US2315075A - Selective delivery mechanism for conveyers - Google Patents

Description

March so, 1943. 5. 01.50. 2,315,015

- SELECTIVE DELIVERY MECHARISM FOR CONVEYERS Filed Feb. 18, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 30, 1943. s. OLSON SELECTIVE DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR CONVEYERS Filed Feb. .18, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 30,1943.

5'. OLSON SELECTIVE DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR CONVEYERS Filed Feb. 18, 1941 Sheets-shat '3 S. OLSON Mud: 30, 1943.

SELECTIVE DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR CQNVEYERS File d Feb. 18, 1941 4' Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mar. 30, 1943 Samuel Olson, Chicago, Ill.

Application February 18, 1941, Serial No. 379,460

15 Claims.

This invention relates to conveyers and is particularly concerned with automatic means for the discharge of loads from the carriers of a conveyer at selected stations respectively.

One object of the invention is to provide such carriers with trip devices adjustable to actuate the load discharge mechanism at any selected station.

Another object is to provide manually operable means at a loading station adapted for adjusting th tripping device of a chosen carrier so that its load shall be discharged at a selected station.

It is also an object of the invention to provide wholly mechanical means for setting the tripping device at the selected position on the carrier.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide each carrier, or at least each carrier of a certain class, with an adjustable trip member mounted for adjustment in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the carrier, and to provide an inclinable cam bar positioned adjacent the loading station of the conveyer and adjustable at various angles for shifting the trip member by a predetermined amount as the carrier travels past the cam bar; and further to provide a series of push-buttons or rods each having a difierent stroke and positioned to shift the cam bar to a particular angular position so that actuation of a selected push-button will determine the station for which the trip member of a carrier is being set.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a somewhat diagrammatic front elevation of avertically arranged conveyer system embodying this invention, but showing only the portions adjacent the head wheel and the foot wheel, the intermediate stations being omitted.

Figure 2 is aside elevation of the trip-setting device at the loading station, being taken sub stantially' as indicated at line 2-2 on Figure l, but showing the parts on a larger scale.

Figure 3 is a detail plan section of the parts shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail plan section of one of the carriers approaching a load-discharging device at one of the stations on the descending side of the conveyer but including a fragment of an ad jacent carrier on the ascending side of the conveyer.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the conveyer and discharge device shown in Figure 4, together The conveyer shown in the drawings for illustrating this invention is a simple type of elevator designed for transporting books or similar articles between several floors of a library building or the like. It includes a head wheel A and a foot wheel B, with a single chain I trained over said wheels and operating continuously in the same direction.

' As shown, it may be understood that the righthand ply of the chain 1 travels upwardly, as indicated by the arrows associated therewith in Figure 1. The chain l supports a plurality of trays or carriers 2 attached at intervals to the chain and each comprising a series of spaced load-supporting arms 3 extending forwardly from a back wall 4 and'disposed between end walls or flanges 5, 5. The front edge of the carrier is left open so that a load carried on the arms 3 may be slidably discharged by horizontal movement over these arms. Each carrier includes a vertically extending hanger 6 which is attached to the chain l by means of a pivot 7. Vertically extending guide plates 8 and angles 9 form a guide channel in which the chain I and the hangers 5 of the carriers travel between the head wheel A and foot wheel B.

For discharging the loads by sliding them ofi the arms 3 of the carriers each unloading station is provided with an unloader or discharging device which includes a plurality of arms [0 secured at intervals on the horizontal shaft II, as seen in Figures 4 and 5. This shaft is journaled just in front of the path of the carriers at the descending side of the conveyer, and the arms it at most of the stations stand normally in a vertical plane. But when the shaft II is rocked through about 45 degrees the arms H) are swung to an inclined position at which they intermember with the spaces between the arms 3 of the ca rrier as it travels downwardly past them. Thus any load on the arms 3 is shifted horizontally along them and onto the inclined arms I!) along which it then slides for delivery to a suitable receptacle or platform, not shown. This type of carrier and load-discharging devices of this general character are familiar and well understood in the art; but the present invention has to do with the. selective control of the discharging devices at the several stations.

For this purpose each shaft ll carries a bevel gear !2 which meshes with the bevel gear I3 on a shaft [4 extending at right angles to the shaft H and in the same horizontal plane. The shaft l4 carries a sprocketwheel l5 connected by a chain IE to a similar sprocket H on a parallel shaft l8 journaled directly above the shaft M, as seen in Figure 5. A trip arm I9 is secured to the shaft I8 and projects toward the path of the carriers 2 so that a suitable trip member on one of the carriers, if positioned to encounter the arm l9, will rock the arm downwardly, thus turning the shaft Iii-and simultaneously rocking the shafts l4 and H to swing the spaced arms ID of the unloader into the inclined position at which they will discharge a load from the descending carrier as it passes them.

It may be understood that at each station at which loads are; to be selectively discharged there is provided a rock shaft H with its load discharging arms Hl normally standing in vertical position, togethenwith the interme shed bevel gears l2 and I3 and the chain-connected shafts l4 and it. At the several discharge stations the trip arms H) are mounted respectively in different vertical planes,-that is, at different distances along their respective shafts l8, as measured from the front face of the elevator shaft. In Figure 4 these several positions are indicated at a, b, c, d, e, f and g, and the trip arm i9 is shown at the position .0. The selector member 20 projects from the carrier in position to register withthe trip arm 19 so as torock the arm and actuate the unloading device, as already described.

Each of the carriers which is to cooperate with the unloading devices at the several discharge stations is equipped with a selector lug 20 slidably mounted on guide rods 2| and '22 which are secured adjacent one end wall or flange '5 of the carrier. The rod 2| is formed with depressions 23 spaced apart at intervals corresponding to the positions a, b, c, d, e, j and g, and the selector 28 may be provided with any suitable spring detent for engaging any one of the depressions 23 to hold the selector at adjusted position for registration with the trip arm l9 at a particular station.

For shifting the selector lug 2|! of any carrier to a desired position on the guide rod 2! there is mounted adjacent the loading station C a cam bar 24 which is fulcrumed near its lower end at 25 and extends vertically alongside the path of the carriers on the ascending side of the conveyer. The bar includes a flange 2 which extends past the vertical plane through which the selector lugs 20 of the carriers project as they travel upward. Normally, each of these lugs stands on the rod 2| at a neutral position (as shown in Figure 3) near the front side of the conveyer, but if the bar 24 is set at inclined position, such as that indicated in dotted outline in Figure 2, its flange 24* will act as a cam upon an approaching lug 20 so as to shift it along its guide rod 2! to a position determined by the upper end of the :cam bar 24 at its inclined position of adjustment. The bar 24 is held normally at inoperative or neutral position with its flange 24 substantially vertical, and for adjusting it to the various inclined positions required for shifting the selector lug 20 to operate at any one of the several discharge stations, there is provided a bank of push rods 26 each terminating in a push-button 21 and guided in two supporting plates 28 for horizontal movement. The push-buttons 21 are exposed in a vertical row, as seen inFigure 1, adjacent the load-receiving opening at the station C. The inner end of each push rod 26 stands normally in contact with the bar 2e, and inward movement of any of the push rods will serve to tilt the bar 24 about its fulcrum 25.

Each of the push rods 26 has a different limit of inward movement determined by a stop collar 28 positioned to abut the outer guide plate 28; and each of the rods 26 is thus limited to a stroke which will incline the cam bar 24 just far enough to cause it to shift the selector 20 along the guide 2! into position for engagement of its detent with a certain one of the depressions 23 in the guide. Each rod 26 has a notch 30, and a pivoted latch member 31 is positioned to drop into this notch when the rod is pushed inwardly to the limit determined by its stop collar 29. The rod is thus held at inthrust position, and serves to hold the cam bar 24 at the corresponding angle of adjustment while the selector lug 20 on the carrier traverses the flange 2t and is thus set at the desired position.

As shown in Figure 6, all the latches 3| are disposed in a common vertical plane, and are confined between a pair of guide bars 32 which are connected at intervals by pins 33 each extending under one of the latches 3!. At their upper ends the guide bars 32 are connected by a link 34, with a lever 35 whose bent end extends for wiping contact with a lug 36 fixed on the carrier 2 adjacent the front of the carrier, as seen in Figure 3. Thus, after the selector 20 passes the upper end of the cam bar flange 24 the lug 36 engagesthe lever 35 and swings it to lift the guide bars 32 through a short distance sufiicient to bring each or the cross-pins 33into engagement with one of the latches 3|; in this way the latch 3i, which has dropped into the notch -30 of the inthrust push rod 26, is lifted out of the notch, releasing the rod and allowing it to .be returned to its normal position. The force for thus returning the push rod is supplied by a spring 3? connecting the cam bar 24 with a fixed frame member 38 and constantly urging the cam bar toward its normal or-neutral position.

In order that the movement of the unloader arms 10 may be accomplished smoothly and quietly the lug 20 is arranged to engage the trip arm l9 gradually rather than suddenly, and this is accomplished by providing the lug 2 0 with a depending arm 40 curved downwardly and away from the pivot axis of the arm 19. The lower end of the part 40 travels in a path just beyond the end of the trip am Hi so that as the carrier 2 descends the curved face of the part 40 acts as a cam pressing upon the end of the arm I 9 and rocking it, as shown in Figure 5. This mechanism includes a spring 4| which serves to hold the unloader arms it] normally in their upright position, and which is tensioned when the arms have been tilted to their inclined loading position.

To retain the unloader arms) at inclined position while the carrier 2 passes them and is relieved of its lead thereby, Figure 10 shows a catch dog 42 pivotally supported on the frame in position to engage a stop arm 43 which extends pair of hook-shaped stops 44 extend fixedlyifrom' rigidly from the shaft l l of theunloader.

the supporting framework in position to engage a cross-tie 45 carried by the outer ends of the unloacler arms below the axis of their shaft I I, and these stops thus limit the rocking movement of ,the arms H] to the inclined position. The catch 42 is yieldingly held at locking position by its weighted arm 46, but as the carrier 2 continues to descend after discharge of its load, the lug 36, carried-fixedly on the carrier, strikes a release arm 47 extending rigidly from the catch 42 and thus rocks the catch downwardly, causing it to release the arm 43, allowing the spring 4| to return-the unloader arms ID to their normal position. At vertical position of the arms H] the mechanism is checked by engagement of the trip arm I9 with a stop 48 secured on the frame; this action will also take place rather quietly because the weight of the unloader arms H1 at their inclined position is such as to nearly balance the tension of the spring 4! and to prevent the return movement from starting suddenly, and as the arms l0 approach their vertical position the tension of the spring 4| is lessened so that the parts come to rest without appreciable noise or shock.

When an elevator of this type is employed in library work it may be fitted with carriers of two types. Those which are assigned to the work of conveying books away from the station C, which may be, for example, at the reading room floor, will be fitted with the selectively adjustable lugs 29, as shown in Figure 4, and will unload their books by tripping and tilting the unloader arms ill at any of the stack floor stations D. But for sending books from the stacks to the reading room station C there may be provided a series of carriers having no adjustable lug 20. The unloader arms H] at the station 0 will stand normally at their inclined position so that books placed on these special carriers will always be removed at the reading room floor. Books which are being returned from the loading station C to any of the stations D at'the stack floors above the station C will have been removed from their carriers by selective unloading mechanism before:

these carriers reach the station C hence, the

carriers, being empty, will pass the incined unloader arms at C without interference.

However, in the particular arrangement shown in Figure 1 there is one storage or stack floor having an unloading station E below the level of the station C Since this station is the lowest. of

the entire series its unloader arms H1 may be set shaft U which supports the unloader arms IQ at; the station C is connected to the bevel gear l3 by a gevel gear l2", as shown in Figure 9, in

such relation that when the trip arm W on theshaft I8 at station C is rocked downwardly by the lug 20 of a descending carrier, the shaft H will be rotated in a direction to swing the armsl0 upwardly to their vertical position (instead of downwardly, as at the other stations). A suitable catch device 52 is provided to hold the arms Iii in their vertical position until the loaded carrier passes them when the lug 36 on the carrier will trip the release arm 51 of the catch device and allow the arms [0* to return to their normally inclined position. Since this action is necessary only for carriers routed to the station E, the trip arm [9* at the station C will be located in register with the position :0 (see Figure 4) which corresponds to the position of=the selector ing 20 :for station E.

In many cases there will be only a single sending station, such as the station C at which the loads placed on the carriers are routed to various points of delivery. But in some cases it may be desirable to have one or more additional stations provided with selector buttons 21, and in Figure 1 such an arrangement is indicated at D In order to prevent the use of the selector buttons at D interfering with the setting of selector lugs already effected at station C, I provide an interlocking arrangement shown schematically in Figure 10. In addition to the push rods and their buttons 2'! at the station C, the control panel includes a button 60, and at station D a similar button BI is provided. The cam bars 2 3 at these two stations include projecting locking pins 62. The button controls a latch hook 63 engageable with the pin 62 of one cam bar, and the button 6| controls a latch 64 engageable with the pin 52 of the other cam bar. The two latches are connected by a tie rod 65 of such length that only one of the latches can be engaged with its pin 62 at one time. When it is desired to use the selector buttons 27 at the station C, the button 69 is pushed inward, rocking the lever 86 about the pivot of the latch 63 so as to carry the spring 67 past dead center and cause the latch 63 to be disengaged from the pin 52. The upward movement of the latch 63 acts through the rod 65 to lift the latch 64 into engagement with its pin 62, thus preventing operation of the cam bar at station B for the time being. The movement of latch 64 to looking position will be accompanied by an outward movement of its corresponding button Si by the carrying spring 67 past dead center, thus rocking the lever 66 to thrust the button 6i outwardly. The button 6! will thus act as an indicator at the control panel to show that the cam bar 24 is locked. Ordinarily, it will be adjusted to leave the cam bar normally unlocked at a certain station, for example, the station C, so that whenever the operator at station I) is through using the selector mechanism he will re-adjust it so as to lock the cam bar at station D and release the cam bar at station C.

Occasionally, when it is desired to send several carriers successively to the same station without resetting the cam bar 24 for each of the carriers, the corresponding selector button 21 may be locked at inthrust position by the use of a locking lug lil shown on the face of the panel in Figure 3 and pivoted thereto so that it can be swung about its pivot to overlap the stop collar 29 when the push rod 25 is thrust in to the limit of its throw at which the collar 29 stops against the outer face of the plate 28. With this arrangement, although the latches will be lifted each time a carrier passes their controlling arm 35, the lug will prevent the return of the cam bar to normal position under the action of its spring 37, and will maintain the bar at its inclined adjustment until manually released.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the same is not limited to the particular form herein shown and described, except in so far as indicated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a conveyer chain, carriers at intervals thereon equipped with trip lugs slidably adjustable transversely of the direction of travel of the chain, a pivotally mounted inclinable cam bar engageable with said lugs and a control panel with a plurality of push rods each operative directly to set the cam bar at a different angle to effect a desired adjustment of a trip lug as it traverses the cam bar.

2. In combination with a conveyer chain, carriers at intervals thereon equipped with trip lugs slidably adjustable transversely of the direction of travel of the chain, an inclinable cam bar mounted on a fixed pivot and engageable with said lugs and a control panel with a plurality of push rods each operative to shift the cam bar to a difierent angle to effect a desired adjustment of a trip lug as it traverses the cam bar, together with an individual latch for each push rod automatically engaging the rod at its limit of operative movement to hold the cam bar at adjusted position.

3. In combination with a conveyer chain, carriers at intervals thereon equipped with trip lugs slidably adjustable transversely of the direction or travel of the chain, an inclinable cam bar engageable with said lugs, and a control panel with a plurality of push rods each operative to set the cam bar at a dififerent angle to effect a desired adjustment of a trip lug as it traverses the cam bar, together with an individual latch for each push rod automatically engaging the rod at its limit of operative movement to hold the cam bar at adjusted position, and a release arm for said latch engageable by the carrier after its lug has traversed the cam bar whereby the rod and cam bar are released for return to normal position. i

4. In combination with a conveyer chain, carriers at intervals thereon equipped with trip lugs slidably adjustable transversely of the direction of travel of the chain, an inclinable cam bar engageable with said lugs and a control panel with a plurality of push rods each operative to set the cam bar at a different angle to effect a desired adjustment of a trip lug as it traverses the cam bar, together with an individual latch for each push rod automatically engaging the rod at its limit of operative movement to hold the cam bar at adjusted position, means operative automatically to return the cam bar and push rod to their normal position upon release of the latch, and a release arm for said latch extending for actuation by the carrier after its lug has traversed the cam bar.

5. In combination with a conveyer which includes carriers at intervals equipped with trip lugs slidably adjustable transversely of the direction of travel of the carriers, an inclinable cam bar mounted adjacent the path of said travel and engageable with said lugs, a plurality of adjusting members for said cam bar with individual stops for said members limiting each of them to a difierent range of movement whereby each member is operable to set the cam bar at a different angle for effecting a corresponding displacement of a trip lug from its initial position as it traverses the cam bar.

6. In combination with a conveyer which includes carriers at interval equipped with trip to a different range of movement whereby each member is operable to set the cam bar at a different angle for eifecting a corresponding displacement of a trip lug from its initial position as it traverses the cam bar, together with means for automatically retaining the cam bar at any position of adjustment.

7. In combination witha conveyer which includes carriers at intervals equipped with trip lugs slidably adjustable transversely of the direction of travel of the carriers, an inclinable cam bar mounted adjacent the path of said travel and engageable with said lugs, a plurality of adjusting members for said cam bar with individual stops for said members limiting each of them to a difierent range of movement whereby each member is operable to set the cam bar at a different angle for efiecting a corresponding displacement of a trip lug from its initial position as it traverses the cam bar, together with means for automatically retaining the cam bar at any position of adjustment, and yielding means connected to the cam bar for returning it automatically to initial position upon release of said retaming means.

8. In combination with a conveyor including carriers at intervals equipped with trip lugs slidably adjustable transversely of the direction of travel of the conveyer, an inclinable cam bar engageable with said lugs for sliding them to selected positions of adjustment as they traverse the cam bar, and means for setting the cam bar including a plurality of push rods each engageable with the bar and each having a different stroke, together with individually pivoted latches for said push rods, respectively, each adapted to retain its push rod at the limit of its operative stroke, a latch lifter having means to engage each of the latches and a trip arm for said lifter engageable by a carrier after its lug has traversed the cam bar.

9. A conveyer system including a plurality of delivery stations, a conveyer having a carrier arranged to traverse said stations, a normally inactive unloading device at each of said delivery stations provided with a trip member operable to shift the device into active position, the several trip members being mounted to register respectively with different points on the carrier as it passes, a shiftable selector slidably adjustable on the carrier for engagement with any one of said trip members, a cam bar mounted adjacent the path of the carrier and movable to a position in which it extends obliquely across the path of the selector for shifting it as it traverses the bar, and a control panel with a plurality of push rods each having a different stroke and each engageable with the cam bar for shifting it to a different oblique position corresponding to the proper adjustment of the selector for one of the delivery stations;

10. A conveyer system including a plurality of delivery stations and two sending stations, 21 conveyer having carriers at intervals equipped with trip lugs slidably adjustable transversely of the direction of travel of the carriers, an inclinable cam bar mounted adjacent the path of said travel at each of the sending stations for engaging said lugs, means for selectively adjusting each of said cam bars at a series of different angles for effecting corresponding displacements of the trip lugs, and locking means for the cam bar at one of said sending stations with actuating means for the lock disposed at the other sending station for preventing adjustment of one cam bar while the other cam bar is in service.

11. A conveyer system including a plurality of delivery stations and two sending stations, a conveyer having carriers at intervals equipped with trip lugs slidably adjustable transversely of the direction of travel of the carriers, an inclinable cam bar mounted adjacent the path of said travel at each of the sending stations for engaging said lugs, means for selectively adjusting each of said cam bars at a series of different angles for effecting corresponding displacements of the trip lugs, and interconnected locking means for both cam bars arranged to lock either one of them and leave the other free for adjustment, together with actuating members for said locking means at both sending stations.

12. In combination with a conveyer chain, carriers at intervals thereon equipped with trip lugs slidably adjustable transversely of the direction of travel of the chain, an inclinable cam bar engageable With said lugs and a control panel with a plurality of push rods each operable to set the cam bar at a different angle to efiect a desired adjustment of a trip lug as it traverses the cam bar, together with locking means adjustable at will to hold any selected push rod at operative position for causing the cam bar to efiect similar adjustments of the trip lugs on a plurality of carriers as they successively pass the cam bar.

13. In combination with a conveyer chain, carriers at intervals thereon equipped with trip lugs slidably adjustable transversely of the direction of travel of the chain, an inclinable cam bar engageable with said lugs, a control panel with a plurality of push rods each operable to set the cam bar at a difierent angle to effect a desired adjustment of a trip lug as it traverses the cam bar, an individual latch for each push rod automatically engaging the rod at its limit of operative movement to hold the cam bar at adjusted position, and a release arm for said latch engageable by the carrier after its lug has traversed tde cam bar, together with locking means independent of the latches and adjustable at will to hold any selected push rod at adjusted position for causing the cam bar to effect similar adjustment of the trip lugs on a plurality of carriers as they successively pass said cam bar.

14. A conveyer system including a series of regular delivery stations and one special delivery station, a conveyer arranged to traverse said stations and having a regular load carrier designated for transporting loads to the regular stations and a special carrier for transporting loads, a normal ly inactive unloading device at each regular station having a trip member operable to shift it to active position, the several trip members of said regular stations being positioned to register respectively with diiierent points on the regular carrier as it passes, a shiftable trip lug on said carrier adjustable to any of said points to engage a selective trip member for unloading the carrier at the corresponding station, and a normally active unloading device at the special station, the special carrier being constructed without a trip lug whereby it passes the regular stations without releasing its load and is automatically unloaded by the normally active unloading device at the special station.

15. A conveyer system in accordance with claim 14in which the special station is located beyond the regular stations along the path of travel of the carriers whereby the regular carrier, if loaded, is relieved of its load before pas ing the special station.

SAMUEL OLSO

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