-closing e1ectric.:circuits,.and in; such circuits means are operated ;to bringitheicarniersfrom one tube into thecother.

'Ihismarbe efiected ,by a. rotatableudrum or other distributing,rarrangemenh;

According-to. the. invention in zan;exchange station: fore pneumatic; tube. conveyer-systems, a group of incoming. tubes-and a group of outgoingltubesizaretinterconnected by asingle tube fromzwhich means. for selectively directing; the carriers into thedoutgoi tubesare controlled by the":carriers,;;;whi1st; controlling 'means is providedfor. feeding .the carriers into this single tube from a the incoming, ltubes. in; succession so. that the. carriers :;shall not: collide; in leaving the incoming: tubesn.

' An. arrangement. combining ;these-;features is simpler in nperat-ion and .occupies; less; space than prior :systemsr;

An .embodimentiiof; the invention is explained in .the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing "in which Fig. 1 ispadiagramof the exchange station.

1 Figs; 2iand:3,";drawnvto a larger scale thaniFig'.

1,.aredetailyiews, partlyin section, of ;a looking device more fullygrefeltredto hereafter; This device. is shown-:in atwo:different states of oper: ation.;. Fig.-:. .4 :18. acdetailgview, partly inysec-r tion, showingpa circuit: arrangement described further, on. Fig. 5 is a;plan view.-of; a gearing thatnrforms part-.01. the. arrangement representedrinx'Fig. 1..

Fig; 1 shows four. incoming ;tubes--I 'eachrprovided:with;-an outlet flap 2 and asuction conduit 3.: The :flaps 2 :are each 'disposedaboye :an :inlet funnel- 430i 2. tube 5.. The tubes; 5:run into a tube. 6 iwhich feedsdintoca tubular :member :1. Disposed. below thetubulanmember 1 are three switchzton'gues 8,; 9,1. I 0, -;adapted=,to lead each into one 'of'three toutgoing tubesd If; The-,fourth of the :tubes: ;.I I {has a .zfunnelrshaped end-,1 I 2 with which it extends,;into the ,space between. th switchstonguesmllun n e h .Tnetswitcntonguesfie 9,;I 0 are each understhe control of; an electromagnetic relay. indicated-by its. winding. These windings; are :denoted by Ba, 9a, Ifla. The circuitof the winding tic-contains two sliding contactstbn In the circuitvof 'the winding 9atwo contacts-.91) are provided; land in the -circuit of-cthe winding: loch-there. are ;two sliding contacts 3b.. A-circuitar-rangement that; may ;be employed in thisconnection is shown in Figgl" The circuit ofv Fig. 4 includes a-relay 8a;

whosewinding .is connected to-a battery 30 and 10;,

to. one 0f;- the pair of contacts 81). The reIay-Ba is energized by'closure of contacts .817 during'the passage of theappropriate caIrierLthroughZ-the tube 6.-

contact 8'-@ which is engagedv by the pul1ingup;,ofthe relay l armature in,-a 1 manner well known. Theiholding contact 8: is under the control of a spring latch13I- oi-the tube- I I,.this latchprow jectinginto the'path'of; the carriers so that the, carrier -forces =the spring latch 3I into engagement -withmhe movable contact member of, the holding contact 8; thereby ;me chanicallm opening theyholding .circuit of the. relay- 8a.- The relays indicated by'the winding 9a; I0amay;;,be;conr; nected in the samemmanner as therelay indife. cated by the--winding 8a.. Their circuits are therefore not shown.-

The -distance=-between contactsjbis greater than, that between, contacts 91) and? this latter distance ,ispgreater thanthat between contacts Iilb. .Thesethreelpairs of contacts are-disposed in thetube 6 and are intended tQ-COaOUWithIQOIk tact rings of thecarriers in awelleknown manner.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, eachrztube 5 has1 an opening I3 for; an EJ111714 and ;an:opening I5 :for an1arm.-I6.5 Each arm; I4 and an armaII form a bell .crank lever pivotally mount e d ;on- ,a:shaft .I 8 that: cannot :rotate... The bell crank levers I 4;. I I eachlhavea-nnger49.1 The arms ;l6sa1teeeach likewise rotatableon ;,one of thelshaftspllae and they are located betweengthenfinger Ifloand a spring 20 fixed :to, the axle: 1I8. The arms I't each have a r011er -2I.: Thea-bell crankle'vers I4,. I1 eachgtend to; bear :onthe. circumference .:of zinedividnalwcamsfizjl Thisi isndue to; a spring .23 which is fixed to the tube 5 andis bearing against the finger I9.; Each .cam 22 is disposed in a.posi-. tiontgdifierent. from that not the other e-cams 22. Inthe instance :shown the.;p0 sition of .;each cam difiers by -a right; angle fromathatlof the adjacent cams, As shownin Fig.y5,1the. cams 22; are, geared by bevel wheelsfil itqra shaft:':33p.operated byma motor 34.1.

Each. tube-.1 is provided withamarrangement Upon being energized the relay 8a -isheldlocked by means of its locking or holding of levers that has certain parts similar to the parts I4, l6, I9, 20, 23 of the arrangement 'represented in Figs. 2 and 3. In Fig. 1 the parts which correspond to the arms I4 are denoted by 24 and those corresponding to the arms I6 are denoted by 26. The arms 24, 26 are mounted on a shaft which is common to all of them. The arms 24 are fixed to this, shaft and the arms 26 are disposed loose thereon. The shaft 25 has an arm 21 carrying roller 28 which bears on the circumference of a cam 29. In order to avoid the ranged in planes normal to this shaft.

The operation is as follows: s The driving air which is in a well-known manner produced in the tubes I through the suction conduits 3 causes the carriers to move toward the flaps 2. The carriers by their impact open these flaps against the action of the driving air, which tends to close'the flaps, and then fall through the pressure of the spring 20.

the funnels 4 into the tubes 5.

'I'he cams 22 are revolved by the motor 34. On each revolution of a cam the appertaining arms I4, I6 are brought from the position shown in Fig; 2 into the position represented in Fig. 3 and are then returned to the former position. When in the position shown in Fig. 2 the free end of arm I4 projects into the tube 5 so as to stop the carriers w and y and still other carriers that may arrive in tube 5. With the bell crank lever I4, I! in this position, the arm I 6 is retained by the finger I9 so that the arm I6 can not yield under The cam 22 moves the-lever I4, I! against the action'of'the spring 23 and in such manner that the free end of arm I I leave's'the tube 5 whilst the finger I9 is retracted from the arm I6. This will be seen from Fig. 3. The arm I 4 thus .allows the carrier :1: to continue its motion. At the same time, however,the spring 20 acts to press the arm I 6 against the carrier 51 so that this carrier is prevented from following the carrier :1: immediately. a The arm I6 is retracted from the carrier y as soon as the active portion of cam 22 leaves the arm I1.

The arm- I4 consequently 'reassumes the position shown in Fig. 2, so as to stop the carrier :11 just freed of the arm IS. The carrier y remains arrested in this'way until the cam 22 has brought the arm II and consequently the arms l4, I6 again into the position represented in Fig. 3. By this means the carriers are caused to follow each other at definite spaced intervals.

. On the stopping device I4, I6 of one tube 5 being in the condition shown in Fig. 3, the stopping. devices hi, I5 of the other tubes 5 are in the condition represented in Fig. 2. This is due to the described mutual position of the cams 22. Therefore, at any time only onedevice I4, IE will allow a carrier to reach the tube 6, so that it is impossible for carriers arriving from different tubes 5 to run into each other.

The carriers may be adapted to close one or other of. the circuits in which the contacts 81), 9b, IOb are provided. In such case one of the switch tongues 8, 9, I0 .is brought into its operative position so as to lead the carrier into the respective tube I I. Carriers not able to coact with one or other of the contacts 81), 91), lb and thus to set one of the switch tongues will fall through between the switch tongues 9, I0 into that tube II which-has the funnel I2.

In the tubes II the carriers are stopped by the respective devices 24, 26. The devices 24,, 26'are moved conjointly by means of the cam 29. This cam by engaging the arm 21 operates in the same manner as the cams 22 act by means of the arm II, that is, the shaft 25 and arms 24, 26 are rocking in the same manner as the arms I4, I6. In this way carriers arriving in a tube II are spaced apart therein in a similar manner to that described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3 so as to avoid the possibility of the'carriers being bunched in their passage through the respective outgoing tubes II.

. What: isclaimed is:

1. A pneumatic tube conveyer system com- '3 prising. an exchange station, a groupof tubes incoming to said station and a group of tubesout going fromsaid station, means for selectively dimeeting a carrierfrom any of the incoming tubes into any one of the outgoing tubes comprising a single tube interconnecting the tubes of one i group and the tubes of the other group, means forsuccessively feeding the carriers from the incoming tubes into said single tube, and means operating'under control of the carriers during their passage through said singletube for selectively directing said carriers from said single tube into the outgoing tubes as determined'by said car- IlGl'S.

2. A pneumatic tube conveyer system i com prising an exchange station, a group of tubes incoming to said station and a group of tubes outgoing from said station, a single stationary tube interconnecting the tubes of one group and the tubes of the other group,'means,for successively ing an exchange station, a group of tubes incoming to said station and a group of tubes outgoing from said station, a single tube interconnecting the tubes of 'one group and the tubes of the other group, means for feeding the carriers from the incoming tubes successively into said single tube,

means operating under control of the carriers during'their passage through said'singletube for selectively directing said carriers therefrom into the outgoing tubes as determined by said carriers, and. means associated with each outgoing tube and controlled by the passage of a carrier therethrough to release said; operating means.

4. A pneumatic tube conveyer system comprising an exchange station, a group of tubes incoming to said station and a group tubes outgoing from said station, means for interconnecting the incoming tubes with the outgoingtubes, comprising a single tube having connected incoming branches positioned to receive carriersfrom the respective incoming tubes and having its exit positioned to feedthe carriers into any one of the outgoing tubes as determined by the. carriers, means cooperating with said incoming branches to feed the carriers'delivered by the incoming tubes successively into, said single. tube, and means operating'under control of the carriers during their passage through said single tube for selectively directing: said carriers therefrom into the outgoing tubes as determined by said carriers. 7

ing a single tube having connected incoming branches positioned to receive carriers from the respective incoming tubes and having its exit positioned to feed the carriers into any one of the outgoing tubes as determined by the carriers, means cooperating with said incoming branches to feed the carriers delivered by the incoming tubes successively into said single tube, means operating under control of the carriers during their passage through said single tube for selectively directing said carriers therefrom into the outgoing tubes as determined by said car riers, and means associated with each outgoing tube and controlled by the passage of a carrier therethrough to release said operating means. CARL BECKMANN.

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