US2504290A - Car propelling means - Google Patents

Description

April 18, 1950 H. E. WOOD CAR PROPELLING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 12, 1945 INVENTOR. Henry Ea W017i BY W FM April 18, 1950 H. E. WOOD 2,504,

CAR PROPELLING MEANS Filed Dec. 12, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Henry EarZe Ma g f gwwwgy Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAR PROPELLING MEANS Henry Earle Wood, Cincinnati, Ohio Application December 12, 1945, Serial No. 634,605

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a car propelling means and has for an object the provision of a device for connecting a vehicleor the like predetermined path such These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.-1 is a top plan view of an endless gravity conveyor system embodyingthe devices of th invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental, -elevational view taken on line 22 of Fig. l and disclosing in end e1evation a device of the invention operatively mounted therein. I F

Fig. 3' is an enlarged top plan View of a device of the invention detached from the conveyor.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3. V

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 3.

The device of the invention is operatively shown in Figs. 1 and 2'to provide for a combination of relative movements between the individual vehicles of a gravity conveyor mechanism and the control arms which serve to synchronize and control the relative movement of a number of vehicles operating through identical paths.

In the gravity conveyor system of Fig. 21 there is shown diagrammatically a continuous track indicated generally at! and which may comprise a pair of endless parallel rails 8 suitably supported on an inclined plane surface 9 such as the surface of a hillside. The rails may be secured to cross ties Ill or otherwise fixed in position. A plurality of vehicles H are tractionally I 5 extend radially from the center or hub at uniform angles throughout and may be retained in this uniform, angularly related position in any suitable fashion such as by struts or ties Hi.

It will be apparent from the foregoing and upon inspection of Fig. 1 that the eccentrically related rotating spoke structure and the track will, upon rotation of the spoke structure, causethe end of any given sweep I5 to approximately overhang the track I at one position, and that on continued rotation of the spoke structure about its aXis on shaft I3, the end of said sweep I5 will project a considerable distance beyond the track 1. Each of the vehicles II is provided with a fixedly mounted, perpendicular connector pole H, the end of which enters the open slot I I8 in the bottom of one of the sweeps I5. Supported on each pole I1 and disposed within the hollow interior of the inverted channel shape sweep I5, is one of the antifriction members indicated generally at I9. The shuttle hitch I9 see also Figs. 3, 4 and 5) comprises a top plate nected in any suitable manner. Mounted in the geometrical center of each of the uniform plates 20 and ZI are antifriction bearings 23 and '24, these antifriction bearings being axially aligned for the reception of the top end of post ll of the plates 20 and 2| and on either side of the longitudinal center thereof, are disposed bearing rollers 25. These rollers 25 are arranged in groups of four in mutually non-contacting relation and disposed so that the peripheries thereof project uniformly beyond opposite longitudinal supported on the rails 8 by means of flanged I wheels I2, The track 'I (Fig. 1) is desirably arranged in an oval shape on the inclined side of the hill. Mounted within the interior of the oval thus formed, and at a distance from the geometric center of said oval, a heavy stud shaft or center post I3 is firmly anchored in'the ground 1 and is arranged perpendicularly to the inclined surface 9 of the hillside. Connected to a center hub M, which is rotatable on shaft I3, is a series of inverted channel shaped sweeps or spokes of uniform length. The successive sweeps or spokes edges of the plates 20 and 2|. As can be best seen in Fig. 3, the groups of four rollers 25 are disposed on opposite sides of the center antifriction bearings 23 and 24.

As can be best seen in Fig. 5, each roller 25 has projecting from its opposite ends a top stud shaft 26 and a bottom stud shaft 21 which are rigidly fixed to or integral with the roller. bearings 28 are provided for the respective stud shafts 26 and 21, the components of said antifriction bearings being connected with said shafts and the respective plates 20 and 2|.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the peripheries of the rollers 25, which are adapted for free rolling contact on the opposed inner parallel faces of the channel shaped sweeps and a bottom plate M which are connected f in spaced parallelism by a pair of posts 22, to' the opposite ends of which they are rigidly con- Antifriction l5, will allow hitch member-|9 toshiftlongitudinally in the sweep IS with a minimum of resistance, while the center antifriction bearings 23 an 24, which receive the post [1, permit the f H to follow track I and to converge and diverge; from the eccentrically located center shaft .I.3.of,...

a spoke unit. In the arrangement shown inFig'. 1

29 represents a loading station at therhi herr,

elevation on the incline or hillside and 30 represents an unloading station for the vehicles--dis posed at a lower elevation on said incline, By

the arrangement shown, the vehicles leaving the loading station 29 maydescend in thedirection.

of arrow 3I' for gravitational movement toian unloading'station 30. By the eccentric arrangement'shown the vehicles ll which have been unloaded are caused to converge toward the center of rotation 53' as they follow the upwardly inclined section of track 'l which is situated closer,

to the; center of rotation I3. In view of this it willbe'readily apparent, that, in addition-tothe; difference in weight of the descending loading,

vehicle and the risingempty vehicle-upon; each pair of aligned sweeps 15, the positions. of: the respective vehicles on, their sweeps finds the;

empty,;upwardly traveling vehicle closer to the.

axis of rotation I3. Considering the aligned; oppositely extending radial sweeps as a lever: and

0 the point l3 asa fulcrum, it will be readily age-1 parent that. even a lightly loaded vehicleon the descending side of the conveyor will readily-over,-

balance the. load of the empty vehicle diamete ricallyoppositeit. The combined movementsof each device l9 as it progressively converges and- 1 then diverges with relation to. the center'cf. rota.-

tion, l3 and the accompanying rotary adjustment of the post. I in antifriction bearings. 23; and-$.24

provide for remarkably smooth and free rotation,

of the-series-of vehicles about the track under=- theginfiuence of gravity.

In" practice the inclined plane on whichthe. device operates may assume various angles other than that exemplified in Fig. 2. The inclined plans. may be selected on a natural site such as;

a hillside or said inclined plane may be; artificiallyi .produced to accommodate the: circuit:

travel of. the vehicles from one level to a, lower: one andreturn. The essence of the smoothand facile gravitational operation ofuthe device resides in the provision of the antifriction connectionoi bearings- 2324, on the post ll fixeduonmi the vehicle, in conjunction with the free-.rollingy.

bearing of rollers 25, which are uniformly; grouped:

on opposite. sides of bearings. 23-44, upon. the

contaoting parallel inner faces of sweeps; I5...v

The structure disclosed is to be understood as not limited to the specific disclosure: since it is.

contemplated that minor details of construction areto be made in adapting the conveyor orthe propellingmeans of the, invention to specific installations. For example, the antifriction bearan orbital-.rtrack of substantially uniform curva-.

turedisposed in an inclined plane, a rotatably' mounted spoke unit having its axis of'rotation flxed:eccentrically within the track; orbit and perpendicular to the inclined plane, said unit comprising a plurality of radially spaced, channeled sweeps movable in unison over the track and in parallelism therewith, vehicles on said track below the respective sweeps, a hitch post extending: upwardly from each vehicleinto the channel of the sweep above it, and a propelling means disposed in the channel of each of said sweeps, eachproipelling means comprising a central antifriction bearing whereby said propelling means-is revolubly supported on the end of the hitch postand further comprising rollers having-antif-rictionbearings at opposite ends thereof, said rollers adapting the propelling means for movement longitudinally within the respectivesweeps.

2, A gravit conveyorcomprising an orbital. track of substantially uniform curvature disposed in an inclin'edplane, a rotatable. spoke; unit have. ing anaxis. of rotation fixedeccentrically within the track orbit and perpendicular to the. inclined plane, said unit comprising a plurality of-.ra-...- dially spaced channeled sweeps movable in par-v allelism with the. plane..-and over. the track,,.ve hicles on the track beneath the respective sweeps,. hitch posts on the vehicles extendinginto the; channels of the respective sweeps, car propelling means rotatably supported on the respective hitch posts. and disposed within. the channels. of. the... respective sweeps, said.. car. propelling means including bearing rollers having tractional.-; engagement on opposed sides of the channels of said-v sweeps and providing for reciprocation thereof longitudinally within the associated I sweeps as the vehicles move al0ng:,the.,.traok and'converge, and diverge to and iromthe cene ter. of rotation of thespoke unit during-such; movement.

3. In -a device of the class-described an.end-.. less track of substantially-uniformcurvature: disposed, in a non-horizontal plane,- a :cen-w ter shaft fixedly mounted in said non-horizontal plane within; the area bounded by the...track and to one side of a center line passing through the 1" highest. and the lowest :pointsin said trackga spoke unit rotatably mounted on said. shaft and including; a plurality of radially extending sweeps of uniform length arranged in aligned =pairs--- about the center of rotation, the sweeps of said spoke-unit overhanging the track' in varying de-'--- areas. during rotation :of the spoke -.=unit, tractionally supported members on;the track beneath their respective sweeps, antifriction car propel--- ling members mounted for longitudinal -reciprocation onithe respective sweeps and hitch postsfixedc to the respective, tractionall-ysupported members and rotatably supporting the respective members. in the plane of movement of" said sweeps.

HENRY EARLE WOOD;

REFERENCES CITED The'following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 1 Name Date 116,864r. Jamesv May 2, 1876 786,117 Hagen May 28,1905

1,353,929 Maynes. Sept.'28,"-l920' 1,544,823 Fairhurst July '7', 1925* FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date.

180,586 Germany Jane-24,1903"

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